Well..... he was right, we woke up to more SNOW!
The only good thing that ever happens on February 2nd is the Celebration of my oldest brothers birthday! AKA "Lieutenant" Dan-- he turned 35!!!! He is currently living in Japan with his beautiful family. They just welcomed their 4th baby in January. Kaleb joins two brothers and a sister. I wish they lived closer, because their boys are "spirited" like my own. Keeping are fingers crossed for a visit from them this fall. We miss them so much!
Dan....since I missed calling you on the "day"....... I will pay public homage to honor you. So I can expunge my guilt! Here are 35 tidbits from your/our life for your enjoyment. (In no particular order)
1. I Love that you had to get up in primary and give "my" first talk as a sunbeam.....because I fell asleep and the teachers did not want to wake me up!
2. I love your sarcastic sense of humor.
3. Thanks for teaching me to mountain bike.
4. Thanks for including me in your group of friends at EFY's, Youth Conferences, Stake dances and the like. It made up for all of the times you and your friends harassed me in middle school.
5. Thanks for serving a full time mission. That instilled a drive for me to do the same.
6. Thanks for helping me get my first two full time jobs. Ahhh... remember summers at the blueberry patch with the Hoover, mini vac, and *shutter* Richard Brandis? Matsu served us both well.
7.Remember all of those tree houses and forts we built in the backyard of our house when we lived in San Jose?
8. Thanks for totally getting why I do what I do-- in regards to raising my family.
9. I love that you oldest boy is JUST LIKE YOU as a child. Karma is good.
10. I love that you bettered yourself by going to school and graduating from BYU and then on to Cornell.
11.Thanks for staying strong in the Gospel your whole life.
12.Thanks for “trying” to teach me to drive a manual transmission.....I'm too right brained—it will never happen.
13.Whenever I need a good laugh I think of you driving your bike in the bike lane on Highland Ave. where some inconsiderate donkey parked his semi overnight..... or the time you were driving the B.U.S and the spare tire came loose and rolled down the isle and ran over your lunch.... Do you still have the tee shirt with tire marks on it?
14. We laugh when you call Brad the “Good Doctor”
15. Remember when you and Steve would “threaten” me with that encyclopedia entitled “Asia”? At one point as children we had not formed our alliance so you and Steve constantly harassed me.....beheading my Barbies, hiding my strawberry shortcake dolls, or threatening to beat me over the head with “Asia”. You guys would wait until Mom walked out of the room and then reach under the couch for “Asia”......unless I did whatever you guys said. For example— do your chores, give up my chocolate Easter bunny.....etc. You two were typical brothers! All you had to say was “Steve go get “Asia”. It is a little Ironic that the actual continent of Asia would play such a roll in you life in the years to come. First a job as a chef at a Japanese restaurant, then a full time mission to Japan, Then marriage to the best sister in law ever, who has Vietnamese and Chinese heritage, and then accepting a job in Japan after graduating from Cornell. Not to mention your trips to Guam and Vietnam. Who would of thought that a skinny white boy like yourself could be so cultured?
16. Love the way you can recount a story.
17. I miss old school GP with you. Going to G.P. Pharmacy for a phosphate. Going to Millies for a sub. Going to a movie after Thanksgiving dinner. Lunch at the Royal Barge. "Cruising" 6th & 7th street in the summers in the LUV, your camero, or dare I say the KFC? These days GP pharmacy has some snot nosed teenager behind the counter with an attitude. Millies is under new ownership.... with "yum yum" subs--and it does not taste the same! Movies these days are mostly trash or shameless remakes of an older better movie. I'm starting to sound old....
18.Camp outs in the backyard "survivalist style". We would spend hours as kids packing up sleeping bags, ramen, water, and such so we could survive in the "wilderness".......we usually lasted a night. We even "waterproofed" our matches with wax.
19.Scouring the house on Lawnridge looking for Dr. Ogle's diamonds and gems. Thought we really hit the jackpot when we found a hidden safe down in the pantry in the basement.
20.Making Simon and Garfunkle tapes. Sneaking downstairs to watch SNL.
21. Feeling so cool Christmas morning with our brand new Jellyfish Swatches!
22. Stealing your Silver Tabs when you went on your mission.....okay stealing ALL of your stuff when you left on your mission.
23.Road trip to Coos Bay in my Volarie, we could not even talk because the engine was so loud! Loved that slant 6. That was back in the Armando days.....*shutter*
24.Dump trips.....we make a good demo/slash clean up crew.
25.Bella block
26.Crusher and the mailman or Crusher and the doorknocker--take your pick.
27. Back to the Future, Karate Kid, It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, Rear Window, Forrest Gump.
28.Tricking you off of Grandpa West's lap by playing with your train set.....you were sitting there while he told you stories. Well, I wanted to sit there--so I ran over to your prize train set, sure enough you jumped down to rescue the train and I sauntered over to G. West. You may have the college degrees.....but I have savvy. Savvy?
30.Being old enough to remember phones with cords, B&W TV, Seat belts with out shoulder harnesses. How to heat up food without a microwave, what a VCR is, Thrifty ice cream cones, M&M's without the color red and blue. Salt water sandals.
31. Helping you take the trash out in San Jose and getting chased by a pit bull. Helping you catch the rooster at night.
32.Road trip to SLC to bring you to the MTC.
33.Marching in the band at Boat Nik.
34.Big thanks for all of the help you Teresa gave at our wedding reception.
35.Lexon baskets
I really wanted to add another 35...maybe when you reach 70! Thanks for the laughs and the bonding! Happy Birthday! Peace out Juke.
thanks, ange. good memories. been a long time since i thought about most of that stuff. 35 is a depressing milestone. i remember giving the parents crap about turing 35/40/etc. old age was such a laugh back then. your post cheered me up.
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