“... I first met Chris on August 11, 2013 at the Rogers Cup in Toronto. He came with Karolina and we met at the gate. He greeted me by saying “Hello Mr. Gnat”. I remember it very vividly; I did not expect this kind of introduction and I was very pleasantly surprised. Having been around young people for many years I was expecting a more juvenile greeting - something more along the lines of, “What’s up Ziggy” - but this didn’t happen. His excellent upbringing was evident from the start. A great shout out to Wanda and Laurie for raising such a fine, respectful, down to earth person. What I also noticed right away was his passion for... “Birkenstocks”. Chris doesn’t simply wear them. He develops a relationship with them - a long lasting relationship. He appreciates them to the point that throwing them out is not an option. He will enjoy wearing them till there is not much left from the sole and his feet are scratching the pavement. Walking with Birkenstocks in winter in – 20 degree temperature is also nothing out of the ordinary for Chris. Birkenstocks are like friends; you don’t dispose of them when you don’t need them.” A couple paragraphs from my dads speech at our wedding, which was, to be honest, one of the best memories of my life. Hearing this notoriously stoic Eastern European man speak with so much love and tenderness absolutely stole my heart. I laughed, I cried and I was touched beyond belief. I’ll save the sappy parts for another day, maybe, but this light hearted roast was absolutely delightful 😈 and that last line is quite profound when I reread it, don’t you agree? There was so much love and joy and happiness on this day, I can hardly believe it all really happened 🥹🤍