45

 Yep 45. 

I have been married 45 years today. 

And the wedding was on a Friday. At what is now Grace Baptist Church in Groves, Texas.  ( It was Friendship Baptist then. It and Central Baptist in Port Arthur united a number of of years ago. The minister who married us was Dr. H.R. Stinson.)

I am not going to lie, I do not remember much of the service other than when Debbie came to the front, she was shaking like a leaf on a tree.  

I did not get nervous until then. 

If she'd known the lunacy that was to come for the next 45 years, she would have run out the back of the church in her heels. 

Not going to lie, she was the only good thing that came out of playing in the Lamar University Marching Band for 4 years. While I liked playing in the band, it just wasn't the same as playing in the Vidor Band, Lamar had too much of a turnover of members from year to year. Outside of band, you never saw Lamar band members unless you were a majoring in their subject, and I do not remember being in a 300 or 400 level history, government, economics class with  another band member. I had more friends who were history/government majors than band members. 

College is different. 

It's been a fast 45 years. And literally God sending her to me was foreordained. I am convinced of that. 

I literally do not think I know what I would have done without the love of my life.