For Mr. And Mrs. Conroy

Last night was one of the best night's of my entire life. I will be back with a full update and a million pictures as soon as I've recovered from the weekend festivities but in the meantime I thought I'd share the speech I gave Saturday night at the rehearsal dinner. From the moment Gerrick told me Daniel had proposed I've been thinking about what to say to them the night before their big day, and I finally had the chance to do it....

“A soulmate is a person with whom you have an immediate connection from the moment you meet. A soulmate understands and connects with you in every way and on every level. A soulmate gives you a kind of strong and complex love. Your soulmate complements you in every way.”

I am pretty sure Rebecca Gerrick is my soulmate.

No, but in all seriousness, I think she might be. The same definition applies - she is certainly a person with whom I’ve had an immediate connection from the moment we met, almost ten years ago, standing in the AEPhi kitchen our freshman year at the University of Arizona.

Every single morning I wake up, get dressed, and get into my car for my long drive to work. Every single morning, at 8:06am on the dot, I call Gerrick. At 10:06, she’s been up for a while, either working herself or running errands. Every single morning, separated by thousands of miles, I still get to talk to my best friend. For those few minutes every morning, distance doesn’t matter. It’s like she’s right by my side.

Eighteen months ago I was drinking a diet coke for breakfast and straightening my hair when my phone rang. On the other end of the line, my best friend shrieked at the top of her lungs the news I had been waiting for for months, ever since Daniel told me he had picked out a ring. But really, I, along with many other people here tonight who coincidentally were ALSO in the room when those two met for the first time, have known that this was coming since that very night. They are truly meant for each other.

For as kind and generous and good-hearted Gerrick is, Daniel is her equal. For as unintentionally hilarious and genuine Daniel is, Gerrick is the same.

Gerrick once told me that she honestly feels like she and Daniel could be stranded on a deserted island with nothing else but each other and she knows they would have the time of their lives. Anyone that spends time with them knows that this is true. From playtime with Ranger to their own private “dance parties” after a couple of bottles of wine, the two of them have the ability to completely tune out everything around them and focus on making each other laugh.

You might think that because she and I are so close, having a boyfriend or fiancee might come in between us. You’d be wrong. In fact, 9 times out of 10, when Gerrick calls to state her case about a thing she and Daniel have disagreed on, I take HIS side! Why SHOULDN’T he get to buy a deep fryer? Wouldn’t she ALSO benefit from a deep-fried Twinkie? When she complains that he hasn’t stopped singing songs from last night’s Glee episode, I obviously take his side. Who WOULDN’T be unable to stop humming a catchy song by Lea Michelle?

They not only bring out the best in each other but also have the unique ability to make everyone around them feel comfortable. Nobody is ever the third wheel with them, I of all people should know! Forget celebrity names like “Brangelina” with only two people involved - Gerrick, Daniel, and I have one for the three of us! In case you were curious, we’re the “Congermans” - a name made up with taking a part of each of our last name. By the way, this was Daniel’s idea!!!

I’ll finish by reading that same definition to you one more time. “A soulmate is a person with whom you have an immediate connection from the moment you meet. A soulmate understands and connects with you in every way and on every level. A soulmate gives you a kind of strong and complex love. Your soulmate complements you in every way possible. ”

We are all here this weekend to celebrate these two soulmates and the wonderful future they have ahead of them. And while I know they are incredibly lucky to have found each other, in the end I feel I’m the luckiest to be able to call them both my best friends.

So please raise your glasses and join me in a toast!

Gerrick and Daniel - may you have the lives you’ve always dreamed of, with the person you always dreamed of by your side.

MAZEL TOV!!!