I would like to thank all of you for coming here today and sharing this special occasion with Jon and Allie. Jon made it quite clear some time ago, it may have even been back in highschool, that were he ever to get married that he would ask me to be his best man. I have to say that I lived in constant gut-wretching terror of this moment ever since. I couldn't be happier for Jon and Allie today and I am deeply honoured to be his best man but let's face it, the word honour comes with it the word responsibility. Jon is without a doubt my very best friend and I consider my role in today's festivities to be the most important of my life, not to mention the most nerve-wracking, so I can only imagine what's he's been going through.

Jon once told me that he was thinking about studying psychology and I recall commenting that such a tool in his hands would be the equivalent of giving a six-year-old an active grenade. You don't give powerful tools to irresponsible people, and love being the most powerful thing of all I can honestly say that his is a genuine and heartfelt one.

I was fortunate enough to actually be with them when they first met at a coffee shop in Burnaby. From such humble beginnings I can't express how happy I am to see the life they've begun to build together.

This reminds me of something that happened on one of our roadtrips...we were staying at a hotel and Jon was absolutely convinced that the ornate carved wooden headrest folded down into a table. I told him there's no reason anyone would put a table there but he insisted on trying and ended up nearly snapping the damn thing in half. Anyways, we got to talking about some problem I had at the time, I don't recall the details but I remember telling Jon that when I was dealing with it I was trying to imagine what he'd do in my place, that I was following his lead. He looks at me straight in the eye and says, "You're following my lead? I thought this bed was a table!" The point is it was one of those rare opportunities like today where I can express my sincere respect and admiration for Jon not to mention my appreciation for his friendship.

Looking at the happy couple today, broken headrest or no, I hope to be so lucky as to one day follow in his footsteps and find someone as wonderful as Allie. She must have the patience of a saint, an inner fire of independence, and a cool head to put up with the six-year old with a hand grenade that is my best friend.

But in all seriousness, I stand here today thinking about the half dozen or so years I've known Jon and all he has accomplished and I can honestly say without reservation or hesitation that the days ahead will be some of the best. Jon's always the first to remind me that on any journey it's not the destination that's important but the journey itself and as he stands poised at the end of one journey on the threshold of the next, he couldn't have better company - his beautiful wife Allie and all of you here today. So now I would like to ask you all to raise a glass to toast Jon and join me in wishing him and his new bride all the best, all the happiness that life has to offer.