Once upon a time, way back in the day....

Lupe Tortilla Rocks!!!! I am ahead of myself, but I couldn't start off this post with anything else but that statement.

Right now I am thinking back 30 years ago tonight. Family in from out of town and friends gathered to celebrate and rehearse for our wedding the next evening. Tomorrow is our 30 anniversary. The time has gone so quickly. On the way to Hobby this morning, we drove by the Pennzoil Building. That is where Roy and I met. He worked in Audit and I worked in the Treasury Dept. My roommate introduced us and we in turn introduced Debbie to her husband several years down the road. Roy was 25 and I had just turned 23 when we were married. Clearly we are the poster children for opposites attract. Roy is studious, serious, goal oriented and task driven. I can exhibit some of those traits, but they have been acquired and practiced. Roy is not a macho man in the sense that one thinks macho. He won't get up in your face, he isn't angered easily and he doesn't feel the need to be right or rather he doesn't feel the need to lord it over someone that he is right. Roy is macho, but in spiritual way. He gets up at 5:00 am and covers me with pray. He does prayer battle for me. Roy brings me to God's throne everyday and asks for God's favor and blessing over my life. One of Roy's core beliefs is, what blesses me will bless him. I have to tell you I love him so much! He told me today at the airport before he unloaded his luggage, Happy Anniversary and I haven't forgotten you. So that means there is a surprise ahead, but I don't know when or where.

After leaving hubby at Hobby, I was off to meet Lisa. We met up at her exit and I followed her down the freeway and through the back roads to get to Lupe's Tortilla on Bay Area Blvd. Ya have to love the cell phone at times like this, we talked all the way there, then hung up, got out of our cars and we hadn't missed a beat in our convo. We were blessed by the chips and salsa, we were blessed by our waiter Israel, I was blessed with the green chicken enchiladas and Lisa was blessed and highly favored with the jalapeno and cilantro chicken...we were blessed going in and more than blessed coming out of the place. Dang, it was GOOD! Lisa and I rose up and called Lupe blessed. The last time I had eaten at Lupe's was my last day of being 49. It ain't right that I haven't been back and plan to rectify that for the future. Since there is a Border's Bookstore right across the way and me with a coupon burning a hole in my purse, we set off on the scary journey of trying to get across the street. The traffic was horrible. So Lisa very carefully pulls into the right lane, carefully giving thought of how to maneuver over and help me navigate that path as well. Y'all, I pulled out and got across the lanes and onto the other side in nothing flat. I called Lisa and she is looking at me from the other side of the street. She is screaming how did you get over there? How did you do that? I waited for her outside of Borders. It was a good shopping experience for me and I used the coupon. We said our goodbyes and I headed back into town, only I decided to go a different way. Did OK until I made a turn onto the Fort Bend Toll Road thinking it would hit the Westpark...nah, but I did enjoy seeing parts of Houston that had been open fields when I was growing up. I even passed an Oldsmobile Toranado on the way. I hadn't seen one of those for over 25 years. That is the make of car that Roy owned when we were first married. I called it a Tornado cause it blew through our money with all the repairs that car needed.

Just talked to Roy and he is safely ensconced in his hotel room. He said he has already been on Canal and Bourbon streets and has had enough. He is going to eat in the hotel tonight. Buddy and I are in for the evening as well. Have a good book and several interesting magazine articles to peruse. Tonight 30 years later is a lot less exciting, but oh so much more satisfying. 30 years later we love each other more than we did back in the day. We have had many joys, lots of happiness, cried some tears, walked through difficult stretches. There were times we couldn't stand each other and grateful for more times when we couldn't get enough of each other. Knowing him has made me a much better person, he loved the rough edges right off to smooth. His sweet and gentle ways have become my ways and he thinks I am funny, smart, beautiful and this part is so good, he has loved me when I was thin, loves me when I am pleasingly plump, and has loved me when my figure has been somewhere in between.

Happy Anniversary Eve, Roy! May our best years be ahead.