Happy Birthday, Little Bro!

Although it kind of freaks me out that you're turning 33 because I automatically add 4 to that to get my age, and ohhhh.... crap, I'm old.

I have great memories of our shared childhood. Playing "Matthew", shared bike rides, roller skating in the carport to (God help us) the Footloose soundtrack and Debarge, endless Monopoly games (I might have occasionally cheated when you went to the bathroom - sorry), playing wall-ball against the neighbor's carport wall, taking you along on my first ever solo drive (as I recall we went to Osco Drugstore), and sneaking into each other's rooms Christmas morning to wait until we were allowed to wake up Mom and Dad.

You've turned out to be a pretty stellar grown-up, too. Hearing friends bitch about their siblings, I count myself lucky that mine is someone I stil love to spend time with, has an equally warped sense of humor, and who is a great uncle to my kids. I like to think that your current outstanding taste in clothing was somehow influenced by my dressing you up in doll clothes when you were a toddler.

You've been a nearly perfect younger sibling. I say "nearly" because your jaw creaked when you yawned, and that drove me INSANE on long car trips. I was convinced you did it just to mess with me. I still wonder.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!