Our Story
Our story has been a continual testimony of the Lord’s faithfulness and goodness to us. We met online, both of us giving dating one last shot. At our stage of life, we had both hoped and prayed for a companion but were unsure of how the Lord was leading.
Amanda
Steve piqued Amanda’s interest on two different apps, and she accidentally broke her cardinal rule of only ever “liking” a guy once. But he took so long to think about it that Amanda forgot. On December 19, 2025, three days before her Christian Mingle account expired, he accidentally liked her back. The follow up message was no accident, and when she received it, Amanda texted her friend Holly, “I think I like this guy.”
exact text of the message to confirm; screenshot to add
Steve
When Steve caught Amanda’s likes on the online dating services, he dismissed them honestly. “After all”, he thought, “how could a girl that beautiful be interested in me?” Life moved on, but the beautiful girl from Boone stayed rooted in the back of his mind and wouldn’t go away. Eventually, he worked up enough courage to respond… or so he thought. Just as he was about to accept her connection, he questioned once more whether this could really be. Where his resolve faltered, the Lord’s grace and kindness prevailed – his finger found the “Connect” button, and he sent his first note.
First over messenger, then long emails, and finally texting, we learned how much we had in common - we’d both lived in Southern California at the same time, were plugged into our local churches, and had dreams of building a family life centering on serving Christ first, and loving others through service and hospitality.
Our first date was at The Speckled Trout in Blowing Rock. It was easy to talk and after a chilly walk downtown, we warmed up with coffee at Hatchet, where we ran into four of Steve’s friends and none of Amanda’s. A true miracle in Boone.
We bonded over The West Wing, card games, walks, Italian food, ice-cream cookie sandwiches, and hours-long FaceTime calls. We first talked about marriage on date #2, and on February 8, Steve asked Amanda to be his girlfriend.
The Proposal
Early in our relationship, Steve taught Amanda Scopa - an old Sicilian card game he used to play with his grandfather (who pronounced it Scoopa). It quickly became one of our favorite pastimes, always with merciless teasing and Amanda tallying the final score. So, when it was time to propose, Steve hatched a plan. It took three months, but he designed a custom Scopa deck with a ring suit that looked just like Amanda’s custom engagement ring, and face cards resembling us and our families.
On July 31, 2026, Steve took Amanda to dinner to celebrate her 36th birthday. After dinner, he surprised her with the custom Scopa cards. He had planned to let her win, but no need! The student had become the teacher and crushed him, in a landslide SCORE.
At the end of the game, Steve presented Amanda with a special 7 of rings card, which showed an illustration of him presenting a ring. While she opened the card, he knelt and asked her to marry him.
With a definitive yes, she excitedly presented him with “Team Kuks” shirts she’d designed and been saving for him.
final score to fill inAs we officially form Team Kuks on February 6, we’re so excited to celebrate what God has done for us, along with you, our dear friends and family.
Anna Montgomery
Philip Kukla
Emily Fedel
Nate Barr
Holly King
Justin Faulkner
Emily Moos
Ben Gubbins