just 3 things ... about my oldest brother

anyone been guessing what the next blog in my series was going to be about???

well if you guessed my oldest brother "S", then you would be correct! most of you know i'm the oldest child and only girl in my family. i have 3 younger brothers. the oldest of them is "S".

here are 3 things you may or may not know about my oldest brother

here is my dad and my 3 bro's - "S" is the one in the light colored jacket

1) he is good at EVERYTHING he does! i'm not even exaggerating here. let me list some of the things he excels at:

• he plays music by ear - so he hears a piece a few times and then can go sit down at a piano and play the song.
• he's good at sports without even trying - when he was a kid and played little league, he was literally the kid in right field picking dandelions - but if a ball was hit his way, he could catch it without really trying. 
• he's an impressive artist - can draw great sketches with pencil and paper
• he's an award winning sharp-shooter.  i mean, seriously, the boy has mad skills that even the Marine Corp have acknowledged several times!!
• he can build a cell phone charger out of a metal box and a few wires - give him some electrical wires and some duct tape and he might be able to build us a time machine or a space ship ... no big deal
• he can do ANYTHING on a computer or video game

i really could keep going about this - i am very envious of the fact that everything he seems to put his mind to do, he can accomplish and all the while makes it look easy

2) he is a Marine... something that makes all of us, but especially made my dad super proud.  he has made 2 tours to Iraq - one that last 7 months and one that only lasted 6 weeks as he almost died due to breathing in who knows what after an explosion and going into respiratory failure. he has spent most of his career with the Marines on the shooting range, training other Marines in both the team approach measures (i'm sure they have an actual name) and the rifle on a tripod laying on your belly shooting (i'm such a proud sister but i don't know their technical terms - sorry bro).  before he enlisted, he was kind of aimless. he had dropped out of college, had a couple jobs, just didn't seem to know where or what he needed to be doing.  we were all very shocked when he told us he was enlisting.  but i think it was the best decision he made.  he grew up, became a man (as trite as it sounds), figured out what his life was going to be about, met his wife and really grew into the man he is today.

\

here he is on the shooting range, doing "his thing"

3) he ships out on Monday to Okinawa Japan for 6 months!!!!  initially we thought he didn't leave until december and were really hoping he and his wife could join us in KY for thanksgiving, but then we found out he was leaving november 5th instead.  i know this should be a relatively safe 6 month mission for him, i'm still nervous.  i would much prefer him be here, in the USA, out of harms way.  but i am very grateful that this is where he is headed and not Afghanistan or Egypt!

here he is with his wife, both of them all dressed up and looking sharp!

brother, i just want you to know how much i love you and how proud i am of you and how you are serving our country.  you make me the envy of all my co-workers to have such a good looking marine for a brother!  you know how proud Dad was of you - he love that he had a Marine for a son;he bragged out you wherever and whenever he could!!  PS - see if you can find where the Karate Kid 2 was filmed while you are in Okinawa - i want one of those shaker / rattle things they all spun during his fight :)