Ok..back to the actual reception:
After the dance was over and it was time for a speech. I decided that since we didn't have a wedding party, I would do a toast.
I am not a good public speaker except when I am confident in the material and what I am talking about....and I was sure about this.
I wanted to toast our friends..some old from our 'old lives' who stuck by us and followed us here to start our 'new life' together..as one family.
I wanted to toast our other friends...some new from our 'new life' together. The ones that accepted us a couple, with a divorce in our past, but still fun people. Who accepted our wacky kid schedule but loved us just the same..who traveled here to watch us officially combine our families into one and begin our lives together.
I wanted to toast our families. Who stuck by us, through thick and thin, who were always there for us and who came to watch us begin again.
I wanted to toast our amazing children.
Sweet Logan and Madison. Those 2 kids who went through such a terrible ordeal...watching their parents divorce and beginning a life of week on/week off custody. Of feeling insecure about life and what the separation of their 2 parents would mean for them...now and in the future. 2 kids who had questions, who went through phases of not understanding. 2 kids who met each other and new people in their parents' lives and trusted that we were doing the best we could... for them. 2 kids who never waivered in their love and support. Who transitioned so PERFECTLY through. Most importantly.who were still the same happy children they were before. The 2 kids we thank God every single day that we didn't screw up by getting divorced. Who hug us around the neck and tell us how much they love their new family. How much Madison loves and trusts Sarah and how she loves having a little brother, Logan. And how I pray that Logan feels the same way about us.
These 2 kids are nothing short of amazing. They deserve all the credit in the world. We did everything we could to make their life the best it could be after divorce. But, it took trust and love and determination from them to get through. And they did. Separately. Then together. It's hard to simply say that I love them. Because it is so much more encompassing than that.
Then, to toast my wife. The woman who changed my life. Who made me happy every day from the moment I met her and I knew would make me happy for every moment after. The woman who holds my heart and gives it more love than I thought I could ever feel. The person who accepted me for who I am, for opening her heart and her life up to Madison and me. The person who shares my dreams and my feelings and makes me laugh every single solitary day. The person who gets me the most and understands me to the core. The woman who agreed to marry me. To combine our families to share our lives. That woman standing next to me. Holding my hand. Listening to me talk. I couldn't be any happier....
