God definitely has a sense of humor when it came to how Richard and I met. In the latter part of June 2018 I was to attend a wedding in where I was asked to sing, however, work took to me Houston and I was unable to attend. During the next 2.5 month we both journeyed aimlessly in the world of online dating in hopes that something worth our time popped up. Mid-September, we matched. As soon as I saw his picture, he looked familiar. Anyone who is familiar with the Maldonado clan, knows that there's a specific mold in which all 4 brothers were made. There is no doubt, simply by looking at them, that they're related. On my end, I couldn't pin point from where I'd seen him before, so I took to FACEBOOK... LOL! As I clicked on various profiles, pictures of the wedding I was to attend back in June were posted, AHA! There he was, at the wedding. I sat on the information for a few days and I asked my favorite co-worker, Erin, "What should I do?!" She told me not to start out with a lie and to tell him what I knew and allow him to decide what he wanted to do. I INHALED and texted Richard "I have some information that will change the dynamics of us getting to know each other." To which he replied, "OH OH, I'm Ready!" I continued to express how I was a member of CT (Chicago Tabernacle) and I knew his Brother Jose, his reply... "Now I really can't wait to see you!" I EXHALED! The rest is history. We've been blessed and have seen the hand of God every step of the way. Time and time again God confirmed that he brought us together and we have God's blessing to walk this life together. The main confirmation was my mother, God's always given her a discerning spirit when it came to my suitors and she felt peace the day she met Richard and now prefers him over me... LOL, JK... not...

We had previously set to go enjoy some Filipino cuisine. It was Richard's first time, given his delicate palate, he stuck with what he new best Lumpiang shanghai... LOL, or how he called them "eggrolls". LOL! He was quiet for most of the time until we had dessert, then he was engaged... The night was not something out of the ordinary, a typical family dinner out on the town. We can never manage to get rid of Josue when it comes to food... LOL We got back home and Josue called it a night pretty early for a Friday night. Richard and I were in the living room. He had spilled the beans earlier on that day that he had the ring for a while. I didn't believe him, so he went out to the car. When he came back, his hand was behind his back. I was sitting on the couch and when I saw that he pulled the box out, I went from sitting indian style to kneeling on the couch all the while SCREAMING "OH MY GOSH!" He was giggling. I didn't notice when he pulled the box out of the box, or even when he opened the little black box, all of a sudden he's kneeling in front of me and says "Glenda, would you please marry me?!" I jumped from the sofa hugged and kissed him all the while yelling "Yes, Yes, Yes!" Not sure how Josue didn't wake up with all my screaming. Richard's main concern was "You didn't look at the ring!" to which I replied "I don't care about the ring, I only want to marry you!" He laughed and said "NO, I need you to look at the ring!" He put the box in my hands and I look down and said "It's beautiful, it looks like it's on a little pillow!" He pulled the ring out while saying "It might not fit", As he was putting it on my finger I said "It Fits!" and finished putting on the ring. Richard gave me what I wanted, an intimate proposal, just he and I. No cameras, no spectators, no fuss, just he and I. Simply Perfect, how every proposal should be.