Whew! What a whirlwind weekend this has been for the Reparapy team! In case you haven't noticed, we've been MIA for the last several days. We all traveled from Austin to St. Louis to attend the wedding of my nephew Jason to his lovely Carrie.

I have to say that I was very impressed by how calm and collected the bride and the groom were during the entire weekend. No cold feet, no hissy fits, no screaming or hair pulling, no no-shows, and the wedding even started on time! The rehearsal was fun, the dinner sublime, the wedding was lovely and the reception was more fun than I've had in a long, long time!

Jason and Carrie are early 30s and at the top of their careers. Jason is the head wrestling coach for Holt High School and he led his team to two back-to-back state championships. Not really a surprise when you consider he was a state champion wrestler himself and then got a scholarship to wrestle for the University of Missouri. Carrie is basically the other half of Jason...she is an athletic trainer who makes sure the athletes are in top condition to withstand high levels of competition. She works at the college level for both women and men's wrestling and just recently returned from China.

I realize that I am biased, but I am so impressed with the two people. They are both smart as a whip and in shape mentally, physically, financially, and spiritually. There is literally nothing these two could not conquer.

The bride and groom do not leave for their honeymoon until later this week, so we were able to spend some time with them before we left. On Sunday, family from both sides went over to the newlywed's home for barbecue and to watch them open presents.

This was hands down my favorite part of the weekend. There were literally hundreds of presents and cards that they had received. As they started reading the cards, there was a clear message unfolding. The impact that these two have already had on so many lives was unbelievable. Sure, there were the few obligatory friends of the family type presents, but the overwhelming majority were from people whose lives had been improved simply by knowing these two people. Students, athletes, parents of students and athletes, fellow teachers and coaches, friends, colleagues, competitors...the list went on and on. And they all said the same thing...their lives were on track and better for having known either Jason or Carrie or both of them. What a legacy!

As I sat there and watched, I couldn't help but compare their success with my own. If the situation were reversed, would I receive such compelling proof that I had made a difference in that many people's lives? I would like to think so, but I'm not taking any chances! Those two have inspired me to really seek out opportunities where I can help make others lives just a little better.

I'd really like to see the bliss beat on...what are some of your ideas that anyone can do that can make a difference to someone?

Cheers,
Zara Kramer
CEO

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