My Wedding Toast

This past week I was away celebrating my son's wedding and we all had a great time. The wedding took place at a winery in Pennsylvania.  The ceremony was outside in a beautiful area surrounded by trees and the reception was in a closed tent nearby. Below is the toast I gave on Saturday night after dinner almost word for word.(I left their names out)  I wrote most of it about a month earlier driving very early in the morning going to Charleston.

(About the bride) They say it takes only a few seconds to make a good impression, but it probably took less time when my wife, Monika, and I met her. We knew a few things immediately: she was friendly, outgoing, had a big smile and an infectious laugh. She was full of life. We could tell that she was a strong and independent woman and a joy to be around.  We are very happy and excited to welcome her into our family as our third daughter.

A few fun moments growing up with our son: He loved to run. Before he could speak many words when he was thirsty, he would run around our kitchen and living room, saying, "Juice, juice, juice." The first soccer team he was on, his friend Tim, who is here, the two of them were the only boys on the team.  They would run up and down the field, back and forth-they didn't stop. One day, we took him to the store to get new sneakers and he put them on and started to run and called out, "Mom, they're making me run faster."

He loved the beach and between the water and air and running, he would knock himself out. Once after a long day at the beach at Ocean City, Maryland, we went out to dinner. Before the food came out, he put his head down on the table and he was out. We had the waiter take a family picture standing around him. Lastly, one day I was videotaping him shooting baskets with a bunch of kids his age. He told his friend, "My dad's middle name is Haagen-Dazs." After my favorite ice cream...

For many years my wife has signed cards to our kids that said, "We're proud of you and we love you." It's become a running joke in our family, but it's really true. We are both very proud of you and I'm proud to be your dad.

In 1994, the movie, "The Lion King" came out and sometime later we watched the movie. I used to tease him about the one scene when the King was standing on top of the mountain with his son Simba, looking at his whole kingdom. I would say to him, "One day, all this will be yours." He never thought it was funny.

That day is here. You see my dad's amazing life really began almost exactly 63 years ago on November 1, 1959, when he married my mom. The best part of my life began over 39 years ago on August 28, 1983, when I married your mom. The best part of your life begins today, October 22, 2022, because you married her today.

As amazing as the two of you are individually, you will be better than ever, together as one. They say that the secret to a successful marriage is to find the right person, but it's really being the right person for your spouse.

We love you both and we will always be proud of you. And, thanks for inviting us!