welcome to our love story

Our story starts the first weekend of freshman year at LVC. To paint you a picture, I decided to go into college with a fresh start. I was all about being independent, single & embracing college life. What I was not interested in was a relationship. Now there was just one problem--Collin Greer. Our 1st weekend, a friend invited some people to the Kettering Corner for her birthday & Collin just happened to be invited as well. What conversation I had with him wasn't too memorable & I mostly talked to the other girls. For Collin it was a different story. Fast forward a few days, the friends in our dorm became so close that we called ourselves the "Ham Fam." One night the "Ham Fam" was hanging out & someone said "Aubrey, Collin told me he likes you." Of course, I thought Collin was a great person. We had had several long conversations & I could see him as a friend. But that was it. It was my first week of college & I was still in my Miss Independent mindset.

So, yes, I put Collin in the oh-so dreadful friend zone...but the nicest friend zone I could. Collin got very comfortable (or so he pretended, poor kid) in the friend zone for the next 7 months. He slowly became the person I could tell anything to, breaking down the walls I had built up one by one. He became the one who was always down to go to basketball games, socials, or just watch hours of TV in the lounge. He would even wake up early on Saturday mornings to study in the lounge because he knew that was my laundry day & I would be down there all morning (he knew what he was doing)

Cut to March of freshman year, I now saw Collin as my best friend. One day, we took a walk & he asked me the question, " Do you see yourself ever liking me or wanting to be with me?" I proudly said (in what I thought was the nicest way possible) that he was my best friend but that I was so scared to start a relationship for fear of getting heartbroken. I even told him that the next person I date, I hoped to marry because of my fears. What I thought was a sweet heart to heart conversation, left Collin heartbroken (I wouldn’t come to find this out until months later.) Still, he persisted, & as Collin proved to me how much he truly cares, I fell for him. He always used to tell me that he wanted to make me happy. I always assured him, "Collin, I am happy, you don't have to do things to make me more happy." Yet he still said, "If I can make you that much more happy, I will." The next time Collin asked if I wanted to be with him, I said "Yes."

Our junior year, Collin went to study abroad in Spain for 4 months. Although I missed him like crazy, his time abroad became the best thing that ever happened to us. (& the start of our future together, although I didn't know this at the time). While visiting Paris, Collin put a lock on the love bridge. Collin wrote "Collin and Aubrey 111817". What I thought was just a code for the lock, was actually the date he planned to propose to me. Three years later, on 11-18-17. On November 18, Collin took me to LVC where it all started, & we put a lock on the bridge at LVC where this time I wrote "Aubrey and Collin 11-18-17" and Collin showed me the picture of the numbers he wrote on the lock three years earlier. I put the lock on and turned around to see him on one knee, asking me the easiest question I've ever answered.

Now here we are a year from our wedding date. We've been together for over 5 years, we dated all through college & got our undergrad degrees in 2016. I became an Autistic Support Teacher at Rheems Elementary & cheered Collin on through the intense graduate phase of Physical Therapy School, and he's soon to be a licensed Physical Therapist.

We are so looking forward to the day where we can finally be husband and wife. We can't wait to share the day with the ones who have loved & supported us through our relationship.