Blake and I officially met during the summer of 2020, an unexpected time to find love amidst the pandemic. Our initial connection was through my one of my best friends and college roommate, Ashton, who is also Blake's first cousin. Ashton’s mom and Blake’s mom are sisters, so they are a close-knit family! In the summer, Ashton invited me to a family event at her house. Blake was there with his mom and his brother Brady. I saw Blake and wanted to talk to him, but I was too shy and nervous. Little did I know Blake also thought I was cute! After the party, I couldn’t stop thinking about Blake, even though I couldn’t remember his name and I did not know him at all! I felt like a crazy person. An hour after we got back to our apartment, Ashton came home and the first thing she said was, "You wanna know something funny? My mom and I think that you and my cousin Blake would make a cute couple!" I was stunned because I hadn't told anyone about my little crush on Blake. I confessed to Ashton that I found Blake cute and would love to get to know him better if she was comfortable with it. With the help of Ashton, her mom, and Blake’s mom, they convinced Blake to come over to our apartment one evening, although he didn’t know he was being set up. When Blake arrived with a few others, we exchanged several glances. I wanted to talk to him so bad, but was so nervous. I was trying to think of conversation starters until I fixated on a bag of dill pickle chips Blake had brought. Gathering my courage, I walked over and said, "Are those dill pickle chips? That’s kinda weird, are they any good?" Not the most romantic or smooth way to break the ice, but Blake offered me some and that was it! We talked the whole night and have been inseparable ever since!