So, I have this brother who seems to always be doing the right thing and making the right choices in life. He's just a great guy if I say so myself. I would include pictures of him but, I don't have any...

He wasn't always a nice guy though. The day I was born he started with his "older brother" type of behavior and named me after a cartoon character...who does that? And what great parents "he" had that would like him do such a thing. And what special parents "I" had that would let an almost 4 year old name a cute baby after a cartoon character. I'm just glad that Spongebob wasn't around back in 1963!

Then there were the numerous times that he would "beat me up" while he was laughing and I was screaming...I think this is why I have such large thighs, I built them up while I was trying to kick him off of me. And then the memorable activity of him and his friend chasing me into my parent's bedroom and then bending my toes back. Yes, I was laughing but, I think that is how I reacted to stressful situations back then.

He is however defective in his own special way... you really don't even notice it though. There is a cute picture of him as a toddler when he had, or was about to have, surgery on his ear to remove a tumor/growth and that resulted in that ear remaining smaller than the other. And then there is the old "football injury" that resulted in one finger being unable to straighten completely. Okay it really was football injury. I remember playing in the warm wax bath that he had for therapy on his finger during the healing process. That was as close to a Spa treatment as I have ever been.

Despite all that, he is a wonderful brother! He would say the right things at insignificant moments to make me feel good. I still remember him telling me that I was using the vegetable peeler correctly and being so impressed that I knew how to use it (this was not recently but when I was MUCH younger). When I was older and feeling frustrated/sad that guys weren't asking me out, he told me that I intimidated guys because of my looks (I'm assuming he meant that in a good way).

He served a mission to Japan and had the privilege of learning to speak the language of our ancestors and to speak to our Grandma and experience first hand the extent of her personality and humor. How priceless is that?

Then he marries a wonderful young lady and together they have 6 talented girls with personalities you are drawn to and as a bonus they are all beautiful!

He lives the Gospel they way people are suppose to and gives of himself endlessly and willingly. That does not go unnoticed.

It's fun to watch him as a Dad because he has a great relationship with each of his daughters, and is actively involved in their lives in such a supportive way.

And to me, he's like the twin I never had. According me my kids, I look like my brother when I make certain expressions and according to his kids and my kids, we sound alike in many of the things that we say as parents. Never mind that we find alot of the same things funny. Maybe I like him so much because he laughs at some of the funny things I say when no one else does. ...and they are funny... He understands what I'm talking about and relates to it when no one else can...remember "Mr. Grant"?

Well, that's I'm thinking about at the moment...