meet uncle awesome

 he is, in fact, awesome.

and today is his birthday

{note to michael:  dont you love that head shot? youre welcome.}


contrary to common belief, his given name is not actually "awesome" but michael.  he is half the namesake of our firstborn son's middle name. {got that?} he is also bennett's godfather.  he reads the blog but, just like all the men who read this blog, he does not comment. {boo}

michael and my sister erin knew each other years and years before stephen and i ever met.  erin actually carpooled with michael and my mother-in-law when they were very young and got in trouble for being a little out of control :).  {yes the same erin.  she has since abandoned her reckless ways and adopted a safer, "goody-er" way of living} but this is not about erin {wait till the 29th for that installment}.

this is about my brother michael.  who ive considered both friend and brother as long as stephen has been my other half.

michael is the guy i can always count on to laugh at my jokes.  even when the "joke" i told might not have registered with anyone else in the room.  michael still laughs at and with me when im laughing at myself.  this is also true vice-versa.  i have no idea why we think we are so funny, but we do.

michael has been known to be a little, um, un-quiet.  if he is in a room, people know it.  hes the jokester, the prankster, the goofy, dancing, singing, acting, rapping brother.  he has been known to dress up as mr peepers for halloween.

 {i would give anything for a picture of that right now....}

he has a long list of good friends who are as crazy as he is.  and as entertaining.

but he is also serious and sentimental and wears his heart on his sleeve.  some of my favorite conversations ever have been with him...on long drives back from auburn or on the porch at steelwood during the holidays.  he lives with his whole heart and cares a lot about the people in his life.  i dont know if many people know this side of the "fun-loving" michael...but hey - guess what - now they do :)

and just in case you, too, wanted to know ten random things about this fundiferous brother-in-law of mine, this following is for you:



what is your all time favorite meal ever
I'm old fashioned so I'm going with steak, potatoes, and something green. Wash it down with either sweet tea or a nice red wine (preferably cab).

favorite memory from your childhood
I had a great childhood, so it's hard to pick just one moment. Going to the World Series was pretty awesome, and so was getting my first car (2 door 97 yukon, black). I also really loved being on stage whether it was with the church, school, or speech. Can't forget about baseball and soccer teams either. The cherry on top would be the family and friends I've been blessed with...sooooo, put all of that together, and there you go.

what up wit dat?
Ooooooooo-eee...what up wit dat, what up wit dat..

what would your perfect day consist of
Tough tough question. Well, there would be alot of family and friends. Wake up with my wife who I'm crazy about and vice versa. Probably do something outdoors like a dove/quail hunt or fishing with the fam. Then have a big lunch outside at steelwood. Lots of sun and perfect weather (cool breeze, but you can wear short sleeves, etc). Then just lay around, tell stories, maybe hit a few golf balls. Then we would have a big dinner with good wine and people. Afterward, sit next to a fire and continue discussion until we are ready for bed. I'll probably think of other things I would like (like if we were traveling abroad), but this is a pretty good start.


if you were an animal which animal would you be...and why
Bottlenose dolphin because they are smart, free, and they share alot of human mannerisms. Plus, they value family, and always work as a team, so they don't have alot of natural enemies. Boom.


if you were, say, a rapper what would your name be?
I've been going over this for some time now, and I'm afraid it changes weekly. The fan favorite so far has been the Spelling G bc I would spell out my rhymes instead of speaking them. 
Ya earrrrd me?

favorite color

Black

one thing you really love about being the middle child

Ha! Well, as we all know, the middle has it the hardest, so I look at myself as a survivor. I have met and overcome all challenges placed in front of me! No, really, I like how I had someone to follow and someone to lead (a little). It was fun being able to relate to both of my brothers in our own way.

tell me a joke.

C'mon, you know I'm all about improv..it's hard to just come up with a joke on the spot like this..ok, how bout this..knock knock..who's there..orange...orange who...orange you glad that I told you this lame joke, so now you can tell another joke and know that even if you bomb, it's still better than this one? (I dont think I'd let that person in).

if someone gave you $10,000 right now what would you do with it?
Invest and diversify. Maybe spend a little on myself and family.

happy birthday michael - have a great day and i love ya!

xo,
nat