First of all, for those of you that know me, know that when I have something to say, I say it and I say a lot of it. But there was one time that I wanted to say lots and could not find the words... I was speechless... and this was on the day of my wedding... Secondly, if we had planned this better, we could have had the whole symposium attendees attend our wedding. That really would have been something. But it was so great to see everyone again, and meet new ferret folk that my mind left marriage mode and concentrated on the conference instead. Know that even though everyone did not attend the wedding, that each and every one of you were with us when we got married. How often does one get surrounded with people who love and appreciate ferrets as much as this group did?! In all reality, I think that it was the love in the air from everyone and their genuine concern for ferrets that finally convinced both James and I that there wasn't a better time to get hitched. Special thanks goes to the group at the symposium who sold unknowingly sold us our perfect wedding rings... silver ferret bands. Who knew just how perfect everything would work out. These rings are the truest form of representation that we could have ever asked or hoped for. Not only do they represent our love of each other and the love of ferrets, but they also represent the dedication James and I have shown each other, as well as our on going dedication to ferrets everywhere. They are simply beautiful. You haven't met real ferret people until you want to get married, and married at the drop of a ferret doodle. It was funny to see those looks of skepticism turn to looks of surprise and then complete utter joy and happiness at the realization that a weasely wedding was indeed going to take place. I have never seen such cooperation in getting things so quickly together. True organizers the whole lot of them! Within a half hour of James and I finalizing our decision to get married, we were on our way to the court house to get the license. These guys were truly amazing in getting things together! To those that shared our special day... I cannot thank you enough. You really do not know how much you guys mean to me and to James! Lisa... it was so great to see you again, and this time with your hubby Tom in tow. What a great guy and what can I say... we were both happy that the two of you could share this moment with us! Thank you for doing all the arrangements... You are indeed the wedding queen! All I remember is being in a daze, and that was without booze! And in true ferret form, thank you for blessing us with the gift of spontaneity and impishness. Our ferrets are still war dancing over it. Tom... it was truly great to meet you! You're a pretty cool guy. The week was not long enough to really get to know you, but at least we were given a sample of more to come. Thank you so much for participating in our marriage. And thanks for making that last minute "alteration" of the you-know-what to the you-know-who. I hope the you-know-who won't think all Canadians do this type of thing! Wink, wink. Thank you for blessing us with the gift of cool headedness, and your ease of integration within our group. Our ferrets are truly proud! Linda... Your "wedding cake" was marvelous! We want to know where we can get more! I had to save a couple of pieces to wrap but it was hard to resist not eating them! And thank you for honoring us with the presence of Ferret. Ferret made a wonderful ring bearer and we were so thrilled that Ferret attended his (her?) first wedding. Thank you for blessing us with your gifts of quick thinking and ingenuity. Our ferrets applaud you. Bill... Thanks for the warm up ceremony Trekkie style - complete with rank insignia. It was an honour to have the FML moderator at our ceremony. (Betcha you feel bad that I didn't get that FML T-shirt I was bidding on at the conference now, eh!) James is asking about the location of those "special cards" you gave us at the wedding... Bob! Tom! Check your pockets! Thank you for blessing us with the gift of humor and wit, for when one has ferrets, these are absolute necessities to get one through to the next day! Helen... I guess height had its advantages when catching the bouquet, although I understand later that both Linda and Lisa ran the other way once the bouquet was thrown! It seems that there is this rule that once married, you can't participate in getting hitched again! You caught my only blue parasol... there's a sign in there somewhere! Those chocolates you gave us are heavenly... I'm not sure how long they'll last but it looks like we have to share them with the ferrets. They will not leave us alone while we have them! Thank you for blessing us with the gift of naughtiness. I think I know where those missing cards went... Bob... James could not have been more honored than to have you stand up for him at our wedding and the same goes for me too. Your presence there gave our ceremony a special blessing, one I could never truly express in just words alone. And in true ferret form, you showed us that, even though older ferrets become exclusionists, that those that are young at heart, are still social. You are a part of our sibling group now and we will recognize you as such always. In fact, you all are a part of our sibling group from this day forward. My toast to you is this: May the winds always carry the seeds of joy and happiness where ever they may blow, May the rains always carry the water, and give the seeds the nutrients to grow, May the soil always be rich with the essentials of life and give the seed a warm bed, May the sun shed its light daily, and the moon shed nightly and give rest to each head. May thunder be only a sign of the life-giving waters to come. May storms be only a sign of the calm to follow. This we share with you, now and forever, with the blessing of our fuzzy kidlins: Akela, Charlie, Cherokee, Gadget, Lace, Mr. B, Mushu, Ping, Rayden, Sammy, Sateeva, Slim, Spaz, Thalia, Uh-Oh!, and Zsa-Zsa. Missing Bella... and the fur-angels: Chook, Dolly, Gizmo, Bear, Tinder, Taero, Rocko, Tasha, Tinder, Titch, Vincent, Hobbes, Midge, Max, Squeegie, Jingles, and Smudge. love and hugs betty and james and their blur o'fur for the love of ferrets PS: I honor of this special occasion, we would like to make this special request: In lieu of wedding presents (because I know you are all dying to send us lots and lots of them!) we ask that you make a donation to your local ferret shelter, or to the ADV research fund, or to another worthy ferret cause. This would make us happiest of all and be the best present anyone could give us. Drop us a line and let us know where you donated when they are all collected, I'll post them as our list of "wedding gifts". If you would like your name posted, or listed anonymously, let me know. I look forward to hearing from you all! [Posted in FML issue 3687]