Band of Brothers
I was asked by a certain someone to write a little bit about the men in my life, and so I'll oblige. There are four young gentlemen who make my life just that much sunnier with their being in it, and I'm proud as punch to be the older (and only) sister of these fine, whip-smart fellas. In age order, their fabulousness is as follows:
Matt. (not pictured) Matt is 18 months younger than me. I never knew what it was like to be an only child because of Matt, and good for that because sharing your toys is a life lesson. Matt is the person I spill my secrets to, I share my soul with, and I laugh the hardest with in the world. We're not twins but pretty darn close. He has a sense of humor that is dark and dry, like the toast of the world, but his smile sweetens his wit just enough. He's smarter than anyone I know, but I think the brilliant among us carry around the heaviest baggage. If ignorance is bliss, awareness sometimes brings the most acute misery. As such, Matt has a river of soul within him deeper than the Mississippi, and he has learned to live his life in a way that truly makes him happy, as hard as it may be sometimes. His beliefs buck the trend of what we've been raised to think, which makes him both incredibly self-assured, but also somewhat cautious. His intelligence and keen understanding of other people lends itself naturally to his ability to learn multiple languages, and he is fluent in German and has a competent understanding of Dutch, French, and maybe even a little Spanish? I'm glad God chose him to follow me into this world; he helps keep me in check.
Jeff: Jeff is pictured below on the far left. Jeff is 19 years old as of a week or so ago. Jeff is a middle child, and the word "middle" describes him a lot. He's always in the middle of the action, the middle of the winner's circle, the middle of road politically, the middle of a large sphere of admirers. Jeff is fabulous, in one word. He was a fat baby, and I remember him fondly stuffing his cheeks with his first chocolate cupcake. He's now over 6 feet tall and the leanest, most trimly muscular boy in the family. Jeff packs a punch with both brains and physical ability; he's currently attending McGill University in Canada (basically the Harvard of the great north) and he's also a ranked downhill skiier. Jeff is very self-focused, and very aware of himself inasmuch as his physical abilities. He's also a talented swimmer, biker, and apparently has thrilled many a canuck with his skills at diving and flipping off boards into swimming pools (years of lifeguarding leave their mark). Jeff has become a man somewhat before my eyes; living far away means I see snapshots of him, but he went from chubby-faced baby to chiseled, but still sweet-faced, young man. Jeff knows just what he wants of himself and will go for it; sometimes its hard on those around him but focused individuals don't let little things get in the way of their goals. It always works out, and Jeff has always come out on top. Jeff is the most mysterious of my brothers, but he's also the brother I can't wait to learn the most about.
Luke: (pictured below on the right, in the hat). Luke's life started off difficult. The biggest of premature twins, he was a regular scale-tipper at just over 4 pounds. A childhood illness as well as a discovery of a latex allergy (during surgery, no less) made his early years a challenge. But Luke is a fighter. He doesn't let anything - and I mean anything at all - get in the way of his success. Having a twin most likely isn't easy; Lord knows Matt and I were fiercely (but lovingly) competitive with each other even with our age difference, so having someone 1 minute younger than you might make one terribly competitive for attention and reward. Not Luke, though; Luke is so damn confident in himself that he excels in what he does while also encouraging and admiring the skills of his twin brother, and all his siblings. Luke has the most compassion and biggest heart of all us kids, and his easy-going nature makes him a natural companion for younger children who look up to him like a God. He is patient, well-read, funny, and has the memory of an elephant. He's also Mr. Pop Culture and knows what's up with what's hip. Luke is one of those people who every time you see him, you are more and more amazed at how cool he gets; I leave from my visits thinking "Wow, I can't believe he is my brother, how amazing is he? How does he know all the stuff he knows?" He gets straight A's and has a firm work ethic, having learned early on that honest work garners honest pay. He took a lifesaving and babysitting course at a young age, marketed himself, and has had a successful kid-watching business booming in our hometown. Little entrepreneur, he is. I mourn the loss of his soft baby cheeks as his face slowly takes on a more masculine structure, but all 15 year olds go through it, and I know he's only going to be more handsome each day. I love this kid so much.
Mikey (below in the middle). Mikey is the "baby" of the family, by a whole minute. I guess its just luck of the draw that he's the youngest, as the doctor happened to pull Luke out first. But Mikey seemed to know he was going to be the littlest, and was born just over 3 pounds heavy. He could fit in the palm of your hand. Looking at him now, you'd never guess he was born weighing less than a chuck roast. He's nearly 6 feet tall himself, and his love of anything athletic has given him the lean, trim frame of fresh teenage youth. He's not much of a team sports guy, though; Mikey is a sponsored snowboarder (though he suffered for his art with a broken tailbone last winter, and spent 2 weeks lying on his stomach), a skilled skateboarder, and can do a double somersault flip off the 3 meter board at the pool he now lifeguards at. Mikey has many friends, but is a lone wolf; he also has a big heart, but he enjoys his solitude and finds his focus in those solitary physical challenges. Mikey and I have a bit of a bond, between the oldest and the youngest in the family, and he has a great ability to speak with his eyes. He can also speak Japanese, a skill I had no idea he was learning, and one he surprised me with this summer. The world has no idea what it got itself into the day it let Mikey's feet touch its surface. He's going to change the whole thing.
Better than your brothers, if I must say so myself...
Matt. (not pictured) Matt is 18 months younger than me. I never knew what it was like to be an only child because of Matt, and good for that because sharing your toys is a life lesson. Matt is the person I spill my secrets to, I share my soul with, and I laugh the hardest with in the world. We're not twins but pretty darn close. He has a sense of humor that is dark and dry, like the toast of the world, but his smile sweetens his wit just enough. He's smarter than anyone I know, but I think the brilliant among us carry around the heaviest baggage. If ignorance is bliss, awareness sometimes brings the most acute misery. As such, Matt has a river of soul within him deeper than the Mississippi, and he has learned to live his life in a way that truly makes him happy, as hard as it may be sometimes. His beliefs buck the trend of what we've been raised to think, which makes him both incredibly self-assured, but also somewhat cautious. His intelligence and keen understanding of other people lends itself naturally to his ability to learn multiple languages, and he is fluent in German and has a competent understanding of Dutch, French, and maybe even a little Spanish? I'm glad God chose him to follow me into this world; he helps keep me in check.
Jeff: Jeff is pictured below on the far left. Jeff is 19 years old as of a week or so ago. Jeff is a middle child, and the word "middle" describes him a lot. He's always in the middle of the action, the middle of the winner's circle, the middle of road politically, the middle of a large sphere of admirers. Jeff is fabulous, in one word. He was a fat baby, and I remember him fondly stuffing his cheeks with his first chocolate cupcake. He's now over 6 feet tall and the leanest, most trimly muscular boy in the family. Jeff packs a punch with both brains and physical ability; he's currently attending McGill University in Canada (basically the Harvard of the great north) and he's also a ranked downhill skiier. Jeff is very self-focused, and very aware of himself inasmuch as his physical abilities. He's also a talented swimmer, biker, and apparently has thrilled many a canuck with his skills at diving and flipping off boards into swimming pools (years of lifeguarding leave their mark). Jeff has become a man somewhat before my eyes; living far away means I see snapshots of him, but he went from chubby-faced baby to chiseled, but still sweet-faced, young man. Jeff knows just what he wants of himself and will go for it; sometimes its hard on those around him but focused individuals don't let little things get in the way of their goals. It always works out, and Jeff has always come out on top. Jeff is the most mysterious of my brothers, but he's also the brother I can't wait to learn the most about.
Luke: (pictured below on the right, in the hat). Luke's life started off difficult. The biggest of premature twins, he was a regular scale-tipper at just over 4 pounds. A childhood illness as well as a discovery of a latex allergy (during surgery, no less) made his early years a challenge. But Luke is a fighter. He doesn't let anything - and I mean anything at all - get in the way of his success. Having a twin most likely isn't easy; Lord knows Matt and I were fiercely (but lovingly) competitive with each other even with our age difference, so having someone 1 minute younger than you might make one terribly competitive for attention and reward. Not Luke, though; Luke is so damn confident in himself that he excels in what he does while also encouraging and admiring the skills of his twin brother, and all his siblings. Luke has the most compassion and biggest heart of all us kids, and his easy-going nature makes him a natural companion for younger children who look up to him like a God. He is patient, well-read, funny, and has the memory of an elephant. He's also Mr. Pop Culture and knows what's up with what's hip. Luke is one of those people who every time you see him, you are more and more amazed at how cool he gets; I leave from my visits thinking "Wow, I can't believe he is my brother, how amazing is he? How does he know all the stuff he knows?" He gets straight A's and has a firm work ethic, having learned early on that honest work garners honest pay. He took a lifesaving and babysitting course at a young age, marketed himself, and has had a successful kid-watching business booming in our hometown. Little entrepreneur, he is. I mourn the loss of his soft baby cheeks as his face slowly takes on a more masculine structure, but all 15 year olds go through it, and I know he's only going to be more handsome each day. I love this kid so much.
Mikey (below in the middle). Mikey is the "baby" of the family, by a whole minute. I guess its just luck of the draw that he's the youngest, as the doctor happened to pull Luke out first. But Mikey seemed to know he was going to be the littlest, and was born just over 3 pounds heavy. He could fit in the palm of your hand. Looking at him now, you'd never guess he was born weighing less than a chuck roast. He's nearly 6 feet tall himself, and his love of anything athletic has given him the lean, trim frame of fresh teenage youth. He's not much of a team sports guy, though; Mikey is a sponsored snowboarder (though he suffered for his art with a broken tailbone last winter, and spent 2 weeks lying on his stomach), a skilled skateboarder, and can do a double somersault flip off the 3 meter board at the pool he now lifeguards at. Mikey has many friends, but is a lone wolf; he also has a big heart, but he enjoys his solitude and finds his focus in those solitary physical challenges. Mikey and I have a bit of a bond, between the oldest and the youngest in the family, and he has a great ability to speak with his eyes. He can also speak Japanese, a skill I had no idea he was learning, and one he surprised me with this summer. The world has no idea what it got itself into the day it let Mikey's feet touch its surface. He's going to change the whole thing.
Better than your brothers, if I must say so myself...
posted by The Semi-Pro Chef at Sunday, July 17, 2005
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