When this wonderful man first came into my life, I was lost and alone, wandering in the darkness of my mind each and every day and burdened by pain and bad memories. But even with all that, he saw through it and saw me, saw into my soul. Saw who I really am. Even though I may have been looking for something completely different, what I stumbled upon was so, so, soooo much better. Manny put faith in me, and encouraged me to overcome and grow. He taught me how to be me again. Helped me find myself again. Had the patience of a saint and metaphorically jackhammered away when I had up my walls of steel and even remained consistent and patient the few times when I tried to push him away in fear. He has helped me grow and do things I never imagined possible. Given me a courage I have never known before. Before he took me on our "official" first date, he met my daughter as a friend and asked her permission to take her mommy out on a date. He would surprise me with coffee and a kiss in the mornings when he'd be on his way to work. Again, asked Mikayla if it was ok for him to be Mommy's boyfriend when we wanted to make it official. Surprised me with flowers. Danced outside the car with me in the middle of the road after our first date. We saw LaserZeppelin, a led zepplin laser show. And although there were beautiful, awe-inspiring lasers above us dancing along to led zepplin tunes, we couldn't help not being able to keep our eyes off each other. He is by far the sweetest, most kind, gentle, and loving man i've ever met. Mikayla loves him to pieces and she has achieved so much and grown and matured so much just because of his endless patience with her. Her behavior, happiness, temperament, and overall everything is just better when he's around. He never ceases to amaze me with his everyday acts of selflessness. The sacrifices he makes for our little family are incredible. He is truly a real man. Above all else, Mikayla and I come first and he proves that consistently. Everything he does, he does with us in mind. He is the rock of our household. Keeps everyone on their game and takes wonderful care of us. Since he was a glassblower, he made me a beautiful purple Sherlock with an opal inside of it after asking my favorite color shortly after we met. Then basically compared me to a muse...... blush... This man is forever trying to keep a smile on my face and has proven that he will always be there for us, every step of the way, in every journey we take. I love him with all my heart and soul and I'm so lucky to have found him. <3 @bestofglass