Congratulations Sean and Tara!

For those that may not know, I am Sean’s cousin, Wayan. Sean’s American cousin. And to the many who have asked me this Friday night before his wedding, yes, Sean has American relatives.

In fact, here is a dirty little secret: Sean is half American. I would suggest his better half. Certainly, like me, his better looking half.

See, many, many moons ago, my mother called her sister, Sue, from this far off land called “Australia”. My mom was there with her husband Carlos, having the most fabulous time is a place aptly called “Surfers Paradise” while Sue was stuck in Texas.

My mom and Sue were best friends as well as sisters, and before my Dad swept my mom off on a ten-year walk about, they were party girls together too. I’ve heard the stories about those Tijuana nights, my friends, and we’re not the first generation to get our groove on.

So there was my mom was calling Sue to tell her that Aussie men were hot, plentiful, and easy pickings. Americans with better accents, if you will.

She also told Sue that Australia took American teaching certificates – both my mom and Sue were teachers – so she should come down under, get a job, and enjoy life. Soon an American Stockard came to be an Australian.

A few years later, a young Sean and Wayan met up in a frozen field in Texas. There one wee lad taught another a great man skill – how to pee your name in the snow. Years later, we met again, and one boy taught another how drive on the right side of the road.

And until recently, we traded the “StudCuz” mantle back and forth in our single man’s drive to get a leg up. Then I up and got married. Twice. Now Sean here is yet again learning from me. Like I, he found a smart, gorgeous woman with really poor taste in men, and held on tight.

Sean, my congratulations, you’ve done well. Tara, good luck with him. May you now teach him like my wife teaches me, every day, that we are the luckiest guys in the world.

Let us drink this toast to luck, to love, to having more of both for Sean, Tara, and all of us, for life.