We first met while working our summer jobs at the Batavia Muckdogs Stadium…Andrew was “the beer guy” and Kayla was “the ice cream girl”. We talked here and there, but Kayla pretty much blew off Andrew for a whole year…oops. We worked together again the next summer and that’s when both started to catch feelings. We found out that we lived on the same road, Andrew gave Kayla a ride home a few times, they washed dishes together while listening to Mercy by Kanye West…and the rest is history!

After a few months of dates, Andrew called Kayla after leaving her house one night and said he “forgot something”. Kayla greeted Andrew outside in her fuzzy blue pajamas and fuzzy socks to ask what he forgot, and that’s when he asked her to be his girlfriend! Could have done that earlier when she was in normal clothes!

Many years went by. Kayla went to college a few hours away and they had their first challenge with being long distance. Summers and breaks were spent at home, soaking in as much time together as they could before the next semester. Semesters were spent with long calls and Netflix dates over FaceTime, pretending they were together. Kayla moved back home and they lived on the same street once again, for a few years. There were some good jobs and bad jobs, a few college degrees, and so many memories. Then Andrew was given a wonderful job opportunity…but it was in the middle of NOWHERE. Ever heard of Clyde, NY? Didn’t think so. There they were, back at it with long distance. Some more time went by, another college degree, and lots of miles on their cars. For everyone who’s ever asked why they were still dating and not engaged yet, all of this is why!

In late January of 2020, Andrew received an email from an employee at his company’s sister-plant in SC saying that they had a position opening. They traveled to SC for Andrew’s interview and instantly fell in love with Charleston and the warm weather. They had always hoped to move down south one day, but didn’t expect it to be quite so soon. But life doesn’t always go as planned! Kayla and Andrew realized that it was an opportunity they could not pass up and decided to take the risk, and they’re sure glad they did! South Carolina brought them closer, after many years of distance, a sweet puppy, a beautiful home, and so much more.

Kayla’s bestie and MOH, Raelynn, booked a trip to visit her in SC. Little did Kayla know, Rae and Andrew were putting together a proposal plan behind the scenes. That morning they went out to brunch, the girls got their nails done, and they went on a photoshoot in downtown Charleston (this is normal behavior for the girls, so nothing seemed out of the ordinary). They went down to a small dock on the harbor where Kayla and Andrew like to sit, eat lunch, and watch the dolphins swim by. Rae had them do a “looking into the distance” picture…and just about 2 weeks shy of their 8 year anniversary, Andrew FINALLY asked Kayla to spend forever with him.