Homecoming- Texas Style

There are some things that words just don't adequately describe. We've lived here for over 2 years now, and every fall I try to describe homecoming mums to my family and friends outside of Texas. I always get a polite chuckle as I describe them, but I know that they don't fully comprehend what a big deal they are. This year I resolved to take a picture to prove it. I was very excited when I was coming home one day and saw my neighbor coming up the stairs with all the materials to make a mum. We started talking about how extravagent (and expensive!) they are. They are a HUGE status symbol for high school girls. Some of them cost hundreds of dollars. Some have lights, others have music boxes, small stuffed animals, etc. Talk about pressure for the poor guy! How much you like your date determines how extravagent her mum is, so if they really like the girl they have to fork out the big bucks! The girls wear them to school on homecoming, and then to the game. Most wear overalls or jean jackets because they are so heavy that nothing else would hold them up. My neighbor was so nice to come over after she finished the mum for her son's girlfriend (it's cheaper to make them if you're creative enough!) and let me take a picture of it. Then, we went to the homecoming game and had a blast! Amazingly enough, our kids loved the game. One of the young women in our ward won homecoming queen, so that was fun. And- the best part of all... the only empty seats we could find in the whole stadium were right next to a couple of my young women from church! I was very grateful that they weren't "too cool" to sit by their YW leader, and even more grateful that Brianna let me take a picture of her wearing her mum. It's just not the same until you see someone wearing one! Oh...and if you thought the mums were crazy, you should see what the guys wear! Think wedding garter with all kinds of crazy things hanging from it, worn around their bicep......