married life live photos and recap

MLL lived up to the hype (in my humble opinion). It was truly a great night. Thank you everyone who stopped me in the hallways today to share your stories, to laugh again at some of the outrageous events that took place, or just to share how special the evening was for you.

I had a blast! Man, I love Married Life Live! And how cool is it that I have a job that allows me to co-host MLL. Lee Ann Miller was funny and charming as usual. My favorite bit had to be the secret word song game we played with the band. And just for the record, yes, it was a set up. The band had the songs ready in advance (what gave it away, the lyrics on the back wall?).

I think the funniest things are the things that happen that are unplanned. Like the guy mistakenly calling himself Melissa. Like the text messaging game when Mike Conn texted "I think you're hot" to me--VERY funny.

The band rocked it out. They kicked off the night with Huey Lewis's "The Power of Love." They also absolutely nailed Tom Petty's "Don't Do Me Like That." They even mixed in some Beatles, Kansas, Lynard Skynard, and Queen during the secret word song game. Too much fun! Mad props to Jeff, Jody, Denielle, Q, and Phebe. Rock on, guys!

Dave Hartman and Carol Miller were outstanding in the four-part comedy sketch as Mary and Harry in "Married and Harried." Great work, guys.

And Kevin West knocked it out of the park again. Kevin, you're the man. Great insight and a great challenge for all of our marriages. By the way, CDs of his talk are available at the NewPointe bookstore.

The food was tremendous...thanks to Jean Vacha and her crew. The servers? Well, they completely served over 400 people in 25 minutes. Where are the Guinness Book people when you need them?

Thanks Dave Mast and the media crew. Outstanding work. Tech crew, a job well done. Stagehands, you guys were money. Hosts, greeters, ticket-takers, decorators...you are all awesome!

It's always dangerous to start thanking people publicly like this because I'm bound to overlook someone. But huge thanks need to go out to several people in particular:

Teresa Raber. She's literally the one who makes MLL happen. If you had any idea how many intricate details are involved in a major event like MLL, you'd be floored. And Teresa's on top of every one of those details. She's simply the best.

Dave and Miriam Beachy. I'm beginning to think they're super-human. They're the most willing, able, humble, hard-working, gracious people I know. They work so hard behind the scenes. MLL could not have happened without them.

Oh, and here's one more: thanks, Paul Rothel, for the great pics!

Well, I hope you and your spouse got in on the fun. If not, don't worry, there's another MLL coming: October 27. Tickets will go on sale in a few weeks. We'll keep you posted.