21 on the 21st

Since I don't have a job .. yet .. I have a lot of free time to sit around and think.  Most of you that know me, know this is NOT the best thing for me to be doing!

"Holy crap, you're getting ready to leave me with two horses, ALL ALONE!"

My little brother, Brett, turns 21 on the 21st.  I've been thinking about this for a while because it's a pretty monumental birthday!  He will finally be legal to drink!  Not that he will ever want to, I'm probably going to have to pry his mouth open on the 21st and pour a drink down his throat, but still, it will be legal!  So after several days of trying to find the PERFECT gift .. I started thinking .. then it hit me ..

Brett and I at a Sunrise Stables Hunter Pace

I'M GETTING OLD!  Holy cow, my BABY brother is going to be 21.  What in the world?  When did this happen?  For some reason it has just been crazy for me to think about.  [And yes mother, I just managed to turn Brett's 21st birthday into something about me!]

It was my "Bachelorette" ride and his "Birthday" ride!

I would say my brother and I had the "typical" brother/sister relationship growing up.  When he was born I thought he was the coolest thing ever.  Mom always talked about me singing to him when he was little!  Then we started to get older, and man-oh-man I couldn't stand that kid.  That is where I think the "typical" brother/sister relationship came into play.  We would get along every now and then but must of the time we were fighting.  He knew exactly how to push all of my buttons and he did it so well!  He would do just the smallest thing, but gosh, it would fire me up and I would start yelling and hitting and then guess who would get in trouble?  I remember one time I pinched him so hard on the belly it left a huge bruise and I said the famous line "If you tell I will beat you up again!"  Of course he told - of course I got in trouble!  You think I would've learned by then?

I was the yellow ranger and he was the red!

There were the occasions where I do remember getting along.  My favorite memory with Brett was when Mom and Dad were gone and we would take plastic Solo cups and turn them into a shield of armor.  We would wear them around our arms, around our legs, we made them into hats, just let your imagination run wild here!  Then we would take out or collection of bouncy balls (whenever you went to the dentist you got a surprise, we would always pick out a little bouncy ball).  We would bounce those balls all over the kitchen - we were so good we never even broke a thing!  We had a blast!  Then, just before Mom and Dad got home we collected our bouncy balls and took off our armor and we hid them in the cabinets above the refrigerator - they were never found!

We're always happy.

Then as I went onto college and I started riding horses - we became very close!  He was one of the few that I trusted to teach me at the barn.  He would give me the skinny on all the horses so I knew what to expect.  He would push me (and it would royally piss me off) but he knew I could do it and knew I was capable, thats why he pushed me!  That is also why he got the nickname of "Trot Nazi".  I've really learned a lot from him and I'm so glad that we can share that experience together!  He is the best horseman I know!  He truly loves and cares about each of his animals and always knows what is best for them!  Any horse that ever comes to live at Breezy Rock will have the life of luxury!

This is my favorite picture of us EVER.

I cannot write any more because I'm now crying - imagine that - BUT .. Happy Birthday to the most amazing brother that any sister could ever ask for!  You've put up with a lot from me and I cannot thank you enough for that!  I love you and cannot wait to hang out with you at the RVHS and get a snow cone - or seven!