Sam McConnell and Whitney Koogler met when both were in high school. Sam, who is older than Whitney and a Sinclair Community College student, said he was nervous to approach her.
He did approach her, though, and he said “it turned out pretty good” and “we made some pretty sweet stuff out of pottery so it was a win-win.”
Sam also said one thing that really helps their relationship is what they call the 50/50 rule.
“That’s when we consider each person’s opinion before we do anything,” Sam said. “Like, if we go to the mall, that’s Whitney’s thing, then we go see a movie or eat at the place I like. That way we both get to do something we each like without making it too one sided.”
Whitney, a UD student, said one thing she really enjoys is the slideshow of photos she has of the two together.
“I have a folder on my computer filled with hundreds of pictures of us,” Whitney said. “It is a great way to look back at all the fun things we have done together.”
She also has advice for other couples.
“Communication is very important,” Whitney said. “I’m not shy about telling Sam how I feel. A couple should be able to talk about anything.”
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To build a healthy and long lasting relationship, one of the main keys is a genuine friendship between the partners.
Someone you know that is there for you through think and thin not just because you’re in a relationship, but because a friend they want to see you do well.
The friendship and relationship of Keisha Brown and Jonathan Bibbs is strong, and is growing day by day.
“He’s like my best friend,” Brown said. “We understand each other very well, we hardly ever argue and we talk about everything.”
Brown and Bibbs met through friends at school, and the romance did not begin immediately.
“We both had some things going on and just slowly became friends,” Brown said. “We went out together one night and then after that it just happened.”
Relatively new, their relationship started on Nov. 5, they both make sure to stay true to themselves while trying to build a healthy relationship.
“We don’t hold back anything when it comes to our relationship,” Bibbs said. “ We communicate about everything.”
A Sinclair Community College cheerleader, brown cheers for the whole team but at times finds herself cheering just for her man.
“At times when I see him playing, I find myself directing my cheers just for him,” Brown said. “It’s nice to see him out there playing hard.”
Bibbs believes that although they are complete opposites in some personality traits, that they balance themselves out.
“She is more outgoing than I am, I’m more of the quiet type,” Bibbs said. “But that works out for both of us because we balance each other out. Her strengths are my weaknesses and vice versa.”
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Samantha Wray Sliver and Dylan Cody Liles are both Sinclair Community College students, met at Beavercreek High School and have been inseparable ever since. To keep their relationship alive and stress free, they often have date nights with just the two of them. They also write each other special notes just to make the other smile. Throughout all the stress, Samantha said that Dylan is the love of her life and the two try to spend as much time as they can together. The couple has been dating for two years and 8 months and, just recently, Dylan proposed.
“We were at Sake Japanese restaurant and he had the chef prepare a beautiful dish that said, ‘I love you Sam in Sushi,’ Samantha said. “It was adorable. He got down on one knee and proposed.”
While Samantha is ecstatic to be engaged, the wedding is scheduled for June 9, 2012.
“I have always planned on this day since I can remember, and to know that I am marrying the love of my life,” she said. “Well, that is amazing.”