“...Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” Matthew 19:6

We met in September 2014, when James came barging into my office one morning, upset. Without a greeting, he stormed up to my desk and said, "You messed up my schedule!" I'd just begun working at the Marriott as the Guest Relations Supervisor and had never created a schedule before. With a blank stare, I allowed him to finish his tantrum, and calmly asked him, "Are you done?" Shocked by my demeanor...I assume, he smirked a little and calmly replied, "Yes." Let's just say from that day forward, I had no trouble out of him, LOL! He often attempted to "be friends" with me, to no avail... After about 6 months at the Marriott, I accepted another position at a different property. James wasn't happy about my leaving and he wanted me to know it. In fact, he didn't speak to me during my last two weeks. Time passed and he prepared to relocate for school. The day before he left he reached out to me to let me know that he was moving and wanted me to come to his going-away gathering at Shamrock. Initially, I wasn't going to go, but at the last minute I decided otherwise. When I arrived at Shamrock, I realized I had forgotten my license (oops) and security wouldn't let me in. Immediately, James came out of the building to meet me and what was meant to be a quick good-bye, turned into hours of talking outside of his gathering. Truly, our friendship began that night outside Shamrock in 2015. We didn't talk daily after that night, but every milestone we shared with each other through social media. For once, I can say something good came from social media, LOL. In early 2018, James asked me through Snapchat, would I ever give him a chance and I told him only if he was serious. He replied, "Say no more!"

On April 3, 2018 my Lord and savior spoke to my spirit and gave me instruction and guidance to take the next step in bettering my life, growing into a man of faith, and becoming a better man overall. The instructions were simple, calculated, and wise; he told me to marry Janeé and that she was going to be my wife. At first it sounded too good to be true. I asked him, "Are you sure?" It wasn't a question of doubt but with something so life changing I wanted to make sure I was doing the Lord's will and not my own based on being in love because love is not always enough. He responded and said "Yes, I am sure," and gave me a warm and peaceful feeling in my spirit and in my heart a feeling of home and of joy on Christmas morning, and an abundance of love filled my heart and soul. Fast forward to July, I called my jeweler and had a ring made for the woman that God had made for me. Janeé had her eyes set on one specific type of ring, so I made it my mission to have that one created. The day I got the ring I hid it away, so when Janeé came to visit me she wouldn't find it. Shortly after, I began planning ways to propose to the woman I now call my fiancée. I thought about so many ways to ask her, but nothing felt right. It wasn't until late July, when I remembered how Janeé said she had not truly enjoyed a birthday in a while and the upcoming birthday we were going to a place that she loved, that brought up both beautiful and painful memories and I thought to myself, "I will erase those painful memories and bad birthday experiences with the memory of you giving me your hand in marriage, replacing pain with love. On August 17, 2018...