It was just after the summer solstice in 2020. Connor was working his summertime job at Lowes in the Garden Department and Olivia was just starting her new customer service position within days of moving from New York to Florida.


One day she went to the Garden Center to help with a hefty number of customers. She wasn’t fully trained yet and didnt know she was supposed to let the garden associates know there were customers waiting for them outside to fill their cars with mulch. Connor realized this mistake and rushed out to help the impatient customers. Upon returning inside he asserted that she needed to let associates know if she was sending customers out to the mulch area via radio to avoid such a mess. Olivia, also a diligent and intelligent worker, took note to avoid that mistake in the future and her curiosity about Connor sparked.


Nonetheless, their professional relationship began.
Olivia, a social butterfly at work, started to say hi to Connor each time she walked by him. He responded timidly at first but as he loosened up, more casual interactions ensued. During their lunch break one day, Olivia in a friendly tone said “Connor... What’s your deal?”. Connor tentatively shared about his studies and his involvement on his college campus and their friendship began. Connor began to bring Olivia candy during their shifts together and was starting to realize he may have a little crush on her. He chose to ignore those feelings and continued focusing on work.


A week passed and Olivia shot Connor a text asking if he and a coworker wanted to come hang out with her and her roommate for Independence Day. Connor, hesitantly said yes, as he feared his feelings might grow upon doing so. He knew he had grown a slight attraction for Olivia that night but how did Olivia feel? Turns out she hadn’t thought of him that way in the slightest until her roommate remarked “Liv... he is kind of cute”, to which Olivia agreed curiously.


July 4th came and they played games and had some BBQ. Olivia confusedly noticed herself hoping to receive some of Connors attention. Finally, the group decided walk to the beach to enjoy the full moon. Her roommate and the coworker struck up a conversation and Connor asked Olivia if she would like to go down to the water. She agreed and they walked barefooted in the sand down to the break of the waves. Connor asked Olivia about some of the deeper aspects of her life. To which she indulged and they went back and forth, engaged in conversation much more meaningful than small talk. Time slipped by under the moonlight. They snapped back to reality and walked up to the rest of the group decided it was time to go home. Olivia and Connor went their separate ways.


Upon his arrival at home, Connor resorted to texting Olivia since he was too nervous to ask in person, “would you like you like to go grab coffee tomorrow?” to which Olivia replied “yes”.


The next day Connor picked Olivia up, drove her to Kookaburra to pick up their coffee and drove her to a gorgeous spot he thought she might like. They went to the Vilano Pier, sipped their coffee, had a little run in with a sea-turtle, chatted about each other’s interests, and sat back to back to conclude the date. It was a cute little encounter but it had to come to an end since Olivia still needed to pack for her flight the next day for her familys lake week on Keuka Lake.


As Connor drove Olivia home, they passed through downtown St. Augustine, over the historic Bridge of Lions, and as they were passing the bend before the Alligator Farm Olivia thought to herself “I really don’t want this drive to end”. As they arrived at Olivia’s apartment it was time to say goodbye. Connor leaned over to give her a hug and exclaimed how great a time he had with her today. She agreed but seemed a little nervous. There was a brief pause and Olivia asked, “Can I kiss you?” to which Connor chuckled and replied “Yes”.


Olivia went on her way to Keuka Lake for the week but the two stayed in contact, texting and even Facetiming a few times. Upon her arrival back in Florida, they went on a few more dates and began spending more and more time together. On July 19th 2020, after going downtown for donuts, Connor asked Olivia via beach sunflower proposal to be his girlfriend. They begin to fall for each other as they got to know each other better and they became inseparable. As the time went on they went through peaks and valleys, celebrations and hardship, all strengthening their love and commitment while growing more deeply their relationship. There are countless stories to tell over the two years of dating, all that is important is they supported each other through anything and everything, had each other’s backs, and loved each other no matter what they faced. Just a bit after their two year dating anniversary, on August 15, at the same place they went on their first date, Connor got down on one knee during the sunset and asked Olivia to marry him. In case you were wondering, she said yes.


The story is now current and you are here to join them on the next chapter of their story.