I gave 2 father of the bride speeches. One at the rehersal dinner and one at the reception.

The first, as I mentioned before, Amy warned me not to say anything about trying to scare Nick off. This neccessitated a whole new off the cuff toast. It went something like this:

Well we're here together the night before the big event, so I just wanted to say a few words. Sort of practice for tomorrow's toast. I was going to talk about when Nick and Mel first met and some things that happened, but I recently saw a movie that you may be familiar with, "The Wedding Crashers", and in that movie Owen Wilson, playing John, gives some advice about wedding speeches. You must never talk about the past, he explains. So I decided to just tell the truth. Then I remembered "John" also said, Don't ever bring up the truth. The other character does, of course, leading to a near disaster. So I'm going to take the advice he gave in the movie, and mention how Nick and Mel are like two hearts intertwined together, so much alike, and such a great couple that this wedding is the only way their story could turn out. Happy together forever. Lets toast the happy couple!

That went over pretty good. everyone laughed and applauded. Now yesterday I mentioned that in the ceremony there was a reference to my failing to intimidate Nick, so once again I decided to wing it with the speech at the reception. It went something like this:

Last night, some of you heard me toast to Mel and Nick, but tonight I want to make an official toast, and it might be different. I was warned off mentioning trying to intimidate Nick, but since it was brought up in the ceremony, I'll cop to it and agree it didn't completely work. But they didn't mention that I did finally succeed. Nick and Mel got engaged about a year ago, not long after they visited us in Phoenix. During that visit we went to Mexico for a day. In the border towns there is always a donkey and a cart for pictures. It's been a staple of visiting tourists for a least a hundred years. So Ryan sat on the donkey in his sarape and big hat, Nick and Mel sat on the cart seat together, and I stood off to Nick's side with my big sombrero, plastic pistols and crossed ammo belts and plastic shotgun. Yep, you guessed it, pointed right at Nick's head! Now I wanted to blow that picture up and post it all around the reception room, but I didn't want everyone to know it took a shotgun to make him pop the question! Any way here we are one big happy family so let's toast the new Mr. and Mrs. Powers!

That one was good too, so I batted 1000 for speeches this trip!

I cried like baby at the reception dinner it was so perfect and weeks and months of stress just evaporated. Euro Bear and a famous Swedish Rock star, Claes Dieden, even composed and sang a wedding song for Mel and Nick! Most of my extended family was there and many of Amy's, including all the Irish, 2 from New York, 1 from Sweden, and 3 from San Diego. My brothers from Reno and Iowa both came. My 80 year old aunt and my cousin from Washington also made it. Mom and dad and four of my nieces and nephews also made it. Most of Nick's family made it too, including the Movie star who just laughed when I apologized for last year.

The next day we took a limo out that was pretty big, but couldn't move too fast it was so loaded down. Euro bear and I managed a little quality time together and spoke about our relationship. I got her agreement that things wouldn't change till we are both 100 years old, then we'd reconsider and discuss any changes.

go to "Perfect Day 2006-06-30" This page pretty much sums up how I feel about her.

More adventures tommorrow.....

Life is good, Curiouoso*