Kevin and Shanna....A real life fairytale

   I will never forget the day I met Kevin. I had gone to Denny's with a friend after work. We were sitting in the back of the restaurant and Kevin was sitting at the front with his friends. My friend Toni glanced over at his table and noticed that Kevin was staring at me. She told me to get up and walk to the restroom so that she could see if he watched me walk. Of course, I got up and decided to really strut my stuff without ever glancing over at him. And of course, he watched me walk the whole time. As it turned out, Kevin and Toni knew each other so as we were leaving, we stopped and Toni told him goodbye and introduced me to him. I told him hello and he couldn't even find the words to speak back. He turned five sheets of red and simply waved at me. I have never had a man look at me the way he did. I never thought I would see him again.
   We became best friends (he found out where I worked and made it a point to see me every single day). We would spend hours talking about everything and nothing at the same time. He became my constant. He was my shoulder. Five years of nothing but the best friendship God could have ever given me. He lived in a different town and we both dated other people, but we always remained friends. At that time, I only had my oldest son. He was not fond of men at all, yet he was very drawn to Kevin. He loved him dearly. I knew then that this was the man I would someday marry. 
   Kevin and I had lost contact with one another for about a year. One day, my mom and I were walking through Wal-Mart when I saw him again. I was pregnant with my daughter at that time (2001). We began talking again and picked up right where we left off. This time, I was not about to let him get away. I called him and asked him to be with me. Much to my surprise, he began crying and immediately said yes. He told me he had always wanted to be with me but was too afraid that I would reject him so he never asked. God lead me to this man in more ways than I can possibly tell you.
   In July of 2001, I proposed to him. Kevin has never had much confidence in himself due to his upbringing and I knew that we were destined to be together. We were sitting on the back of my mom's truck and I said, "Let's run away to Vegas and get married." I was terrified he would just run for the hills. He replied, "Yes, let's get married! I would be honored to be your husband!" 
   We waited to be intimate with each other until we were married. We were first married by the Justice of the Peace on November 2, 2001 and then we had our church wedding on April 20, 2002. Honestly, I felt like a real life princess on that day. That was one of the best days of my life. I had never been happier...
   Life was not always a fairy-tale between us. Kevin was a pathological liar. I did not find this out until after we were married. He had lied to me about everything (including where he was from). I became pregnant with our 3rd child in July of 2003. I was desperately hoping that this baby would open his eyes enough to make him want to change. I had our son on February 13, 2004. Though, our son made him extremely proud and he was a wonderful father to our children, he continued lying and refused to work to provide for his family.
   We ended up separating. I dated other people. Yet, I still could not get over this man that I knew was built for me. We ended up getting back together and things were great for a few years. Then, the old Kevin came back, quit his job and cost us our whole lives. I had to move back in with my mom and the kids and I lost everything (house, car, clothes, memories). I was done. I had to be done. We divorced in September of 2013. 
   I had to find myself and so did he. I was able to gain my independence. I had a wonderful job, was approved for my very first brand new car, and even found the perfect house for the kids and I. I did all of that on my own. I was so proud of the woman I had become and the mother I had always wanted to be. Still, I missed him. I missed being a wife. I missed cooking dinner for him. I missed family time. I missed hearing the kids play with their daddy. But, I swore to myself that unless I knew he was going to change completely...I could not allow him back into my life.
   In August of 2014, I became extremely ill. I took in two foster boys, was working a ton of hours and trying my hardest to get better. I ended up having to take a leave of absence from work....and then that turned into being put on Long Term Disability. The stress was overwhelming. I was barely making enough to get by and now I had two extra children whom I had so desperately wanted to make a difference in their life....but couldn't give them everything they wanted. All I had was love....and I prayed so hard that that would be enough. And then....Kevin came back into my life. 
   He became my best friend all over again. He was filled with the love of Christ and the changes he had made were absolutely astonishing. If I needed anything, he made sure I had it. He was my rock once again. He was working harder than he ever had before. I saw the Kevin I had seen when we first met at Denny's. He didn't force himself back into our lives....he knew he had to prove himself to us first. He made sure he was available to take me to all of my doctor's appointments and chemo treatments. He would take care of the house and the kids while I slept. He held my hair back when I was puking from the chemo. He allowed me to cry....to vent. He was my best friend. He stepped up when we all needed him the most.
   Now it is August of 2015 and we have decided to fulfill our destiny and be together. We are truly one of those couples that are meant to be. Our hands are exactly the same size. We finish each other's sentences. We have some of the craziest conversations that would leave most people thinking we are insane. God kept placing this man in my life for a reason. We are that couple that is supposed to grow old together. We are that couple that people envy. We are both old fashioned in our beliefs. We both put God before all else. And our children are all loved unconditionally by both of their parents. 
   If something should happen to me, my kids need their dad. And he will need them. He is going through this illness right along with me. He feels my pain. And he has his own pain that he is trying to work through. I have no idea how he can always remain so positive and strong...but he is where I gain my strength. He works long hours overnight. He comes home exhausted, but before he even lays down to sleep, he makes sure I am comfortable and that the kids have everything they need. 
   I have been best friends with this man for seventeen years. We have been through hell and back and back again...Yet here we are, stronger than we have ever been. We are getting remarried on November 2nd on the beach at South Padre Island. The love that I feel for him now is greater than what it ever has been. I am so proud of everything he has accomplished. I am grateful to God for giving us the time to grow and find each other once again.