hitherto & henceforth: Happy Birthday Patrick

twenty-six months and five days separate my brother and I; my best friend and best enemy. He pushed me into burdock bushes at Montezuma wildlife refuge and would wrestle with me when I hit him too hard for losing (yet another) game of rock, paper, scissors. We grew up looking like twins, except I was about double the size of him width-wise....it's easy to be double the size of a fence-post. We both played soccer and basketball and were extremely competitive. Many days I wanted to punch him and I'm sure I evoked the same feelings in him, but he will defend me to a fault. He's pretty stinkin' awesome.

We quote geeky movies back and forth and he gave me an e-reader for my birthday. How much better than that can you get (iPad, Pat, iPad...you know when you feel the need to upgrade ;-))? He taught me that he could not be trusted to keep animals in his room because they would ALWAYS escape to my room, die, and then stink, and that your little brother can be your best friend. In sports no one had to ask if we were related, they just always knew we were.