Our Story

Question

About us

Answer

Aubrey: Hiya! I am an active duty labor and delivery nurse for the Air Force. I was born and raised in Texas and it shows! I enjoy traveling, game nights, watching sports (Go Pokes), and exploring new gluten-free recipes. If I’m not working you can most likely find me at the beach or out dancing with Chasen! Chasen: Hi! I am from Destin, Florida and I work as a drone operator as a civilian for the military. I enjoy line dancing/two stepping, watching sports (Roll Tide 🐘), RC plane flying, and going to the beach. When I am not at work, you can find me with Aubrey either on the beach, trying new gluten-free recipes or hanging out with friends.

Question

How did we meet?

Answer

Aubrey: At the end of August last year I had just moved to Destin and remember being nervous to try a new young adults group through the church I had started attending. I rushed out of work only to sit in the parking lot for 5 minutes before walking down to the beach. It was there that I met Chasen for the first time. He was somehow the only one in our small group that night who had not attended OSU, but he got points for being cute. It also helped that we both answered the ice breaker question by stating if we were any fruit it would be a strawberry- me because I am sweet and sometimes sassy, him because he’s red and freckley. Chasen: On August 29, 2023, I attended what was thought to be just another young adult’s bible study. This was somewhere that I went most weeks and knew what to expect. There would be some good friends there and some new people. I was always open to meeting anyone new and it turns out, this was Aubrey’s second visit. Little did I know what would come of this meeting. I was trying to coordinate a group to go dancing that weekend and asked Aubrey if she would like to join. Aubrey was, and still is, up for adventuring so she said yes. We exchanged numbers and then got added to the dancing group that would meet that weekend.

Question

How did we get to the first date?

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Aubrey: After that first night on the beach, Chasen and I kept ending up at the same hangouts. Whether it be at dance lessons (taught by Chasen-yikes!….jk he’s a really good dancer), weekly Tuesday night young adults, swim trips, corn mazes, or Friday nights dancing at the block, we seemed to gravitate towards each other more and more. Finally on a Sunday in late October, Chasen, in an effort to spend time alone with me, offered to hang up some curtains in my apartment. That afternoon we spent four hours talking on my couch and I officially knew he was someone really special. Before Chasen left he asked me out on our first date and we have talked everyday since! Chasen: From the moment I met Aubrey, I immediately noticed how beautiful she was, and our conversation flowed effortlessly. Over the next few weeks, we, along with a few others, went dancing, went to local springs, went to a corn maze, and watched the World Series. During the trip to the springs, I was trying to play wingman for a friend who had a crush on another girl in the group, so I offered to drive them both and invited Aubrey to join since she lived nearby. During the car ride, I specifically asked Aubrey what her thoughts were about the question if I hadn’t heard from her. It was on this trip that I really started to fall for her. During the corn maze adventure, we stuck close to each other during the event which might have just been me staying close but she was into me 😎 A few days later, Aubrey hosted a World Series watch party. There was definitely some chemistry between us. Toward the end of the night, Aubrey mentioned needing help hanging curtains. So I, being the chivalrous man that I am, jumped at the chance to offer my help. That Sunday, I went over to help her with the curtains, and what started as a simple task turned into a wonderful four-hour conversation and afterwards I asked if I could take her out to dinner. She said yes, our first date was set for November 3rd, 2023.

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How was the first date?

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Aubrey: Our first date was sweet and so much like us today. Chasen did some research (classic him) and found an Italian place that served gluten-free pasta for me and gluten-filled pizza for him. He showed up at my door 10 minutes early (double classic him) with red roses and off we went. After dinner we planned to get ice cream but got distracted talking in the car and never made it in- instead choosing to go back to my place to play a game (shockingly we never started the game, too busy talking and laughing together). From there we headed out to go dancing before ending the night - you guessed it- talking for an hour in front of my building. Good thing he likes to listen and I like to talk! Chasen: I was elated that I got to take Aubrey out to dinner. But pressure was on to pick something good. I spent some time looking at different restaurants, analyzing their menus, and settled on an Italian resturant (no, not Olive Garden 😂). I knew I didn’t want to show up empty handed so I picked up a beautiful bouquet of flowers on the way. I knocked on her door, handed her the flowers and then we were off! Dinner was a great time. The food was good, but the company was what really made it special. Afterwards we drove around, thinking about getting ice cream, but then decided that we really didn’t want it and just wanted to keep the night going. So, as any couple that likes dancing, that’s what we did and it was a great end to a fantastic night.

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How was dating before engagement?

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Aubrey: Chasen introduced me to nearly the whole family only six days after we became official, so it’s safe to say he knew from early on where our relationship was headed, and I might have been pretty confident in us too. We spent 18 weeks apart in the spring while I was temporarily stationed in San Antonio but over the course of 7 months we got to fall in love through quick visits between night shifts, Christmas activities, cooking together, game nights, road trips, dancing, trips to Texas, and FaceTime - SO MUCH FACETIME. I’m sneaking this in because it is important to our story later…During our many many hours of FaceTime we often played each other in Monopoly Deal - 75 times to be exact and I won 43 of those (Chasen still owes me a fancy date for that btw). Chasen: Dating started off with a, “why walk with you can run mentality.” Only a few weeks after we started dating, and not even a week after we became “official”, I asked Aubrey to join my family for thanksgiving. This was meeting my parents for the second time and meeting my grandparents, cousins, and other friends for the first time, all at one event. I imagine she was a tad overwhelmed, but she did great! She fit right in with the family and that didn’t scare her off so I knew there was something special here. After that, we continued to hangout as much as possible and go on many dates. Aubrey was working night shift so it was a little challenging to find time but we made it work. We battled covid-19 together (I definitely didn’t give it to her 😬), celebrated birthdays, went dancing often, and much more during the first months of dating. Then, in February 2024, Aubrey had to go live in San Antonio for 18 weeks to complete a training course for her career. This, while annoying and challenging, was a blessing as I had the opportunity to go see her 4 times during this period and get to know her family. As well, I got to be able to buy the ring and plan the proposal while she had no idea 🙊

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How did he propose?

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Aubrey: Let’s start with I might have known something was up but the how of the proposal really got me. It was a Saturday morning in June and Chasen came over with a whole itinerary for the day. First was grocery shopping, then I was going to get my nails done -his treat, then we would hang out, go to dinner, and finally head for the beach to play our favorite card game while he filmed a time lapse video. Ladies I know you see the clues in there, but I kept up my ignorance and enjoyed an amazing day with my boy. Fast forward to the beach and one small storm later, we were in the middle of our third round of Monopoly Deal when Chasen casually says “I want to play this one” and drops a card out of his hand with the action command “Marry Me.” I was shocked and my face showed it -Chasen had taken the time to design and create a card that perfectly matched the deck and I never saw it coming. He pulled me up, got down on one knee, and officially asked me to marry me him - I immediately and emphatically said yes. Chasen: One of the card games that Aubrey and I like to play is called monopoly deal. This is one of the first games she taught me and we have been playing it ever since. During the 18-week long distance part of our relationship, we found a way to play it online and by the time she was back in person, we had played it 75 times. It’s not important who won more than the other, the important thing is that we were having fun (I think she beat me by 11 or so games 🫣). But from this and several hours of research, I knew it would be super cute if I could find a “Marry Me” monopoly deal card or incorporate the game into the proposal. I was unable to find anything online so I took on the challenge to design it myself. I designed the card, printed it, and had it ready to play when the time was right. That time was June 29th, 2024. I invited her to a night out on the beach to play the game, played it mid hand, and asked her to marry me. She happily said yes ☺️