Happy 30th Birthday Chris!

Today is my broham's (brother's) 30th birthday. Wow! I can hardly believe it.

Just over 8 years ago (July 25th, 2000), we almost lost him. Chris was in a horrible car accident (in the passenger seat) and his best friend (in the driver seat) tragically passed away. We are so incredibly grateful he is alive- words cannot describe. He is one of the most important people in the world to me. I cannot describe how much I love and care for him. I would do anything for Chris!

I am so proud of him- of who he is. He is the greatest friend anyone could have. I feel so blessed that Josh and Chris have formed such a great relationship. Chris was Josh's best man at our wedding. They both have the brother they never had before!

Just last week Chris became engaged to wonderful Becky. They make a fantastic couple and he made such a good choice with her!

Here are some fond memories of Chris:

• When we were little we played together a lot. Our parents both worked full time so after school and in the summers it was just the two of us a lot of the time. I remember one time I was riding my bike in a dress (go figure), slipped on sand at the end of our street, fell, and somehow managed to get my dress all tangled up in the spokes. Chris found me, rushed home to get a scissors, came back and cut my dress out, and carried my bike home for me as I cried. We loved to play Super Nintento together, watch Tom and Jerry cartoons, drive each other crazy, ride our bikes to PDQ.... it wasn't always easy but we really were great friends.
• We both lived at home in New Prague the summer of 2001. We often stayed up late watching movies. Both of our favorite movies is Armageddon and we both knew virtually all of the words! We watched that movie many times that summer and laughed as we both quoted the entire movie.
• We went to the Timberwolves game against the Lakers in 2004. It was game 6 in the semi-finals. We wore our blue wigs and green face paint. A Timberwolves employee approached Chris and asked him to be the "Fan of the Game", which meant he could watch 4th quarter on the court (near the bench) and go onto the court after the game. His response was, "Not without my sister". We had so much fun doing that together- I will never forget it!
• During our parents' separation and divorce, we became closer than ever. I don't know how many times we called each other to talk, cry, listen, and just be there for each other. He was the only person who truly knew how I felt, and I was the only person that knew how he felt. It was probably the hardest time in both of our lives and we couldn't have gone through it without each other. Even now, we still call each other to talk about our thoughts and feelings about our parents being divorced. After 21 years (24 for Chris) of your family being intact, you don't just become accustomed to a new life apart. This will always be a bond for us.
• In 2002 we went on a family reunion to Sweden. Chris and I really wanted to bring our rollerblades. Our dad tried his darndest to convince us NOT to bring them but to no avail. It was terribly annoying to lug a suitcase of 4 rollerblades all over Sweden and Norway (guess Dad was right) but we thoroughly enjoyed the evening that we rollerbladed in Stockholm together!
• My Grandpa Rudy ADORES my brother. They are so close. My brother calls him "buddy" and Grandpa calls him his "favorite grandson". I love my grandpa to the moon and back, but Chris and my grandpa have a very unique relationship. It is such a blessing to both of them.
• When my Grandma was passing away my entire immediate family was in Florida with her. My brother was such a strong caretaker for her. He has always been a caretaker but it was really apparent during this time. He stayed up at night, right by her side, making sure she was breathing and carrying her to the bathroom and back because she couldn't walk. It brings tears to my eyes to remember this. She loved Chris so much.

I have so many special memories with Chris. He is going to be the most amazing uncle to our precious little child. He will be a fantastic father someday too.

Chris, I love you.