It was May 2019. Kellen had moved from Maryland to Florida and been living in Tampa area for about a month when his roommate, Kevin realized he had double booked himself for a gig at a bar in Clearwater. Kevin asked Kellen to cover the gig for him at Coco Coronado.

Jessica was on a bachelorette party trip in Clearwater and ended up at a bar called Coco Coronado. Kellen and Jessica got to talking and ended up hanging out after Kellen's gig.

Kellen shared that he was planning to be in Minnesota for his band's next show. They exchanged phone numbers and began talking regularly.

To Jessica's disappointment, Kellen ended up having to cancel his band's show in Minnesota. By that point they had been talking everyday. Kellen decided to still make a trip up to Minnesota to visit Jessica.

After committing to a long-distance relationship, many more trips were made back and forth between Minneapolis and Tampa to create memories and spend time with each other.

When the global pandemic hit, their personal silver lining was a fortification of their relationship: just before the quarantine shutdown, Jess bought Kellen a one-way flight to Minneapolis. Jess and Kellen lived together for over a month while quarantining.

After Kellen returned back to Tampa, they both reflected together, and decided that if they can withstand long-distance and quarantining, there isn't anything they can't do together. And through over five years:

Kellen moved to Minneapolis.

They bought a house together.

They're about to get married.

To Be Continued...