Before and after pics are great. They're extremely inspirational...but I am so sick of seeing the pictures that people take at specific angles to make themselves look thinner. C'mon people! Don't just be honest with us, be honest with YOURSELF! Stop holding the camera higher then your face and sticking your neck out. You're not fooling anyone but yourself!

Let's be fair. In her post Trixie referred to herself as a heifer, too. I believe that she was attempting to inject a little humour into her response, that she had absolutely no intention of insulting anyone. The use of the term "heifer" was definitely misguided and obviously not at all humourous, but it was only a clumsy mistake, and was not intended as an insult.

As for her opening comments, she had her own point of view, she expressed it: the rest of us disagreed with her and explained why we disagreed.

Green

You are right after I posted I thought about it and I have probably referred to myself as a heifer once or twice but it is just insulting to hear it from someone else.. Thank you for your level headedness. As you said Trixie has a right to her own opinion, we just don't have to share it. Thanks again for being the level headed rational one. Take care.

Well, my husband is a photographer as well. He shoots weddings in addition to his other work...Everyone says they want photojournalistic style photos in their albums...So, he shoots photojournalistically, while keeping the formal shots slightly posed. Quite frankly, the posed shots are what people want in their albums...Why???

Well...because it's much preferable to see oneself in the best light possible. So, if that means your neck is stretched up a little or your back leg is slightly bent...so the heck be it. What counts is that when you see a photo of yourself...you feel happy and proud.

I can only speak for myself...but there are TONS of photos of me that were both never taken or never printed and put in the book because I totally loathed my face, body and person. I can now look at a photo and be proud...and if the picture is taken in a way that improves the situation...I'm all for it!!!

Just my two cents.

rain

Depending on where abouts you live, referring to a female as a heifer is pretty common! May seem condescending....but I bet there are many a buckle bunny (girls who hang out at rodeos wanting to hook a cowboy) who's knees have went weak from being told they are the prettiest little heifer around!!!!

Kat

"Buckle bunny," eh.... Now there's term that I have never heard before. Cute.

They are easy to spot at a rodeo green-------they have the skin tight either Wranglers or Rockies pants, floral western shirts, and often times their hat and their Roper boots match. Now you can likely find a legitimate horse woman or cow girl in the same outfit--the difference? A buckle bunnies boots are CLEAN!!!!!

They get the name from rodeo participants winning HUGE belt buckles.....

Kat

Kat

Thanks for filling me in on all the buckle details, Kat. Below you will find the details of my buckle story.

There was this real skinny Quebecois guy who had been sent to our Toronto aircraft plant as a foreman while I was still working there. (This was before I retired.) He was in the habit of wearing "cowboy" including the most enormous belt buckle I have ever seen. This looked idiotic on this skinny little guy. He was also in the habit of pretending that he didn't speak English and then when I spoke French to him of pretending that he couldn't understand me. In brief, he made himself very unpopular with us local grunts. Anyhow, one of us, a sturdily built biker, used to threaten to come in wearing a garbage can lid as a belt buckle in order make fun of him. This never happened but we sure did enjoy the dream. In fact I almost wet myself I was laughing so hard.

By the way, what are Rockies pants? And Roper boots? I figure I oughta know this stuff. I do want to travel south. I have yet to taste bar-b-que, ya know.

OK.....first, Rockies are a brand of western, higher waisted often decorative jeans, sewn to highlight your butt!!! Made for VERY thin girls....I think they size them from 00 on up!

Ropers are low, flat heeled- leather western boots. They have them in both pull on, and lace up styles in every color you can imagine, girls wear pink, purple, lime green....you name it!

Now as to the belt buckle....yep you find those kind of "cowboys" everywhere! Most of the actual cowboys I know---ones who work with cattle---not in a rodeo sense, but as a way of living---ranchers--have long standing jokes about the monster belt buckles. Most along the idea of the bigger the buckle...the smaller the _ _ _ _!!! When I was younger and occasioned the Country Western Bars, the big buckles were referred to as Tombstones....because they were usually erected (yeah pun intended) over a dead _ _ _ _!!

Green several of us are heading to San Antonio Texas for a meet----I will think of you as I have my bbq!! Someday you have to come this way. New Mexico is not as far south as Texas, but....I can introduce you to REAL cowboys, REAL horsemen, REAL bar-b-que, and REAL belly rubbin', buckle shinin', country western dancing!!!

Consider it an invite!

Kat

Am I the only one who has noticed the photo that Trixie posted with her very first post? I mean really, who's kidding whom? Perhaps Trixie is a real jokester and getting a huge kick out of riling people. Good luck Trixie on losing 67 lbs. (or 47, or even 37) by April. I'm sure you're being very honest with yourself!

Kat now don't you and Green go all rodeo on me without including me IN!

OK.....first, Rockies are a brand of western, higher waisted often decorative jeans, sewn to highlight your butt!!! Made for VERY thin girls....I think they size them from 00 on up!

Ropers are low, flat heeled- leather western boots. They have them in both pull on, and lace up styles in every color you can imagine, girls wear pink, purple, lime green....you name it!

Now as to the belt buckle....yep you find those kind of "cowboys" everywhere! Most of the actual cowboys I know---ones who work with cattle---not in a rodeo sense, but as a way of living---ranchers--have long standing jokes about the monster belt buckles. Most along the idea of the bigger the buckle...the smaller the _ _ _ _!!! When I was younger and occasioned the Country Western Bars, the big buckles were referred to as Tombstones....because they were usually erected (yeah pun intended) over a dead _ _ _ _!!

Green several of us are heading to San Antonio Texas for a meet----I will think of you as I have my bbq!! Someday you have to come this way. New Mexico is not as far south as Texas, but....I can introduce you to REAL cowboys, REAL horsemen, REAL bar-b-que, and REAL belly rubbin', buckle shinin', country western dancing!!!

Consider it an invite!

Kat

I would love to come to see you and New Mexico. Thanks for the invite. I would love to see real cowboys, real horsemen, and eat real b-b-Q! And from all that you have mentioned about your part of the world it sounds like an interesting place. I remember that you said that you have a large native American population in the vicinity. Does this mean that there are interesting native handicrafts? (Green does love to shop, eh.)

And speaking of shoping, those Ropers sound kind of cool. My feet prefer it when I wear flats and I am crazy about colourful footwear.

Hey, yah, we should make it a trio! Kat, BJean and Green!

Hey, yah, we should make it a trio! Kat, BJean and Green!

Ay-yi-yi!! The world would never be the same----but we'd have a helluva good time!!! And yep you can join us at the rodeo or the shopping anytime!

Yes, I live near the largest Native American reservation---the Navajo Reservation, but there is also the Ute, and the Jicarilla (sounds like hick-uh-ree-uh)/Apache reservations nearby as well. The Native American arts are abundant in the area! Lots of turqoise and sterling silver jewelry, and sand paintings, as well as sculpture, and hand woven rugs, or handmade baskets and pottery, the list goes on and on! Each tribe has jewelry specialties, some use chunk turquoise for instance, and others specialize in inlaid jewlery with the turquoise, and coral, and mother of pearl.

They have several pow-wows --- and Indian Fairs, where they dance. If you have never seen that, it is worth seeing!

During our state fair, they have a Native American Culture Center, where they invite different tribes, to come dance, and all through the day they will have different groups dancing, in full costume...some as simple as loin cloths---others with huge elaborate feather head dresses. Most with the skin head drums being used to keep time. My DH and I sit and watch for hours! Of course it is really nice to watch while you sit and snack on their fry bread!!!

Shopping abounds during fair time too....which happens mid September.....keep it in mind! It is in Albuquerque---which has an int'l. airport!!!

Kat

Please, I beg of you... include me in! I love New Mexico and all things native to it. If I could choose any place to live, it would be the mountains of New Mexico. Second and third choices being Arizona and Colorado. We've spent a few weeks in Albuquerque for the balloon festival over the years. And I love Santa Fe in the winter.

Thanks green. Given the time and money, we could map out a really fun trip to discover the great southwest!