Marie's Wedding

This past Saturday my younger daughter Marie was married in San Diego. She arranged a wonderful service in a traditional California mission style Catholic Church. We had a great reunion of family members and friends and a chance to catch up on their goings on around the country. For instance, on Sunday we had a birthday for a cousin's two-year-old, the Natoli clan toured and had lunch in Little Italy, and other cousins arrived from Ohio just in time after having to fly standby. For our first daughter Jeanette it was an opportunity to help and take care of her little sister one last time, in this instance as maid of honor. For my wife and me it was one of the happiest and proudest days of our lives.

Marie cried practically the whole way as I led her down the aisle. She has never looked more beautiful and radiant as when she and Robert held hands at the altar. They are so much in love. To me as her father it is very gratifying he is a young man with such evident good character, work habits and ambition. He also let me beat him on the golf course, demonstrating he is quite the diplomat as well.

The reception featured excellent food and a great selection of danceable tunes from the 40's through the 70's. You should have seen my wife Joan on the dance floor! Robert's brother Richard gave the finest best man wedding toasts I have ever heard. Jeanette gave a fine one too, focusing on how Marie and Robert can let their hair down with humor and just be silly, and how much fun they are to be around.

This is obviously a profound passage in the young couple's lives, and also for us as parents as well. That relationship will never be exactly the same, and that is just how it is intended to be.

The new Mr. and Mrs. are now honeymooning in Kauai.