He ain't heavy, he's my brother.

Today is my big brother's birthday. He turns 36 years old (although, sometimes I'm not sure he ever really aged past eighteen). Because he was only four years older than me, we did a lot of growing up together. He taught me a lot about life; not only what to do, but also what not to do. Since it's his birthday, and because he was the second man I ever loved (my dad being the first, of course), I wanted to honor him with a blog post. ('Honor' seems a little self-important. But whatever. It's an honor.)

So this is dedicated to my big brother, the guy who...

*Called me "Boog" (as in, Booger) no matter how much it embarrassed me. I called him Matt-chew because, well, Matthew is a hard name to say when you're two.

Boog and Matt-Chew.

*Taught me all about sports. I was the little brother he never had, but probably never needed after he was done with my "tutoring". We played catch (of the baseball and football variety) in the front yard, kickball in the streets, basketball in the backyard, and golf on the golf course. (Although, after the "Golf Cart in the Pond" incident, he did the driving.) He quizzed me on football players until I knew their nicknames, their colleges, and the mascot of their current team. (So when that customer asked me for books on Marcus Allen? I knew exactly who she meant.)

*Was my protector, whether we were at school or a guy had broken my heart. "Who do I need to beat up?" was asked on more than one occasion.

Big brother imparting wisdom on graduation day.

     

*Is the funniest guy I know. (No offense to my husband, of course.) My brother can still make me spew milk at the dinner table with one of his impressions (usually of said husband and his "Marine voice") or a sarcastic comment. (We look favorably on sarcasm in our family.)

Hi-larious!

*Made me love Michigan. Yes, you read that correctly. At one point in our lives, when we were young and deluded, my brother and I wore Michigan sweatshirts and even visited the campus in Ann Arbor. (Ann Arbor is a whore!) (Sorry. Reflex.) If my big brother was a fan then I was a fan, too. Clearly, we saw the error of our ways and became the Buckeye FANS we are today.

Even on my wedding day, we show our support.

*Used my computer on a nightly basis. We would talk and listen to the musical stylings of the BeeGees ("And where are you now, now that I need you? ...I cry me a river that leads to your ocean."), Guns and Roses ("Estranged". Longest. Song. Ever.), and our personal favorite, "On My Own". (I was Patti LaBelle and he was Michael McDonald. Epic.) 

*Always remembers to say "Love ya, babe" before getting off the phone with me.

Love ya, babe. I've watched you become a husband and now a daddy and I'm happy to say "you done good". Happy Birthday, big brother!