HIS: If you know Olivia at all, it should come as no surprise when I say that our relationship started with her asking me for career advice. You see, at that time, Olivia and I worked in the same office and had known each other for almost a year. Our interactions were pretty much limited to awkward smiles and “hellos” in the breakroom. Then, one fateful morning our “Pam and Jim” love story began when Olivia sent me a message over Skype asking me if I had any “tips” for an upcoming interview she had for a position (one in which I had, of course, recently completed with flying colors). Never one to shy away from helping someone in need, I proceeded to send her a very thorough breakdown of the whole process (seriously, it was multiple paragraphs). We’d officially had our longest conversation, and continued to chat at work for a while, later sliding into each other’s DMs, texting and eventually our first date. The rest, as they say, is history…sort of.

This story wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the elephant in the room (you know, the one with “2020” written in neon, flashing letters on the side). Our first date was about three weeks before the lives of every single person on the planet got turned upside down. I’m, of course, referring to COVID. Imagine, you’re starting a brand-new relationship, still learning about each other, going on those fun “early dating” adventures and then—BOOM—out of nowhere, everything shuts down. We couldn’t go into the office, couldn’t go to the movies, out to dinner, to a bar, anything. Our relationship did not follow the traditional timeline, because it was, quite frankly, impossible. During a time when we were supposed to be asking each other “what’s your favorite color” we instead became each other’s lifeline (we still asked those questions, we were just also asking questions like “I wonder if we’re going to be able to find meat at the grocery store today” and “boy, we sure are almost out of toilet paper, aren’t we?”).

I won’t bore you with the details of sitting in my tiny one-bedroom apartment day after day, running through the entirety of Netflix, countless Zoom “happy hours” with friends and family, and going on many, many hours-long walks. Suffice to say, the months went by, life slowly returned to normal, and we did get to enjoy all those “normal” things. Call it cliché, but looking back, I can honestly say that I wouldn’t have it any other way. It showed me very early on that what we have is real. The kind of real that lasts a lifetime. In my opinion, there can be no stronger foundation than that. I love her so much, and I am so excited for what the future holds.

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HERS: Our love story started at work however, it was not love at first sight by any means. We actually knew each other for about eight months before we went on our first date and even then I wasn’t sure if it was a date. By the end of this “not sure if it was a date”, I was certain it was a date and even more certain I wanted to spend more time with him. Our first date consisted of drinks, pizza, and board games (completely crushed him in like seven back-to-back games of Guess Who) Honestly, the perfect date.

That was February 22, 2020… you know what comes next. 25 days later COVID sent us home from work, chaos hit, uncertainty was everywhere we looked, except when we were together. Needless to say COVID brought us closer way faster than in a normal scenario.

On August 8, 2022 he proposed in my hometown court square where my dad proposed to my mom and I said, “Yes! Of Course! Absolutely!”

We’re kind of my favorite team ever. He is the organized one, and I’m an organized mess. He’s a super planner and I am more spontaneous. He’s an introvert and I’m an extrovert. He’s a gamer and I’m a reader. We both very much love our pup, Shelby Rae. We love Saturday Morning Farmers Markets, brewery/winery afternoons, and of course football Sundays.

Excited for a lifetime of adventures as the The Rivellos!