Thursday, August 1, 2013

He's my brother...


Me, Carol, John, Moma - 1991
Try to ignore the hair and clothing...we thought we were in style. :)

That's me, my sister-in-law, my big brother and my grandmother up there, at my brother's graduation from drill sergeant school at Ft.Something or Other in 1991.

I may have said something about my brother before in the past nine years on this blog... He IS my big brother, after all, and I think big brothers come with a secret manual or something, called 'How To Torture Your Little Sister Her Whole Life.'

They may think the same thing about us.

So we're at a family party earlier this month, and John, Chelsea, Dwayne and I are hiding down in the basement away from the annoying cousins (even though my brother and I bicker endlessly, we are also very very similar. That may be why we bicker endlessly.)

Deciding this is as good a time as any, I hand my brother the list of '20 Things About My Brother' that I had just posted on Twitter. ALL TRUE.

Here they are:
  1. Loud
  2. Good dad
  3. Obnoxious
  4. Obsessive
  5. Protective
  6. Former drill sergeant
  7. Refuses to lose
  8. Loud
  9. Obnoxious
  10. Able to make sisters, nieces, aunts, mothers, cousins and grandmothers cry
  11. Charming to everyone but his family
  12. My rock when we were growing up
  13. Loud
  14. Obnoxious
  15. One of the best men I know
  16. Can be a big jerk
  17. A great big brother
  18. An annoying big brother
  19. Loud and obnoxious
  20. Loves me
He reads it over, hands it back, and says, "I can't believe you said all those mean things about me!"

"What mean things? I said a lot of good things! And it's all true!"

"Not all of it."

"What isn't true?"

"I'm not obnoxious."

With that declaration, Dwayne, Chelsea and I all shouted in laughter. We couldn't help it. Look obnoxious up in the dictionary, you'll see my brother.

We went upstairs and he told on me to my mom. My mom said, "Wait, when you used to run around with Rich, didn't you use to call yourselves 'Loud and Obnoxious'? In fact, wasn't Rich 'Loud', and you were 'Obnoxious'?"

I love it when my mom takes my side.  Even now when we're 40 and 45 and we regress 35 years in her presence.

I also really do love my big brother, I don't know what I'd do without him.

12 comments:

  1. What lovely girls --graceful hands. Brother wisely does not show his hands because in the service it means you've volunteered for something. My oldest kids were in their 20's that year and I thought the hairstyles were delightful. Still do!

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    1. Hi Susie,
      I'm not sure...I don't know that the words matter much if you were told with actions, if you were still secure in the knowledge that you were loved. My family never leaves without saying 'I love you', and a hug and a kiss. From every person. It's quite a ritual when we have family parties twice a month, and there's fourteen of us. But that's us. Maybe it's a southern thing? It's just what we we've always done. I wish I had a better answer :(

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    2. The reason I'm asking you is because you've been around folks who "spill their guts." Just wondering if it ever came up.

      You answer was excellent. :-)

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  3. Oh, and you look pretty in that photo.

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  4. Your picture made me think of the 1980s and smile (I realize it was taken a little later than that).

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  5. Cool hairstyles ! Lucky you having a good brother like him !

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