Shep Fargotstein's speech at Margaret"s 50th b-day party at Jims Place 06/21/2011

I want to thank everyone for coming today to celebrate Margaret’s 50^th b-day. Margaret is a lucky woman to have so many good friends.

I’m going to be as brief as I can be – but as many of you may suspect, I find this opportunity to address all of Margaret’s friends’ simply irresistible…….

Of course, I am going to get around to professing my undying love for Margaret …….as any man with half a brain would do…. if he were in front of so many of her friends.

But I think it is important to roll back the clock 37 years to 1974 when Margaret and I first met. Margaret was 13 years old, I was 20, and she was dating my little brother Bill. Margaret was dropped off at my parent’s house at 6pm to get a ride with Bill to go to his Bar Mitzvah party. Margaret rang the doorbell. I jumped out of the shower, wrapped a towel around my waist, and answered the door dripping wet.

Keep in mind I don’t remember ANY of this story, but later Margaret told me I looked like a Jewish Fabio.(Haaa) Margaret was 13 years old, undeveloped, and absolutely of no interest to me at the time. BUT, this obviously left a lasting impression on her. I guess it was the first time she has been flashed.

Margaret was the only adolescent that I ever flashed in my life. Had I known flashing little girls was so effective, I might have ended up in jail. (Haaa)

You have to give Margaret credit, she is tenacious, and she gets what she wants..even if it takes decades (haaa)

Fast forward 25 years later to 1999. I have been divorced for 13 years. Margaret was newly divorced. Leslie (Bill’s wife), my sister-in-law, unbeknownst to me was playing matchmaker and invited Margaret and I separately to their house for Sukkus.

I remember that evening as if it were yesterday. As Leslie and Bill introduced us, Margaret walked across the room, we shook hands, and she gave me that Margaret smile.

I remember saying to myself “She’s a good looking Jewish woman – bad hair and too thin, but she has lots of POTENTIAL.”

Margaret……I am pleased to announce that you now have great hair, you’re not too thin (Haaaa), and even though you get better and better every year like a fine wine, you still haven’t reached your potential. (laugh?)

I now have to confess to you the real reason why I was attracted to you….it was your beautiful smile.(Ahhhh)

Margaret, I was going to read the 2 page letter that my father wrote in 1970 to one of my sister’s question “What is Love?”. But it was too wordy, and it wouldn’t have been “MY WORDS”.

It hasn’t been easy blending our families, but looking back, there is nothing in my life - that was worthwhile - that wasn’t difficult on some level. Marrying you was the best decision I ever made in my entire life.

You are a great friend.

You make me laugh. (I love your perverted sense of humor)

You are a great cook.

You’re a sexy, beautiful woman

And, of course, I love you.