Descendants of Champ and Other Wackos: You Come, Too, You Dumbass

Without a doubt, last Saturday, August 16th, Kali and Jen made the most beautiful wedding of the year and, with apologies to my husband and the rest of my married kin, the most beautiful wedding of any descendant of Champ. I knew I was in trouble when we approached the location and the sign with an arrow that said, "Jen and Kali" made me tear up. And that was just the beginning of the weeping. Eh, we're Stoddards, we're emotional.
Here are the beautiful bride and groom.

Aside from the obvious joy of witnessing Kali and Jen commit to each other and our families and friends celebrating their love, two other highlights for me included my dad's toast and Nellie's poem.
My dad makes a toast at every family wedding, but it didn't really occur to me that he would toast Kali and Jen. So as the best man and maid of honor make their toasts, I see my dad standing by with a piece of paper and whisper to my mom, a bit apprehensively, "Is Dad going to speak?" She said, "yeah, but it's okay, he ran it by me first." Phew. Dad gave the following toast, transcribed here, which moved me to tears (again). That old man of mine has a way of getting to the heart of things.

Hello, everybody! For those of you who may have been wondering, “Who’s the fool in the white coat & the hat?”: I’m Kali’s Uncle David – I understand Jen also has an Uncle David – & I’ve been doing this sort of thing at Stoddard family weddings for many years now. In fact, I bought the coat for the wedding of Kali’s mom & dad. When I was thinking about Kali & Jen getting married, I flashed back to one particular email that I got from Sally several years ago. Sally had just made a comment to Kali to the effect that she understood how it was difficult for him to love one particular family member at that particular time, due to that person’s behavior (you know – times like that happen in every family) and quoting now from Sally's actual email, He was in his room getting dressed, and so he called out to me, "that isn't true; family love is unconditional, dumb ass"! Then he giggled and said, "I just called you 'dumb ass'." So, everything is cool in our home, I love you all, and am so proud – and lucky – to be a dumb ass in the middle of this unconditional family. Love Sal So Jen: Insofar as I have any right to do so, I would like at this time to formally welcome you – and your family – into this Society of Dumb Asses known as the Stoddard Tribe, and to offer up a toast: to Unconditional Love!

My two dads and Harper.

Here are my beautiful cousins, Jordan and Kayla...

And Shani and Henekis (groomsmen!)...

Grammie and Kali...

Nellie read this Robert Frost poem (we're New Englanders, yes!) she chose to Kali and Jen privately, after the ceremony. It's really the perfect love poem.

THE PASTURE
I’m going out to clean the pasture spring;
I’ll only stop to rake the leaves away
(And wait to watch the water clear, I may):
I sha’n’t be gone long.—You come too.

I’m going out to fetch the little calf
That’s standing by the mother. It’s so young,
It totters when she licks it with her tongue.
I sha’n’t be gone long.—You come too.

I really laughed hard at Netdahe when I arrived and found him dressed like this. But then he spoke so eloquently and wisely during the ceremony.