At Westminster College in August of 2018, Halle and Brock crossed paths at the very start of their collegiate careers. It was their first ever class as college freshmen, BA 140 The American Workplace at 8:10 AM. They were purely strangers at this point and would be for some time, but Brock certainly wouldn’t deny that he noticed Halle and maybe even had a little crush on her 😉. Working toward the same major and having a similar class schedule, Halle and Brock inevitably got to know each other as time progressed, but then came COVID-19.

(College move in day!)

Westminster students moved back home, began virtual instruction, and became more and more disconnected with their college community. Despite this, Brock decided it was time to “shoot his shot” and Instagram DM’d Halle on March 30th, 2020. He said, “Question, do you know if the marketing test is Tuesday or Thursday?” A pretty subtle slide into the DMs, and I mean, the test schedule was clearly posted on the student portal, but Halle was none the less excited to hear from Brock. A short day later, Brock decided to take a big leap…he asked Halle to add him on Snapchat! Jokes aside, this moment sparked months of conversation filled with questions and answers as the two were eager to get to know each other. (There might have been some flirting, too 🤷🏼‍♀️).

The COVID months carried on, and Halle and Brock stayed in touch (probably because Halle was sending him the homework answers). Eventually, they returned to campus post-lockdown. Their routine of social media messaging remained, but now they started making awkward eye contact in passing and even struck up a few nerve racking, in-person conversations! However, a few months into the semester, Brock got COVID and was locked in a quarantine dorm for about two weeks. While there, he decided to FaceTime Halle hoping she would cure his boredom. It must’ve worked, because they talked for hours! Brock eventually escaped quarantine with high hopes of progressing his and Halle’s relationship, but after several attempts, he knew he was in the “friend zone.” Brock would tell you this is because Halle was playing hard to get, but she was honestly just nervous because he seemed to be out of her league.

The following semester, the two enrolled in the same course, and Halle hoped and prayed Brock would be assigned as her lab partner. Spoiler, he was! Toward the end of this academic year (junior year), Brock got antsy. While walking Halle home from a party one night, he spilled all his feelings for her. They circled campus twice during their talk, so you know it was a pretty serious conversation 😳. Halle’s feelings were mutual, but she wasn’t ready for a relationship quite yet. Before parting ways, Brock said, “Well, I’ll wait.”

(Moments before "the talk")

Their relationship came to a hault and maybe even took a few steps backwards the rest of the semester and throughout the following Summer. But soon came their senior year, and Halle and Brock were taking the same capstone course which required each student to pick a partner for a seven week long project. Without hesitation, Brock offered to be Halle’s partner. Throughout the semester, they awkwardly navigated their feelings but also managed to reignite their friendship. During their time spent together, Halle was really only concerned with the outcome of their project, and Brock was just simply happy to be there with her. The course came to an end, and their time together on campus did too as Halle graduated early in December of 2021.

In May of the following year, Halle returned to Westminster’s campus to walk with the 2022 graduating class and felt that her and Brock’s story wasn’t complete. Moments after receiving her degree, she made a b-line to Brock to say hello, take a picture, and make sure he knew she still existed. Our families then happened to cross paths at The Crane Room restaurant that evening where Halle of course made a point to introduce herself to Brock's family.

The following Summer, the two casually kept in touch. But in August of 2022, Brock asked Halle on a date! He invited her down to his apartment in Weirton, WV for a surprise date, and the only information he gave her was to “wear something nice.” The evening consisted of dinner, stargazing (the first kiss!), and a movie at home. The next morning, the two made it official (yay!), and it went something like this…Brock asked, “So, what are we?” Halle said, “What do you mean?" Then Brock asked, “Well, are we dating?” And Halle said, “Yeah.” Super riveting, right?! From that day forward, Halle spent her weekends in Weirton with Brock and the two became inseparable, growing a love so big and more beautiful than they ever could have anticipated. In October of the same year, Halle and Brock attended Westminster’s Homecoming and spent the night at Halle’s parent’s. Here, Brock told Halle "I love you" for the first time, and Halle responded with the same. That was also the night Halle gave Brock COVID for the second time…oops! After many more weekends in Weirton consisting of new adventures, lazy Sundays, and growing more in love with each other, job changes were anticipated. Moving to Boardman, OH together became the clear next step in their relationship. (A.K.A Halle was tired of driving 45 minutes to Weirton).

(One of the first couple of days in the apartment!)

Two weeks after a very quick and hectic move, Halle woke up on June 15th and got the mail. To her surprise, she found a letter from Jared Jewelers. Brock noticed, snatched the envelope out of her hand and carried on with his day as normal, and Halle went to work with a ring on her mind. In the afternoon, she got a text from Brock asking if she’d want to go to the park later that night to celebrate two weeks living in Boardman and to take advantage of the good weather. Halle was honestly pretty tired and looking forward to laying on their new couch after work, but she agreed. When she arrived, Brock insisted on taking her to this “cool spot” in the park they had yet to explore. Halle noticed he was dressed maybe a little too nice for a visit to the park and saw his phone set up recording a video, but that went right over her head. Before she could even put together what was happening, Brock got down on one knee and proposed! ❤️💍 Little did Halle know, the engagement ring Brock had been working on for weeks was ready for pickup just three short hours before the proposal. Brock’s grand plan was to hold onto the ring for a few more weeks and propose on their trip to Maine with his family, but he simply couldn’t wait!

(The big proposal at Lanternman's Mill in Mill Creek Park!)

And now, we’re here! It’s the start of a new chapter in our beautiful story, and we’re so excited to be sharing it with you 😊