We had the best time getting to know Andy and Amber during their engagement session and we wish them the absolute best in their marriage and lives! Amber was a first-grade teacher, but retired after this school year and is going to work full-time with Andy in his business, which is actually where they met. Keep scrolling to find out more of their story (and hear some of Andy’s witty sarcasm— we had so much fun with this interview!), plus see our favorites from their session!
What was life like before you met?
Amber– “I was the girl who never really dated anyone, I struggled to click with somebody. I just never found somebody to click with until I met him. Now it’s fun, simple, and yes there are challenges, but there’s an aspect of peace and ease, and a comfort in knowing there is this person who you love so deeply and they love you in return. Life is a lot less intimidating- it’s more comforting and supportive.”
Andy– “It was heaven, absolute bliss- and now it’s like hell, (he laughs)— no, but it was a struggle. It’s been a lot more pleasant. It’s a lot easier- we’re a team, and we complement each other really well. We get a lot of joy out of doing life together.”
How did you meet?
About three years ago, Amber started working for Andy at his Vacation Rental Cleaning business, and it was there that they started talking.
Amber– “My first impression of Andy was how smart he was and easy to talk to. “He knew a lot of theology which was very interesting to me, and we had a lot of deep conversations which I loved.”
Andy– “We met through her working with me. She had been working with me off and on, and I had heard she was a Christian and she had just gotten back from a mission trip, so I used it as an opportunity to talk theology with her.”
When you first met, what attracted you most?
Amber– “His brain- the way he thinks about things, the way he is always showing kindness and grace, and how much knowledge and wisdom he has.”
Andy– “That we got along really well, and that we could talk for hours and never run out of stuff to talk about, and also that I never didn’t not want to be around her.”
Who said I love you first
Andy
What did you do on your first date?
Amber– “We went to a small little restaurant in the mountains and had dinner and talked a lot.”
Favorite things to do together
Hang out, be around each other, travel, learn- we really like to learn together, watch TV.
Favorite Physical Quality
Andy– “Eyes, butt, and lips, she’s got a great butt– I love her butt.” (Amber was super embarrassed by his answer, but we thought it was adorable :))
Amber– “His eyes, and his broad chest and shoulders and arms.” (Andy says it’s his dad bod)
Favorite Character Trait
Amber– “His kindness, how calm and peaceful he is in any situation, he approaches it with kindness and grace, and peace.”
Andy– “Amber is a very humble person, that’s one thing I like about her, is her humility and her teachableness.”
What has been the biggest challenge you've faced as a couple? And how did you overcome that challenge?
Andy– “One of them for me was commitment. When we first met and started dating, I struggled with committing. I wasn’t in a place where I could do that. That was probably the biggest thing. I had to get to the place where I could do that, but when I got to that place where I was like, cool, I’m in.”
Amber– “Covid was a big struggle. We both got Covid at the same time, and it was extremely bad, we were sick for about a month straight, and we could not leave. I ended up getting COVID pneumonia in both lungs, it was weeks and weeks of just terrible sickness that took a toll on us physically and mentally– it really tested us at every single level– in that testing there were a lot of hard moments, but it also brought us closer together. The main way that we overcame that was A) loving each other through it and B) Jesus. There was a lot of prayer– I honestly thought I was going to die, and there were a lot of scary times in that, and we came through that by leaning on each other and the Lord.
Andy- “One thing that wasn’t too bad was that we had a lot of fun being quarantined together.”
How has your fiancé changed you?
Amber– “Happiness– he makes me genuinely happy. He has also challenged me in areas where I’ve realized I could use some growth where I hadn’t seen before, and not only helped me realize the areas of growth in the most loving gentle way, but supported me in that growth.
Andy– “She’s encouraged me to be me, she’s encouraged me to do things that I’m passionate about. She definitely encourages me to love other people, as well as encourages me to be a little more organized. A lot of little daily things that has really helped out. There’s been like a thousand ways she’s been encouraging to me and helped me be a better person. She’s also helped me heal a lot. I would probably be in a really bad place if it wasn’t for, let’s just put it that way.
Where do you see yourselves in 10 years?
Raising kids, a house, a business that has grown and is doing really well so that we have the financial freedom and time to do ministry work together.
Proposal Story
Andy– “I told Amber we’re going to go with some friends to a winery in the mountains, so I went and picked her up– but in the meantime, I changed the story and said we were going to watch a football game, but I was still trying to convince her that we were going to this winery– basically just trying to confuse her. We picked up our friends and she wasn’t really sure if we were going to a football game or winery or what.”
Amber– “So then we start down this gravel road which is never-ending. I was like, Oh my gosh, we are going to be so late to this football game or winery or wherever we are going. And then we stop and are at the bottom of a hill, and then we get out and walk up the hill and it’s like a Jocassee overlook– it’s this pretty lookout and we’re standing at the top, and he was like, let’s go down and get a better look and take a photo. So we go down onto jumping off rock and we are standing there and he was like, Alright, let's get our picture, and as I’m turning around he gets down on one knee and was like, Will you marry me?
We are so awkward, and my response was like, “Yeah.”-- because all the people were up there watching, but it was sweet and beautiful anyways! We then headed back to Greenville and went to eat at Tupelo Honey.”
