How we met

I bet that most people don't have a clue how Joe and I met, and came to be Joe and I. Since most people didn't see a wedding, or a reception, we have been kind of a mysterious couple. So here is the story of how we met.

Joe was previously on the Cedar City Hotshot crew but had just moved back with his mom in preparation to start work in Pleasant Grove with their hand crew.

I was living in Provo with my roomates and was getting ready to drive busses for princess cruise line in Alaska.  I had worked as a wild land firefighter the previous summer and was still torn about going to Alaska.  My mom had told me she didn't feel good about me going, so I was hesitant.  Then the forest service called and asked me to come back to the fire engine.  I decided to stay with the Forest Service rather than go to Alaska.

Joe and I didn't work directly with each other, but worked on the same Forest, Uintah-Wasatch Cache Natl Forest. In order to be a firefighter, you have to pass a physical fitness test which they make you take the first few days of work. Several crews get together to take this test at the same time, this is where I first saw Joe.  The physical test is held at the end of the Provo River trail at Utah Lake, and Joe was getting done with his test when our crew showed up. I remember looking at Joe and he had two earrings in each ear, several tattoos on each arm and one on each leg. He must have been putting off some kind of vibe because I remember thinking "yeah not gonna happen" (arrogant much?)
Joe told me that when he saw me at the physical fitness test that he knew right then that he was going to date me. He asked several of his crew members about me on the drive back to their station. He heard things like "Joe, I don't think this is your kind of girl, she is a return missionary." and "dude, good luck with that." and "she is super active Mormon, Joe." Of course this was suppose to change Joe's mind, but he wasn't going to let that stop him, and he bet them all that he would date me before the season was over.
A few weeks later we had some training meetings with the Utah County fire folks, I was sitting on the very back row and by myself, when Joe came walking in the room and asked if he could sit next to me, I guess I gave him a look and said "okay." I remember thinking, who the heck does this guy think he is! Does he know who I am at all! I gave him quite the cold shoulder when he tried to make small talk, and was trying to make it clear to him that he was most definitely not my type. We broke for lunch and everyone ended up going to eat at a little sandwich shop down the road. Joe saw me walk in and has told me that he was feeling pretty much like everyone was right, that I wasn't his type and that we would never date. After I got my sandwich I went and sat next to Joe at his table to eat my sandwich, this gave him hope. He decided that he wouldn't give up yet, that maybe I wasn't a hater after all. Little did Joe know that I went and sat at his table because there was a guy named Bill at his table, and I wanted to sit next to Bill,
Soon after this we ended up being called to the same fire up Spanish Fork canyon. For some reason, which I can't remember, was sent on a training assignment with the Pleasant Grove crew and so I was working with Joe. They asked who would be willing to go and help cut some smoking logs up above the canyon that they didn't want to break off and light unburned fuel beneath. I volunteered to go not knowing that Joe would be leading the way, but he was the best sawyer on the Forest, so it makes sense that he would be the one going. This is where my entire perception of Joe changed, as we were hiking around those hills I realized that he was incredibly meticulous and incredibly hard working, More hardworking than any firefighter I had met, this was very intriguing to me, I had made him out in my head to be a lazy partier with tattoos.
After this fire I don't really remember how our relationship progressed I just remember that any chance that I had to work with Joe I took, and that I was always wanting to be around him. I was trying so hard not to let myself like him, I was trying to date a lot of other guys and convince myself that I liked them, but really I knew I didn't. Joe had no idea I was feeling this way, and had yet to ask me out, I was thinking, when is this guy ever going to ask me out, yet at the same time I was so relieved that hadn't. Confusing I know. That is how confused I was about the whole thing too. Finally the opportunity came and we went on our first date, to a movie in 3D. That movie made me so sick! We had our second date soon after, biking down Sundance,  Joe ended up ramming me with his bike on this date, which resulted with me having some serious bumps and scrapes. He called his mom after that date and said he had ruined everything, he was sure that I would never go out with him again. Actually that has been the funnest date I have ever been on, besides the whole getting scraped up thing, but I was really excited about the next date. Things went slow for the first 4 months, and then they went incredibly fast! By Sept. we were dating exclusively, and by Nov. 22, 2008 we were married. We had met that April. We eloped on Nov. 22, we eloped for 2 reasons, first I didn't want a big wedding, because we weren't getting married in the temple, and 2nd we were planning to be sealed in a year from our wedding date and wanted everyone to come to our sealing,  So I guess those reasons are one in the same, but anyway, everyone was very surprised. I told my parents that we were getting married about 12 hours before we were married.  My little brother had just returned home from his mission and had his homecoming talk at church the next day, I showed up with a husband on my arm, when much of my family didn't even know I was dating.

By this time Joe had removed all his earrings and we had been attending church together for months, also we were half way through the Book of Mormon.  Joe is the best match for me, and has surprised me in so many ways,  and has been an incredibly loving husband and father! I seriously couldn't ask for anything better or different. I am grateful everyday that I didn't go to Alaska and that Joe decided to take a job in Pleasant Grove, of all places. We were sealed in the Manti Temple Dec. 23 2009 And to all those that said Joe would never date me, boy did he prove them wrong!

A picture Joe took of me, on our date where he rammed me off my bike.