St Joseph's Catholic Church

Wedding Day

Wedding

Palace Ballroom

Reception

Our Wedding

During&nbsp;our&nbsp;freshman&nbsp;year&nbsp;of&nbsp;college&nbsp;at&nbsp;Iowa&nbsp;State&nbsp;University&nbsp;is&nbsp;where&nbsp;we&nbsp;first&nbsp;met.&nbsp;My&nbsp;freshman&nbsp;roommate,&nbsp;Haley,&nbsp;brought&nbsp;over&nbsp;these&nbsp;two&nbsp;boys&nbsp;one&nbsp;night&nbsp;who&nbsp;happened&nbsp;to&nbsp;live&nbsp;next&nbsp;to&nbsp;her&nbsp;boyfriend&nbsp;Christian&nbsp;in&nbsp;Friley.&nbsp;They&nbsp;were&nbsp;stopping&nbsp;by&nbsp;to&nbsp;pick&nbsp;up&nbsp;some&nbsp;drinks&nbsp;to&nbsp;head&nbsp;to&nbsp;a&nbsp;party&nbsp;since&nbsp;it&nbsp;was&nbsp;VEISHEA.&nbsp;Haley&nbsp;invited&nbsp;me&nbsp;to&nbsp;tag&nbsp;along,&nbsp;and&nbsp;that's&nbsp;where&nbsp;I&nbsp;got&nbsp;to&nbsp;meet&nbsp;these&nbsp;two&nbsp;boys,&nbsp;Josh&nbsp;and&nbsp;Curt.&nbsp;The&nbsp;night&nbsp;was&nbsp;fun,&nbsp;and&nbsp;got&nbsp;to&nbsp;chat&nbsp;with&nbsp;both&nbsp;of&nbsp;them&nbsp;a&nbsp;little&nbsp;bit.&nbsp;Some&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;group&nbsp;had&nbsp;a&nbsp;little&nbsp;"too&nbsp;much&nbsp;fun"&nbsp;and&nbsp;Haley&nbsp;was&nbsp;helping&nbsp;people&nbsp;get&nbsp;to&nbsp;their&nbsp;beds&nbsp;or&nbsp;to&nbsp;the&nbsp;bathroom.&nbsp;She&nbsp;said&nbsp;I&nbsp;could&nbsp;head&nbsp;home,&nbsp;and&nbsp;that&nbsp;was&nbsp;that.&nbsp; A&nbsp;couple&nbsp;months&nbsp;later,&nbsp;in&nbsp;July,&nbsp;the&nbsp;group&nbsp;was&nbsp;getting&nbsp;ready&nbsp;to&nbsp;head&nbsp;back&nbsp;to&nbsp;Ames&nbsp;and&nbsp;started&nbsp;planning&nbsp;a&nbsp;Beer&nbsp;Olympics&nbsp;to&nbsp;kick&nbsp;off&nbsp;before&nbsp;the&nbsp;new&nbsp;semester.&nbsp;I&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;messaged&nbsp;both&nbsp;Curt&nbsp;and&nbsp;Josh&nbsp;to&nbsp;see&nbsp;if&nbsp;they&nbsp;were&nbsp;going&nbsp;to&nbsp;join&nbsp;in&nbsp;the&nbsp;festivities.&nbsp;Neither&nbsp;one&nbsp;of&nbsp;them&nbsp;responded,&nbsp;so&nbsp;I&nbsp;figured&nbsp;it&nbsp;was&nbsp;a&nbsp;swing&nbsp;and&nbsp;a&nbsp;miss.&nbsp;&nbsp;Little&nbsp;did&nbsp;I&nbsp;know,&nbsp;that&nbsp;Josh&nbsp;happened&nbsp;to&nbsp;be&nbsp;on&nbsp;family&nbsp;vacation&nbsp;to&nbsp;Washington&nbsp;DC&nbsp;and&nbsp;Canada,&nbsp;and&nbsp;never&nbsp;saw&nbsp;my&nbsp;message.&nbsp;When&nbsp;he&nbsp;got&nbsp;home&nbsp;he&nbsp;messaged&nbsp;me&nbsp;back&nbsp;asking&nbsp;if&nbsp;I&nbsp;was&nbsp;going&nbsp;to&nbsp;Beer&nbsp;Olympics,&nbsp;and&nbsp;I&nbsp;said&nbsp;I&nbsp;wasn't&nbsp;due&nbsp;to&nbsp;the&nbsp;Iowa&nbsp;State&nbsp;Fair.&nbsp;Josh&nbsp;then&nbsp;asked&nbsp;me&nbsp;to&nbsp;let&nbsp;him&nbsp;know&nbsp;when&nbsp;I&nbsp;was&nbsp;moving&nbsp;into&nbsp;my&nbsp;apartment,&nbsp;and&nbsp;he&nbsp;offered&nbsp;to&nbsp;help.&nbsp; When&nbsp;I&nbsp;got&nbsp;to&nbsp;Ames&nbsp;with&nbsp;my&nbsp;family&nbsp;to&nbsp;move&nbsp;everything&nbsp;into&nbsp;my&nbsp;apartment,&nbsp;it&nbsp;was&nbsp;a&nbsp;hot&nbsp;and&nbsp;humid&nbsp;day.&nbsp;I&nbsp;had&nbsp;a&nbsp;cut-off&nbsp;t-shirt&nbsp;on&nbsp;and&nbsp;running&nbsp;shorts&nbsp;(in&nbsp;no&nbsp;way&nbsp;shape&nbsp;or&nbsp;form&nbsp;to&nbsp;be&nbsp;seen&nbsp;by&nbsp;a&nbsp;cute&nbsp;guy!).&nbsp;After&nbsp;my&nbsp;parents&nbsp;had&nbsp;left&nbsp;to&nbsp;head&nbsp;home,&nbsp;I&nbsp;messaged&nbsp;Josh&nbsp;and&nbsp;said&nbsp;that&nbsp;if&nbsp;he&nbsp;wanted&nbsp;he&nbsp;could&nbsp;come&nbsp;over&nbsp;and&nbsp;check&nbsp;out&nbsp;the&nbsp;new&nbsp;place.&nbsp;He&nbsp;did,&nbsp;and&nbsp;we&nbsp;just&nbsp;hung&nbsp;out&nbsp;in&nbsp;my&nbsp;room&nbsp;and&nbsp;chatted,&nbsp;while&nbsp;I&nbsp;put&nbsp;my&nbsp;clothes&nbsp;away&nbsp;and&nbsp;organized.&nbsp; That&nbsp;week&nbsp;before&nbsp;school,&nbsp;Josh&nbsp;and&nbsp;I&nbsp;were&nbsp;inseparable.&nbsp;I&nbsp;was&nbsp;driven&nbsp;to&nbsp;find&nbsp;a&nbsp;job&nbsp;before&nbsp;the&nbsp;school&nbsp;year&nbsp;started,&nbsp;and&nbsp;asked&nbsp;if&nbsp;he&nbsp;wanted&nbsp;to&nbsp;ride&nbsp;along&nbsp;with&nbsp;me&nbsp;to&nbsp;fill&nbsp;out&nbsp;applications&nbsp;and&nbsp;scope&nbsp;out&nbsp;the&nbsp;town.&nbsp;He&nbsp;did,&nbsp;and&nbsp;it&nbsp;felt&nbsp;like&nbsp;we&nbsp;had&nbsp;known&nbsp;each&nbsp;other&nbsp;longer&nbsp;than&nbsp;just&nbsp;a&nbsp;few&nbsp;months.&nbsp; Then&nbsp;on&nbsp;August&nbsp;31st,&nbsp;2012,&nbsp;&nbsp;Josh&nbsp;took&nbsp;me&nbsp;out&nbsp;to&nbsp;eat&nbsp;on&nbsp;our&nbsp;first&nbsp;"official"&nbsp;date&nbsp;to&nbsp;Olde&nbsp;Main&nbsp;in&nbsp;Ames.&nbsp;While&nbsp;we&nbsp;were&nbsp;eating&nbsp;and&nbsp;enjoying&nbsp;each&nbsp;other's&nbsp;company,&nbsp;he&nbsp;finally&nbsp;asked&nbsp;if&nbsp;I&nbsp;would&nbsp;be&nbsp;his&nbsp;girlfriend.&nbsp;I&nbsp;said&nbsp;yes,&nbsp;and&nbsp;couldn't&nbsp;wait&nbsp;to&nbsp;tell&nbsp;all&nbsp;my&nbsp;friends!&nbsp;That&nbsp;night&nbsp;at&nbsp;his&nbsp;apartment,&nbsp;they&nbsp;hosted&nbsp;a&nbsp;Fiesta&nbsp;Night,&nbsp;where&nbsp;we&nbsp;got&nbsp;to&nbsp;spend&nbsp;time&nbsp;as&nbsp;the&nbsp;newest&nbsp;couple!&nbsp;

Ames, Iowa where it all began...

Fast&nbsp;forward&nbsp;to&nbsp;6&nbsp;years&nbsp;later,&nbsp;and&nbsp;we've&nbsp;got&nbsp;a&nbsp;ring!&nbsp;Let&nbsp;me&nbsp;back&nbsp;up,&nbsp;and&nbsp;describe&nbsp;how&nbsp;it&nbsp;all&nbsp;came&nbsp;to&nbsp;happen....Back&nbsp;in&nbsp;February,&nbsp;Josh&nbsp;mentioned&nbsp;that&nbsp;I&nbsp;never&nbsp;told&nbsp;him&nbsp;what&nbsp;style&nbsp;rings&nbsp;I&nbsp;like,&nbsp;so&nbsp;how&nbsp;could&nbsp;he&nbsp;ever&nbsp;buy&nbsp;the&nbsp;right&nbsp;one?&nbsp;I&nbsp;laughed&nbsp;and&nbsp;said&nbsp;I&nbsp;didn't&nbsp;even&nbsp;know&nbsp;what&nbsp;I&nbsp;wanted,&nbsp;let&nbsp;alone&nbsp;my&nbsp;ring&nbsp;size.&nbsp;He&nbsp;suggested&nbsp;heading&nbsp;to&nbsp;Ames,&nbsp;and&nbsp;going&nbsp;to&nbsp;a&nbsp;jewelry&nbsp;store,&nbsp;and&nbsp;trying&nbsp;some&nbsp;on.&nbsp;I&nbsp;agreed&nbsp;and&nbsp;off&nbsp;we&nbsp;went.&nbsp;We&nbsp;ended&nbsp;at&nbsp;Ames&nbsp;Silversmithing,&nbsp;where&nbsp;we&nbsp;spent&nbsp;a&nbsp;couple&nbsp;hours&nbsp;trying&nbsp;on&nbsp;rings,&nbsp;and&nbsp;deciding&nbsp;my&nbsp;style.&nbsp;I&nbsp;ended&nbsp;up&nbsp;finding&nbsp;the&nbsp;perfect&nbsp;one,&nbsp;but&nbsp;had&nbsp;no&nbsp;idea&nbsp;when&nbsp;I&nbsp;would&nbsp;see&nbsp;it&nbsp;again...Through&nbsp;the&nbsp;next&nbsp;couple&nbsp;months,&nbsp;Josh&nbsp;and&nbsp;I&nbsp;encountered&nbsp;large&nbsp;amounts&nbsp;of&nbsp;stress&nbsp;with&nbsp;Josh&nbsp;graduating&nbsp;and&nbsp;finding&nbsp;a&nbsp;new&nbsp;job,&nbsp;to&nbsp;where&nbsp;we&nbsp;were&nbsp;going&nbsp;to&nbsp;be&nbsp;moving&nbsp;at&nbsp;the&nbsp;end&nbsp;of&nbsp;May&nbsp;when&nbsp;our&nbsp;lease&nbsp;ended&nbsp;in&nbsp;Cedar&nbsp;Falls.&nbsp;Through&nbsp;it&nbsp;all,&nbsp;Josh&nbsp;ended&nbsp;up&nbsp;graduating&nbsp;and&nbsp;accepting&nbsp;a&nbsp;job&nbsp;at&nbsp;Glidden-Ralston&nbsp;as&nbsp;a&nbsp;7-12&nbsp;grade&nbsp;Social&nbsp;Studies&nbsp;teacher,&nbsp;and&nbsp;the&nbsp;next&nbsp;part&nbsp;was&nbsp;finding&nbsp;a&nbsp;place&nbsp;to&nbsp;live!&nbsp;With&nbsp;the&nbsp;sudden&nbsp;change,&nbsp;it&nbsp;was&nbsp;hard&nbsp;to&nbsp;find&nbsp;something&nbsp;so&nbsp;immediate,&nbsp;so&nbsp;in&nbsp;the&nbsp;meantime,&nbsp;we&nbsp;bunked&nbsp;with&nbsp;Josh's&nbsp;parents&nbsp;until&nbsp;something&nbsp;came&nbsp;available.&nbsp;By&nbsp;beginning&nbsp;of&nbsp;July,&nbsp;we&nbsp;were&nbsp;able&nbsp;to&nbsp;find&nbsp;our&nbsp;1st&nbsp;home&nbsp;together&nbsp;in&nbsp;Jefferson,&nbsp;Iowa,&nbsp;and&nbsp;got&nbsp;the&nbsp;keys&nbsp;on&nbsp;July&nbsp;9th!&nbsp;We&nbsp;started&nbsp;our&nbsp;trek&nbsp;from&nbsp;Farley,&nbsp;where&nbsp;we&nbsp;closed&nbsp;with&nbsp;my&nbsp;bank,&nbsp;and&nbsp;drove&nbsp;to&nbsp;Gowrie&nbsp;to&nbsp;grab&nbsp;our&nbsp;things.&nbsp;Once&nbsp;we&nbsp;got&nbsp;there,&nbsp;Josh&nbsp;grabbed&nbsp;the&nbsp;trailer,&nbsp;and&nbsp;said&nbsp;that&nbsp;Kate&nbsp;could&nbsp;ride&nbsp;with&nbsp;me&nbsp;to&nbsp;Jefferson.&nbsp;Apparently&nbsp;on&nbsp;the&nbsp;ride&nbsp;there,&nbsp;Josh&nbsp;called&nbsp;my&nbsp;dad&nbsp;and&nbsp;asked&nbsp;him&nbsp;if&nbsp;he&nbsp;could&nbsp;propose.&nbsp;Once&nbsp;we&nbsp;got&nbsp;to&nbsp;the&nbsp;house,&nbsp;Kate&nbsp;wanted&nbsp;to&nbsp;take&nbsp;pictures&nbsp;with&nbsp;our&nbsp;keys&nbsp;standing&nbsp;in&nbsp;front&nbsp;of&nbsp;it.&nbsp;Josh&nbsp;then&nbsp;told&nbsp;me&nbsp;to&nbsp;turn&nbsp;around&nbsp;and&nbsp;that&nbsp;he&nbsp;had&nbsp;a&nbsp;surprise&nbsp;for&nbsp;the&nbsp;house,&nbsp;like&nbsp;a&nbsp;house-warming&nbsp;gift.&nbsp;I&nbsp;was&nbsp;waiting&nbsp;for&nbsp;a&nbsp;puppy&nbsp;or&nbsp;a&nbsp;welcome&nbsp;rug,&nbsp;but&nbsp;as&nbsp;I&nbsp;turned&nbsp;around&nbsp;Josh&nbsp;was&nbsp;on&nbsp;one&nbsp;knee!&nbsp;I&nbsp;immediately&nbsp;started&nbsp;crying,&nbsp;and&nbsp;said&nbsp;yes.&nbsp;Kate&nbsp;had&nbsp;no&nbsp;idea,&nbsp;but&nbsp;yet&nbsp;got&nbsp;it&nbsp;on&nbsp;video!&nbsp;It&nbsp;was&nbsp;a&nbsp;crazy&nbsp;turn&nbsp;of&nbsp;events,&nbsp;but&nbsp;now&nbsp;here's&nbsp;to&nbsp;the&nbsp;future&nbsp;Mr.&nbsp;and&nbsp;Mrs.&nbsp;Dyer!&nbsp;Save&nbsp;the&nbsp;Date:&nbsp;August&nbsp;31st&nbsp;2019

6 years later...

Our Story

Details

Curtis Anderson

Brittany Leibfried 

John Hanson

Joe Hanson

Will Stanek

Doug Simon

Lukis Anderson

Andrew Kinley

Joe Leibfried

Kaitlin Simon

Ashley Simon

Maria Mensen

Whitney Derga

Kate Dyer 

Steph Hooge

Madison Simon

Millie&nbsp;is&nbsp;Emily's&nbsp;niece.&nbsp;

Millie Simon

Wedding Party

Proposal Photos

Fun Fall Pictures 

Engagement Pictures in Dubuque :) 

Engagement Pictures in Ames 😊

Photos

Registry

Q + A

With a stay at Super 8 Dyersville IA in Dyersville, you'll be convenient to National Farm Toy Museum and Dyer-Botsford Doll Museum.  This motel is within the vicinity of Basilica of St. Francis Xavier and Field of Dreams.Rooms Make yourself at home in one of the 45 air-conditioned rooms featuring refrigerators and microwaves. Complimentary wireless Internet access keeps you connected, and cable programming is available for your entertainment. Bathrooms have shower/tub combinations and complimentary toiletries. Conveniences include coffee/tea makers and irons/ironing boards, and housekeeping is provided daily.Amenities Enjoy the recreation opportunities such as a fitness center or make use of other amenities including complimentary wireless Internet access.Dining A complimentary continental breakfast is included.Business, Other Amenities Free self parking is available onsite.

Super 8 by Wyndham Dyersville

A stay at Comfort Inn Dyersville places you in the heart of Dyersville, convenient to National Farm Toy Museum and Dyer-Botsford Doll Museum.  This hotel is within the vicinity of Basilica of St. Francis Xavier and Field of Dreams.Rooms Make yourself at home in one of the 50 air-conditioned guestrooms. Complimentary wireless Internet access keeps you connected, and cable programming is available for your entertainment. Conveniences include safes and complimentary weekday newspapers, as well as phones with free local calls.Amenities Enjoy a range of recreational amenities, including an indoor pool, a spa tub, and a fitness center. This hotel also features complimentary wireless Internet access and an arcade/game room.Dining A complimentary buffet breakfast is included.Business, Other Amenities Featured amenities include laundry facilities and an elevator (lift). Free self parking is available onsite.

Comfort Inn Dyersville

There are 10 rooms blocked at Super 8 in Dyersville. Ask for the block under Emily Simon to get the group rate!&nbsp;

I have 20 rooms blocked at Comfort Inn in Dyersville. Either ask for the block under Emily Simon or Josh Dyer for the group rate!&nbsp;

Comfort Inn

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