J and K's big day - Here's the best man toast:

Obviously, a big part of Jesse and Kyla's relationship is language - the technique and exploration of a foreign tongue, so to speak. They’re both so impressive. Jesse’s language skills are what I admire most him – his dedication, almost obsession.

Before he left for China, we were living here, and I'd hear him in the kitchen, repeating words over and over, to try and get the tones just right. He had a stack of flash cards as tall as eight takeout boxes, always practicing.

So for this toast, I was wondering when Jesse developed this passion. What would make him spend hours to get the words right? Where did this desire for mastering a languages come from? I'm pretty confident it began on Dis on Desse Day.

Today is not Dis on Desse Day. In fact, today is probably the furthest away Jesse has ever been from Dis on Desse Day. It was the height of his frustration experienced with the worst possible cast: mom, dad, me, and his best friend Joel Ford.

It was April, and Jesse was around 16. We were returning to Wayland after a weeklong stay in Florida with our grandma. In the evening, after driving all day in a cramped mini-van packed with luggage and damp towels, we finally stopped for dinner.

We were all tired and grumpy. Vacation was over. Anyone who's spent time with Jesse between meals knows he was at his crankiest. And, as any younger brother can tell you, this is the prime time to really lay it on. I can't remember exactly what mom, dad, Joel, and I were harping on, but Jesse was fed up. Just really ripping at him. Maybe being too far south of the Mason-Dixon was giving him a strange accent. Maybe the road trip snacks of munchos and slim-jims had nestled in the anterior cortex of his brain. Who knows. We'd barely been seated at the table when Jesse snapped.

"What is this, 'Dis on Desse Day'?"

And instantly, yes, it was. Jesse bolted out of the restaurant almost in tears, choking with frustration, and we were just laughing, almost choking as well. Looking back on it now, I'm thinking this is exactly the sort of mental scarring that would give Jesse that extra eagerness to learn another language and get the hell away from us.

Now, I'm not sure how to say Dis on Desse in chinese, but the reason I tell this story is because in Kyla, Jesse has found another person that fits in our family and knows how to give him a hard time. But Kyla also brings something new to our family, which I noticed the last time my parents and I were in Beijing. Jesse and Kyla were seeing off mom, dad, and me the Beijing airport. And of course, mom was very emotional, and started crying, thinking she's losing her baby boy and she's never going to see him again. Now, Jesse, Dad, and I - the males - have a sort Farm Animal Reaction to these distress signals from mom. We stand there, staring blankly, knowing something is quite right, but thinking more about what we’re going to eat next.

But Kyla acted differently. She saw mom was really torn up, and Kyla went right in for a hug. She told her, "I'll take care of your son," and "Everything is going to be Okay." Kyla was so maternal and loving, and so different from our male response to mom. From then on I felt as if she was already part of our family.

Now Kyla is part of our family, So I'd like to toast: to Jesse and Kyla, for finding each other through whatever language, may you have a long happy marriage.