Jenga. It’s a game that most of us have played or are familiar with, despite not necessarily knowing how the game earned its name. The name “Jenga” is derived from the Swahili word “kujenga” which means ‘to build or construct’. In it’s simplest form, the game requires participants, one at a time, to pull a block from an otherwise sturdy structure, and to place that same block on top of the structure, slowly building it higher as they go.
Amid the craziness of Covid-19 and a nationwide quarantine, La’Toya Lane and Chazz Woodson each made personal and professional decisions to uproot themselves from California and Florida, respectively, and move back to Hampton Roads, Virginia where they both grew up. It was here that fate would have them swiping away on what happened to be the same dating app at the same time, casting countless others to the left before finally swiping right with one another. After a couple of weeks of exchanging messages, they agreed to mask up and brave the toxic outside air to meet for dinner at Harpoon Larry’s. A few weeks later, they decided to attend a Halloween party together – La’Toya Dressed as a unicorn - and Chazz a Panda. The DJs were on point that night, playing all the New Jack Swing hits, their favorite hip-hop and R&B hits from the 90s and the early 2000s, and more. They danced, they laughed, and had there been a costume contest that night, they certainly would have won first and second place… primarily because they were quite literally the only two at the party. That was the first of many laughs shared between them and the point at which they could be fully and completely immersed in simply being around one another.
The ability to find peace in one another would prove to be important as the couple moved forward. Tough times challenge everyone, and it was no different for Chazz and La’Toya. But they quickly found out that they could rely on support from one another. They each chose professional careers centered around serving others, so it should be no surprise that selflessness and care for others would be at the root of the relationship between the veterinarian and educator/coach. This was particularly apparent when, in the span of one month, La’Toya lost both a grandmother and aunt and, only months later, Chazz also lost a grandmother. It was in these moments that they began to solidify a foundational relationship, upon which they could build a life together, piece by piece.
And over the course of a few years, Chazz and La’Toya let music, smiles, laughter, and mutual respect carry them from one good time to the next, regardless of what their individual personal and professional lives threw them. Like pulling Jenga blocks one at a time, they each made continuous decisions to take chances on each other, in an effort to build one another higher, and to build something greater together.