HaPpY biRthDAy, ELmO!!!

For those of you who have not had the pleasure, allow me to say a bit about Mr. Elmo Acosta. Elmo is my Mom's finance, and they will be getting married on October 10th of this year. He and my Mom were high school sweethearts, and met in Upper Hayford, England, where their father's were stationed in the Air Force. Elmo was my Mom's first kiss. Awwww. Their families moved away, and they lost touch. 20 some-odd years later, they found each other again. They had only been living about 150 miles away from each other for most of their adult life. Seems like their meeting up was written in the stars!

(L to R) My Mom, Elmo, and their friend,

Charmaine in England

10 Facts About Elmo

1. He inspects and fixes commercial airplanes for a living. Now, I know nothing about airplanes, but I imagine they are complicated pieces of machinery. I, for one, am grateful for people like Elmo who make it safe for me to fly thousands of feet above the unforgiving, rock-hard earth!

2. Elmo can fix anything else you can think of! After the ins and outs of a 737, a toaster oven must look like child's play to him!

3. He is great with kids. My kids all love him. Avery especially, has taken a shine to Grandpa Elmo. I might help that he has such a fun, kid-friendly name, but I haven't met a kid that doesn't like him.

4. He loves to work in the garden. He has the most beautiful backyard at his home in Tuscon. Just the thought of working outside, in the extreme desert heat of Tucson, makes me sweat, but he manages to make his yard look like an oasis in the middle of his parched surroundings.

5. He is very quiet. When he says something, people listen.
6. He makes this divine concoction called Lumpia, consisting of ground beef, potatoes, bean sprouts, carrots, and onions, in a fried egg roll. It is a traditional Philippino dish, and it is luscious. The process to make it is quite labor intensive, but the end result is nothing short of heaven for your mouth.

Making Lumpia at Thanksgiving

7. Besides Lumpia, he has much culinary expertise. Shepherd's Pie, salmon, tacos, spaghetti with meatballs. You name it, he can cook it.

8. Elmo enjoys the great outdoors, and appreciates the beauty of Arizona. He especially loves Sedona, and he and my Mom have chosen the red rocks as the backdrop to their special day in October.

9. Although I am not sure he would want me to mention this, he is a romantic. His proposal to my Mom was sweet and simple. He never passes up an opportunity to shower her with flowers or gifts. He opens her door. He is every woman's dream.

10. Elmo loves my Mom. He shows this not only in flowers and gifts, but in his gentle words and loving actions. He has spent many weekends repairing things on her home, and helping her out with my grandparents who live next door. He runs my twin brothers around, and listens to the family shenanigans. He is her perfect help mate.

So, Happy Birthday, and welcome to the family, Elmo! We are a crazy bunch, and despite your calm personality, you seem to fit right in. There's no turning back, now that you have been blogged about. Your a "lifer'"!