This weekend, our family and friends gathered to celebrate the union of Blake Lerdall and Stephanie Sheppard. As the father of the bride, I was given an opportunity to make a toast.
Welcome, everyone.
In case you haven’t noticed the family resemblance, I am Stephanie’s dad, Scott. Her mom, Sheryl, and I want to thank everyone for celebrating with us in honor of Blake and Stephanie.
Anyone who knows me knows that I am a spreadsheet kind of guy. Well, I’ve run the numbers, and today is the 4th happiest day of my life.
- The first was the day I married my high school sweetheart, Sheryl.
- The next two are tied – the births of our children, Stephanie and Steven.
- And here we are today, number 4, where we are officially adding Blake to our family.
I think I knew Blake was the one even before Stephanie. He came from a great family, had a computer-related college major, and adored Stephanie like we do. Let’s see: Slightly nerdy guy gets pretty and intelligent girl and worships her for the rest of his life. Where have I seen this movie? Actually, I am living this movie, and I assure you that it ends happily.
Today is the culmination of what Mike and Marianne and Sheryl and I put into motion decades ago by setting an example through our words and actions. Blake and Stephanie are ready to be a life-long couple if they’ve been paying attention even a little bit. Our spouses are not just our lovers, they’re our friends, and that’s exactly how Blake and Stephanie got their start. What was once friendship is now love. Marriage? They got this. We know it. They know it.
So here’s to Blake and Stephanie — a life of friendship and love. I’ll end with a Todd Rundgren quote:
“If anyone should ask, say you’re mated. For as long as this life lasts, you are mated. Why else would you be here right now? And you know you’ll still be here tomorrow.”
— Todd Rundgren
Cheers.
Congratulations, Blake and Stephanie Lerdall.
A celebration is alive in the lab.
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