Did you ever have a place that just happened, over time, to become a big part of your life experiences and memories? You know, you go there once and it’s great, so you return, and it’s great again, and then somehow, it becomes this common thread associated with happy times? Yeah, I know…it’s awesome, right?
It’s so funny – today it just dawned on me while Steve, the Littles and I were enjoying a late lunch at Pappasito’s Cantina – our favorite Tex Mex place – that this restaurant has become such a part of our married life – actually even before – that I have to capture some of its history for posterity!
I honestly don’t remember the first time I ate at Pappasito’s. I moved to Houston, Texas shortly after college, on my own, without a pot to piss in, so to speak. But after a cold, icy winter in Ohio, I knew I had to get back South. Houston is a behemoth of a city, and honestly I felt lost, but managed to keep so busy with work I didn’t have much time to think about it. I lived in a one-bedroom apartment with a chain lock on the bedroom door (still wonder about that to this day), and the agents in the leasing office kept trying to set me up with this guy named Steve – but I traveled for work a lot and really was never around so we didn’t have the opportunity to meet.
Fast forward…and I finally met Steve. I was working 2 jobs at the time, and my 2nd job was in a Bath and Body Works in a fru-fru part of Houston. Steve and his friend, John, came in, shopped around, I ended up giving him my award-winning customer service and smile, and he ended up buying a candle. He handed me his credit card, thinking that I would recognize his name (since our leasing agent had been trying to set us up), but in true blonde fashion, it didn’t even register.
According to Steve, he left the store and told his friend John, “I’m going to marry that girl.”
A return visit to BBW later, and he introduced himself and asked me to lunch. Of course, I said yes, and we ended up out to dinner. Our 2nd date was dinner at Pappasito’s – and that was the night we realized we were both from Maine – born 55 miles apart from one another – and meeting in Houston. Amazing. And the rest is history.
Since then, we have enjoyed many, many celebratory occasions at Pappasito’s Cantina! It’s a must-visit place for anyone visiting us from out-of-town, and a favorite of both our families! We have celebrated birthdays, visits from friends and families, and the small stuff, like our recent relocation back to our beloved Texas!
We have laughed there, cried there, overeaten there, been anxious there – you name it, it’s like the restaurant is part of the family – the fabric of our life! You probably saw my recent post about our house-hunting trip – we were seated at Sito’s while waiting to hear if we had gotten the house we wanted, sitting on pins and needles – then ended up celebrating with our realtor and our server, Blake, when we found out we won the bid! It was an epic night!
Today, we shopped a bit, leisurely, with the Littles, discovering our new neighborhood, then decided on a late lunch at – you guessed it – Pappasito’s! As I sat there with my handsome hubby and my precious Littles, my cup runneth over! And serendipitously, we were seated once again in Blake’s section! He remembered us, commented how “stoked” he was that we got the house and were settling in, and that he had no idea we had a little “tribe” we were bringing with us, and the Littles just showered him in hugs!
Here are some photos from our lunch out today. It was much more than a lunch. It was a continuation of a tradition of celebration in this most special place. And we’re looking forward to sharing Pappasito’s with so many others who visit us from afar. Your guest room is ready! Come see us, have some of the best Tex-Mex of your life, and share in our tradition! It’s our happy place! God Bless!
