best. night. ever.

Sunday, November 9, 2008 |

i've been slacking on the posts. hardcore and to a ridiculous extent.  partially because i haven't been able to sum up my thoughts about the last few weeks of my life in an eloquent enough fashion to share....but mostly because i've been too busy enjoying married life!  our wedding week, day, night (all of it!!!) was literally the best night of my life.  i know that probably gets said alot, especially by people like me who tend to speak in hyperbole....but seriously. i lack the ability to express in spoken word how beautiful it all was. yes, all the tangible details were exactly what we wanted but more than that. i've never been filled with such a sense of peace and love.  i looked around all day and just felt so blessed to be holding the hand of my best friend, the love of my life...and to be surrounded by all the people we care most about in this world.  i will truly cherish it for the rest of my days.  
rather than fumble for my own words, i feel compelled to share amanda's (my best friend and matron of honor) toast because to me, it sums up what the night was all about.  i held my composure pretty well all night....until the toast.  with champagne in one hand, and a soggy handkerchief in the other, the tears flowed i've never smiled harder.  so here it is.
"Trying to boil down what I wanted tos ay about Martina and Ryan and how happy I am for them today has been a real challenge.  I've known both of them since we were 14 - which has been more than a little while now! - and I've had the privilege of watching them grow and mature as people and as a couple.  I cannot tell you what an honor it is, Martina, that you asked me to stand up with you at this beautiful wedding today and to be be a part of the beginning of your married life together.
A lot of you ahve already heard the story of how Martina and I met - the sound bites are the old teen club Illusions and dancing on a pool table.  Following that, we became pretty much inseparable in the way that only teenage girls can, despite the fact that she was on the nerdy Orange team and I - and her future groom - were on the supercool Green team at Eastside.  Fast forward to senior year and boyond and our relationship, much like the two of us, had matured and for me has been very defining.  She is a kind, caring, brilliant woman - who can go from silly to deep in a heartbeat and she's been one of my primary sounding boards for pretty much every major decision I've made since I met her.  Over the years, she's seen me through good times, and some really hard times - and I hope she knows how much I appreciate her for that.  Perhaps what sums it up best is a quote from a card that Martina actually gave me recently: 'We are friends for life.  When we're together the years fall away.  Isn't that what matters? To have someone who can remember you? To have someone who remembers how far you've come?' That's so us and I know it always will be.
I failed to mention before that as 14 year olds, 18 year olds and yes, 26 year olds, we've spent a fair amount of time talking about boys.  Our needs for a significant other evolved over the years from "he's so cute!" to "he's so fun!" to "I think he's the one!".  My answer took a while to get to.  As it turns out, Martina's answer to all of these needs was - and has been! - Ryan.  You can't talk about Martina without talking about Ryan.  Ryan, who lived right across the street from me during high school, has always been fantastic.  When I first met Ryan, he was the cute kid who was bizarrely good at math with a questionable haircut.  Then came baseball, then came the band - which I have to say really missed out by not signing the girl across the street to be the front woman!  And he's become a wonderful man creating a wonderful life for himself and his family.  But whatever else he's done, he's always been Martina's rock - and she's been his.  Their love for each other has in no small part enabled them to become the fabulousness they are.  And since she's the closest thing I've ever had to a sister, I will always love him for that.
We all get a first love.  But the fact that Martina and Ryan's first loves are also the loves of their life is so romantic and so extraordinary.  And despite the fact that I'm not actually related to the bride or the groom, I feel like I'm at a family wedding today.  And looking around at the smiles and faces around the room, I can tell I'm not alone.  There is so much love in the room and Ryan and Martina, its all for you. So everyone, please join me in wishing the newly-pronounced Mr. and Mrs. Murphy a long and happy lifetime together in marriage, love, and partnership! CHEERS!"

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