COWGIRL Adventures: A Weekend in Fort Worth

There are those days when being Cowgirl Magazine is just a bunch of fun. Last week, I was flooded with phone calls from Designer Marrika Nakk, which was such a treat. I would answer my cell phone and on the other end was always the most cheerful, soft Swedish accent that greeted me with, “Good Morning Callie.” It was like music to your ears. (Be on the lookout for some beautiful Marikka Nakk in the upcoming issues of Cowgirl!) Then later in the week, I ditched my desk for a day in Fort Worth. I met up with fellow Cowgirl Cynthia for a quick meeting before hitting the hot Mustang Million. The event was in full swing that weekend so I made sure to spend a little time taking in the sites.

Wow, it was so inspiring to talk to the competitors and hear their stories about the challenge and reward of working with a real Wild Mustang. I’m a horse owner and lover, but never have I even experienced training my own colt. When I left the Mustang Million, participating in the Mustang Makeover was penciled in on my bucket list. I’ll definitely keep ya posted on that one.

There’s honestly no better way to spend a day than in the Historic Fort Worth Stockyards. The twice daily cattle drive had just finished up, but I did manage to catch a cowboy on horseback riding down the street and a young cowboy having his photo taken atop a large Texas Longhorn while grinning ear to ear.

I hit a few of my favorite spots in town. Katie from M.L. Leddy‘s took me for a little tour of the store while we chit-chatted, looked at new goodies and discussed some outfits for the NFR.

You can’t leave without checking out “the boot room.” You can smell it now can’t you? Ahhh… all that leather, so fabulous. 

After, I trekked up the street to a shiny sign for Bad Bronc Studio. Not open to the public yet, my friend “Tricky Nicky” let me in for a peek. Ready for shipping were the championship buckles for the Judd Little Barrel Bash… they were nothing short of fabulous (adding that Judd Little Barrel Bash to my Cowgirl Bucket List).

I made my way to Maverick Fine Western Wear aka The Maverick. It’s another iconic stockyards hot spot, full of killer fashion that has a tremendous amount of boots and windows full of eye-catching outfits. Susie took a little time out to catch up with me and then it was time for lunch. Also, cute T-shirt purchased!

Before I knew it, it was 1:00 p.m. and it was time for my lunch meeting. The lunch date was with a new friend I found online and she just happens to live nearby. Ashley Featherstone, of The Feather Junkie, and I became fast friends over a divine lunch at the Hunt Brothers H3 Steakhouse. Keep your eye out for this creative young lady because you’ll never look at an old pair of boots the same way once you’ve seen her work.

My day was coming to an end and on the drive back home, I was reflecting on the day of horses, friends, shopping, lunch. Technically it was work, but my entire day was full of inspiration! From horse stories I heard and hard work I saw come full circle, to the talented people I crossed paths with and the friends old and new that I connected with, my day was nothing short of fabulous. The truth is, getting to be Cowgirl Magazine is just downright fun.