Josh and Emily officially met for the very first time in a conference room in Austin, Minnesota. One of us was being interviewed for a supervisor position in Texas, and the other one was a human resources representative who was helping conduct the interview. So as it goes.. our journeys took us in different directions at first, as Josh was promoted to a supervisor in Abilene, Texas, and Emily continued to work in Minnesota. But the sparks started flying just a little over a year later when Emily traveled alone to the city of Abilene, Texas for a work trip. This is when Josh offered to take the single traveler out for dinner because she told him she hadn't eaten yet after her flight. The two chose Heff's Burgers for dinner that night and arrived at the restaurant about a half hour before close... it was a slow night and the manager actually had to "re-open" the doors for us since he had decided to close down early! Josh and Emily were the only two customers in the restaurant and that night was their first "date".

After Emily returned home from her journey to Abilene, she couldn't get Josh out of her head. So she requested to add him as a friend on the messaging app, Snapchat. Josh accepted the request almost immediately, and the two proceeded to send each other "snaps" of their fur babies - Diesel, Aspen (Josh's 2 Siberian Huskies) and Lexi (Emily's yellow Labrador Retriever) - and just about everything else that was going on in their lives at the time. Josh and Emily had a lot of common interests, so they had tons to talk about. Eventually, Emily even bought the video game Call of Duty: WWII so that she could play online and chat with Josh. If the two weren't playing video games together, they were on the phone talking back and forth, or still sending snaps constantly.

One week before Christmas in 2017, Emily received a text from Lyz, Josh's mother. It was a simple request but it was a message being relayed on from Josh's sister, Danielle. Danielle saw how important Emily already was to Josh, and she wanted to invite Emily to Colorado for their family Christmas. Josh would be in Colorado for the holidays, and Danielle thought it would be fun to surprise Josh. Emily asked her parents about their own plans for Christmas weekend, and without hesitation, they told her to "go!" So Emily booked a flight to Denver for early the Saturday morning of Christmas weekend. Once she arrived in Denver, Lyz picked her up at the airport to take her to Josh. After what felt like forever waiting in the parked car in the driveway (as Lyz had already gone inside to add to the drama of the surprise), Emily walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell. Lyz and Danielle were "busy" so they made Josh open the door. It was a great surprise as Josh opened the door and embraced Emily. The two couldn't be separated at all that whole weekend. They shopped, they ice skated, they snowboarded, and just had a great time talking with family and playing games.

One year together was officially in the books. Emily and Josh had planned for a simple Tuesday dinner to commemorate their first year of dating. However, Josh had something much more grandeur in mind... When Emily arrived home from work, Josh simply asked her if they could go for a short walk in Edgewater Park in Albert Lea. It was close to their home, they could take the dogs, and they would be able to look at the fall colors as the sun was setting over Fountain Lake. Emily agreed to the walk, and made extra sure to put on her bright blue running shoes for the walk. The reds, oranges, and yellows of the leaves glimmered over the water that evening. The temperature was cool, but still warm enough that jackets were not needed. Aspen and Diesel were enjoying the fresh air and getting an opportunity to "pull" on their leashes. It was a perfect way to celebrate one year of dating. Near the end of the trail, Josh asked Emily to sit on a park bench and look out over the water. It was a little strange to Emily as she sat there awkward and alone for what felt like an eternity, but Josh soon came up in front of the bench with Diesel and Aspen in tow. Josh said to Emily, "You have meant everything to me, Diesel, and Aspen.. so there is something that we want to ask you..." Around Diesel's neck was a wooden sign that had hand written words etched into it. It read, "Will You Marry Our Dad?" and Aspen had a red RingPop! candy ring tied to her collar. All Emily could do was sit there, cry happy tears, and nod her head up and down. Josh then pulled out a gorgeous solitaire diamond ring and got down on one knee. He asked, "Emily, will you marry me?" She said "Yes!"

... to be Loved by All of You. We are so glad you found our wedding website and are willing to go on this adventure with us! Please explore the pages and learn a little bit more about the couple, and the special day that lies ahead. Each and every one of you holds a very special place in our hearts. We could not be where we are today without you and your endless love and support. We love you dearly, and hope you have fun celebrating with us!