Danielle & Jose
Wedding Party
Alicia Tomasko
Maid of Honor
Alicia and Danielle have been friends since childhood, going to gymnastics camp and working on a school project together (which left them with a WONDERFUL Ramen recipe, a comfort food favorite to this day!) Despite living apart and all over the US, they’ve always found a way to visit each other and stay in touch with frequent “lady dates” from afar and remain best of friends to this day! “We understand each other in a special way and have always felt our stars aligned. Though our paths differed, we never were walking through life alone, we had each other through so many changing tides. We will definitely be old stylish and eccentric ladies wandering the beaches one day!” -Danielle
Adam Thurston
Best Man
Jose met Adam on May 5, 2005, that’s right, Cinco de Mayo! Although it was not at a fiesta. Jose was but a young new Airman who arrived at his first base at Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane, WA. Jose enters the Station Captains office and there Adam is, sitting there in uniform, (who doesn’t love a man in uniform?) We instantly hit it off and were fast friends. We bonded during Jose’s first deployment to Baghdad International Airport, especially after the many hours spent in a small trailer “Station 2” where we would spend hours battling it out in between emergencies playing Madden on our PSP’s, while talking about life. We even share the same tattoo from Shakespeare’s play Henry V. The St. Crispin’s Day speech, “We few, we happy few, we band of brothers…”
Lily Claire Massie
Matron of Honor
Lily and Danielle met at the University of Central Florida at student community Inter Varsity! They bonded over kitchen throw downs and book club! They could often be found in Lily’s cozy & charming living room sitting on the floor sipping tea with the homemade dessert of the day discussing philosophy, life and spirituality. It was a sharpening of minds and friendship that has spanned time and distance. It was Lily who accompanied Danielle to the West coast for the move across the country! A dear friend indeed! “Lily was the only girl in college that could REALLY throw down in the kitchen, we used to make so many amazing treats together, I learned so much from Lily!” -Danielle
Adrian Flores
Groomsman
Jose met Adrian August 3, 1986, although neither can remember the moment as Adrian was a newborn and Jose was only 18 months old. However, since then, their brotherhood has grown strong. Growing up you could always find them playing all kinds of games/sports outside with the neighborhood kids until the lights came on. Many of the games would get very intense but it was also so much fun, especially when we were on the same team! Another great memory is when the Patriots won their first Superbowl, we took the train to Boston to see the parade, getting to see the trophy and celebrate with other fans was an amazing experience! To this day we can spend hours talking on the phone or having video chats about life and where it has taken us!
Rita Khawand
Bridesmaid
Danielle and Rita met in Seattle, Washington from an expired Meet Up group, of all places! Rita graciously offered to meet Danielle in person for a coffee date and what blossomed was a beautiful friendship between the two women, both transplanted thousands of miles from family into a big city life! They often explored the city as two gals on an adventure of life and have grown together in times of challenge and times of joy. “I wouldn’t be the person I am today had I not met dearest Rita!” -Danielle
Josue Flores
Groomsman
Josue is the youngest of my two brothers but the biggest little brother indeed! If you know Josue, you know he is a thoughtful and introspective man and someone you can always count on to be there. Obviously being brothers, we have had countless memorable experiences, but one that is most unique and special is that we were both at the same military base while at Afghanistan. It was such a cool experience. And it was Josue who accompanied Jose on a road trip during the big move cross country to Seattle from Orlando. Along the way we got to see some amazing sights such as the St. Louis Gateway Arch, the Badlands and Mt. Rushmore!
Laura Schultz
Bridesmaid
Laura and Danielle met in their mid 20s at key turning points in life for both women! They both needed to make big life decisions that would turn their journeys toward grand horizons, and it was while leaning on each other that they both did so. “We held hands and walked through a major chapter of life together, and had some great adventures along the way! No one can create an adventure like Laura. It’s the vigor she has to make life amazing that truly inspires me.” -Danielle
Sheldon Lettsome
Groomsman
Jose met Sheldon towards the latter part of the year 2010. They instantly hit if off the very first night where we would even finish each other’s… (sentences)! No, but seriously they did. Their friendship continued to grow from that first night over the years. At one point we realized that we were living on the same base at Goodfellow in Texas for a short period of time in 2005! One thing Jose loves is how much they both will listen and give solid advice to each other try and see things with clarity or from a different perspective whenever one of them are at a crossroads or just needs a listening ear. Another cool memory is when Jose accompanied Sheldon on a road trip for a big move across the country from New Mexico to the Panhandle, stopping at cities like Dallas and New Orleans. The food, how could one forget the food, so good!
Jessica Garrett
Bridesmaid
Jessica and Danielle met early on in college at a party… “I’ll never forget, we were at a party, and Jess came right up to me and said “we’re going to be friends”, and that was that! She knows what she wants and goes right for it and adds so much fun and flair to life!” -Danielle From themed gatherings to friendship photo shoots, Jess has the best ideas and is the life of the party! Her wonderful kids and husband are always adding to the fun for our “fashionista video calls”. She has the biggest heart and it’s just not a party without Jessica!
Andrew Boyle
Groomsman
Andrew and I had more of a slow burn that eventually turned into a rapid fire of friendship over the last few years (firefighter jokes!). They met when Jose first started at the firehouse in Everett, WA after the cross country move from Orlando. We bonded over random innocent shenanigans mainly towards out Station Captain and good friend Wayne at the fire house, like leaving a trail of candy for our him from his office to his bunk room with candy spelled out to say, “I heart you!” To hearing Andrew singing random songs like the crooner he is. Jose loves the fact that whenever he does call Andrew, it is always laughter right away due to the ringtone on Andrew’s phone for Jose is the song “Sexy back” from Justin Timberlake, it never gets old.