Wednesday, October 17, 2012

happy birthday, brother!


i've been searching for quite some time trying to find this picture of my brother and i circa 1990 (?) which puts us around age 4 and 2. clearly, we were HUGE rangers fans back in the day. glad to see that our family is still pretty loyal. needless to say, it's one of my favorite pictures of us to this day. it reminds me of simpler times, when we had no cares in the world other than looking cute; which i think we were pretty good at pulling off. :)  it also has me thinking of how important it is to cherish special moments with the ones you love; making memories, laughing, enjoying each other's personalities and just loving each other in a way that no one else can, because you are family. 

the last 5 years my brother has spent serving his country in the Army. i am so completely proud of his selflessness in fighting for our country; having to be separated from the comforts of home and familiarity. in my selfishness, however, i wish he were in the same zip code as me; always.  thankfully skype has been there to sort of bridge that gap, but there's nothing like quality time just hanging out as if we have no cares in the world all over again. 

so glad that this year he was able to come home just in time to for his 24th birthday. each year we aren't sure if we will get to spend holidays or birthdays with him, so any chance that he gets to come home is a need for celebration anyway. i'm really excited about tonight where we will get together with friends &  family and celebrate my brother's life over some delicious pizza and wine! 

to my brother, eli: i'm so proud of the man that you are becoming. to be one who has always been an advocate for helping others. to sacrifice the comforts of home living and familiarity and trading it in for foreign places, and different worlds. for the love you have for those you hold most dearest. those things i will always admire about you. for the laughter and movie talks, and arnold impersonations; i will always look forward to. hoping this year of 24 brings times of growth and everlasting joys; deeper relationships, conversations and memories, all moments to bring you  closer to becoming more of you: who you are & who you want to be. i love you. 

happy birthday, Eli!