Friday, February 12, 2021
valentine’s edition
19 & Married: My Story Sheyenne Mitchell-Brown
One month out of high school, I said “yes” to the biggest decision of my life. Cade and I had been dating since we were both 16 years old, and before that, we had been friends since fourth grade. Church and our parents brought us and our three other siblings together. The five of us were unbreakable, but Cade and I were a whole other item from the beginning. At 9 years old, I recognized Cade was cute, and my obsession with him only grew from there. At 13, I remember a small moment when the whole world felt like it slowed down when I looked at him, and I told myself I would marry him JT Photography one day. However, Cade only Cade and Sheyenne Brown on their wedding day. saw me as a sister. but things happen,” I said. And from there, the imYears passed and I “Look, I really like you, possible seemed to happen: dated random guys to get and I just wanted to know if he said he liked me too. over my crush on Cade, and This was not what I was that never worked. Eventual- you felt the same way. I just need the peace of mind so expecting at all. I had talked ly, I decided to stop waiting I can know if I’m wasting to his friends, his brother, for the guy to do something my brother, and they all and to do it myself. The text my time. You feel me? And if you don’t that’s cool and said he wasn’t interested. I went like this: it wouldn’t change anything planned to use this text as “So, I thought this really. I just need to know.” a way toward closure. I had would go down in person,
my keys in my pocket and I planned to go out, get ice cream, and cry, then be done with him. And for some reason, the relationship felt more intimidating than the heartbreak, but we went for it. I am Cade’s first and last girlfriend. We joke all the time that it was for the best because I would be too jealous of any past exes. But being the first meant I had to teach him how a relationship worked and what to do. He did not kiss me after the first date like I thought he would. Instead, I kissed him three months into the relationship because he said he wasn’t even thinking about that part yet. Our relationship developed slowly, and we focused on building trust and communication before thinking about physical affection. To 16-year-old me, this was a nightmare. Looking back, it is the best thing we ever did for our relationship. By the time we had reached our first anniversary, marriage was on our minds. We knew that we loved each other and we would never want to be with anyone else. We began planning our future together and each moment that we were not in that future was heartbreaking. See Married on pg. 4
Generations of love OSU students share their families’ love stories
on a few dates and got married in the end, it’s been 25 years now.” While not everyBethany Merino, one may have a love freshman strategic story of their own quite communications and yet, many students on English major, also campus have parents had parents who met at or grandparents that their time in university. have special stories “So my parents that have been passed met working together down. in the cafeteria at From meeting in Texas Tech University,” school, work or other Merino said. “They unique places, love can were in the same friend be found almost anygroup too, but they where. weren’t dating and For sophomore were actually in other sports management relationships for a long major, Sanye Ford, time at that point.” her parents’ love story Merino’s parents starts with the holiday show that sometimes it itself. takes dating the wrong “So my parents people to end up findmet when they were ing the one who was in college when my meant for you. dad and his friend, “Those relationas a joke, went to the ships both ended for library on Valentine’s different reasons. My day to pass out valen- dad’s relationship tines and get girls,” ended first and actuFord said. “As they ally helped my mom were handing out through her own breakvalentines, my dad’s up when it happened,” friend knew one of said Merino. “Before the girls in the library you know it, after havand made my dad go ing been really good give her a valentine. friends for a long time, They ended up going their friendship grew By Amelia Jauregui
and then they eventually started dating and then got married. They’ve been friends for over 35 years and have been married for 22 now.” While both Ford and Merino had parents who met in their time at university, there are many other places two people can meet. For Freshman Zoe May, her grandparents’ love story is the perfect example of “high school sweethearts.” The Merino Family “My grandma and The Merino Family in their home married for 22 years. my grandpa met when she was a freshman and he was a senior in high school,” May said. “They started dating before my grandpa went off to college. It was luckily just about 20 minutes down the road. They ended up getting married her senior year of high school. He was her first boyfriend, first kiss, first everything. They’ve been married for 51 years now.” entertainment.ed@ocolly.com
The Ford Family The Ford family supporting the Cowboys, married for 25 years.