My final speech, a commemorative speech, for public speaking. The text was not on the slides. That is my speech which I timed with each slide.

2. 15 years ago when we were married, we did not exchange vows. Partly for our fear of public speaking,
partly because we got married underwater, but mostly because we did not want to take anything for granted.

3. At that time, our story had been 15 years in the making but I am sure our parents,

4. as much as they love and support us, much like our friends had their doubts about our decision to marry just six
months after having spent 13 years apart.

5. After all, we were no longer the kids we were when we first fell in love. But then again, who am I to not want a
celebration with cake?

6. On the days before our wedding I heard so much advice, and they all seemed to
want to tell me that soul mates don’t exist.

7. I got advice on how not to lose you. How to keep you interested. How to keep you happy.

8. What to do when falling out of love and what to do to fall back in love.

9. I am here today, 15 years since we married to speak publicly and humbly of
our love, and to celebrate our life together so far with gratefulness.

10. Grateful because I’ve never known a day when I don’t love you. I still feel
like that shy teenage girl around you.

11. I still giggle when you look at me too long. I still think you are the handsomest man I’ve
ever seen.

12. and I am so grateful that you have loved me back unconditionally all these years.

13. I love you because for me you’d run a half marathon with no training whatsoever.

14. I love you because for me, you’d bottle feed a
rescued paralyzed kitten. And let him ruin
yourgame scores.

15. I love you because you nursed me
through sickness and when I had
surgery and could not have children,
you said you always wanted just me
anyway.
I love you because you
hand fed our cat when she
was dying of leukemia and
would only eat what you
fed her.

16. I love you because you’re not afraid to
let out your inner child to play

17. I love you because you have always fully supported me through
everything I do.

18. And because, after all these years, you still hold my hand when we walk.

19. My mother had often said that I may not have been the prettiest girl, but I am smart one.
But I know you love me more for the things my mother said no man would appreciate.
You love me because I’d pull over to help a baby turtle cross the road. Or bring a hurt animal home to let it
rest and heal.

20. You’ve told me you love me because I can get so distracted I put my shirt
on backwards and grow attached to the holes in my socks.

21. You’ve told me you love me because I make you laugh. And because I am
probably the only Latina who can’t dance and can only sing out of tune.

22. And when I ask you why you love me, you just say: “Cuz.”

23. When I get that warm fuzzy in my stomach because I am thinking how wonderful every day is with you, and you
look at me looking at you. And I think I am looking at you with all the love I can muster but you ask: “Did you
fart?”

24. Thank you. Thank you for 15 years of playing house, and 30 of being my
soul mate. And every day will be a day well lived as long as you are by
my side.
As a song I like goes: “You are my sun. You make me shine like diamonds.”