A Toast to my brother

Today is my brother Johnny's 20th birthday. I have a lot of love and respect for that man. He has grown a lot over the past couple of years and really come into his own element. Like me, he has a lot of passion for life and the relationships therein. I'm proud of his initiative for going way the heck over to George Mason to study Sports Management. Sports have always been a huge part of Johnny's life ever since he was about five or six years old: T-Ball, Biking, Baseball, Soccer, Roller-Blading, Ice Skating, Basketball, Golf, Lacrosse, Tennis... just not running! He'll be great at it once he finds his niche. He's got a great girlfriend, Erika, who is already starting to be a part of the family... she fits right in!

Johnny and I have always been close: both while growing up and now. I love that bond that I'm able to share with him. Part of it was probably the fact that we were the same size and everyone thought we were twins while we were growing up. (Because I was so small, he caught up to me in height and weight when he was two years old and I was four.) I cherish those countless talks that we've had late at night. Some of my favorite memories are probably the times he would come into my room during high school and sit on my bed, just wanting to talk. We obviously don't see each other that much right now, but we'll still talk on the phone. It's not as much as I would want or an ideal situation... but it works.

Happy Birthday, Johnny, I love ya'!
(Photo courtesy of Bob Cunningham)