The Dynamic Duo

Okay, I promised you a copy of the speech I worked on for approximately 58 hours and delivered to many tears, mostly mine, at the Ultras Wedding. UltraBob mentioned that he had to listen to it twice as he heard my English, and the translators Tomoko-translated Japanese. It seems she did a smashing job, or perhaps even improved it, cause the Japanese speakers seemed to like it too.
UltraBob claims that the only reason he teared up was because I said he was absent minded. But he soon forgot all about it.
And now a little document I like to call:

UltraMom’s Speech at Bob and Tomoko’s Wedding

I have traveled across an ocean to take part in this joyous celebration: the union between Bob and his beloved Tomoko.
Bob is my son, but both of them call me Mom, which is a great source of joy to me.
Bob had been going to college in Boise, Idaho for a few years when one day he called and told us he had met someone special. Of course, that someone was Tomoko, and Bob was eager for us to get together.
I was apprehensive about meeting Tomoko for the first time. Would we like each other?
Was she the right person for my much-loved son? I need not have worried.
I liked Tomoko from the first, and felt an immediate connection. She fit right into our family, and was a very good sport about trying new things, such as horseback riding and shooting rifles. It was clear that Tomoko had been raised in a loving family with the same good values we had tried to instill in our children. Several years ago, we were fortune enough to meet Tomoko’s father, Motoji in person, when he accompanied Bob and Tomoko on a trip back to the United States. We found him to be charming, easy-going and interested in everything. I am very happy to at last have the chance to meet Tomoko’s mother, Yuri, as well as the rest of the family.
One Thanksgiving Bob and Tomoko were visiting us. Tomoko was excited to have a traditional American Thanksgiving dinner, and took a large spoonful of cranberries, a tart-sweet American fruit always served with Thanksgiving turkey. From the face she made, it was very clear that cranberries were NOT to her liking, something we still tease her about. The next day, we decided to have a Japanese Thanksgiving and Tomoko made us some delicious Miso Soup and a Curried Beef with Rice.
Tomoko is smart, funny, artistic, and plays the piano like a dream. One time I jokingly asked Bob: What does she see in you?

What could this talented, beautiful girl see in my Bob?
Who started out “blue”?
Whose favorite book is still “Jim Jump?”
Who gets weak-kneed at the thought of nerds or candy corn?
Who puts things off and has a tendency to play video games when he should be working?
Who is a little messy, a little impatient, and more than a little absent minded?

I guess, like me, she sees the man
Who is caring and generous and delights in delighting those he loves
Who makes me laugh with his gentle teasing and crazy, off the wall sense of humor
Who is passionate about what he believes and indignant at perceived injustice
Who is intelligent and capable enough to run a successful business in a highly competitive field
Who is handsome and sweet and sentimental
Who is making his home in a land half a world away from where he started to be with her
Who makes his parents proud beyond belief

And, most importantly, who loves Tomoko with every fiber of his being, and wants to create a lifetime and a legacy with her, melding the qualities of farm boy from Idaho with city girl from Japan into a whole that is somehow better than the sum of their parts.

It is my prayer that, with God’s blessing, this love and this union will continue to perfect, grow and mature. Bob and Tomoko, I could not be happier or more proud to have you, BOTH of you, call me Mom. Dad and I love you very much.