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Joseph & Emily

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WE ARE GETTING MARRIED!

Emily

Moore

and

Joseph

Schoen

June 16, 2023

Mora, MN

How We Met

Joe and Emily both attended Princeton high school together and had many mutual friends between them. Joe was a year above Emily so they never had any classes together and they were not close themselves. In March 2020, they began to talk more and started with the simple enjoyment of fishing off of the Moore's dock having conversations that could last forever. This quickly grew into late night talks on the phone going from afternoon and all through the night and then until morning! It was a way for both of them to connect, learn more about one another, and eventually in May, Joe had the guts to finally ask Emily to be his girlfriend and it was the beginning of their friendship of a lifetime.

The Journey

They both only lived a few miles away from one another so their summers were easy to find time to hangout. They spent days at the pool, on the lake, adventuring with friends, longboarding, and getting to know one another. They began attending a local church in Princeton called New Life Church which is where they both were able to meet so many of their closest friends together. Joe began majoring in computer science at the University of St. Thomas that coming fall of 2020 online due to covid, and Emily started her senior year of high school. Joe was able to come and cheer on Emily while she was in soccer, hockey, and track that year and Emily was able to encourage Joe in his studies. It was so much fun for both of them to be able to challenge one another in new ways! That next summer was again filled with adventures and excitement for the future ahead! Fall of 2021, Emily began majoring in Biokinetics at Bethel University while playing both soccer and hockey there, and Joe began his Sophomore year at St. Thomas. Now they were only 20 minutes away from one another but finding time with their busy schedules made it hard to see each other. Joe was able to come to many of Emily’s soccer and hockey games, and Emily was able to drive on over to St. Thomas to hangout with Joe and his roommates making for a wonderful year at school. After months of seeking advice and wise wisdom from others around them about marriage, and talking with both of their parents, in late July, Joe asked Emily’s father, Dan, for his blessing, in which he said yes!

Proposal

8/03/2022

Joe had been thinking about how he was going to propose to Emily since the end of winter, and he really wanted to do it at the New Life Church, where they found their relationship truly grew as they pursued the Lord. Emily had mentioned she would not want to be proposed to in a big public setting, but just a few friends. Joe had no idea how he would get Emily in the sanctuary without her knowing about the proposal, because it would not be happening when they would normally attend church due too many people being around. This meant Joe had to get creative. He had been serving on the technology team for about a year and a half with New Life, and decided this would be his best outlet. So, Joe contacted the tech lead, Joseph Schwartz about his plan. After talking, Joe started to form his plan! Joe and Emily had been talking about going on a date night to a local restaurant since Joe had a gift card for that location. This restaurant required reservations, which was perfect. Joe sneakily tried his best to convince Emily that Wednesday was the best night to go, and that they get a reservation at 5:45. So, they got a reservation for August 3rd, at 5:45, and it worked out in Joe’s favor. Joe was just praying that she would be surprised! Joe had talked with Schwartz and a photographer, Katie Kalinowski about preparing the sanctuary, and letting a few friends into the church. It was almost time! Joe went to Emily’s to pick her up and head to the restaurant, and headed out. As they were driving, Schwartz gave Joe a call, and Joe put it on speaker in the car. Schwartz asked if Joe could come over to the church right then because he was having issues with the lights and needed them for the morning. Joe was hesitant to say yes, but he told Schwartz he could change the reservation time and turn around to head to the church. They drove to the church and were greeted by Schwartz telling them what they needed to do to help him “fix the lights” in the sanctuary. Then, Joe and Emily headed into the sanctuary, with everything all set up on the altar. Emily started to catch on to what was happening, and by the time they got to the front, Joe grabbed the ring box and Emily started getting exceedingly excited! Joe got down on one knee, and asked Emily to marry him. Of course, Emily said YES ecstatically and was jumping up and down. They got many photos and then more with friends. Emily was surprised and did not see it coming, which was a big win for Joe, as Emily had been anticipating the proposal! That night they went to both the parents' homes and celebrated, and eventually they made it to dinner over an hour late. They ended their night at the local refuge watching a beautiful sunset! They are thrilled to be engaged during this season of life, and are excited to celebrate the blessing of their marriage with all of you!

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