In May of 2020, the world had taken a drastic turn which led us to meet online. We regularly spent time playing games and calling each other and finally we agreed to meet in Fayetteville at a grocery store parking lot so that Aleshia couldn’t stalk me at home. Since it was during the first few days of the lockdown the selection of things to do were limited, but as luck would have it set the stage for a hobby that we continue to do everywhere we go. We decided to go to a local brewery. Over the next year, we became “Facebook official,” traveled, and forged a ton of memories. The time we spent together proved to be valuable as the pandemic continued to present challenges to our dating life. This led to us having to be creative on dates and vacations. The pandemic was not the only thing that proved to be challenging. It seemed no matter where or how long the trip, mother nature decided we needed to be rained on. A quick trip to Dallas? Rain. Weekend in Destin? Rain. We weathered all of these storms and it made our relationship stronger. Not to mention very good at having a plan B. With all of the growth and love we have cultivated, I decided it was time to ask Aleshia to marry me. I made some calls, she dropped her ring size a few times(although it was still wrong), and I made a plan to pop the question. In June of 2021, I arranged a casual weekend with friends in a place Aleshia had never been and one of my favorite cities, New Orleans. The week leading up to the trip saw the development of Tropical Storm Claudette. The only saving grace I had was that it was angled to hit Florida. As we pulled into NOLA the warning hit our phones of a tropical storm warning. We checked into the hotel and went to eat just in time to see my hope of proposal being blown away at 81mph. Luckily, by the time we made it back to the hotel the storm had moved on leaving only the rich smells of New Orleans. That Saturday, I woke Aleshia with plans for a sculpture tour and art exhibit at City Park. As we walked into the heart of the park, we spoke about how happy we are together and our future. Eventually, we ended up at the bridge connecting the sides of the park. It was here, draped in weeping willows, I knelt and popped the question. After what felt like forever she said yes and out popped our photographer yelling and clapping. Luckily there was no need for a backup plan.