Happy Birthday Big Brother!

It is my big brother’s birthday today!  While he and I are sort of on the opposite ends of the spectrum--he’s the science/math guy, and I am the reading/writing chick--we click pretty good.  He isn’t a big talker like his baby sister is, but when he says something, it is usually a pretty good idea to pay attention.  I remember when I was getting ready to start kindergarten, he told me something I have never forgotten:  You can never have too many friends.  Wise even at 9 years old.

There are four years or thereabouts between us, so he'd been the star of the show for quite awhile by the time I joined the family. Still, in going back through all of Dad's slides over the last few weeks, I found a lot of pictures of the two of us so he must have adjusted fairly well to an interloper. He's Mr. Smirk-and-Snark in this picture, but it's still a favorite of mine. Gotta love the red suit coat for Joe Cool!

The Snark Man had good cause to make an appearance the year I sort of ruined his birthday party when Mom ended up taking me to the ER for an infected fingernail that needed to be incised and drained.  Sorry about that, dude.  

Big Brother is a wizard with a welder.  He even competed at the state level in the high school VICA club...that would be the Industrial Arts Club.  All things mechanical are in his wheelhouse.  I remember when he took an old bicycle and modified it so that the seat was actually about six feet off the ground.  Pretty cool stuff!  

After high school, he spent four years in the Army serving our country as a tank mechanic. In addition, he excelled in marksmanship. I know this because as I was helping my mom pack some things out of dresser drawers last week, we found the plaque he received for Excellent Marksmanship. A man of many talents, my brother.

When he was honorably discharged from the service, he then used the benefits of the GI bill to get a degree in computer...things.  I’m not exactly sure what he does, but it is WAY over my pay grade.  He is one of the smartest people I know, but not all snarky about it.

When Molly went to college and had an apartment in the Cities, I didn’t worry nearly as much as I might have because Big Brother and his family lived just two blocks away.  She had to call upon him once or twice for mechanical issues on her car or computer stuff, and he helped out without complaint.  

He married later in life, but when he picked The One, he nailed it.  When they got married, he became a step-dad, and it thrills me at how well he took to that.  The evidence of what an amazing stepdad he is came when his oldest stepson was recently commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army. Part of the pomp and circumstance of a commissioning is for the newly commissioned officer to choose from whom he or she will receive the first "official" salute. Nephew chose his stepdad. The picture of them saluting each other is one of my dearest treasures and chokes me up every time I see it.

He was Kiss, AC/DC, and Pink Floyd in high school compared to my George Strait, Reba McIntire, and Willie Nelson, but over the years the differences have blurred, and now we are just siblings who love each other!

Happy Birthday and all my love always, Big Brother!