You Can Take The Girl Out Of Texas...

But as I've discovered over the last eight years of being a Texan in exile, you can't take the Texas out of the girl.

The time I've spent in Louisville and the state of Kentucky has been an interesting part of my life. I've met and made some wonderful friends here and needed the change of scenery back in 2001. I've been embraced by the progressive community, met some of the movers and shakers here and had delightful days at Keeneland.

I'm only a ten hour drive from Washington DC, five hour drive from Chicago, four from St Louis, two from Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Nashville, seven hours from Charlotte and six from the ATL.

And Impellizzeri's and Spinelli's pizza is the bomb along with Adam Matthew's cheesecake and Derby Pie.

But despite all the positive experiences, it ain't home despite the fact they sell Blue Bell up here. I'm just simply a Texan who misses Texas.

The recent bus trip I took back to Houston was the best Christmas I'd had in eight years in addition to being a microcosm of the last decade of my life. I just seemed to come alive when I crossed the Mississippi River, the Texas state line, the Harris County line and entered the Houston city limits. I don't get that same feeling when I'm crossing the Mississippi heading east, the Kentucky border or into the Louisville city limits.

My homegirl Jo Tittsworth reminded me when we were eating at Katz's in Montrose and I was happily scarfing up their caramel fudge cheesecake that you can take the girl out of Texas, but you can't take the Texas out of the girl.

I pondered that comment on the long ride back to Da Ville and she's right. I'm a Texas girl who misses everything about it.

I miss high school football Texas style. My childhood friends. Mom and pop barbecue stands on every corner along with fresh seafood. Tex-Mex. Pop top stadiums and professional sports. Having two HBCU's in my backyard like Texas Southern and Prairie View A&M. The Ensemble.

I miss being a 30 minute drive from the Gulf of Mexico or being a five hour drive down I-10 from New Orleans. I miss the bluebonnets blooming alongside the highways in the area. I miss being two hour drives away from Austin, rolling west on I-10 toward San Antonio and being four hours from Dallas up I-45.

I miss knowing with certainty that when one of my favorite artists does a concert tour I won't have to drive several hours to a neighboring city in another state to see them.

I also miss 60 degree weather in January. These single digit temperatures are for the birds but I did adapt to it.

But a lot of my pining for the Lone Star State has to do with the bulk of my family living in either Dallas or Houston and spending most of my life on the Gulf Coast. I have unfinished business in Houston that calls out for resolution as well.

During my time as a Texan in exile I've evolved and grown a bit toward becoming a proud African descended Phenomenal Transwoman. When I arrived in 2001 I was embraced by the local progressive community and my church family here and it was deeply appreciated at a time when I was in a down period of my life. Dawn, AC, Susan, Karen and her nieces are my family up here, and it's been an interesting eight years getting to know them better.

I've tried to do my part in the time I've lived in Louisville to make the city and the state a little better than it was when I arrived.

Maybe it's time for me to do the same back home.