This post first appeared on jazifresh.com. This is history okay?

My heart is full. Not gonna drag this out with a lengthy review of Lemonade or how it has nursed me out of a musical dry season. Beyoncé's most recent gift to us has been think-pieced to smithereens (though many of them are quite good). I also can't give energy to the less-than-stellar piece bell hooks penned condemning Lemonade and Beyoncé once again. All that needs to be said about the glory that is Beyoncé and Lemonade has been said. No, this space is just for me and Bey and our first meeting. At 1 week out from this occasion, which I am sure to celebrate for the rest of my days, this lil post is all I have energy for. You probably understand my relationship to Beyoncé today. You might be wondering how a die-hard took 20 years to finally see her musical fave. To see Beyoncé in the flesh. Well...Beyoncé and I went on a long "break up". I was on some hotep, Illuminati stuff deeeeep after Bey released I Am Sasha Fierce (yes, I'm embarrassed). I didn't want no parts of her devil worship. I mean, I couldn't LOVE love her while she was under Illuminati mind control, right? [sidebar: please help anyone still lost in Illuminati prison looking for triangles and goat heads everywhere; may they find deliverance]. But I was still in the closet. Still learned every step of the 'Single Ladies' choreography (because that's what tf you do when Beyoncé lives in your heart). I quietly stanned for 4. 'Schoolin' Life' became my theme song. I fantasized about giving some deserving man a lap dance to 'Dance for You'. If post-Destiny's Child Beyoncé dazzled then post-Mathew Knowles Beyoncé had snatched my entire soul. Meanwhile she's touring while I watch quietly from the sidelines acting like Bey's music didn't pull me through 2011. When I damn near cried when she released her self-titled album, I knew I needed to just be real about what things were (and are). Truthfully, I loved Beyoncé. I loved her as an artist. Her work ethic. The way she makes us all feel. I loved the collective celebration of black girl magic that Beyoncé has always inspired. And when the most callous criticisms were launched at her, I joined in saying 'Beyoncé will not be touched'. I found myself back in the fold. Drawn back into the Hive.Beyoncé dropped 'Formation' right before Superbowl 50. Gave a halftime show performance for the ages. Then announced Formation World Tour. Just like that, it was time to give my coins and receive my blessing.My friend/sister/Beyhive Ambassador/tour veteran, Lela, took care of the transaction (I will never buy Beyoncé tickets without her in my life). Tracked the pre-sale dates. We decided on a Saturday. Houston. Floor seats. We'd wear bodysuits and heels. Ya know, because Formation (and that's what tf you do…). Lela texted me the confirmation and I think I was still in shock but it was finally happening.Now, Lela is as prone to being extra as I am so when I procrastinated so long that it was too late to order something couldn't find a bodysuit that was worthy of Beyoncé and as bomb as the one Lela found, I decided I'd make my own. This was after Lemonade dropped and Ivy Park was selling fast. Cool, a theme. Jo-ann's Fabric was my lemon fabric plug. I screeched when I pulled the sky blue print from a bottom shelf. It was after 5 minutes of cooing at it that I saw the same print in black on the same shelf. I pitched my Ivy Park/Lemonade-inspired design to Lela and got to sewing.It took 10 hours to drive from El Paso to Houston. Really took us 11 because we stopped at Target to buy the physical copy of Lemonade while en route (judge us). We played Beyoncé's entire discography and rolled into town with Destiny's Child's The Writing's on the Wall blaring. I put a few more touches on our shirts once we checked into the room. We beat our faces. Even bothered with lashes (because that's what tf you do…). Threw on our get up and started walking to the stadium. With charged phones. Charged backup chargers. We did not come to play with these hoes. We came to slay.So, we got a few looks. But mostly folks said we looked cute or asked if we were with Beyoncé or the dancers which was so sweet (I was just feeling lucky enough to even be let in and people think we might actually know her…precious). Took a glance at the souvenir line. Looked away. It was long as shit. We took a ton of pics and Snaps then decided it was time to go in once we heard DJ Khaled getting the party started.Only caught the last 20 minutes of DJ Khaled but his set was cool. He's actually a really good DJ (don't ask why this is still shocking to me) and was really amusing. It didn't occur to me before then just how genius and magnetic his personal brand is but it is. Crowd loved him. It was kinda dope having him open for Beyoncé.Let me stan a second...How do I describe seeing Beyoncé without stating the obvious? Beauty. Vocals. Body. Or her entrance? Or her opening with Formation with that HAT on and a bedazzled bodysuit? She was like a glamorous dancing witch. And bawwwwwdy?! I still don't know how to describe the stage. The revolving rectangular prism that doubled as a screen. The dancers! The visuals. Her girl band. THE DANCERS (seriously, they are magical…there were times when I was trying to take them all in, see their faces…not even watching Beyoncé)! I was wowed by Beyoncé going from gyrating, keeping step with the dance team while belting out 'Countdown' and give us a flawless rendition of 'Me, Myself, and I' right after. How, Queen? What kinda lungs you got? THE. VISUALS. We oo'd and yaaaas'd at clips from Lemonade, her personal home videos, and fan compilations. The transition from moment to moment was so seamless I could hardly tell any time was passing. Lela and I juggled our phones--Snapchatting and tweeting and then forgetting them to throw our heads back and sing along. I got my entire country ass life to Daddy Lessons (she could have seriously stopped the show there and I would have been content). More euphoria. 1 +1. Blow. Freedom (performed barefooted in water). Your fave could actually never. She was touching every piece I'd hope to hear. I only regretted the concert drawing to a close and realizing that 'Single Ladies' was not making the set list. But she gave us 'End of Time' with samples of 'Grown Woman' and totally redeemed herself. She released confetti on the crowd sometime during the last set that was still hanging in the air as she closed with 'Halo'. I was shocked as the platform she was standing on lowered her out of sight. It was over but we were still high from it all.I was pretty spent after that. We joined back up with some other friends and went to a local club. Stayed up way past our bedtime. We passed out as quick as soon as we got back to the room.On Sunday we got up with Parkwood Park on the brain. The park in the neighborhood where we Beyoncé grew up. The park she's referenced her father having her run through in the early morning before she ever dreamed of being King Bey. The park was pretty plain. It was Mother's Day so houses that bordered the park were filled with families (some that ventured out to see what we were up to). With our concert costumes back on, we took to the hills of the park armed with my Canon 60D, mason jars and lemonade, and some yellow Betsey Johnson shades. We probably spent 2 hours there snapping photos. Posing. Laughing. Lela dreaming up the kinds of workouts Girls' Time and Destiny's Child had to endure in the early years. Knowing we had 10 hours back to El Paso and a mandatory Waffle House stop, we wrapped our photoshoot side by side with our fists in the air. A fitting end.We just purchased our tickets to see Beyoncé in New Orleans in September. This time we're taking our little sisters with us (as I'm typing this, my sister pressed play on Lemonade for the first time and is screaming her head off). There's a long wait between now and then. I have NO clue what we're wearing or what will be relevant by then. Just know that it'll be epic. We'll be synchronized and in formation. We gon' slay.

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