Happy birthday, Bubba!

Today is my little brother's 23rd birthday. His 16th didn't make me feel old; neither did his 18th, 20th, or 21st. Today, though, he succeeded in making me feel like a real, true grownup. He celebrated his birthday by taking a test and then going to work. When did he become an adult? When did I become one, for that matter?


For much of our childhood, we barely tolerated each other. We both set out to be as annoying to the other one as we possibly could. Oh I loved him, of course, but I didn't want him to know that. I remember being somewhat of a "mama hen". It was my purpose in life to boss him around, and heaven help them if someone else was mean to him. That was MY job, and I took it very seriously!

During high school (my senior year/his sophomore year after he started driving), I began to realize he wasn't so bad. Now, we're buds. I'm very proud of how well he's doing in nursing school, and know that he'll be an incredible nurse in just a few short years. Happy birthday, Bubba! Love you!