my moh speech

... in case you want to know how it's done by a pro.

"I put off writing this little toast up until the last minute; I think because I knew that once I did, this would all feel real to me. Not that that's a bad thing; it just makes me a little teary. I guess I've always felt like Kim belonged to me  - like she was mine. Maybe that's what happens when your parents bring home a little baby from the hospital. I must have felt like, 'Hey, I just got a little baby!' Sisters are a pretty big deal in our family, and Kim was my first experience with that. She was my sister before she was anyone else's...

Kim was also my first friend that I ever had. We would cut our Barbies' hair and practice our rollerblade moves on the driveway. Whenever we would go camping, I would kind of hang back by my parents at our campsite, but Kim would go out and run around, and in thirty minutes, she'd be back with some friends she had made, and we would have playmates for the rest of the week!

Kim was my partner-in-crime as well, which was great because Kim can laugh and joke her way out of anything. I remember one time Kim got in trouble and was sent to her room for a spanking. She secretly put a pair of jeans on underneath her pajama pants to soften the blow, and when my mom discovered this, she laughed, and Kim didn't even get in trouble. And this kind of stuff still happens! Not the spanking part though.

She was also my teammate, when she joined the swim team at age five. I was seven, and we swam together until I graduated from high school. We spent countless hours playing on the deck and "social kicking," which is when you are supposed to be working out, but instead you're just leisurely kicking with kick boards and chatting. Kim was my classmate in high school when we took art together, and she would finish up my paintings for me once the perfectionist in me got frustrated.

When we lifeguarded and taught swim lessons together, Kim was my coworker. When I moved into the management position, Kim was my employee, which was fun because I got to tell her what to do and it was ok. Once, Kim made a mistake signing up someone for swim lessons, so I told her she needed to call the lady back and fix the situation. She didn't want to and told me it was my responsibility as the manager to make the call, and we argued back and forth for a while. Finally, she agreed to call, and I though I had won, so I went back to whatever I was doing. Then I hear the message she is leaving for the lady: 'Hi, this is Leslie, calling from Shadow Brook Swim Club. I just wanted to let you know that I made a mistake when I signed your daughter up for swim lessons, so if you could call me back then we can reschedule.' It was very clever, but I was not happy.

Kim was also my roommate, from when we had bunk beds in our pink room as children, and then later when she graduated from college and I convinced her it would be fun if she lived on the floor of my room in Summerland. 

Finally, Kim was also my comforter. Once, when I was really upset, I called Kim and told her, 'I'm upset; I'm coming to pick you up; be outside ready to go when I get there.' She ended up staying with me for two days, and I wouldn't have been able to get through that without her.

Today, though, she becomes more Josh's than she is mine, because marriage is a pretty strong bond. The first time I met Josh was when my parents had come down from San Jose to Santa Barbara, where the three of us were living. We were going out to breakfast for my birthday, and Kim asked if Josh could come. I told her sure, and that they should meet me at my house and we could drive together.

So Josh comes in the house, and the first thing he says to me is, 'Hey Les, how's it going?' And my first thought was, 'Umm, you can't nickname me; you don't even know me.' Then, as I was finishing up getting ready, Josh tells us we should hurry up or we will late. And again, I was like, 'Uhh, who are you?' When we got to breakfast, my dad and I ended up in a debate about education, and Josh took my dad's side.  In the long run, this was probably the right decision, but in the moment, I was like, 'Ok, this is my birthday, what are you doing?'

Later, when we parted ways, Josh said, 'See you soon!' and I thought, 'Ha yeah, ok, we'll see." But after that it didn't take me long to realize how great Josh was. He has set the standard very high for any other guys who may join our family. I've always wanted a brother. After Jillian was born, I asked my parents plenty of times if we could adopt a boy. My dad was always for it, but my mom always said no. I think this is a much more practical way of getting a brother.

I know that you are going to be a great husband to Kim, and I can guarantee that she is going to be an amazing wife to you forever.