Best Man Speech

Andy is more than a best man to Lawren. He is LB and I's best friend. He is our family. He knows that if he needed us, we would be there no matter what. No questions asked. We know that he would do the same for us. The three of us text on a daily basis and we all manage to get phone calls in with each other regularly. I love Andy very much and sharing his speech below is one of the more personal things that I have done on this blog because he and Esther (and Katie, Sam, Ashley, Avery, Belle, Peek, Adam, Stacey, Finley, Jackson, Sarah, Madeline ... ok pretty much everyone that was at our wedding) are sacred to me. This blog has been able to catalogue quite a few Andy gems. From being here when I was sworn in, to moving into our house, to all sorts of music conversations, to surprise visits in Austin, to more eating adventures, to hiking adventures. Andy has been with us through it all.

So, here's a Best Man speech from my second favorite guy: Sandy.

 

Good evening everyone. First of all, what a beautiful ceremony (what I forgot to say was what a wonderful job Chris did and that the fake British accent was a great touch but he can drop it now). The bridesmaids all look wonderful and Treana is breathtaking.

I promise to keep this brief because I know you are all anxious to see Lawren hit the dance floor...

For those of you that I have not met, my name is Andy and I met Lawren back in 2002 when he moved to Phoenix. We formed a bond fairly quick over basketball and the understanding of the key ingredients that make for a great rock song.

Traditionally this speech dictates that I share some embarrassing about Lawren, but I did promise to keep this brief and a majority of the content would be deemed inappropriate for our younger guests. Besides it was to difficult to narrow the field to a select few.

Now after spending the past couple of days with Lawren's best friends as he was growing up...there was a recurring theme as we shared stories and that was LOYALTY. You see Lawren is the kind of person you call up to ask a favor and his only questions are "when and where?"

Also, many of you have come to know and appreciate Lawren's sense of humor that was masterfully handed down by Max. His ability to add humor to any situation is remarkable.

Another unique quality is that you always know where you stand with Lawren. That is why I'm honored to be standing right here. Probably his best quality is how wise he has become over the years. Some of you might be snickering but he was wise enough to grab a hold of Treana and hang on for the ride....Smart.

Treana, I adore you and love your sense of adventure and the way you handle Lawren when he is being a tad bit difficult, and of course the eloquent way in which you curse.

You two truly make each other better. I have admired how much you have accomplished since you have been together. A testament to your relationship is all the people who came from all over the country and the world to share this day with you.

On that note, I would like you all to raise a glass and make a toast to two of my best friends...

To Love, Laughter, and Happily Ever After.

Colorado Hiking: Bierstadt Lake

I am taking a break from the dump of wedding pictures to share some Colorado summer loveliness with y'all.  Andy came to Colorado for a good long while before the wedding and it was awesome. The three of us took full advantage of him being here to explore both the food and the mountains. We are and went hiking a LOT. One weekend I did back to back days of hiking and it was one of the best weekends I've had in a long time. On one of my Fridays off, Andy and I had "Andy Treana Day"TM and left LB in Denver working. On this particular A&T Day, we headed up to Rocky Mountain National Park and had a blast on this gorgeous hike. Through the pictures below you can hike right along with us without leaving your office/room/bathroom/what have you. If you read this blog while you are in the bathroom, I suppose that I should be honored?

We went from listening to Radiohead in the car to this view in no time... I love Colorado. IMG_1695 IMG_1714IMG_1701 IMG_1704 IMG_1706 IMG_1708

Really gotta focus to get that shot juuuuuuuuuuuuuuust right. I love Andy.

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The lake. The hike to here was about 1.5 miles... but there were a ton of switchbacks. At 9,000+ feet the elevation can be a tad shocking at first. But this payoff.... amazing.

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This is probably one of my favorite pictures of Andy ever. He just looks so happy. I love that guy... did I already say that?

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I was home sick from work yesterday and realized how empty our house felt without him. It bummed me out, but also made me incredibly grateful that we got that time with him. Having him here really allowed me to relax and take time away from wedding planning and stress. Our wedding wouldn't have been as gorgeous and wonderful as it was without him... and not just because having his handsome face there really upped our game. Love you BUDDY!