I remember seeing a tall, strong and handsome man...of all places, at the Skagit Speedway. All I can remember is that I walked up and stood behind him while he was in line for a coffee. Honestly, I don't think I said a thing but he claims I said "hi" in a manly voice. I think that part is debatable. We ended up talking for a while after I "came to" from my moment of black out from a good looking man talking to me. He wanted to know about my business Blonde Bombshell. At the end of our conversation he asked for a card and I assumed that was the last I would see of him. He did end up calling me a couple of days later and managed to ask me out to what sounded like a business dinner. I was nervous to say I was a single mom and I didn't think anything more would come of Kevin Arendse. A couple days later he took me on a hike on Samish overlook. I was still unclear on where we were going with all of this. By the time we got up to the cliff and looked out over the bay...I was hoping it was a date. I was shocked to see him pull wine out of his backpack and pull out a knife to slice an apple. It was over from there. Who slices an apple with a pocket knife! I could write a novel about our life in the last three years. He is the only man to ever give my dad a run for his money in being one of the most stand up, respectable and honorable men. He has been my super hero, my cheerleader, my partner, my comedian and most importantly, a dad to our boys. Some of you may know, others may not. Kevin has carried me through one of the darkest times in my life. I thought one of my darkest moments was the day I had to become a school teacher to the boys during Covid. God gave me quite a few blessings, being my boys' school teacher was not one of them. This past October, I suffered from a stroke. I lost much of my cognitive function including my ability to speak and my memory. Without going into the entire story, Kevin was my other half physically and mentally. I lost so much that day. I couldn't think right, I couldn't speak correctly and I couldn't parent...He not only stepped up to be the dad and the mom but he was with me at almost every appointment I had from speech therapy, neurology and cardiology. It's been a roller coaster of emotions for us while I've been more sad than I have ever been, feeling blessed to be alive and to be angry without a target. Throughout all of this, he still asked me to marry him. God brought us together. He taught us hardship and love throughout all of it. I cannot imagine spending a single day of my life without Kevin next to me not only for me but for the man he is to our boys. Thank you for spending our day with us. We are so blessed to have each other and the wonderful people around us.