"Family isn't always blood. It's the people in your life that want you in theirs. The ones who accept you for who you are. The ones who would do anything to see you smile and love you no matter what."
To my brotha from my other motha: A quarter of a century! I can't believe this officially puts us over being friends for more than half our lives. I'm so thankful that middle school crush didn't work out because if it weren't for you and B I'd be completely lost these past seven months. Thank you for being there regardless of the time. Literally! Fourteen hours is a big gap!
Thank you for always laughing at my stories and incidents and never being judgmental. Thank you for calling me an inspiration! I look at you as the one who has it together, what with your own vehicles, a real job, stocks and such. The fact you find me inspiring only makes me want to inspire more.
I couldn't make a post to you short enough for social media so congratulations, you have a mini blog spot in my crazy world. :)
Here's some top memories of mine from the past 13 years of our friendship for you to reminisce over! I promise to only tell the funny ones so you can maintain your manly image and not cry!
1. Spring pictures one of those middle school years. You know when you had the perfectly gelled down bangs because that was the style? You took yours in my cheerleading letterman and your grandpa nearly shit, but we thought it was the best picture ever (because it was).
2. The sexual harassment scandal of 7th grade! To this day I still roll on the floor laughing about that accusation.
3. When I had a summer pool party and you and Wesley (God only knows why) tried on my clothes, including my cheerleading uniforms.
4. Senior year of high school when you showed up to the homecoming game trashed and I slapped you at half time for being an unspirited jerk. Rule No. 1 of being best friends with the girl voted most spirited in the high school class is have spirit (even when our team sucks).
5- Your wedding eve is my most recent favorite memory. I can't imagine a better way of sending you off to your future than literally stumbling back to the hotel and literally falling down in the street because in our hammered state we apparently thought "lean on me" was a solution to make us stumble free.
6. Your wedding. To see you in such a fragile, honest (and possibly tipsy) state as you watched B walk down the aisle in her breathtaking beauty. When you choked up saying your vows and had the entire crowd in sobs.
7. I smile when I think about all of the weekends we spent drunk on the lake and going to baseball games in Texas. That seems like ages ago now. We were so young then and just pretending to be adults when we were old enough to go on road trips alone, but still not old enough to legally purchase alcohol.
8. And let's not forget Panama. A trip that our entire circle of friends can agree should have a reunion. Fresh out of high school and our entire lives ahead. Consuming 150 Tostino's pizzas in a week and all that alcohol. To be that young and stupid again, eh? :)
9. The year we lived together we actually weren't even that close because we were too busy with school and work. But you were there when things went south for me, and there when they patched up.
10. A bathtub full of booze at the hotel when we went to Hammond for the Sweet 16. Who even remembers how those nights ended?
There are 1,000s more but some not appropriate to blackmail you with nor share with the world.
I knew we'd always be friends but not like this. I just assumed we'd see each other on occasions and when our friends got married or had babies. I never imagined you'd be the person I call first with news or stories. I can't thank you enough for being there. I've told you all of my endeavors, in all of their ridiculous detail, and you've never once judged. Thank you for many more things:
1. For taking pride in me when I was ashamed of myself.
2. For laughing at my mistakes rather than ridiculing.
3. For listening and supporting
4. For telling me the circumference of the earth, then telling me that couldn't stop me. (Yes, I remember that).
5. For thinking I'm intelligent and capable.
6. For being the person I can ask for help or advice at any hour. Because you are who you are, I know you'd bail me out or fly 5,000 miles to help me.
7. For being proud of me and saying so.
8. For including me in your life.
9. For the countless FaceTimes; last minute or planned.
10. For letting your family be my family too! The in-laws included!
Lastly, I suppose I should thank Jared Carter as well. If weren't for him being your brother and me being middle-school obsessed with him in 6th grade we would've never met (not like we did anyway). My memory is fuzzy about a lot of things, but I do know one of the first things I said to you, and the only reason I talked to you was to say, "aren't you Jared Carter's brother?" Haha! It's funny how life works out, isn't it?
Happy Birthday! I love you 1,000 Twix candy bars, Bubba!
P.s. Can't wait for 30 in Vegas!
No comments:
Post a Comment