It’s true what they say – you can take the girl out of Texas, but you can’t take the Texas out of the girl. It wasn’t until our last trip back to the Lone Star State that it really hit me how much that rings true.

In my early twenties I really tried to suppress that fact as I was figuring myself out and really dying to burst the bubble that I had grown up in. I was itching to leave Dallas and explore. One of the coolest things about my first job (that was a huge part of me starting this blog) was that I had the ability to travel regularly for fun if I could work it into a work trip. I used to hop on planes like they were taxis during that season trying to soak up the opportunity that was before me.

I was a lot edgier with my style then, more into following the trends, and I was a lot more experimental with piecing things together. I didn’t want to have anything to do with “basic” things and rejected anything remotely preppy and southern. While I definitely skewed a little too far one direction, it actually had a positive effect on other areas of my life.

It’s funny how that “break out of the norm” mentality will spill over into the rest of your life. It was the spark that encouraged me to branch out and try new things regularly. I started going to yoga at least a couple of times a week (and continued for years), I was eating extremely healthily (lots of quinoa and bland chicken, ugh), and I really took advantage of my ability to travel around.

But as life usually does, the ebbs and flows have led me down a winding path over the last 10 years and here I am back to wearing the things that make me the happiest. There’s a saying that stuck with me a long time ago:

“You can carry your roots with you and decide where they grow.”

This rings so true in my life, now more than ever. On a small scale there are things that I have always enjoyed about my southern roots that have never left me – my love for gingham anything, the genuine excitement from really good chips and queso, and the way old country music makes me feel after a long and hectic day. On a larger scale it’s the slower pace that allows you to really soak up moments and experiences, the way you feel so comfortable at home and don’t care what you look like, and the southern hospitality that gives everyone the benefit of the doubt and is slow to anger and quick to forget.

Sometimes I struggle with the pace of New York and how different the city feels to the times that I’m back in Texas… but you decide where your roots grow. It was such a warm reminder for me recently that it’s up to me to make sure that my roots stretch beyond where I came from and to where I am today.

GINGHAM PIECES UNDER $100

On a lighter note, can you believe this dress is only $38? I scooped it up earlier this spring (at the same time as this white dress) and am so glad I did! It’ll be perfect for the summer days ahead and Memorial Day that’s around the corner.

GET THE LOOK

GINGHAM DRESS • LOEFFLER RANDAL HEELS • HALF MOON CROSSBODY BAG • SUNGLASSES • TASSEL EARRINGS

Photos by Beckley & Co