I don't know either of you and I'm not trying to assert either of you is correct or incorrect but it's worth remembering how insanely large your state is. It'd take 11hrs to drive from Houston to El Paso and Texas contains most of the different climates we're all familiar with.

To some degree, saying "As a life long Texan" then trying to generalize the "Texas Experience" to be your own is as incorrect as saying "As an American, there are mountains everywhere and it's green and beautiful".