WHY?

my questions for the day...

why do i hate taking out the trash so much?

why can i get the laundry folded...but not put away?

why do i love to watch cooking shows...but hate to cook?

why do i love to buy cereal...but never eat it?

why does aiden copy everything chase does, even thought she and colton are most alike?

why do people who long to have children, can't have them sometimes...while people who don't want them get pregnant?

if God knows that a woman is going to have a miscarriage...often even before she knows she's pregnant, why does he create the life in the first place?

why didn't i think of using paper plates for lunch sooner?

why...no matter how early i go to bed at night...do i still not want to wake up in the morning?

why do i love hannah montana so much?

why does aiden, all of a sudden, not want to go to bed at night?

why can i not seem to get through the entire bible?

why do i sometimes really care what people think...yet sometimes not give a rip?

why do we have nightmares?

why does my cell phone seem possessed at times?

why did we find over 30 scorpians in our house in south carolina...even though the exterminator said that they don't live in clusters, but alone? and...none of our neighbors had them either.

why do i sometimes feel queesy for no reason?

why do i not want to let colton ride the bus home from school...and instead take aiden and chase with me and wait in the car ride line for an hour every afternoon to pick him up?

why do i have such a hard time with electronics?

why do new kids on the block get made fun of...yet the backstreet boys, and n'sync usually don't?

basically...at this point, i'm not out of whys...but out of time.

If You Feel Lost...

o.k. people. this is one of my new favorite worship songs. i heard it at ecclesia in the woodlands for the first time. robbie seay happen to be leading worship the day i was there and they did this song. it is so beautiful and the words so perfect for so many of us in so many day to day situations. a friend sent it to me and i quickly copied it to my mp3 and have been listening to it ever since. I LOVE IT. very simple...and yet says it all. here are the lyrics...

SHINE YOUR LIGHT ON US (robbie seay band)

oh my God, shine your light on us;
that we might live.
oh my God, shine your light on us;
that we might live.

i've been holding on.
and i've been holding on.
all that is inside me;
screams to come back home.

and if you feel lost;
if you feel lost;
sing along.
and if you feel tired;
if you feel tired;
sing along.
and if you feel lost and tired;
this is your song.

and i've been broken down;
and i've been broken down.
but i aint givin up;
love will come back around.

and if you feel lost;
if you feel lost;
sing along.
and if you feel tired;
if you feel tired;
sing along.
and if you feel lost and tired;
this is your song.
yeah...
if you feel lost and tired;
this is your song.

oh my God
shine your light on us;
that we might live.
and oh my God
shine your light on us;
that we might live.

if you feel lost;
if you feel lost;
sing along.
and if you feel tired;
if you feel tired;
sing along.
oh...if you feel lost and tired;
this is your song.

shine your light;
shine it down;
like a rescue;
come for us;
we long to love.
shine your light;
shine it down;
like a rescue;
come for us now.

WHO'S EXCITED?

o.k. so who's excited about fall television starting up again? i'll tell you who. ME!!!!!!!! i have seriously been going through withdrawal, i think. i miss grey's anatomy; the bachelor (don't start with me...); LOST; what about brian; and don't even get me started about how excited i am about the grey's anatomy spin-off, private practice, that is going to be starting this fall. i am also looking forward to the start of survivor...but i didn't really watch the last season. so we will see if i am able to get into this one. oh...and chad and i do enjoy watching house together. so...i have barely watched any t.v. this summer and it will be a shock to our dvr come september. i'll have to dust her off and put her back in business. too many shows...too little time. we shall see.

on another note...colton starts 1st grade on monday. we get to go meet his teacher this friday. we won't find out who he has or who is in his class until then. he seems to be excited about his return to school and i am not nearly as big a basket case as i was this time last year...him starting kindergarten and all. we don't need to discuss how close i came to having an emotional breakdown at "meet the teacher" last year. nor do we need to re-hash how many tears were shed prior to dropping him off that first day of school. aaannnnddd...we won't even begin to re-visit the number of pictures that were taken. i can probably chronicle that "right of passage" walk from the parking lot to the class room with one of those, flip the pictures real fast and make a movie thing. not this year. i'm low key. layed-back. doing swell. not having a bit of trouble with my first born already being in 1st grade. not picturing his wedding day when he is going to leave me for some girl and never even call or write and spend all his thanksgivings and christmases with her family because he's forgotten all about me. and i'm definitely not thinking about this being chase's last year at home with me because he is going to make that "right of passage" walk into kindergarten this time next year. no siree. i'm great. not a problem what so ever. who's excited? i know i am.

well (sniffle and wipe a tear)...i think i'm going to go talk to chad about how great i'm doing. later.

my little traveler

i was sitting with someone...i can't remember who now...(that should tell you how my mental status is these days)...and we were talking about where we have been in europe. you know...since i am the world traveler now. :) anyhow, they were talking about all the places they had been, (and at this point i really wish i could remember who this was), and i was talking about where i had been now. colton, chase, and aiden were sitting at the kitchen table with us. i realized that colton was listening when he perked up, raised his eyebrows, and as a matter of factly stated, "well...i've been to iowa multiple times!!!!"

Back on U.S. Soil

I could have actually kissed the ground when we landed at Houson's Intercontinental Airport 2 days ago. I've been home for exactly 42 hours and 20 minutes. I've slept about 28 of those hours. Needless to say...I've had a bit of a time re-acclamating to my life. I thought missions in Ukraine would seem foreign. But what is foreign is life here without a team and a purpose everyday after being used to living everyday on a tangible mission. It's like I don't know what to do. Do I clean? Do I do laundry? Do I go grocery shopping? Do I play with the kids? Do I go to their baseball games? Do I go hang out with friends? Do I sleep? Do I stay awake? Do I drink ice water? Do I eat? I know that probably sounds weird...but it is how I have felt since I got home. I never am sure what I am supposed to be doing. Part of my mind and heart were left in Ukraine with the homeless boy and old lady and new friend and students we taught english and bible to everyday. Not that it is not good to be home. It is. I missed my family more than I can put in to words. BUT...I learned some things. One of which is that my family is going to live on mission together. My children will intimately know beyond their own circumstances. They will know their main purpose in life. They will learn to spread the word and love of our creator...or God...our Father. They will not be obsessed with themselves and their own desires...unless they are the desires of Christ. I'm not all together sure how we are going to achieve all of these lofty goals, but at least they are my goals now. Instead of the latest sport all their friends are playing and making sure they have the cutest clothes to start school. I'm speaking to myself here, because the worst thing I could do is forget the people we taught in Ukraine and more importantly...the mission the people in Ukraine taught me.

More to come...with pictures.

is there such a thing as too much baseball?

summer schedule:

tuesday night: colton's baseball game
wednesday night: chase's t-ball practice
thursday night: colton and chase have games...usually at the same time
friday night: colton's practice
every day...all day long: colton practices in the back yard

yes.

from here on out...a tighter ship

i'm aware it's been a while. there's not much i can do about that. it is what it is. i've been tired. worn down. completely apathetic. nonchalant. that's o.k. right? i guess it has to be.

since my last post, chad's grandmother passed away, and we have driven across the country (to iowa) and back, which has proven to have thrown me for more of a loop than usual. it is always hard for me to transition...which has only been exacerbated since having 3 small children. whatever that means...i don't know. but currently i am drowning my sorrows to a particularly dark pearl jam song while attempting to be of some interest to this screen.

we just had to call a family meeting. i think......yes, i think that is a first. colton and chase have been at each others throats; aiden is 2 (self-explanatory); chad and i are both tired, worn down, and generally lacking any drive what so ever. the attentive, energetic, and playful mom that i once was has been replaced by one who desperately needed a break. i always heard of the moms who had breakdowns and ended up shuffling the halls in her bathrobe while muttering softly over and over again, "i forgot to take the dog out. wait a minute...i don't have a dog." all the while her children are throwing pieces of their uneaten grilled cheese at her...seeing who can make one ricochet off her face the farthest. yep. that feels about right. anyhow, at our family meeting we talked about respect, love, kindness, appreciation for what we have, and obedience. all general stuff...yet such life affecters. i sought forgiveness for not being as "present" as they were accustomed to...and explained how i had been long over due for a break...and how from now on, i was going to take one when needed instead of letting it all build up. no grilled cheeses in my face please. chad brought down the hammer and all that jazz. we are developing a summer schedule for everyday in an attempt to curb boardom and lessen squabbling. bedtime is back to 7:30. meals are no longer whenever they start whinning. i've learned that by that point...it's too late. no more toys everywhere. i'm turning this disney cruise that we seem to be on into a tighter ship.

well, i guess i'm done for now. pearl jam has lulled me into a somewhat dreamlike stuper and the natives (whom i still love more than life) could be getting restless. well, at least chad's in there with them...although asleep on the playroom floor. i'm fully expecting him to wake up with a marker mural all over his body. who knows? i've turned up the music to block it all out. could that be part of the problem?

CRASH

o.k. so i've learned my lesson. maybe. for those of you who know me, you know that my children are some of the most photographed children in america. i take massive amounts of pictures. i had a nikon 75 (i think) and was totally happy with it. love having film that is tangible. love having pictures developed. love that i can't even make it out of the store without looking at them all. love the search for the perfect captured moment. love seeing the photo after i've gotten it. love the brown leather photo albums that are lined up on my book shelf that chronicle the kid's birth through 7 months ago. so, if i love all of that so much...why did i get a digital camera?

well, the answer is 2 fold. i could save money on film and developing, and it's a lot easier in this technical world of ours.

so...for my birthday and anniversary...(that's the way i can talk chad in to bigger purchases :))...he got me my nikon d50. we went in to get a point and shoot sony digital, and came out with the big guns. my lens was enter-changable...so it just made more sense. and...i like a manual zoom. but...i digress once again.

my big issue with going this route was the non-tangibleness of having your photos on the computer and cds instead of in albums. it took some getting used to. and, on more occation than one, i asked the question, "but what if the computer crashes?" the answer was always the same. some version of..."has your computer ever crashed before?" to which i replied..."no." so, there you have it. i made the switch. and it has been great. i don't even know how many pictures i have on the computer. lots and lots is the technical answer that comes to mind. my summer project was to get them all onto cds and organized in photo boxes. no problem.

problem. the other day, i found aiden in chad's chair with her hand on the mouse and something that looked odd on the screen. i still don't know what she did, but what i do know, is that our computer crashed. and yes, this happened before i had all my pictures from the last 7 months backed up on cds. chad talked to all kinds of computer people who all said the same thing. they were gone. i was in denial for a while, but when the reality set in...i'm not gonna lie...i was extemely upset. not angry...just really sad. i kept thinking of all the different memories i had lost, etc. etc. etc. and with each new photo i thought of, i got more and more sad. a friend helped me put it in perspective and i was slowly coming to terms with it. i even prayed that we would find them. there is this computer guy that works with chad who agreed to look at the computer for us. i tried not to get my hopes up. but this guy...this genious of a man (in my opinion)...found my pictures. every last one of them. can you believe it? i still am marveled by the fact that my God...the same God who is having to watch children die of starvation and thirst every day...cares enough about me to concern himself with 7 months worth of my pictures. well, i guess he does. and i'm glad. because if he cares about us that much...with all the other things he has going on...he must really love us. and...not only does he love us, but he really enjoys surprising us with happiness. i love that. even more than pictures.

WHOA...

so. i hate snakes. i hate them alot. they make me squeemish. i could really do without them. do you get how much i despise snakes?

well, chad has been in colorado for a couple of days. he got home late last night. anyways, tuesdays are trash days...and since he was out of town...i had to take the trash down to the curb. i hate trash duties too. but, that's neither here nor there. i went out to the garage to get the trash can to walk it down. as soon as i opened the man door, i noticed, what looked like a tail of some sort. it was a brick reddish color. i immediately thought snake for some reason. i froze at first, but then decided that it was not the right color for a snake. so, i bent down to get a closer look. i was not sure. it could be a snake, or it could be...well...i really don't know what else it could have been. i was just in denial. so, i stood there for a minute and then decided that the trash looked great just where it was. i went inside and called chad in denver. he was in a meeting and texted me back that he couldn't talk. so, i texted him..."SNAKE IN THE GARAGE." he texted back, "how big?" like that matters. i went back out to look again. i could only see a little of the body, and the tail. colton and i were bent down looking at it...wedged between the garage slab and wood side panels. i asked colton what he thought it was. we were not sure. then...IT MOVED! i freaked at that point. then, i went and got the neighbor, and he came over with a flash light and looked at it for me. he said that he thought it was poisonous. GREAT. then he told me to go get a coat hanger. i did and was none too thrilled about what was going to happen. he tried to get it out, but it was gone. in hiding, if you will. so, i did not set foot outside again yesterday and was prepared to live a life without ever setting foot outside the house again. i had everything i needed within the 4 walls of my house anyways. i liked it in here. so, this morning...chad went outside to start taking everything out of the garage to see if he could find it. i said, you are never gonna find it and i am never going out there again. he was not out there 30 seconds before he came in to tell me he found it. it was outside the garage...down in a crack between the garage and the pavement. so, he told me to take colton to school and that he would get it. THANK YOU SWEET JESUS. my man was there. here he came to save the day. no more snake to worry about. i did not ever have to see it again. i wash my hands of the whole situation. sweet relief. i did not have to see him chop it to bits. i did not have to see it wiggle. bye bye snake. so i told colton to come get in the van. i stepped in the grass between the house and the van and tuned around to make sure colton was coming. (he was not as eager to miss the snake masacre). he reluctantly followed me, and the rest of the story is somewhat of a blur. all i know is that colton yelled..."MOM! THERE'S ANOTHER ONE! WATCH OUT!" in what seems like one hurried motion, i looked at where he was pointing; looked down; saw another snake right next to my flip flop wearing foot; and nearly passed out. chad, who over-heard the whole exchange, was at my side in 2 seconds flat; pulling me behind him; and hoed it to death while i watched with mouth opened wide. "my eyes. my eyes." and...my hero.

now, i'm sure that there is a mama who has set up house in our garage...probably in the kid's ball bin...and her millions of babies are crawling all over our yard and making their way into our house.

who thinks i'll sleep well tonight?

3 Strikes and You're Funny...

The other day, Chad and Colton were playing baseball in the backyard. Chad was pitching and Colton was batting and running the bases. Each time he would bat, he would be a different Astros player. Once he was Brad Ausmus (yeeee). then, he was Craig Biggio. Then, he was Lance Berkman. Then, he was Brandon Backe (and yeeee again). He was hitting great. Chad was really pitching too. He would hit the ball...usually the first pitch in...and run to first base. Then ghost runner on first. You get the drift. So, the last batter was Morgan Ensberg. He takes a few practice swings; steps into the batter's box; and prepares to hit the ghosts home. And then, the unexpected happened. One. Two. Three. Struck out! What????? Then he shruggs, drops the bat, and says, "Dad. I'm thinkin Morgan Ensberg is not that good."

On The Day You Were Born...

...You were wanted. You were loved.

...You were special. You were beautiful.

Today; you are still all of those things. Forever.

Happy Birthday to our Aiden Annee-Grace, who turned 2 years old this morning at 1:47 am. This last picture was her answering me when I asked her how old she was. "Twoooo."

We love you baby girl. Happy, Happy Day.

JUMPING THROUGH HAPPY

The other night, I was at a friend's house. The kids were playing in the backyard and we were all sharing a meal in the comfort of the patio. There is nothing like your kids having good friends. The kind that they always want to be with. The kind that you love because they love. Kids know how to love. They know how to be friends. They are innocent. They have not been corrupted by rejection, deceit, insecurity, or manipulation. They just love. They play. They can argue one minute and hug the next. They can be crying at the drop of a hat, and all it takes is a glance and an apology from their friend to make it all better. Tenderness. And off they go. Running. Laughing. Playing. Happy. They pray for each other nightly. They don't forget. They are genuine. Dear God, please help my friend to not be sick or sad. I am learning about being a friend from watching my kids and their friends. Colton is planning on having 6 kids with his little Anna Marie. After they get married, of course. (She is not so sure. Her face was priceless when Colton gave her that little piece of information. Marriage fine. 6 kids. What???) Anyhow, innocence. At it's best. We decided that I would bathe my 3 over there because they would, most likely fall asleep on the way home from the sheer exhaustion from happiness. In the bathroom was a plethora of different perfumes on the counter top. Now, me being a detail person, obviously loves smells. I, in an attempt to not get bored while the kids had their little bit of play time with the soap, began smelling all the perfume and carefully examining the different bottles. Funny how the bottle does it for me...more than the smell. It could be a great smell, but if I don't like the bottle...it's a no go. I spotted a bottle off to the side. It was a simple shape. Perfume a simple clear. There was a pink flower on the front that caught my attention first. It was the color of Aiden's walls. I love Aiden's walls. So...naturally, I love the flower. It was a simple daisy. The kind I doodle. I popped the top off and closed my eyes to take the smell in. It was a good smell. I looked at the bottle to see what the name was. I finally found it on the bottom of the bottle. Very small. Very...um...innocent and surprising. Its name was Happy. I sprayed it up into the air and then proceeded to jump through the mist of spray. Then I thought to myself...I just jumped through happy.

Inspired by a friend. A friend who, when I'm with her, always makes me feel like I'm jumping through happy.

Finally. Better Late Than Never.

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

they had a ball. actually, they had a "field day"

holloway's class...first place, baby

anna marie is thrilled to be doing this relay. can't you tell?

like father...like son

like mother...like son

sweet kisses from my son

today, chase and i had such a tender mother/son moment. he was eating lunch, and had proceeded to get food all over his face. shocking. anyways, i went over to clean him up and after i wiped his face, i took his face in my hands and looked him right in the eyes and said, "chasers...i love you so much." to which he smiled and showed me those, oh so cute, dimples and said, "give me a kiss." of course i gave him sweet kisses all over his even sweeter face...which was a catalyst for giggles from both of us. then, he reached up and took my face in his hands...which i was sure to cap off the tender moment...and said, sweet as sugar, "let me touch your eyeball." not quite the comment i was expecting, but chaser non the less. and boy, do i love that kid.

DREAMER

You know it's bad when your almost 2 year old says to you, in a somewhat sing-songy voice, "Youuuu Whoooo," to get your attention. That, she's learned from her 4 year old brother. 4 year olds talk ALOT. Sometimes, as much as you don't want to, you begin to tune them out...especially late in the day...when the attention span is just not quite up to par. Several days ago, I started getting snapped back into reality by Chase with a far off "Youuu Whooo" that would get louder until I had returned from wherever I had been. Today, after Aiden began the "Youuu Whooo" form of getting my attention, I began to ask myself; one: why were they having to youu whoo me back and, two: where was I going to need youu whooing back from? It made me realize the place in my head that not too many know of. The dreamer place. In the dreamer place, really fun and amazing things happen. I began to make a list of the things that happen to me in the dreamer place. I needed to write them all down...because although a lot of them I know I will never do...some of them I could...and should...and will.

1. adopt a child
2. sing in a really cool band that plays really good music and has lots of fun
3. play serious guitar
4. win an olympic medal
5. act in a movie
6. snowboard
7. waterski and wakeboard in lake travis (again)
8. drink an apple martini
9. go on a missions trip to africa headed by bono
10. visit my brother in alaska
11. not worry
12. love God more than myself
13. take really great pictures
14. get a nose ring
15. fly a kite at the beach with the kids
16. take aiden to try on wedding dresses
17. hold chad's hand in the waiting room, awaiting the arrival of a grandchild
18. witness the miracle of hunger and poverty come to an end
19. see the Holy Lands
20. go to ireland
21. know my roots
22. go to hawaii with my husband and some really good friends
23. see chase and aiden give their hearts to Jesus
24. be a catalyst for the lost
25. be a voice-over for a big disney film
26. wear a tiara for a legitimant reason
27. be able to build cool things out of wood
28. watch out the window for each kid to come home from their first date, and then sit in the dark, over fresh baked chocolate chip cookies and talk about it for hours
29. own a horse named marble and be able to ride him, fast, whenever i wanted
30. see all of my lost friends found

WHY AM I SO CONFUSED?

it's becoming (shout out KL) my life statement these days. furthermore, why is it that when a mom gets sick, she just has to keep going? there is no option of laying in bed, sleeping, someone making soup, t.v. watching until she's better. i'd like to talk to the person who started that trend. it's beginning to get a bit old. i can't even take the medicine the doctor gave me yesterday becasue it causes drowsiness. i mean, it says on the bottle not to opperate heavy machinery, and i'm pretty sure children classify as such. it's just the same excact way it is when i'm well...only my apperance has a tendency to scare the kids. i find that mine just kind of look at me like....WHOA. cue the whispers..."she doesn't look so good; what's wrong with her; why is she in her bath robe and why does her hair look like that?" followed by, "MOMMY...WE NEED BREAKFAST...WE NEED OUR DRINKS...I NEED MY CLOTHES...I'M TIRED...I DON'T WANT TO GO TO SCHOOL...I DON'T WANT WAFFLES...WE WANT TO WATCH A VIDEO...NOT THAT VIDEO...I NEED MY LUNCH MONEY." speaking of lunch money, i tried to send colton to school today with ukrainian money. now, i don't think this would have got him very far in the lunch line. i can hear it now..."honey, tell your mom that we don't accept foreign money here." i noticed it when i was putting it in his backpack. thank God. i'm not sure my reputation could have recovered from that one. i had already tried to buy my coffee at starbucks the other day with chuck e cheese game tokens. someone needs to talk to the people from chuck e cheese and tell them not to make their tokens look so much like quarters. it's enough to confuse a girl...which deserves a loud and proud "WHY AM I SO CONFUSED?"

so many words...so little time

updated list with a little help from my friends:

conflicted
imbecile
vagabond
asinine
exacerbate
conglomeration
tarnation
tumbleweed
passionate
serendipity
promenade
tom foolery (technically 2 words...but for this one, i'll make an exception)
imposter
bafoon
catywampus
plethora
superfluous
menagerie
fidgety
mojo
surplus
bubbies
smooch
slacker
superb
crack (as in..."are you on crack?" had to be explained!!)
miracle
meticulosity - extreme attention to detail
pococurante - nonchalant
eudaemonic - producing happiness

and the list goes on. add to at random.

So, here's one...

I sort of told myself that I would never put poetry on this blog. I don't really know why...except because. Sometimes I find that nothing follows my because. I try to come up with a good sentence to follow, but I draw blanks. Because. That's all there is. Anyhow, this weekend, I have been in a very contemplative mood...mainly due to some good music and good conversation...which typically has that effect on me. I have not been able to get this poem/whatever you want to call it...(I'm sure all the timing is not accurate, nor the punctuation)...that I wrote so, so, so long ago, out of my head. I dug through my old journal tonight to find some of my favorites, from what seems like lifetimes ago, in some attempt to connect with myself...who I've been...who I am...who I am no longer...etc. etc. etc. Why was I so confused? Why am I still confused? The funny thing is, Chad asked me what I was doing and I told him. He said to read him one. I reluctantly read him this one...to which he replied, "What's the title?" I said it did not have one. He titled it "Simple Things". Here it is:

Simple Things

She lie alone; just like every other night;

waiting and longing for the time when he has his arms around her. She's not made to be alone and patiently awaits the future.

It's the knowledge that the childhood dreams are not being fulfilled according to plan and the newfound maturity that constantly tells her that they may not be that engulfs her thoughts. That is the hardest to bear. Tears well without warning and the sad music plays over and over, telling a story not unlike her own. The simplest thing is all she wants. It's not too much to desire, but is somehow unatainable. Someone to love her and someone for her to love right back. Someone who fills her heart so much that the simpe sight of him forces a smile and a feeling so warm that only she can feel. The brush of his hand against hers would sustain life. The mental picture is enough to warm her head, but not her heart...which for the time being, beats alone.

(1996)

After I finished, Chad said, "I wish I could express my feelings like that...Roses are red; violets are blue..." It was quite funny. It is kind of beautiful and romantic that the person who ended up having his arms around me completed this for me. I guess...in more ways than one.

Happy National Sibling's Day...

we were 6 1/2 and 3 1/2 and the flowergirl and ringbearer in my aunt's wedding

getting older...

...and still as close.

...a couple of days late. So, technically, National Sibling's Day was 2 days ago but I am just getting around to posting this little tribute to my little brother, Kevin. At about 11:45pm my time, I finally got to talk to him. He had returned my phone call and I excitedly said, "Happy Sibling's Day!" To which he replied, "What?????" He, along with most of the other people in the nation, did not realize that this day was so special. He then tried to play it cool and pull the wool by saying, "Yes...that is exactly why I called...to wish you a Happy National Sibling's Day." Well, anyways, we got to talk about lots of funny memories and antecdotes from our childhood that had us both rolling. Like our favorite burt and ernie clip from sesame street, and the three amigos...we really loved that movie and quoted it for a very long time. AND...he said that he can't stop thinking about all kinds of cool words; (refer to a couple of posts ago); and that it was a good "blopic.". He would think, "Wow...I just wasted 30 minutes of my life thinking of how nicely that word just rolls of my tongue." Then we came up with some really cool words...like, dad gummit, menagerie, and superb. It was a fun conversation and I'm glad that I got to talk to him. I'm glad that there is a National Sibling's Day. I'm more glad that I have a brother. I'm even more glad that he is him.