The Last Love Story

We spend our whole life looking for that special someone. We spend every waking moment thinking about that person. When we kiss, time stands still. And if the two are meant to be, their love lasts forever.

Spending time with that special someone makes us realize how precious every moment is.

During a surprise weekend trip to Charleston, South Carolina, Adam asked the love of his life, Stacey, to spend forever with him.

“Adam had kept most of the agenda of the trip a secret, but told me we were going to grab a few drinks before dinner.  As we stepped outside from our hotel, which was located across the street from a well-known theatre, I saw that written in the marquee was “Stacey, Will You Marry Me?” A photographer popped up out of nowhere and Adam got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! We had a mini-photo shoot, and then went back inside to the hotel. To my surprise, our families were waiting for us in the lobby! We celebrated with our parents the rest of the weekend.”

Charleston held a special place in the heart of Stacey as it was the first trip her and Adam took as a couple nearly 3 years earlier.

Stacey and Adam cling to these memories like they were yesterday.

Can you remember yesterday?

Do you remember where you were 31 days ago?

As we all shelter in place inside our homes in isolation in reaction to the COVID-19 Coronavirus that has swept the world, 31 days may feel like 31 years.

How did we get here in just 4 weeks?

March 4th – Ultra Music Festival in Miami, FL cancels

Adam and Stacey were just 48 hours away from their wedding they had been planning with the help of Linda Alpert for over a year.

Stacey recalls, “We were most excited to see all of our friends and family who had traveled from all over the country to celebrate with us! We were also very excited about having the wedding at the gorgeous Langham, and very much looking forward to all of the food! We had menus made of chocolate, 4 different types of wedding cake, cookies, Dairy Queen blizzards, Lou Malnati’s pizza, and more!”

March 6th – The SXSW Conference & Festival, which scheduled for the following weekend, March 13-22, 2020, abruptly cancels.

The big day has almost arrived! Wedding guests are checking into the hotel and the rehearsal dinner is about to begin.

March 7th – Stacey & Adam’s Wedding Day

March 11th – “Today, the World Health Organization officially announced that this is a global pandemic.

To keep new cases from entering our shores, we will be suspending all travel from Europe to the United States for the next 30 days.  The new rules will go into effect Friday at midnight.  

Our economic prosperity gives us flexibility, reserves, & resources to handle any threat that comes our way. This is not a financial crisis. This is just a temporary moment of time that we will overcome together as a nation. No nation is more prepared or more resilient than the United States.

The risk is very, very low.”

Donald Trump
President of the United States of America

COVID-19 Coronavirus has killed nearly 3,500 people and infected another 102,000 people across more than 90 countries.

Illinois Coronavirus Cases: 3
Illinois Coronavirus Deaths: 0

Today, Tuesday, April 7th – COVID-19 Coronavirus has killed over 81,995 people and infected another 1,430,130 people.

The virus is currently affecting 209 countries and territories around the world.

Illinois Coronavirus Cases: 13,549
Illinois Coronavirus Deaths: 380

Today, all that matters is connection.

We must not let social distancing undermine our need for connection, kindness and empathy. We must find ways to affirm the solidarity of the entire world. Now is a time for a reckoning that tempers our instinctive fears with the compassionate recognition that we are all one. The future that we pass along to our next generation will depend as much on the moral character of our response as the medical expertise that is deployed here and around the world.

Right now, all that matters is love.

This is the last love story…. for today. Love is not cancelled.