Strength in Harmony: Andrew and Natasha Hidalgo are celebrating one year of marriage, but Andrew celebrates her every day

Andrew Hidalgo is thankful for his wife, Natasha, and could not imagine life without her.

“My wife is the most supporting, loving and genuinely caring person I have ever met,” Andrew said. “She became my best friend before anything.”

In their earlier years, Andrew met Natasha at the casino he played poker at, as she was working as a cocktail waitress there.

“I had friends there that were friends with her, and we just ended up talking one day,” Andrew said. “She was extremely shy and didn’t share much with me at first, although she did tell me she had a big crush on me. I wouldn’t have ever known. We hung out in friend groups for a while and became good friends. It evolved from there.”

Their bond continued to grow stronger, and they fell for each other more and more every day.

“It took me 7 years to pop the question,” Andrew said. “We had ups and downs, but we kept coming back. Through all the good and bad, one thing remained, which was we were best friends. And as my father always told me, what better person to spend life with than your best friend?”

Andrew and Natasha are a perfect example of what hard work and dedication will get you. If you are persistent and work for what you want, good things will come your way. Andrew loves everything about his wife, and he would do anything for her.

“There isn’t a challenge this world can throw at us that we won’t make it through,” Andrew said. “We always find a way to come together, voice our opinions, figure out a plan, and move forward together.”

Andrew’s favorite quality about Natasha is her strength of harmony. Their Gallup Strengths Assessment reveals that the two of them are a power couple, as they both have harmony and strive to make sure that life has a comfortable balance to it.

“Tasha likes to keep the peace, to not let a day go by without smiling, sometimes for no apparent reason,” Andrew said. “Her gifts of laughter and love make each day one to remember. This laughter reminds me of my mother, who has also been such an amazing person in my life. To see the bond that has formed between my wife and my mom is something I will cherish forever.”

Natasha is an ‘acts of service” person so she loves to take care of Andrew. Andrew knows that is one of the ways she shows him on a daily basis how much she loves him. Even on his crazy days, Natasha loves to make them better.

“No matter her mood, or outside influences, she always maintains a positive attitude and energy, and most importantly, a smile,” Andrew said. “And she puts up with me! I am moody and have ups and downs, so she balances me out.”

That is probably good considering the wedding story they have, and all the trials and tribulations they went through to finally hold their wedding ceremony. They had to reschedule because of Covid, and then when they finally did have their wedding reception, the eye of Hurricane Sally hit and made for some interesting photo ops. But rather than get upset about it, Natasha brought positivity to the situation, as she does in any situation.

“It ended up being an amazing day, an amazing memory, and I wouldn’t have changed a thing… except maybe a few more friends and family being there,” Andrew said.

“She has taught me that tomorrow will be better,” Andrew said. “She has taught me to smile and laugh. And most importantly, she has taught me that being a dork is a good thing! That my goofy weird personality is fun.”

Andrew has always been a bit insecure about letting his “dorky” side out in public, but with Natasha, he does not worry about that anymore. He said she taught him that dorks are actually the cool people. Andrew even hopes that someday his dorkiness will translate to dad jokes.

“I certainly hope we have children one day,” Andrew said. “I can’t imagine a better mother… other than my own.”

Andrew loves Natasha with all his heart, and he cannot wait to see what the future holds in store for them. He cannot wait to celebrate many more anniversaries with the love of his life.

“Each day I leave the house and experience all the trials and tribulations that this crazy world offers,” Andrew said. “The really difficult days when I come home, she makes better. The days that are average, she makes wonderful. And even the amazing days, she makes exceptional. She simply makes every day of my life ‘better.’ There isn’t a day that goes by where having my best friend there isn’t the absolute best thing ever.”