Happy Halloween!

I went all Canadian again this year as a Mountie and had a blast celebrating on Polk street. Turns out there are a lot of Canadians in SF who were happy to see an RCMP officer patrolling the streets- although most people were disappointed I didn't have a horse. I won an unofficial costume contest at a bar and the prize was doughnuts and beer- gotta love being a Mountie!

Trail Ride

So its not technically on the list but it should be since a trail ride through the hills practically screams American. Plus there was no way I was going to pass up the chance to ride a horse (its been too long!!).

American gear

In Austin I saw some awesome American flag sunglasses that I decided not to purchase since they were already scratched (plus I had just 'invested' in cowboy boots and spending more money seemed extravagant)...I have regretted that decision ever since. So I decided to do some internet shopping on Amazon. Turns out that the sunglasses I want are out of stock (LAME!) but I did find some awesome clothing options after searching for 'American flag' under Clothing and Accessories...I'm going to get my Christmas shopping done early with these gems. I  mean my dad would look stellar in these shirts:

For the office



For the weekend

Yet another AmeriCanadian in the country...

Congrats Dad!!

#3 Go to a rodeo

Lindsey and I got all decked out in our cowboy gear and headed to the Cow Palace tonight for the Grand National Rodeo. So. Much. Fun!! Although I've learned that next year we will need to add some flair to our wardrobe- turns out western women love their bling. Bedazzled shirts, belts, hats, jeans, boots, saddles, bridles, coffee mugs etc... a good note for future outfits. 

Patriotic fashion...

...so American I can hardly stand it. No clue why they would be selling such a classy hat in a costume store...obviously an error.

Texas State Capital

Last stop on the Austin vay-cay was a trip to the state capital. Decided to stop by the governor's office and get some stuff done...no big deal just being super important.

TWO flags behind us- that means we're legit

Hanging out under the dome

Austin hearts America...

...and I heart Austin!! Its an awesome city and I can't wait to go back! Started off the long weekend by buying the best cowboy boots ever at Allen's Boots.

Ended up with the ones on the far right

If you're going to visit Austin, be prepared to eat as much as possible because the food is fantastic! Delicious tacos at Guero's, best burger of my life at HopDoddy's, amazing pulled pork sandwich at Jackalope, deep fried pickles with ranch AND a chicken, tomato, black bean and avocado pizza at Alamo Draft House (where we saw Drive- love Ryan Gosling but yikes that was an intense movie).

#7 Learn how to shoot a gun

I took a mini vacation to Austin this past weekend to visit my friend Nicole from Davis and her boyfriend Dan.  Not only did we have an awesome time doing all things Austin (and eating everything in sight...amaaazing food) but I also got to check off another thing on my list!! Dan's friend Kent let us stop by his place for some target practice...although since both Nicole and I had no clue what we were doing it was less target practice and more just trying to hit anything while not freaking out over how loud the guns were! Both Kent and Dan are cops so everything was nice and safe (in case peps were worrying).

Gearing up and getting ready at Kent's...thats just one of the guns and some of the ammo we took with us

First rule us novices learned- guns point out of the car while driving