Our little boy is all grown up!!!

On a postcard perfect October Sunday afternoon - accented by a sun-drenched sky of brilliant blue - I bore witness to the marriage of my close friend Mark ‘Mookie’ McGrath to a truly wonderful woman, Kerry Logan. As the two locked eyes and united their souls in eternal bliss, elsewhere hearts were breaking in unison as the world said goodbye to two great catches and offered a warm welcome to one very special couple.

As one of Mark’s groomsmen (Joe and Sean rounded out our stable - with Mark’s brothers Kevin and John standing beside their elder bro as his Best Men), I shared an intimate view of the big day. Simply put, the wedding was spectacular.

Having played a part in five weddings now, not counting my own, I can honestly say that they have all been special in their own way, and in the grand tradition of those other events, this wedding offered a generous share of riches through the indelible memories and images etched upon my brain. I’ll hold Mark and Kerry’s wedding as close to my heart as I do them - two very wonderful and caring people - two very dear friends. It says a great deal of the caliber of personalities that I am fortunate to have enter my life that each one of these weddings has risen to top-tier status in that great Top Ten List of Life’s Memories I hope never to lose. When the years pass and those tear-tickling pangs of nostalgia take hold, I will look back upon Mark and Kerry’s wedding day and enjoy the symphony of laughter and tears these memories will no doubt elicit.

Here’s where my Blog comes in. As always, this site has been a grand canvas on which I can sketch the etchings of my life. I plan on paying tribute to Mark and Kerry’s wedding over two postings. In a few days I’ll be back with Part II, where I’ll share the text of the Best Men speech as well as some in-depth observations of the festivites and, of course, plenty of pictures.

For this inaugural post, I wanted to share the text of the speech I delivered during Friday evening’s Rehearsal Dinner.

Following the Rehearsal at St. Agatha’s Church in East Milton, Mark and Kerry’s entourage (Logans, McGraths, and assorted friends and family) assembled at The Common Market in Quincy where Mark and Kerry held court in a private dining room. Breaking bread among two families destined to come together forever, several people special to Mark and Kerry in their own unique ways were given the opportunity to say a few words of encouragement, blessing, tribute or regard as a show of good tidings for the great event to follow. From the outpouring of love and laughter on display, Mark and Kerry are truly blessed.

As am I for having the opportunity to scribe a few words (OK, Pages!!!) of honor for one of my closest friends and pay tribute to the best decision he ever made. Without further ado, here is my Rehersal Dinner speech.

When Mark a.k.a. Mookie asked me to say a few words at the rehearsal dinner, I’m not quite sure I truly knew what I was getting myself into. Since I first drafted these notes just this past Thursday, he’s had his crack team of legal eagles (that would be Joe – AAANNND – Joe, who’s that guy who plays the banjo outside Fenway) , anyway he’s had his A Team pour over every last syllable making sure that I presented him in the best possible light. His marching orders were clear.

Be funny… but not too funny.
Be sentimental… but not too sentimental.
Be vulgar… but not too vulgar. (Wait. Maybe he said don’t be vulgar. I get so confused.)

So, with those directions in hand I set out to craft a loving tribute to one of the kindest, most caring, dumb asses I’ve ever met.

Now, having officially vetted this copy and signed the non-binding non-disclosure agreement that Joe and Banjo Billy whipped up, I’m here to fully disclose everything I know that has lead up to the marriage of our latest celebrity obsession.

As we approach the big day, those of us with world-weary eyes know the road map to the great adventure that looms before Mark and Kerry and yet we hold our secrets close to the vest as we know that all of the fun comes in discovering your own path through this life together and that no matter how prepared you approach it, the road less traveled often becomes the road you choose and it’s not until you look back upon that blessed day – your own wedding day – that you can fully appreciate how far you have come and how much you have accomplished – as a strong, caring united front.

But for now, for a few more days longer, the journey remains shrouded in mystery. They look ahead, as do we, in pure wonder of what dreams may come on their special wedding day.

A day where they will become best friends forever.
A day where they will become eternal soul mates.
A day where they will become bonded in wedded bliss.
A day where they will become husband and wife.

A day where they will officially become… Kerryookie.

But before all that, we pause to reflect and in our misty-eyed remembrances, we take a little time warp back to where it all began. Back to the summer of 2005 when Mark – having spied a calendar – realized that life was swiftly moving and that try as hard as he could, there was nothing he could do to slow its progress. With the tell-tale beating of his lonely heart, Mark decided that the time had come in his life to find his true love. How fortunate for him, and for Kerry, that Mark had mistaken the stomach clattering clamor of the 14 Taco Bell Taquitos he had downed at lunch for the relentless beating of his own biological clock.

It was there, in the summer of 2005, that something awoke in Mark and he began the search for his life mate. OK fine, he was desperate for love. And knowing how Mark can sometimes take a clinical approach to problem solving – I wasn’t surprised in the least when he mapped out his extensive project plan for landing a future Mrs. McGrath. He put his name in every Singles forum he could find. (A tactic he would have to alter slightly when he discovered that he resided in the great state of Massachusetts and had received quite a few responses from potential Mister McGraths, as well. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.) He tried Double Dating. Blind Dating. Speed Dating. Carbon Dating. He published an entire genetic profile of himself that posited that any woman who made him their mate were virtually guaranteed to birth future World Scrabble Champion children. He even passed himself off as the lead singer of three-hit wonder band, Sugar Ray. Nothing took.

He was so hell-bent on getting himself a wife, I began to suspect that perhaps our beloved Mark was hiding something. I began to suspect that he needed a Green Card.

At one point, Mark contracted my services to help him build out his online dating profile. We decided that we really needed to sell our product – our name brand Mookie. Through an impromptu photo shoot, I captured a series of images that to this day have me under constant surveillance by the feds. However, there were a few shots that were appropriate for publication and we put those to use on his profile.

One composition had Mark sitting at a table – perched on my back deck. The view off my deck stretches over a generous expanse of woodland, spilling into a valley. We set the table with the right accouterments to send just the right message. In one shot, Mark is spied in profile, a book open in his lap as he gazes in contemplative thought. On the table, a spray of other books work to sell his interests. To show off his Man’s Man appeal, we placed ‘Ballparks of the Pacific Northwest’. To peel a layer and reflect the sensitive side of him, we positioned ‘Men are From Mars… Women are from Venus.’  In Mark’s left hand, he clutched a glass of Chardonnay.

The message was sent loud and clear. This guy’s a complete tool.

A second shot taken that day, had Mark sitting on my front porch, with my yellow lab Abby at his side. He got a lot of responses off that one. Here’s a quick sample – “What a beautiful dog?” “Is your dog AKC registered?” “How do you keep your dog’s coat so lush and shiny.” I quizzed Mark over this strategy. Eventually one of these women might actually be interested in the human in the photo, so how was he going to explain away the absence of the pup. Simply put, “I’ll tell them she died.”

And thus, that ended my association with Mr. Vick… errr, Mark.

Anyway, through all the plans, schemes and machinations, we learned something quite obvious. Like the best of tales, and like most of life, you can’t always draw up a blueprint for success. Sometimes, you need a simple twist of fate. Sometimes you need a little luck.

Without going too deep into the details, a set-up for Mark on behalf of my wife and I, with a friend of hers, quickly reversed direction. The set-up never really took shape but in introducing Mark to the subject of said set-up (say that five times fast) Mark was spun into Kerry’s orbit. The two quickly got to know each other – and as luck would have it – a spark was struck and the flames began to ignite.

Leading me to one last anecdote. About a month after Mark and Kerry started dating, word began to spread that his family was planning a surprise 30th birthday party. Now – Mark, not wanting to jinx the good fortune of his blossoming relationship with Kerry – had kept the particulars of his then current relationship status pretty much quiet to all but his closest friends. But, he assumed that his closest friends had leaked word to his family that he did have a girlfriend and thus Kerry would find her way onto the Invitation list for the big soiree. Well, we all know what happens when you assume. Yup, he’s an ass and so am I.

Mark finally asked me if I had guaranteed Kerry a spot on the party list. Seeing as how I had never – how do I put this – met or even seen Kerry – I assured him that I most certainly did not place his imaginary girlfriend on the guest list. And suddenly, he panicked. If there is a cardinal sin in those careful, early days of a relationship, not inviting your new girlfriend to the big celebratory bash in your honor has to be somewhere atop that list. So – he issued me my marching orders. First, I was to call Kevin and announce that not only did Mark have a girlfriend but they have already eloped. (Wait – was I supposed to mention that?) Second -  I was to then call Kerry, introduce myself and pass on an official invitation to Mark’s big birthday extravaganza and somehow disguise the fact that despite the fact that the party was to be held the next night – it had all just sort of come together last minute. (You’d be surprised how many Next Day Caterers and function halls you can find in the Yellow Pages.)

Anyway, I did all of that. I called the family to tell them that Mark had been hiding his girl friend from them. I called Kerry to reveal that Mark had been hiding his family from her. I called Mark to tell him I was really a woman. With all the deceptions revealed, my job was done. Now that everyone knew that everyone else was hiding something from them, I breathed a sigh of relief. How could this party not be a success?

… and it all would have gone according to plan had it not been for the fact that somehow through my tangled web of messages, everyone assumed that I knew Kerry and Kerry knew me. So when Kerry arrived at Mark’s party, he met Mark’s mother at the door who warmly introduced herself, exchanged a few pleasantries and sent Kerry into the party with the note – “Oh, Ed’s right over there.” As Kerry looked out over a sea of unfamiliar faces, she just picked a guy and started calling him Ed for the night. Meanwhile, in my corner, I held court with Kevin, Erin, John and Amy who interrogated me on the appearance of every new female face to grace the doorway. “Is that her?” “Is that her?” “Is that her?” – My stock answer. “Is that who?” Finally we all gravitated into each other’s orbit, Kerry got chatting with Erin and Amy, Mark arrived and was genuinely thrilled to see everyone – most of all Kerry – there by his side to celebrate his milestone and the tale spun its way to a very happy ending.
 
And now, two years later, we all sit in anticipation of an exciting new beginning.

I think there comes a time in most of our lives where we look to fill the void – to compliment our lives with a partner – to assure that we share the sights and sounds of this grand journey with someone whose perspective helps augment and enhance our own being. To find a loving partner who props us up as much as we support them. Who lives, laughs and loves alongside and no matter what obstacles come along – locks eyes with our own and joins forces to conquer it all and live to tell the tale.

In short, we truly seek that proverbial soul mate. For Mark and for Kerry – that search is over.

I’ve often said that you are only as wealthy as the friends you keep. Money and possessions mean nothing. It’s those good friendships – like the close bond I have with Mark – that truly make you rich. In introducing Kerry into our ever-expanding circle of friends, Mark has further added great value to my life. And to Mark, Kerry’s presence in his life is invaluable. Kerry is so warm, kind, and caring and knowing that she has united alongside my good buddy for life eternal makes me incredibly happy to realize that just as I look out upon my family and friends and realize that I’ve got it pretty good, Mark is now the wealthiest man on the planet. Mark’s a pretty great guy and Kerry just makes him so complete.

And so it’s today… just a couple of days before they take those first fledgling steps forward into a life of boundless possibility, that I wish them all of the luck in the world and pledge my support. Theirs is a grand adventure that lay ahead.

I for one, can’t wait to hear the tales (and then of course, put my own little spin upon them.)

To Mark and Kerry.