Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Sophie, and dear Fred,
Honestly, we have been waiting for quite some time, longing for the pleasure of telling everything about Fred on his wedding day… ^^
All those threats, this wedding speech blackmail, in vain… Here we are, at last !
Frédéric is our younger and elder brother. On the blessed day of his birth, he came around… 4 days late ! (can you believe it? 🙂
The fairies, who also waited for so long, leaned over his cradle and endowed him with so many qualities…
that at the end of the day they thought they’d better not overdo it, and decided that he would be bestowed …with opening and closing time, non negotiable !
O Frédéric, our brother, you “wear so many hats” that telling about you would take up the whole evening!
Let’s try anyway…
You were born in May 1966, in the midst of the “glorious 30” and to the sound of the “yéyé” singers a little boy much awaited by your father, slightly nostalgic of the Salic law as well as by your mother, who wanted to be the first of her cousins to give you the christian name of an illustrious ancestor.
What a delightful surprise you were ! A beautiful curly-haired boy,
Game even, good job indeed, our parents felt so blessed!
From your grandfather on your mother side, of whom you are a spitting image,
you inherited a smooth and tempered character,
and from the Vedrines family, you got… (I know what you expect, but no, he’s not always late…) you got your cheerfulness and, let’s say it, some PANACHE.
And your panache was ever so tangible.
When, as a child, you wanted your future job to be ZORRO.
When you were a fire eater on Zucchero music,
When you were rowing on the river Seine, with your team or even solo
When in the army you wrapped yourself in a survival blanket and your brothers in arms called you MI-CHO-KO
When you were proudly obtaining your driver’s license for trucks and trailers to the point that one summer you just went for it and turned into a genuine delivery driver.
When you broke down not one, but two of Daddy’s Citroën 2CV (maybe a bit too straight on the roundabouts…?)
When you were skiing in a racing pilot’s suit with a SHELL logo.
When your were portrayed in the national magazine FIGARO
When you rode through the landscapes in French Charentes or Irish Connemara on your bike
Or when in all situations you always find funny puns.
Yes, Frédéric the Maverick knows how to free himself from the standards and follows his own lead, with his very own style.
Let’s mention the “Prince of Wales” double-breasted suit that he wore over and over for more than 15 years, probably waiting (hoping ?) for it to come back into fashion…? Still waiting BTW…
Anyways, he was damn good-looking, our bro!
Was it following the regular moves of your dear family that turned you to be always on the move?
Frédéric from Dax, from Orléans, from Lille, from Marly, from Rouen, from Tours, from Charentes, from Montflanquin, from Les Portes en Ré of course but also from Paris.
Then in 1993, Frédéric graduated in Engineering, with a specialty we didn’t understand much of
Old France suddenly seemed way too small…
Then a funny looking guy with binoculars, bearing a name meaning “doors” recruited him to open some kind of “windows” in Ireland…
Here he goes, Frédéric from Dublin…
Over there it was another kind of wild wild west… The roommates were nice, the beer was cool, the irish were welcoming, but his biking around soon came to an end, and he crossed the water to try something new.
To be Frederic from Seattle (how do you say it? Seattler? …) Seattleois ? Seattlain ? Seattler ?
Where on the Microsoft campus, he was nicknamed “Preppy”, as he dared to wear shirts with a collar. French touch oblige.
Not caring much for locations, Frédéric nonetheless cares for people, takes roots where he lands never allowing the distance to loosen the connections he made. Our assembly gathered here today bears witness of that.
While preserving his Gallic culture, Fred became in our eyes the most Yankee of the French, our Uncle Fred of America, who comes back every summer to tell us of his life from 12,000 km away Each of his stays brought unforgettable anecdotes, firstly because his suitcase got lost most of the times but also because he always cared to come and share the most important moments of our lives.
He is Frédéric the FAITHFUL
Over time, he became the most French of the Yankees. So much so that we, his family, also boarded a plane to taste a bit of his American dream. And we understood why he felt so well there.
A few years later came the end of a cycle, the sirens from France calling him back. Everyone was 20 years older, but never mind that!
His feminine ideal takes the shape of a girl who must be… a non-smoker, pretty, athletic, with a broad culture, kind, funny, open-minded a non-smoker, not from Paris, with an international profile and again, NOT a smoker.
OK Fred, but girls like that are pretty thin on the ground, you know…
Never mind that, he carries on, trusting, and, still during opening hours only, keeps his wittiness. For on top of being an engineer, he holds also a PhD in spoonerism, is an active member of the French Federation of Puns, and the Great Master of Quips.
We’re not sure yet which part of his brain is so well irrigated that it allows him to seize in a split second the word or short sentence that hits the spot. However, in another life, he likes to picture himself as a writer.
You mean a poet! When he crossed the oceans, driven by the wind, he looked just like Frédéric Mistral (a famous XIXth century French poet)…
Now let’s talk about the ocean, and his boat delivery crews. The last time he went off on a boat, Frédéric prepared himself, as usual, to face the elements, just like an undaunted privateer.
But that very crossing would indeed be different than the previous ones. While sailing and journeying, the mood changed on board. Sophie made her entrance…
She was a non-smoker, she was pretty, athletic, with a broad culture, kind, funny, open-minded, not a smoker, not from Paris, half italian… And also, again, NOT a smoker
OMG she does exist! It’s Sophie! You seduced her with your finest hat and…
Well on top of all those remarkable qualities, that chick Sophie is brave enough!
Behind your wacky look, she knew how to detect the golden nugget, well done Sophie!
We knew for a fact that Fred was an enthusiast for philo-Sophie (how fitting). We are so glad Sophie, that your philo-Fredy drove you to him… And to us!
From now on, you will be his idyll, his muse, his grace. Together, the both of you will find the rich rhyme, play perfectly in tune, beat the right rhythm, allegro super troppo! And in this mad adventure, we wish you lots of happiness.
Finally, we would like to pay tribute to our poet brother, try to rhyme things up a bit…
Rhymes like what ? “IC” ?
Why not…
OK, don’t you think that such a rich personality would deserve… a little song?
Yes ! … So then… …musIC!
On “L’Amérique” tune by Joe Dassin
Dear Sophie, Now it’s fully signed
We can tell everything, We won’t keep anything from you
You have to know now That you are married
To Fréderic (…Frédéric)
He’s generous and faithfull to family and friends
Always available to give a hand
Repairing, home staging, gardening
Don’t panic, He’s on it
But Frédéric, Frédéric
Isn’t a night person, have you noticed ?
Mechanics… IT…
He can do everything only during the day
Trains can whistle, Boats can horn,
Nothing can wake Fredo up when he’s asleep
Narcoleptic…
Alarms ring every now and then
To remind him of his calendar
Every task he organizes
With practical sense “Fredmatic”
He does not take himself too seriously
Looks at the World as a great playground
Engineer, Truck driver, fire eater…
Poetic… Eclectic…
Frédéric (Frédéric)
Will take you sailing one day…
Atlantic… Pacific…
He will tell stories of his glorious days…
You will laugh at his non stopping puns
Since he met you he’s been billing and cooing like a teenager
Romantic
Double clic… Gastronomic…
You will love his yummy recipes…
Pilot’s suit on the slopes…
He will slide downhill in his gangly style…
Unique… Very chic…
In his prince de Galles old fashioned suit …
Yes Frédéric, (Frédéric)
Has so many more hidden talents…