Erin Taggart described her relationship to Nicole Rhoads as a roller coaster — not because of the ups and downs, but how fun it is to ride.
“It’s not up down — it’s just, you wait forever … And then you finally get on the ride and you’re like, ‘Whoa. this is awesome,’ ” Taggart said. “It’s fun.”
Taggart, a junior studying social work, and Rhoads, a junior studying strategic communication, have had to adjust while dating in college, but their almost two-year relationship has withstood any difficulties they may have experienced.
The couple met their freshman year of college when they lived in the same residence hall.
“My roommate finally made me leave my dorm and go meet people in my hall … and we went over to her room first,” Taggart said.
Before they were a couple, Rhoads said they used to watch American Horror Story every Wednesday in their dorm, but that was not what brought them together. A “really long conversation” in early December of their freshman year brought the two closer, Rhoads said.
“I let her in and all that stuff,” Rhoads said.
Taggart said she was interested in Rhoads “from the get-go,” but the two did not start dating until January 2015. Their first date, they said, consisted of eating at Buffalo Wild Wings, playing Cards Against Humanity and a snowball fight, but both agree that was not their best date. While on a trip in Georgia, the couple ate a seafood platter, went to the beach and flew kites, which they both said was their favorite day.
“We like to do adventures — new places, new foods,” Rhoads said. “We like to explore Hocking Hills and stuff.”
During their sophomore year, Taggart and Rhoads lived together in the residence halls, which Taggart called “an adjustment” that both of them had to get used to, and said living with a significant other “is not for everybody.”
“We’re both super busy in Fall Semester. It’s kind of hard because we have completely opposite schedules and we’re just running around constantly,” she said. “So it’s
Taggart and Rhoads said they had to get used to each other’s personalities and living styles. Taggart, who is an only child, said she likes her quiet time so she can relax. Rhoads, on the other hand, is one of three children, so she is used to being around people all of the time, Rhoads said. Rhoads is more of the optimist, Taggart said, and Taggart is Rhoads’s “level head,” Rhoads said. They balance each other out, “besides the whole gender thing,” Rhoads said.
“I think we balance each other out. It’s kind of like a yin and yang type of deal,” Taggart said.
Taggart believes it is really hard to maintain a relationship in college because people are always changing.
“I mean, we’re constantly changing in college and it’s hard to keep up with sometimes,” she said. “And I think if you’re not maturing at the same rate, it’s really hard to maintain something. It’s been a
Though it is hard to maintain a steady relationship in college, Rhoads thinks that is why people admire their relationship.
“A lot of people, I think, admire the fact that it has been this long,” Rhoads said. “There are days we don’t like each other, but that doesn’t mean we don’t love each other.”
