Eleven Years, Happy Anniversary to the Mister ~ Born and Read in Chicago

The Mister doesn't get a lot of air time on the blog. He's not a runner, gasp! He's more of a hiker and is a bit on the introverted side, until you get to know him. I was remiss in not celebrating him last year on our tenth anniversary, because I was enjoying my 20th High School reunion. Yes, I could go on about how he's my biggest fan and supporter, or how he's truly my best friend - the first person I want to tell things to and the person I love to hang out with the most. And how watching him become the most amazing dad to our children has made me love him that much more over the years. But, I thought it'd be fun to share my maid and matron of honor's toast from our wedding eleven years ago, with a little commentary. It pretty much sums us up still...

Both girls have artistic backgrounds (now careers) and helped create my programs, table cards, etc. They printed out their toast on corresponding paper and gave it to me in a photo album of black and white pictures that they took over that weekend. Yeah.

"Before we begin, we'd like to take this opportunity to thank Andrea and Sean for making us all a part of this great day. Also, thanks to Diane and Evelyn [our moms] for everything you have done to make this day possible.

We've both known Andrea for over 15 years, and through that time we can honestly say that Andrea you've been a wonderful, true friend and we love you.

We have never seen Andrea happier than she is when she is with Sean. It was so wonderful to see you both standing up there today. We couldn't think of just one reason why Andrea and Sean make such a great couple, so we comprised a list of the Top Ten Reasons why they are a perfect match.

10. Andrea has expanded Sean's cultural experiences by introducing him to the fine art of the PowerPuff Girls cartoon, and the literary masterpieces of Harry Potter. [We continue to love PowerPuff Girls, even introduced the kids to them. And, yes, he didn't read HP until I sort of made him.]

Funny enough, he proposed the night of this Halloween party (2001) when I was dressed as PowerPuff Girl Bubbles. We look like BABIES.

9. Sean has introduced Andrea to the fine world of interior design with his 3ft lava lamp and TV big enough to sleep in. [We still have that damn lava lamp, but it's safely stored away for (hopefully) ever. We've since upgraded televisons through the years for our obsessive movie watching - see #5]

8. They both understand the value of long lasting friendship. Almost all of the wedding party has know either Andrea or Sean for more than a decade, and there's good reason for that. [I think I've mentioned before how much my longtime friends mean to me. Mister is the same way.]

7. They both have a rather unhealthy obsession with the Japanese variety/cooking show Iron Chef. [Oh, how we miss the heyday of that show... But we can thank the heyday/beginning of the Food Network for our ongoing love of cooking. Cooking together is where it's at, young married couples!]

6. Ever since that fateful night at Tequila Roadhouse, Sean's friends have reported unusual sightings of PDA. [Ha. Yeah, this was a surprise to his friends - as I mentioned, he's on the introverted side.]

On our first (of many) trips to Vegas, friends caught this moment at a VIP booth in the Hard Rock nightclub. He'd probably kill me for sharing this!

5. They're the only couple we know who makes a sport out of watching movies. [Still do, it's our Saturday ritual - cook, candlelight dinner, movies n' cocktails. I look forward to it every week.]

4. They both have a deep respect and love for their mothers. [We both lost our dads when we were young and know what it's like to be raised by a strong single mother.]

3. They will be guaranteed to have someone to celebrate their heritage with on St. Patrick's Day (and you can still wear orange Andrea). [The orange comment is due to the fact that I'm Northern Irish (who wear orange in honor of William of Orange) and yes, we both have Irish roots and have named our children accordingly.]

2. Vegas baby, Vegas. [See above. One of our favorite place on earth, next to a beach in Mexico. We celebrated our first and third anniversaries there (we drove into Seattle on our second) and planned to every year, until I had to go and get knocked up.]

1. The number one reason why Andrea and Sean are the perfect match... their deep and committed love for each other. [Awww]

With that, let's all raise our glasses for a toast to Andrea and Sean and a lifetime of love and happiness!"