Andy & Mary
Sometimes we meet people through other people we love and they become our people too. Mary is one of these for me. I met her because freshman year at Samford, she roomed with a good friend’s daughter. Then she came to summer Bible study sessions when she was in town and sat around my table and I fed her and fell in love with her, too, which makes her family. Andy has been in my life much longer than Mary because he is the son of another friend. And did I mention she is marrying the brother of her roommate’s fiancé? Untangle that!
When Andy called and asked my to come take pictures of the surprise engagement to immediately follow graduation, I didn’t hesitate to say yes! [I am getting surprisingly good with all the practice lately at hiding behind hedges and other clandestine places with my super-long lens and a tripod while waiting for the event. I always feel obvious but as of yet, the key people have yet to spot me. Anyway . . . ] I am thrilled for Andy and Mary, and their love for each other is obvious. A picture I took at Jake and Abigail’s post-engagement dinner celebration was my first clue that they would be next.
A Love like this
Today, Andy asked Mary to be his wife as he knelt on the lawn after her graduation from Samford; then he placed a beautiful (and can I just say HUGE) ring on her left hand. The picture to the right shows Mary also wearing the beautiful ring her Grandfather Don gave her Grandmother Sandy 58 years ago, and it is their hands in the picture with Andy's and Mary's. Don and Sand's precious love for each other is still shiny after all these years, as can easily be seen in the pictures below. It is my prayer that through Christ Andy and Mary"s marriage will shine with an even brighter light for as long as they both live.
The Rest of the Story . . .
When a Roommate Becomes a Sister
Andy and Mary's story begins with Abigail's and Mary's. Abigail and Mary began their friendship after being assigned as roommates their freshman year at Samford, and today's events four years later assures that their close friendship will soon become something even closer. It seems rather cinematic to hear that two brothers will soon marry two roommates who became best friends, but the truth really is sometimes stranger than fiction.
Andy and Mary first met when Mary came home from college with her new friend, Abigail. Abigail and Mary made a beeline to Abigail's boyfriend's house to surprise Jake and his family, who had spent the day watching his brother Andy wrestle in the state tournament. Although Mary had been warned that Jake’s brother was a little girl crazy, she was still excited to meet the super-friendly, chocolate-chip-cookie-loving, milk-drinking Baker boys. Needless to say, the Bakers welcomed the girls into their home.
Abigail quickly made the rounds of introductions for Mary, but when Mary was introduced to Andy, he was surprisingly shy and quiet, definitely not what Mary had expected. Andy never even made eye contact with her and stood awkwardly kicking the floor while mumbling quiet responses to Mary's questions. To Mary's surprise, her first meeting with Andy left him totally smitten with her, and Andy texted Abigail immediately afterwards saying that he would one day marry Mary.
Mary didn't make it easy on Andy, and after almost a year, the two actually started dating, which inevitably led to today's post-graduation engagement. In Mary's own words, "We’ve been dating for two years and I couldn’t think of anything more perfect than to be engaged to Anderson Baker. Becoming sister-in-law to my best friend isn’t so bad either!"
Congratulations, Andy & Mary! May God bless you and bind you together with ties that cannot be broken.
