00:00When we met, Adam was 44 and I was 19.
00:03There is 25 years separating our ages.
00:06We'd already known each other about three weeks.
00:07We talked about every possible aspect of this that there could be.
00:10My parents do not like Adam.
00:13They're opposed because Adam is older than I am and he has a bit of a past.
00:19He was a really bad boy.
00:20I've partied and been arrested somewhere between 100 or 150 times.
00:25I can't even count the number of charges that I've been charged with.
00:27I have five felonies on my record.
00:30When her parents said that they didn't want to be a part of it anymore,
00:33we decided that we were going to just get married.
00:36I said, I'm not looking for a girlfriend.
00:41You got this.
00:43I said, I'm looking for a wife.
00:45We initially chose to have a small celebration,
00:46but all I knew at the end of the day is I wanted to be Mrs. Fredrickson.
00:50I have your dress right here. I'll help you put it on.
00:54What would it mean to me if my parents would come and be there
00:56and mean the world so they could meet my husband more as my husband and my family?
01:01The small chance that my mom would show up would be the world, pretty much.
01:05My mom and I used to be best friends.
01:07I want Felicia's parents to see that their daughter's not in harm.
01:10We're not just going to enjoy life.
01:12We're going to live the heck out of it.
01:18My number one addiction was excitement.
01:21I'm the guy that you see jumping off the house into the swimming pool.
01:24If there was something at the party that I could put into my body that would accentuate that,
01:28then that's what I would do.
01:29I never used any drugs intravenously, but I've partied and been arrested.
01:33So I was a really bad boy.
01:40If I went back and did the numbers, I've probably been sentenced between 15 and 20 years of prison,
01:46and I've actually done approximately 11 years.
01:49I've probably been arrested somewhere between 100 or 150 times.
01:53I can't even count the number of charges that I've been charged with.
01:56And I have five felonies on my record.
02:02I made the decision that this is it.
02:04My life has to change or I'm going to die in one of these rooms.
02:07I said, time to grow up.
02:09I can't live this way anymore.
02:10So now the volunteer work I do includes a faith-based recovery program called Celebrate Recovery.
02:17That's on Monday nights.
02:18On Wednesday nights, there's an outreach program here for guys who are on the verge of going to prison
02:24or have gotten out of prison or county jail.
02:25Thursday afternoons, I go into the Douglas County Jail and teach anger management.
02:32When I go into the jail, I was like, man, you guys don't even know how appreciative I am
02:36to be able to come in here because I look around and I see my face.
02:40I tell my story at least twice a year.
02:42I have nothing to hide.
02:43You told me everything.
02:45But that's what builds the strong relationship is the trust and the truth and the foundation that was important.
02:52Now to show you how to make the Swedish cookies, yeah?
02:58I'm 46 years of age.
03:01And my age is 21.
03:04When we met, Adam was 44 and I was 19.
03:07There is 25 years separating our ages.
03:10We didn't start dating immediately.
03:12We'd already known each other about three weeks.
03:13So when I found out that she was 19 and I was 44.
03:18I was like, I guess we'll be friends.
03:19Yeah.
03:20And that's why I was like, oh.
03:22And we talked about every possible aspect of this that there could be.
03:25And then we're like, we don't want to miss.
03:29You know, if this is a real thing and we miss.
03:34How devastating would that be?
03:36Ah, geez.
03:40Yeah, I remember he sat me down on the tailgate of the truck.
03:43He's like, I'm not messing around now.
03:44He's like, if I'm spending time with you, we're spending time together.
03:46I said, I said, I'm not looking for a girlfriend.
03:56You got this.
03:58I said, I'm looking for a wife.
04:00My parents do not like Adam.
04:02He looked like Axl Rose.
04:04I loved his bandana.
04:05I was into the long hair and bandanas and leather jackets and still am.
04:10And I had just bought a motorcycle.
04:12So he was exactly the guy my parents didn't want me to bring home.
04:15When her parents said that they didn't want to be a part of it anymore,
04:19we decided that we were going to just get married.
04:22We initially chose to have a small celebration.
04:25It was a lovely, lovely ceremony.
04:27We wrote our own vows, which we have in a jar over there on the dresser.
04:30And I was wearing a blanket because it was freezing.
04:34All I knew in my mind at that moment was I wanted to be this man's wife.
04:39I just cut and dry.
04:41I'm like, this is what I know I want.
04:42And if there are people around us that wanted to be there for it, great.
04:46But all I knew at the end of the day is I wanted to be Mrs. Fredrickson.
04:49It did hurt that they didn't come.
04:51I texted my mom because I want to include her in things I'm doing.
04:55So I didn't invite her to the first dress fitting because I assumed she didn't want to be there.
04:59The small chance that my mom would show up, I feel, would be groundbreaking for her forgiving.
05:06What it would mean to me would be the world, pretty much.
05:10My mom and I used to be best friends.
05:13I don't see her coming.
05:20Hi.
05:20Hi.
05:21You must be Felicia?
05:22Yes.
05:23Vicky?
05:24Yep, I have your dress right here.
05:25Jackie dropped it off.
05:26Wonderful.
05:27So let's go in and get started.
05:29I'll help you put it on.
05:36Perfect.
05:36I love it.
05:38It looks gorgeous.
05:39It's perfect.
05:42It's beautiful.
05:43What would it mean to me if my parents would come and be there and mean the world so they
05:48could meet my husband more as my husband and my family?
05:52They're opposed because Adam is older than I am and he has a bit of a past.
06:00And they didn't get the time to get to know him.
06:03They know they don't like who they think I am, but they don't know who I am.
06:07They don't like the rap sheet.
06:09They don't like the Adam from 2013 and before.
06:14Do you think your parents would be happy if you left Adam?
06:18I think my parents would be thrilled.
06:21I think that's the first time I've kind of thought about it and it hurts.
06:36It's our relationship.
06:38It's our marriage, not theirs.
06:41I can absolutely understand Felicia's parents' reservations.
06:48I completely am empathetic with her family.
06:50They have every right to be concerned if you base your judgment only on my past.
06:55What do you think would change their minds?
07:00This might change their minds.
07:02I think our hopes for the future would be primarily to have Felicia's family involved with us
07:15and maybe sit on a beach somewhere in Puerto Rico.
07:22If my family does not come around, it's disappointing and it hurts.
07:28But I can't force them to do anything they don't want to.
07:32I want Felicia's parents to see that their daughter's not in harm.
07:36She's happy.
07:39We're not just going to enjoy life.
07:41I mean...
07:42We're going to live the heck out of it.
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