Hi friends!!

Wow, a lot has happened since my last blog post. Which means 1) I am not doing a great job at updating this blog and 2) this new season is really throwing me on what to talk about.

I want to avoid the obvious topic of COVID-19. Nearly everywhere we turn we hear about it so I don’t want this post to add to the noise.

Instead I want to focus on something positive and think back to pre-COVID-19 days. Just before the outbreak started shutting down our normal lives, I had a fun photo session with a fellow photographer in the area, Marina Dunham! She reached out on one of my Facebook groups I’m in looking for models to pose for some practice faux-engagement shots, so I volunteered.

And I brought Kevin along!

If you have no idea who I’m talking about, I’m really excited to be introducing him here. Kevin is my boyfriend, and because of the beautiful photos that Marina took, I have a fun way to show him off on my blog.

So a little about us:

We met on Hinge late-November/early-December and went out for a cup of coffee in City Center. I was pretty clear with him that it was NOT a date, since I had been on an embarrassing amount of “first dates” from online matches and didn’t want to invest too many hopes in either of us.

It was actually a pretty awful day leading up to our meet-up. I had an awful day at my former day-job (not the one I’m currently in), and was really wanting to go home and go right to bed. It was also super rainy and cold, and I had honestly forgotten I agreed to have coffee with him that evening.

I was running late and shuffled into Dolcezza where he was already sitting and sipping on a hot drink. I probably looked like a hot mess: hair frizzy, coat and scarf disheveled, makeup a little runny/smudged. So I was not in a good mood. I ordered my coffee and sat down and instantly he wanted to hear about my day, learn more about me, ask me thoughtful but light-hearted questions.

And I answered them… honestly. I told him I had an awful day, that I hated my (then) job, and what I would have rather been doing in life instead (which is full-time photography, of course). And despite my cynicism, he kept smiling and showing general interest.

Eventually we decided to take a walk towards the White House. He held his umbrella over me the entire way there, and told me all about himself in return. When we got to the White House, he shared a bunch of interesting historical facts related to it and I was fascinated. Some might have found it really nerdy or awkward, but I always loved the history tucked in this bustling city, so I found it extremely endearing.

At the end of the night, he walked me to my car and asked me if I’d consider going on an “official” first date. I said yes, that first date occurred right before Christmas, and the rest is sort of history.

Kevin is almost 28 (birthday coming up in a few weeks!) and an employee of the federal National Labor Relations Board. He loves working in government, and was an American history major at Kennesaw State. He grew up outside of Atlanta, GA and has been living in D.C. for over four years.

He enjoys reading, hiking, long walks to the Capitol & National Mall, watching Parks & Rec on repeat, performing magic card tricks, and having game nights with friends.

He and I enjoy playing board games together as one of our favorite activities. Though I seem to have major winning streaks in every game he’s taught me. I wonder if he lets me win… 😉 I’m going to pretend not.

He is extremely kind, bubbly, patient, and selfless. He makes friends with everyone and anyone, often striking up light conversations with our waiters and baristas when we go on dates. He has a super corny sense of humor. In fact, there’s one joke that no matter how many times his friends and I recite it to him, he will always laugh.

Kev… a ham sandwich walks into a bar. And the bartender says, “I’m sorry, we don’t serve food here.”

I apologize to all my readers who just rolled their eyes, but I know Kevin just read that and busted out laughing.

All in all, we’ve only spent just under four months as a couple, a little longer if you count the dates before we made anything official. But I just really enjoy spending time with him. He lightens my mood, always sees the positive side of a bad situation, and knows just what to say to remind me that God is in control and that “this too shall pass.”

He makes me want to be better in a lot of ways, and though our relationship is young, I’m content in just living in the moment and seeing how things go from here. So far, it’s been great. And I look forward to more adventurous dates as soon as social distancing is lifted!

So that’s Kevin in a nutshell! Let me know in the comments what else you’d like to know, and I’ll have him answer questions for you all. And if you loved our photos, you need to check out Marina Dunham!!

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