FORT WORTH WEEKEND: THAT’S A WRAP!

You know, we felt pretty cheeky and a little proud of ourselves when we gave this whole weekend the moniker “Fort Worth Grand Event”, dubbing it with an air of pomp and fanfare and a little tongue-in-cheek grandiosity, but y’all, now that it’s in our rearview, “grand” doesn’t even begin to describe it.

THURSDAY: PARTY ON, DELTA DAWN!

My word, did our Wolf Pack show up and show out at Tannahill’s for this one! After all, it’s really what you all came to Cowtown for, right? We had pretty high hopes for this night, you know how it is when you’re planning a big event or a milestone birthday party – first you dream REALLY really big, then you rein it in and get realistic, and then finally, you temper your expectations so you won’t be disappointed on the big day. Welp, we kind of never got around to those last two steps. It seems like every time we talked about it, our visions for it got a little bigger and better, and the closer we got to selling out (which we did) the more we doubled down on the excitement. And we’re happy to report: it did not disappoint!

For starters, we aren’t normally ones to toot our own horn, but we have to give a huge round of applause to every single person who had a hand in putting together and executing that fashion show. Y’ALL. The models, the music, the looks, everything came together just beautifully – like, goosebumps – particularly that fabulous finale with our sweet and stunning Kaylin draped in a flag emblazoned with our mantra. “Play Nice. Be Free.” never looked so good! (We also incorporated a trick roper, which we knew would be a cool addition to the fashion show, but ended up being quite a hit with Hedy, and a recurring character in our weekend…)

And then, of course, the star of the show – the main attraction and what everyone really flocked to Fort Worth to see! We don’t think anyone (especially those of us who were around in the ‘80s and ‘90s) would argue that Tanya Tucker is a living legend in the landscape of country music, so to be in her presence is pretty electric, and to know that she considers us friends enough to put on a private concert for our DDR family is still absolutely mind-blowing to us.

And y’all – she ROCKED IT! (Because of course she did.) From that first note until she left the stage, there was toe-tappin’ and boot-scootin’ and singing along at the top of our lungs – amazing how we still know the all the words after so many years, isn’t it? As a matter of fact, our resident troublemaker Koy jumped on stage and joined her for a rowdy rendition of Delta Dawn, which he may or may not remember, but we dang sure won’t forget!

Speaking of the crowd, if we were handing out an award for Best Dressed, it would’ve been about a 100-way tie! You gals – and your cowboys! – pulled out all the stops when it came to ‘getting rigged up’, as Daddy Doug would say, and it showed! Y’all looked absolutely stunning individually, and collectively – breathtaking.

And you know what we love about y’all most? Your hearts are solid gold and you’re just downright good people, through and through. In a totally unexpected off-the-cuff move by our emcee, Mitchell, we auctioned off not one, but TWO bottles of Tanya Tucker’s Cosa Salvaje Tequila for $10,000 A PIECE! That’s $20K we were able to donate to charity in the name of you benevolent beauties!

FRIDAY: THIS AIN’T OUR FIRST RODEO

Talk about a buckin’ good time! The McMullens might be better known for the racetrack, but let me tell ya, we LOVE a rodeo. We bought out all of Section D (for Double D, of course!) – or so we thought… we actually ended up in Section F for “fabulous fashionistas!” – at the Cowtown Coliseum Friday night for the Stockyards Championship Rodeo so that we could fill it with all our good-lookin’ guys and gals and boy, we had a big time! From getting misty-eyed at the National Anthem (we can’t help it, happens every time) to rooting for cowboys we don’t even know, it was definitely one for the memory books. And it’s safe to say, our section was the talk of the town – or at least the arena – because DDR gals do *not* play around when it comes to their rodeo wear! People thought we were famous, or some sort of performance group because we looked all so glitz and glammed up. We absolutely could’ve passed for a Miss Rodeo America alumni group, you girls are all beauty queens. (The boys clean up pretty well, too!)

SATURDAY: RIBBON-CUTTING

The ribbon-cutting really felt like a “we made it” moment for us, and we are beyond blessed that we had so many people who mean so much to us there to celebrate it. This store has been a dream of ours for decades, and Fort Worth is undeniably the epicenter of “cowgirl cool”, so to plant our flagship store right in the heart of it, right smackdab in the historic Stockyards, is this remarkable brick-and-mortar proof that we really can achieve anything we put our mind to. Well, our mind, and the minds (and blood, sweat, tears, and dedication) of everyone on our ultra-talented team. We owe all the glory to God and endless gratitude to our families; words will never be enough to thank them for their sacrifices, their unwavering encouragement, and believing in us when we weren’t even sure we believed in ourselves – especially you, Nana! And we don’t mean just our blood family, we’re talking about the family that Double D Ranch has brought to us -- ALL OF YOU. Absolutely none of this would be possible without y’all, and we’re not exaggerating when we say we consider y’all as family; we celebrate, we mourn, and we pray with y’all, just as we do our own kin.

And we got to commemorate the moment with a champagne toast and a clink of our cool new turquoise chalices!

SATURDAY NIGHT: 2COUNTRY4NASHVILLE, JUST RIGHT FOR COWTOWN

What is it that’s so magical about a rooftop bar? Is it the open air? The fact that being on the roof feels inherently elite, a little forbidden and inherently exclusive, reminiscent of a treehouse? Or maybe it’s just the cool breeze and the proximity to the stars. Whatever it is, that mystique coupled with unrivaled company and the tremendously talented Ulmer duo, 2Country4Nashville, made for a perfectly enchanting evening. We dined on fajitas and fine Mexican food, drank from an open bar, did a little dancin’ and a little singin’, and boy oh boy did we pull off a prank on Hedy! We got her gooooood – you know how hard it is to render Hedy Carter speechless?! The story’s so good, we’ll have to tell it in a live video, but let’s just say it involves a spotlight dance and an aforementioned trick roper!

SUNDAY: WORD & WORSHIP WITH STRAN SMITH

Talk about a unifying experience to end the weekend! Just when we thought our hearts could not be any more full of joy, grace, and gratitude, we got to share in the Spirit with all the wonderful humans who set aside everything else in their lives to spend the weekend with us. Stran Smith delivered a moving and impassioned sermon, a beautiful celebration of our love for the Lord, the One who truly makes all this possible and blesses every gathering. His daughter, Selah, brought her guitar and sang for us – an AMAZING young talent, we have a strong feeling we’ll be seeing more of her in the future. The Ulmers led us in worship hymns that had us overcome with emotion and, for the millionth time this weekend, brought tears to our eyes. Let us just say, the Lord’s presence was palpable in that room, and y’all, GOD IS GOOD.

We followed up the service with a savory brunch featuring some big ol’ Bloody Marys – like, with deviled eggs and bacon, basically breakfast in a glass – some migas and a few other fab breakfast foods, before we all hugged and headed our separate ways.

For the first time in several days, we took a moment to sit still and silent and soak it all in. And we want to leave you with this sentiment (and brief moment of vulnerability) from the bottom of our hearts:

Can we get really ‘real’ with y’all for a second? We’re generally perceived as a pretty tough bunch – and we are, don’t get us wrong! – but in all honesty, the McMullen Wolf Pack has been softened, and almost downright sappy this weekend, it has been a tidal wave of gratitude and emotion!

The annual Addiction party is always a celebration – a celebration of y’all, of the community y’all have built – and it’s a fun way to show our appreciation for your dedication to DDR with events and outfit themes and unrivaled sales so you can stuff your suitcases to the brim and not even feel bad about it!

The Fort Worth Grand Event, while also packed from start to finish with indescribable fun, was different for us. It was reflective, awe-inspiring, and moving. It was surreal. We don’t want to call it the apex or the pinnacle or anything like that, because it is our goal to always keep growing and expanding and exploring and climbing new mountains, but we can say without reservation, this weekend was a peak experience of our lifetime.

Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for the support and joyfulness and friendship you gals show up with, time and time again. You add to our lives in immeasurable ways, and our cups are so, so full.