I almost convinced him to eat dog poop

Yesterday was a tough day for me. I suck, and I mean suck at goodbyes. I get all teary and my nose gets all stuffed up and my makeup runs and I just look like a blubbering idiot. I hate goodbyes - I have never, and will never be good at them. In fact, I'd like to kick goodbyes square in the arse.

I wish I could take goodbyes and shove them inside a football. Then I'd find someone to kneel on the ground, hold the football up straight, and then I'd take a running start at that dang football of goodbyes and kick the crap out of it, just like a kicker in the NFL.

My little brother (and by little, I mean the kid towers over me and is a super lean baseball playin' machine - saying the word "little" is just my way of making me feel not so old) went back to college yesterday. Out of the state. Far, far away. (So, it's only an 8-hour-drive...it's still far away, people.)

My mom, Kaylee and I went out to breakfast with him at a quaint little mom and pop hole-in-wall breakfast joint that has the best cinnamon rolls this side of the Mississipi. We stuffed our faces, laughed at the baby, and had a darn good time. But I know that we were all dreading the end of breakfast because we'd have to say goodbye.

Let me just get this out of the way and tell you straight up that my little brother kicks ass. He's so stinkin' awesome. In all honesty, you should probably be jealous that he's not your brother. And no, I will not share him. He is my brother.

When we were kids we had our share of tiffs and fights. And, one time he was *this* close to eating a dog turd in our back yard because I convinced him that it was actually just a huge tootsie roll. I think one of my parents must have intervened at that point. I'm not really sure. All I know is that no turds were consumed that day.

Somewhere along the line, he lost the little blond curls, he quit playing with Tonka trucks, and he eventually quit wearing his bright red Mighty Morphing Power Rangers costume 24/7.

Looking back, it seems like I all did was blink and suddenly he'd traded the Tonka trucks for a catcher's mitt (did I mention the kid is a scholar athlete?), started growing facial hair, hit the weights, and managed to find one of the most beautiful, witty, giving and kind girls I've ever met, and she can handle his sarcastic humor and constant teasing. She just dishes it right back at him.

We still give each other loads of crap (although now it's figuratively speaking, and not in a, "Hey eat this because it's really a tootsie roll - I promise!" sort of way) because that's just that way we are. But, our relationship is much different than when we were kids. We can talk about stuff like politics, stupid professors, and some of our toughest struggles. Because we're both grown ups now.

I was a proud big sister on the day we brought you home...


And I'm a proud big sister right now. More than you could ever know. I love you.

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Yet Another Jay and Deb Production.