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Warmly,

John

BIG IDEA coaching & consulting
m. 857.891.1229  |  t. johndroberts  |  www.bigidea.cc

I'd like to thank...

It's not Academy Awards night, but we would not have looked as happy or rested as we did on our wedding day if not for a number of people who volunteered or willingly said yes when we asked for help. Most of them were busy behind the scenes. We couldn't have done this by ourselves. We certainly didn't.

The local team...

Marty and Lauren (thats "luh-RINN") Launer welcomed the intrusion of the wedding tent on their back forty, adjacent to the Danielson back forty. Then they volunteered their expansive side yard as a parking lot. And could not have been more generous throughout the crazy week before the event. According to TWIL, Marty gave her some crucial marriage advice. I owe you a beer, Marty! Thank you.

Wendy and Rob Roemer once offered to do anything we needed. And we took them up on it. They scouted babysitters, ran errands, found a P.A. system that was perfect (Rob: "wink, wink"), and even picked up one half of the day-after brunch at Wegman's for us. On top of that, they have their own child to take care of (not just us) and Rob fell ill on September 1. But nothing deterred them. Thank you.

Mike Ferro and Alan Betz, my brothers in law, brought a tent that the caterers would use to prepare the reception dinner. With little help, they set it up Wednesday before the wedding, saving us real cash. And after the brunch on Sunday, Mike's entire family - Ellen, Margot, Mike, Vincent, and Sam - took the tent down and left us free to mingle with guests. Thank you, Mike, my favorite Type B, for working so well with this Type A. Thanks, Alan, for spending your Wednesday off working with us.

Arlene Wright, Laurelyn's godmother (third from left), gave us great advice when we needed it and directed us to caterers and florists to interview early on. She pitched in to help arrange flowers, which was a gathering of skilled friends and family. Thanks for all your help Arlene, and thanks for your enthusiasm for the wedding preparations throughout.

Thanks too to Derek Vanderlinde for suggesting golf courses to which some folks almost made it. And thanks for one of the most memorable quotes of the wedding day: "John, you've convinced me. You've proved that what you did today - to say in your own words how you feel about the woman you love - is something I'll never do if I marry again. It was beautiful, but oh, boy."

Diana (Danielson), Laurelyn's sister (second from left with Arlene above), lent a hand throughout the weekend. She helped arrange flowers, transport Sunday brunch, and then bussed tables for brunchers when they headed home. Thanks, Diana, for saying yes when we needed help and pitching in above and beyond our requests.

Peggy Lynn, a singer, songwriter, and ur-friend from Auburn New York volunteered to sing at our wedding. She helped us select "Give Yourself to Love," singing it to us over speakerphone. It was her first suggestion and it was perfect. Peggy, your presence deepened the reverence of our wedding. Thank you for your generosity. For the rest of you, click on Peggy's name to learn more about her CDs, writing, and in-school programs.

Dave Coleman (with Peggy, above), who Peggy and I met when we were 16 and who's been a friend since, allowed me to take apart his (crazy powerful, high end) stereo and carry it to Rochester so that we could dance. Thanks for convincing me that we needed back up amplifiers. The last thing I imagined is that my system would fail. But then, I don't think like an engineer and you do. Thanks again.


Karen (Betz, nee Roberts) - a wiz at needlework (who knew?) - insisted on repairing the broken strap of the wedding dress on Sunday morning so that TWIL didn't have to have the repair made when she returned to Boston. Thanks for helping and for your part in the "stoned" toast.

The nationwide team...

Carlie (Danielson) took charge of the Sunday brunch for us, which amounts to volunteering to run a small restaurant for a half day, so that we didn't have to. It was beautifully set up and smooth running. Thanks again, Carlie for applying both taste and project management skills. And thanks for all the photos of the wedding.

Carlie began working on a PSI malaria education and prevention program in Myanmar in September. Word is she's safe despite the crackdown on monks and citizens protesting in the capital Yangon. And she's thrilled to witness history in the making. She encourages everyone to support U.S. and multinational opposition to the governing junta, which has repressed and impoverished the nation since it violently took over in 1988.

Chris Danielson arrived early in the week before the wedding and took orders from me, TWIL, and, well, others. Which isn't easy, but meant a lot of tasks that make the place beautiful were done well: from lawn mowing, to figuring out how to hang the strings of lights, to cuing he ceremony music, and keeping the tunes spinning during the reception. Thanks Chris. Thanks too to Jessica (Franco) who braved my perfectionist's judgment and hung the wishes that were the backdrop. You've seen the photos. Beautiful. Thanks, Jess.

Kevin Peagram, who's good company anytime, as many of you discovered if I read the photos correctly, hung around until late on Sunday afternoon helping us lower and disassemble the strings of lights and pack the paper lanterns, which are now on their way to another wedding taking place this month. Thanks, Kevin.

Finally, thanks to Eric and Gloria (right) and Edi and Candace, who ferried cars full of stuff back to Boston for us. It took us four months and five trips to stockpile for the wedding and we would never have made a dent in putting our lives back together without your help.

Snorkeling - 1

On Moorea, we snorkeled in cool-running current between two motu (tiny coral islands) where were saw a dozen kinds of coral and still more fish. This is the Turbinaria coral, as best I can determine.


On Bora Bora, we swam with sting rays as part of an outing that included swimming with sharks. First, the rays. Everyone asks about that guy, Steve Irwin, who was killed while swimming with sting rays (click on his name for an account of his death). The cardiologist we rode a shuttle boat with said that the man's mistake was removing the stinger, which against all odds had pierced Irwin's heart. We agreed that we would resist the urge to remove any stingers from our stabbed hearts, should it come to that.


In fact, the rays are accustomed to being fed and surrounded us like eager goats looking for clover. But they were so large (2 - 3 feet across) and so soft and graceful that the entire party of gawkers giggled uncontrollably the closer they came. There are three rays found in the Polynesian islands: eagle or spotted, sting, and manta. We saw the spotted ray from a distance, but were disappointed about not seeing the manta ray.

Sightings

Yes, we're back. About two weeks now and TWIL has not written because she's been working long hours. I have not written because I've been fixing plumbing and managing the blues with quantities of ice cream. While it makes me happy to think back on the wedding and the honeymoon, it's over. Sigh.

We're leaving behind days of elation. See?


There you all were. Pretty and intent and full of congratulations and hors d'oeuvres. And there we were. Breaking our faces with smiles.


And paradise. Lost.


I know, I know. Not lost, but certainly far behind us in Bora Bora. But before you complain that I'm whining - we're grateful beyond words - thanks for being a part of it all. As I said to anyone who didn't have time or opportunity to hear a longer version, I'm having the time of my life. Now that we're married, I'll speak for Mrs. Roberts, too. She agrees.

Watch for more of the honeymoon adventure.

And back again, sigh

More on this to come.

How Many Days Left???!!!!!

Take a look at the countdown timer above and you'll see the reason for the exclamation points. In fact, we're good. We're set. I'm pulling out hair in clumps, but it's a good look on me.

Last weekend we visited Rochester for final meetings, discussions, and generally buying up everything that wasn't nailed down. Here are some highlights.



I don't understand what went wrong when we visited the Little Bakery. We discussed the cake, the decorations, the delivery time, and then, no samples. See if I ever get married again.



Chi Wah! Her hair styling kung fu is very strong! Don't believe me?



To be fair, that's Ashley behind TWIL. Right before Chi Wah, her boss, gave her a prolonged, impromptu lesson. I missed most of it. I was "buying beer" for the "wedding reception." Wink, wink.

And then, what about the shower that Laurelyn's colleagues hosted for her? Here are some pictures up to the time before the stripper arrived.

Wishes for the Ceremony

When you get the most important people in your life together, the place is full of good wishes.

We are making that idea tangible in our ceremony, but we want to ask you to participate, too, if you’d like. At the wedding, we’re going to stand before a backdrop made up of small flags strung between trees. We’d like to have your wishes written on them.

Some of you have already written one or two of these.

We borrowed the idea from the Buddhist tradition of printing prayers on flags. When the wind stirs, according to the Buddhists, the wind prays the prayers. At our wedding, your wishes will wash over us as the breeze passes our flags.

We’ll also ask some of you to invoke those wishes for us during the ceremony. They’re emblematic of the way you - the community of people that loves us - uphold us with hope and friendship.

For those of you who grew up in Episcopal churches, you may also recognize a similarity between the wishes of the community and the multiple blessings pronounced as the penultimate step of holy day liturgies. This moment always stirred me. It culminates the ceremony and points the way to tomorrow. It calls on God to act, and on worshipers to appropriate the mystery they've participated in. And because the words are crafted to rise like a musical crescendo, the moment of stillness after the last blessing rings with hopefulness. That's why I wanted to emulate that moment in our ceremony.

If you choose to write a wish for our wedding backdrop...

You can email us your wishes and we’ll transcribe them.

Or,

If you’re attending the rehearsal dinner, we will have paper and pens there for you to write your wish.

Or,

If you arrive early at the ceremony, you will have an opportunity to write a wish for us there. Of course, we’ll need a little time to hang them up. (Latecomers' wishes may not all be hung on the backdrop. This is purely a practical matter, you understand, given the limits of time and space.)

We want to give everyone the opportunity to write a wish, but this is request and an offer, not requirement. We just don’t want you to be left out.