It all started with a swipe right on a dating app—Hinge—on Wednesday, January 5, 2022. We chatted on the app for most of the afternoon while we were both at work. We exchanged numbers, and I told him I would call after I left my crochet club that evening. I called him as I was leaving. He thought I was joking about crocheting but quickly realized I was totally serious. We talked late into the night. We made plans to meet that Saturday at The Woodlands Mall.

He told me he didn’t have much of a wardrobe for date nights. I said we could meet up there and go from there. We met right outside of Dillard’s, facing the Waterway. He looked—and felt—like home instantly.

We shopped; I shopped, and he took what I gave him to try on. Then we went to Painting with a Twist, where he first tried to kiss me—in front of everyone (very unlike him). I made him wait until we were back in his truck. Then we had dinner at Saltgrass, where nerves were getting the best of both of us. After dinner, we sat in his truck until 2 a.m., talking with occasional kisses.

That was Day 1: January 8, 2022.

I had never liked any of Mom’s boyfriends; none of them were ever worthy of being with Mom.

I was sent to the ER because of a vision lapse, Mom and Arland had only been dating for a month. Rather than simply wishing her good luck, he stayed by her side so she wouldn’t have to go through the experience alone. Arland never tried to bribe us or pull Mom away from us. I knew very quickly that he was the guy I wanted Mom to be with. He would make her laugh when she was freaking out, he defended her, and he stepped up as a bonus dad—not just some guy dating my mother. So when he asked for my blessing, I said yes.

Arland and I had hard to connecting with at first, more me than him. But he had this mini bike that was seriously awesome, and I wanted to ride it so bad. I kept bugging him to get it fixed—like, nonstop. Finally, the day came when it was running again.

Of course, my mom (and Arland) had a few rules:

-Only ride it when Arland was home.

-Always wear a helmet.

-Take care of the bike—don’t just leave it lying around.

-Stay in the neighborhood.

Fair enough. I followed the rules. But one day, I was riding through a dirt patch, hit something, and flew off the bike. The second I hit the ground, I knew it was bad. I was hurt. The bike was broken.

I called Arland because, well… there was no hiding this. I couldn’t even pick the bike up.

Arland and Mom showed up, and he immediately told her I was hurt. Turns out, I had a broken collarbone. But honestly? I was more upset that I broke a rule Arland had given me. I kept apologizing to him over and over.

Arland just looked at me and said, “I care about you more than that bike.”

Now he helps me work on my RC Car and he took me Deep Sea fishing.. I went but I was sick the whole time.

I knew I wanted to marry Arland very quickly, and I think he felt the same because, unknowingly, he bought my ring six months into our relationship. I told him that if he wanted to marry me, he would have to get the kids’ permission first.

Arland and I had been together for a little over two years. We have traveled to the Gulf Coast, England, the Netherlands, and Las Vegas. We have gone through the stresses of health issues, the death of a loved one, illness, and teenage drama. I moved in with him along with my kids, and we bought our beloved dog, Bailey. Through it all, we have always promised: it's just you and me.

For an early Valentine's dinner, we went back to The Woodlands Mall, specifically Dillard's. I wanted to look around and get out of the house. We had planned reservations at Fleming's Steakhouse on the Waterway. We got there early, ordered, and ate. Typical Amber—saw someone she knew and had to say hi.

I told him to put the leftovers in the truck, then we could walk along the Waterway. I had known from very early on that I wanted to marry Arland. He was everything I never knew I always wanted (as Matthew Perry said in Fools Rush In). I often told him how much I wanted to marry him. Two years, one month, and two days later, right across from where we first met, Arland got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. As a man of few words, there wasn't an abundance of flowery speech—just great timing.

That was Yes Day: February 10, 2024.