24 Facts

Today, my brother turns 24 years old. I’ll be 23 in November. I think this means we’re bona fide adults now, which just feels weird and strange. I think I’ll always picture him as a gawky, skinny twelve-year-old in my mind. Being that we are just 14 months apart, we have our fair share of inside jokes and old memories. For his birthday, you get 24 facts about him.

1. His favorite football teams are the Florida State Seminoles and the San Francisco 49ers. No matter how hard either team sucks, he’s faithful to them.

2. He knows more football facts than anybody I’ve ever met. Talk to him about any player and he can give you their latest game stats, what teams they’ve ever played on, and the score of the last game they played. Even if it was two years ago.

3. He’s tall, compared to the rest of our family at 6 feet. I come up to his shoulder.

4. He has big muscles and gets offended if anyone criticizes them.

5. He’s been working since he was 15 years old and has never been out of a job.

6. His son is the spitting image of him.

7. His favorite movie is Tommy Boy and both of us can quote that movie, start to finish.

8. He delivers furniture and electronics for a living. He can actually lift a couch by himself.

9. He can’t stand baseball and thinks it’s one of the worst sports ever invented.

10. He always wanted to drive a Nissan truck, and now he has one. It’s black and absolutely gorgeous.

11. His best friend growing up was Tyler. And they fought more than they got along.

12. When he was about 12 or 13, he drank a whole 6-pack of Mountain Dew 20-ouncers. Needless to say, he was up the entire night.

13. He can’t stand the heat, and loves cold weather.

14. We communicate a lot in movie quotes.

15. He’s been with his high school girlfriend for 8 years.

16. He never wears sandals or flip-flops. I don’t even think he owns a pair.

17. He keeps his hair short and gets annoyed when his hair starts growing. He probably gets it cut every 3 weeks.

18. Steve Young is his favorite football player of all time.

19. He just joined Facebook in July. He’s barely ever on it.

20. He has never asked for a handout or complained about the way his life has turned out. He takes on every setback and uses it as an opportunity to grow and learn.

21. He’s an amazing father. One of the best I’ve ever known.

22. He’s the most selfless person I’ve ever come in contact with. He would give you the shirt off his back.

23. With everything we have gone through regarding my dad, he’s been the one I turn to the most for advice. And he gives the best advice, cheers me up, and makes me believe in myself.

24. He’s the single most important male figure in my life. I would be lost without him.

Sidenote: Today is also my grandparents’ 51st wedding anniversary. To celebrate, my grandma is having a colonoscopy! At her last PET scan, they found something on her colon and aren’t sure if it’s cancerous or not. She just finished her second set of chemo treatments in August and has said she won’t go through chemo again. It takes absolutely everything out of her and makes her quality of life absolutely nil for most days of the week. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers today, as I’m just praying the colonoscopy comes back clean. I can’t imagine my life without her.