Andria's Speech =============== Now I'd like to speak for a few minutes without Marc... I'd like to take a few minutes to reflect on my family, my matron of honour, and of course to talk about this awesome guy who I can now call my husband ... that's going to take some time to get used to saying! ----- SISTERS -------- First, a little about my sisters. Well, you'd think that with 3 sisters, there'd always be someone left out. But even from when we were very young we were fortunate to all get along very well. With Nancy, my younger sister, I was always trying to get her to come out to play sports with me. I could get her to play goalie sometimes if I was lucky, and she'd even pitch to me so I could practice my batting ... well, until I hit her in the stomach with a line-drive! Nancy can tell you about that! :-) My older sister, Leslie, was always the trailblazer for Nancy and I. If we needed to get my parents to allow us to go out, there was no question that Leslie would be the one to do the talking. She was also our social convenor ... she knew where every party in the county was taking place each weekend! Oh yes, I should thank Leslie that she was able to find one weekend when she wasn't mountain bike racing this summer, so that we could have the wedding today!! And no, I'm not kidding!! But seriously, I'm really fortunate to have such wonderful sisters and friends. They both have hearts of gold! I wouldn't trade them in for the world. Thank you for always being there for me. ----- PARENTS -------- I'd like to take this opportunity to thank my parents for their love and support over the years. I'd like to thank them for instilling good values in me and for introducing me to the Lord at a very young age. Not to mention, how lucky I was to have them chauffeur me all over the country to play every sport you can imagine! Thanks for your generousity and kindness over the years. ----- MARC'S PARENTS -------- Je voudrais remercier la famille à Marc de m'avoir accueilli à bras ouvert, et de m'avoir fait sentir comme si j'étais chez moi. Et bien sûr, j'aimerais aussi vous remercier pour votre merveilleux fils! Nous nous réjouissons à l'avance de pouvoir nous rendre dans le nord pour vous visiter à plusieurs reprises, dans les années à venir! I'd like to thank Marc's family for welcoming me so openly into their family and making me feel so at home. And of course, I'd also like to thank you for your wonderful son! We look forward to lots of visits up to the great white north to visit you in the years to come! ----- HEIDI -------- It really means a lot to me to have my best friend, Heidi, here from Alaska today. We were roommates for all four years at the University of New Hampshire ... and I'm not talking about sharing an apartment ... we shared the same little room!) ... and then we spent a year in Switzerland playing on the same hockey team. And we never got tired of each other, so that says quite a bit about our friendship. I do have a funny story I'd like to tell about Heidi from when we lived in Switzerland. Heidi's already heard it because I told it at her wedding 5 years ago, but I thought I'd tell it again today. This story tells a little bit about Heidi's appetite! Living in Switzerland, we noticed that there were quite a few cultural differences with the Swiss people. One thing that Heidi noticed is that, and I quote her, "the Swiss People just don't know how to eat!" ... I'm sure she wasn't talking about the Rothlisberger family though! Heidi lived with a family of 6 when she was in Switzerland. She lived just a stone-throw away from the city's supermarket. She discovered that they have the best baked chicken there at the supermarket. They're just small chickens, though, so Heidi used to go to the supermarket and get one for herself to eat as a snack on occasion. Heidi was telling me that one day the kids where she lived found out that they were going to have that same kind of chicken for supper. Naturally Heidi was very excited! But you can just imagine the look on her face when she went down for supper that evening to find on the table one chicken, for the whole family ... that is, 4 kids, 2 parents, and Heidi! The same size of chicken that Heidi would eat all by herself!!! I wonder if Heidi left them any!!! :-) But seriously, I'm really lucky to have such a wonderful friend as Heidi. She's a warm, sincere & thoughtful person, who has had a really positive impact on my life. It means so much to have you here as my matron of honour today. ----- MARC -------- And finally, a little about Marc. I'm not sure how many of you know the story around when Marc and I first started going out. Let's just say that it took me a little time to decide that Marc might be the guy for me. Actually, Michelle Rosenberg tells this story quite well. She keeps reminding me that when we first played together at UofT and when Marc first came into the picture, I would always say to her, "Marc and I are just friends. I'd never go out with him or anything!" But anyways, I just wanted to kind of explain why it took me so long to decide that I might want to go out with him. Let me just tell you about the first time he invited me over to his place for supper. We were making dinner together ... I think we were making a stir-fry, or something like that. He was doing most of the cooking, and I was preparing the vegetables. And he was kind of telling me how he wanted the vegetables prepared. To make a long story short, can you believe he made me peel the mushrooms?!! Do you have any idea how tedious it is to take the little skins off all the mushrooms. In fact, I didn't even know they could be peeled up until that point! I thought, there was no way I would ever want to get into any sort of a long term relationship with this guy, and be peeling mushrooms for the rest of my life!! :-) But actually, I think part of not wanting to go out with him was that I was kind of afraid because I knew that deep down inside that I really liked him, and there was a good chance that this might develop into a very long-term relationship, as it did. We have a lot in common in terms of interests and hobbies, and we share the same morals, which I feel is the most important thing in a relationship. He's been a best friend; someone I can share my deepest secrets with. He's a shoulder to cry on if I need it, and he has taught me a lot about caring and giving. He doesn't think twice about putting the needs of others ahead of his own needs. In fact, he is forever saying, "it's only people who really matter; nothing else is really important." It was his integrity that attracted me to him in the beginning, and the more I've gotten to know him, the more I realize how fortunate I am to have a guy with his qualities ... his honesty, sincerity, kindheartness, and respect for people. I thought I'd touch just a bit on our relationship ... it's kind of a complimentary relationship. He has taught me a lot about patience ... (and if you know me, you know I can't stay idle for long) ... He has helped to slow me down a little, and to better appreciate some of the finer things in life. And in return, I'm still working at getting him to workout, and to go jogging with me ... but I have a feeling, I'm going to have to work a little harder on this! :-) One of the things I really like about our relationship is the equality and the mutual respect we have for each other. We really enjoy each other's company and love to do fun things together and to make each other laugh. We love playing hockey or hackey sack together and stopping in at 7-11 for Slurpies, even if it's at 9 in the morning on the way back from hockey. We love eating out even when we can't afford it, and going driving, just for the sake of driving. When you drive somewhere with Marc, getting there is always half the fun! I'm really excited to move onto the next stage of our lives, now as husband and wife. I have no reservations as I commit myself to you for eternity. It's really something very special to have found a soul mate, who is a best friend at that. Today has been the happiest day of my life, and I look forward to giving myself to you, as we continue down the path of life together from this point on. I look forward to growing old with you, and I'm sure that won't change how I feel about you. I know how very lucky I am to have you as my husband. Je t'aime avec tout mon coeur. I love you with all my heart ... SW!