Kevin and Alicia met the old fashioned way... a dating app! They matched at the end of February 2020 and had their first date on March 3. Kevin picked her up in his huge Chevy truck and took her to the Blue Wolf Tavern in Boardman Ohio. After a mostly delicious (though unexpectedly raw) dinner, the pair went to the movie theater to watch the Invisible Man, and allow Alicia to indulge in her love of actual movie theater popcorn. By the end of the date, both were pretty smitten and Alicia had a sore ankle from falling out of the giant truck twice. All in all, a success. Unfortunately, we all know how much the world turned in March 2020. COVID-19 changed the ways many of us connected and interacted with others in our world. Alicia and Kevin were impacted by these changes in very unique ways. Kevin, a nurse at Heritage Valley Beaver, and his unit (including his mother Diana and groomswoman Jamie) became dedicated to caring for patients with COVID-19. Alicia was a caseworker at the time, and while their office was mostly closed, Alicia still had to visit client homes. For two and a half months, Kevin and Alicia could only communicate through the phones that had connected them in the first place. For Kevin's birthday in May 2020, Alicia sent him a stuffed possum as part of her campaign for him to see their appeal. This odd but adorable present clearly had magical powers, as just a few days later they were planning their second date (at her apartment, as the world was still closed). After he cooked her dinner and they spent hours talking, they were hooked. They spent a lot of time together the next few weeks. During one date, Alicia's aunt Christina texted asking if she wanted a kitten they had rescued. Kevin and Alicia abandoned the Doordash that had just arrived and went to go get the kitten that Kevin helped name, Claudia. During another date, they were up all night talking until he drove home at 5am. Alicia ended up sleeping through many alarms and phone calls, and ultimately ended up missing a trip to Erie with her family. They connected so well and so fast, it was no surprise when Kevin asked Alicia to be his girlfriend on May 31, 2020. Since that day, their relationship has grown stronger and more resilient, their laughter louder and freer, and their love more brilliant and boundless.