“Jena and I met at a birthday party of a mutual friend in early elementary school. It wasn’t until middle school when we saw each other again, in Mrs Arango’s 7th grade block class. We sat next to each other and instantly became friends, and nothing has changed since. The craziest memories I have were made with Jena in middle and high school. We were there for each other’s first loves, and I’m lucky enough to stand beside her while she ties the knot with her last. She’s an amazing friend, sister, and daughter, and will continue to be amazing as a wife.
And Joe seems pretty cool too.”

“What can I say about my big sister? She’s always been there for me no matter what. I am so thrilled that Jena and Joe found each other. There’s no one more deserving of the love these two have formed. Since I didn’t grow up with one, I’m so excited to now have a big brother I can look up to. Joe is the perfect addition to our family and I can’t wait to see where life takes the two of them. Congratulations, you guys! I love you both!”

“Serendipity: An unsought, unintended, and/or unexpected, but fortunate, discovery and/or learning experience … The very first place I ever boarded a horse was at Bellfire Farms 10 or so years ago. I believe Jena was 11 when I first met her as a passionate, devoted and horse crazy child. Little did I know, meeting Jena way back then, would spark a very special friendship. On her wedding day, I will get to stand by her side at the very place we first met. Sweet and serendipitous. We first bonded over an obsession for all things horses. I then had the honor of watching her grow up from a child to a young woman and I am so blessed to be a part of her special day. From her getting bucked off my horse and continuing to get back on, to going to 4H horse shows, to becoming a police cadet, to now being a co-worker, I have been continually amazed and inspired by her spirit and heart. Even though I am the most “senior” of her bridesmaids, I have found an old soul and kindred spirit in my dear friend Jena. It makes my heart so happy to see her with a wonderful man like Joe who loves her and cares for her as she deserves. Love you guys!!! Can’t wait for the big day!”

“Jena and I became friends in 2011 when I started riding with the same horse trainer as her. As I got to know her I thought to myself, “Finally! Someone who is as horse crazy and dedicated to this sport as I am!” We easily became “horsey pals” from then on. In Fall of 2012, Jena actually helped me find and purchased my first horse for me! Can you call that a good friend? I think I can. I leased him from her until I was able to pay her back for him.

Even though we don’t ride together anymore, Jena and I have been able to stay connected through the years because of our passion for horses and I feel very honored to be asked to be a part of her wedding party! She a humble, hardworking, and dedicated gal and I have always been inspired by that. She is always there for me through our horse ownership drama (yes there is drama) and is still “Horse Mommy” as her name in my cell phone! I am grateful for our friendship and am looking forward to being a part of her and Joe’s life as they start this new chapter together!”

“Joey was born when I was in junior high and he was a surprise to the family. He became not just my little brother, but also my little buddy. I would play with him all the time in my free time, and roughhouse with him and he was getting tough. I then moved to Utah after joining the Air Force. I then didn’t get to see my little brother grow up much, except when I came back to visit. I would then play with him and my tough little brother was getting wimpy. Guess he didn’t have no one around to play rough with him.

Throughout the years, I would call Joe for questions on computers and he would call me on questions about vehicles. He even remotes in and fixes any computer issues I have. A couple of years ago, Joe came to Utah to spend a week with me in Moab. I took him out in my rock crawler and to my surprise, he liked it a lot. He asked many questions, and then in the evenings would google stuff all of us gearheads would talk about. Joe would then say oh now I understand what that type of axle is. He caught on quickly to the off-road talk. I was very shocked that throughout the week over very rough terrain, Joe never got scared and asked to get out.

Like any little brother, they all grow up and now it is his time to start a new chapter in his life. He has always figured out everything and had lots of patience along the way. I wish you the best to you and Jena.”

“I’ve known the groom for 10 years which means he was still in high school, working at the local convenient store trying to make an extra buck, driving his green Kia and being referred to as Joey. I wasn’t sure how we would connect since I was 20+ years older than him and figured he was a high school kid doing high school stuff. But even with that difference in age, it was never awkward since we always had computers or something techie to talk about being myself a Boeing engineer. Geeks not nerds. There’s a difference people.

He no longer drives a Kia. He drives a big truck. He’s still into computers. That will never change. He’s moved on from Iowa. He’s in the high tech region which has given him the ability to utilize his passion. And he’s now found someone he can be himself with and move on to the next phase in his life. Of course, a gal from Snohomish! You can take the kid out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the kid. Bye bye Kirkland, Hello Monroe!

He still gets referred to as Joey every now and then (mostly from his mothering sister who happens to be my wife) but he’s turning into Joe (that’s Uncle Joe Joe to our girls). I can’t write much bad about him because there isn’t much to write. Well, there are the incidents while driving with a suspended driver’s license... He probably has more embarrassing things on me than I do on him so I’ll stop there. Think Music & Lyrics Joe for starters.

Best wishes to you and Jena! We look forward to riding along in your big truck on your new journey together.”

“Joey and I met in the fourth grade when I moved to his neighborhood. We almost instantly became best buds. In the two years we hung out, we spent an absurd amount of time riding our bikes, playing Dreamcast, and fine tuning our martial arts skills using the only weapon a true martial artist needs: a wooden stick. It’s been about 16 years since Joey moved away from Marshalltown, but we’ve been able to maintain our friendship through our mutual passion for technology. Joey has always been ahead of the technological curve. He’s probably the “go-to” guy for tech questions for more than a few people, including myself. Even when we were kids, he knew what his calling was. Tech. Although we live 1700 miles apart, I’m proud to call Joey a friend. Good guy, great friend. Congratulations buddy!”

“#Let’sGetWeird”

“Congratulations, Jena and Joe! I am very excited for you two and I can’t wait to be a part of your wedding. I love you both so much!”

“Jena and Joe are very special to me, so I was thrilled when they asked me to be a greeter on their wedding day. I am very excited for the big day and also very happy to have Joe join the family!”