We first met when Candida worked up the nerve to welcome me to the neighborhood. I remember seeing her walk past in her daisy dukes and a hoodie, a very Dida outfit, while walking her doggie Peanut. I thought to myself, "I wonder who that cutie pie is." When I heard a knock at the door not 10 minutes later and saw that it was her I nearly had a heart attack! She had come over to say hello and to welcome me to the neighborhood. We talked, and she met my puppy, which I later found out that they had already met. After we said goodbye and Banner tried to follow her home I knew I needed to do everything I could to spend more time with such a special person. In the months that followed we watched movies, had late night tea, shared a bottle of wine and most importantly we talked. While it wasn't the right time for us to be a couple, we became amazing friends. Finally, one night while catching her in a vulnerable moment of recently finding out that her plans to see “50 shades of something or other” had fallen through and she was left without plans for Valentine’s Day I asked her to let me take her on a real date. Who goes on a first date for Valentine’s Day?! This guy does when he knows it is with the girl of his dreams. A couple months of getting more serious we made it official. She was mine, and I was hers. I always knew I wanted to ask her to be with me forever and we are truly blessed to have each other as I could not have hoped for a better friend, lover, partner, bride or wife. She is there every day to make my life a little better, and I cannot wait to spend the rest of it with her.