Maria F. Johnson and Kenneth G. Bordeaux

When we think about it our story really it started at the end of November 2016 before we ever met. It was at a Sunday evening church service that I went to at my local church and our Pastor’s wife was hosting in the main sanctuary a “Gayla Event” for the women in the church and our Pastor would be speaking with the men upstairs after we all came together for worship in the main sanctuary for a few moments. After having some hors d’ oeuvres in the foyer, I went inside the doors of the sanctuary to take my seat. Upon walking in the doors the ushers were handing out small sample packets of perfume to the women only which was called “Grace.” I was immediately stopped by a woman who wishes to remain anonymous but will attend our wedding and she looked me in the eye and said something like “It’s not good for a man to be alone - He that finds a wife finds a good thing.” I smiled and said “Amen” and tried to keep walking to my seat. She continued to look at me and said, “I am serious it’s not good for man to be alone.” And I smiled again said I hear you and tried to keep walking and she grabbed me and said it again, this time I saw something in her eyes that was prophetic and I said, “Yes, ok, I hear what you are saying.” At that time she reached in the basket and handed me a handful of “Grace” perfumes and said, “here, take these and spread it all over your sheets and pillowcases by faith to get the aroma of her for she is coming to Ken and you will meet her by this time next year.”

I was astounded and smiled and again and proceeded to my seat. A few seconds later, this anonymous women came down the aisle and dumped a bunch more of this “Grace” perfume on my lap as I was sitting and said “here, take all of this as well” and walked away towards her seat ready for service. I was even more astounded and was said: “Wow, something is really getting ready to happen.” For the next nine months, I continued to have a good time being single with no girlfriend at all with nothing happening in my life in terms of a relationship with a woman. At the beginning of August 2017 I began to think about what was said to me in November 2016 and said to myself, Oh well, I guess I still have plenty of time to meet her if she is coming before the end of this year. Later that month, on August 27, 2016, I was invited by my cousin Jessica to go to an outdoor concert that was held here in Denver and she had a free extra ticket for me to attend. I went to this concert with Jessica and we had a great time that day. Several of my friends were also attending this concert and my good friend David was there with his wife called me on my cell phone and asked me to meet him downstairs by the door. When I came downstairs he was not standing by the door but by a booth talking to about four ladies there with a booth educating the community on crypto currency. I walked over to the booth and he introduced me and we started dialoguing with some of them about our knowledge of this new asset venture. I did notice a young lady in the booth sitting in a chair in the middle of the floor but she was busy doing something (I was trying to see how cute she was, but she had her head down working). I later came back to this booth to ask to use their power strip to charge up my cell phone and this same young lady in the chair was there and I did

notice her more at the time but had no conversation with her. I knew that I would eventually get to meet her for my friend David had made an agreement with one of her team members that we would all meet later the next month to go over our investment platforms and compare the differences.

My cousin and I would leave the concert before it ended and I went home for the bed to go to church the next morning. While I was at church the next morning my cousin Jessica texted me again and asked me if I wanted to attend a picnic that day of a friend of hers that would be fun. I texted her back and said “yes” and picked her up after church. She had me take her to a King Sooper’s grocery store that I never been in my life to purchase something for the picnic and I was going to sit in the car and wait but she insisted that I come in. Well, thank God that I did go in. As I walked in, I saw the same young lady that was in the chair under the booth at the concert shopping with another young lady. I immediately step to her and spoke about seeing at the concert the day before. At that time, I didn’t know, but she had me confused with someone else she had met and introduced me to her daughter who was with her. We began to talk about cryptocurrency (which was rising fast that year) and a particular credit she was able to use to convert her crypto into cash. I called my Uncle on the phone who also was investing in cryptocurrency and wanted him to speak with her about this card she was using to purchase her groceries. She agreed to text me the link to get the card so I can have it and my Uncle as well. I reminded her that we all are supposed to meet for a meeting in September to have a broader discussion. I left and went to the picnic thinking “she is really nice” and that I will get to know her and her group of women later.

Two days later I went on vacation to Fort Lauderdale, Florida for a few days before I went to the Bahamas, Puerto Rico and then Dominica. One of my good friends Clinton form Maryland would meet me in Florida for vacation for a few days and then we would board a ship with to the Bahamas for three days. On the morning of my birthday, August 31, 2017, I was packing up my bag waiting for my friend Clint to come out of the bathroom when this picture of this same young lady that I met at the concert and grocery store popped up in HD on my phone through Facebook and we were not Facebook friends. I thought this was so ironic when my friend came out of the restroom I asked him if he thought she was pretty? He answered “yes” and asked me why? I told him how I just met her a few days ago at the concert and the next day at the grocery store and now I am seeing her differently than before. I had been thinking all night about how I could move some of the money I gained investing in cryptocurrency that year to one of my bankcards before I went to the Bahamas, Puerto Rico and Dominica just in case I needed it in an emergency. I looked at her picture and thought man, she is very pretty and thought I could use the questions I had about moving money to my bank card as a reason to ask her for her help to confirm in my mind how nice I thought she was. I remembered I had her text message and called her phone and she answered. I reminded her of who I was and asked her the questions I had and she was responded favorably in trying to assist me in how I might get this done before I boarded the ship to the Bahamas. She was once again very nice and I thanked her for her help and told my friend Clinton that I needed to gauge her more closely when I get back home from vacation. Still not worried about knowing her

more since there was a meeting that was going to happen in September when I got back. I went to the Bahamas and boarded back Palms Springs, FL with my friend and we had a car to pick us up and rush me the Miami airport that would take to me to Puerto Rico and then Dominica which is in the Caribbean Sea. The car would take my friend to Fort Lauderdale Airport to fly back to Washington, DC. I spent three days in Dominica and was stuck on the Island for four more days due to Hurricane Irma outer bands blew through and shut down the airport. I was able to fly out on September 10, 2017, and made my way back home to Denver safely that night.

On Monday, September 10th I remembered that I wanted to know more about this young lady and decided to call her that evening to see if the meeting date was set up for all of us to meet and discuss our investment platforms at the time. She just so happened to be on a training call and asked if I wanted to be bridged in on the call and I said “yes.” After the training call which was about an hour everyone logged off of Skype and she and I continued talking on the phone and I immediately warmed up to her and for some reason started to become very transparent with her about my life, especially the last 15 years of it. She too became very open with me and before I knew it, we were on the phone until about 1 AM on a work night. I knew I needed to get some sleep for work and asked her if she didn’t mind meeting with me first before we had a group meeting so we could see how each other was investing. I wanted to use this time to hold true to my idea that I needed to “gauge” her more closely. We set up a brunch meeting for the coming Saturday at the Pancake House at Noon and we both would bring our laptops. I kept thinking through the night if I was really liking this young lady for I had not spent that kind of time on the phone with any woman in a long time. On Saturday, September 16, 2017, we met at Noon and when I walked in the door the place was crowded and she got up from the bench in the waiting area and came to me with a great big hug. I liked to fell over! We sat down, talked and waited to be seated. We both noticed that while we were waiting, everyone in the waiting area was watching our interaction and listening to our conversation. Once we were seated the same thing happened and the people at the tables around us kept watching what we were doing and talking about. During this time at brunch, I started gauging her closely like I said I would and I noticed that she was very beautiful, smart and nice. At this time I knew I was liking her but did not want her to notice it. She would purchase two of my books that I have written but I did not have any on me at the time. We finished brunch and she had a banquet engagement to go to that evening and I had a company outing that evening at the Rockies Stadium. We walked to the parking lot and she stood by my car and took a selfie with me and she disappeared to go to her car that was not near me. As I drove out of the parking lot and I immediately called my friend Dave and told him that I just had a brunch meeting with one of the young ladies we were supposed to meet with and that I think I like her. He said, “over pancakes Ken, you’re terrible.” I told him that I was serious, I think I like this woman. Nevertheless, he continued to give me some more friendly insults that only your good male friends could give you and said he was going to a dinner that night with his wife. I went to my company outing that evening and later my cell phone rang and it was my good friend

David said, “hey didn’t you just have lunch with this young lady Maria today? She is here at the Banquet with her friends looking “super sexy.” I said, what? I told you she was gorgeous, what do she have on? He said this long beautiful black gown. We talked a little more and now my friend could see why I started liking her. He spoke to her and introduced his wife and reminded her that he was my friend and we all were still going to meet up soon.

I would then forward her a copy of the selfie we took earlier that day to her phone. When I woke up for church the next morning she had sent me photos of her and her friends dressed up at the banquet the night before and she looked stunning like David said. The next day I found another excuse to see her again since she purchased two of my books but I did not have them on me at the time. I met her and her daughter for lunch to give her the books and I was once again taken by this woman and now her daughter. We spoke the next day due to I was getting videos and photos of Hurricane Maria embarking upon the Island Dominica from friends I had met over there. I let Maria know that a category 5 hurricane with her name was getting ready to tear up a lot in the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic. We planned for a movie date that Friday, September 22, 2017. Now I really knew that I really liked her and the rest is history. We have been by each other side ever since and I put a ring on it in Orlando, FL the following year on September 1, 2018, and asked for her hand in marriage. We appreciate you all sharing in our story and so honored for each one of you to be with us on our wedding day.