Brentonburger

Our family started gathering together today to celebrate Thanksgiving and tonight I am thankful for my brother, Brent.

I have never known life without my big brother. Brent and I are about 18 months apart and have been close friends almost all of our lives (with the exception of a few years in there for junior high - I think I was a pest during those years). I have always looked up to Brent and spent alot of time following in his footsteps.

When Brent fell in love with horror movies, I watched along side him...even if it meant sprinting through our house at nightime for fear that the Boogie Man would come and catch me. When all of the girls in fourth grade went ga-ga for The New Kids On The Block, I loathed Donnie, Danny, Jordan, Joey and Jonathan because Brent said they weren't cool. Brent played the part of Bret The Hitman Heart so I became Hacksaw Jim Duggan or Rowdy Roddy Piper while we spent hours on the trampoline.

When Steve asked my mom to marry him, she came to us to make the decision since it would mean moving from Midland to San Antonio during our freshman and sophomore years of high school. I was nervous and unsure but my brother knew it was the right choice for us and quickly changed my mind. During the years that followed, our relationship went from childhood playmates to really counting on each other. We knew the other would always be there regardless of where we were. I was so sad to see Brent leave for college. I never would have considered Texas Tech as an option if it hadn't been for Brent going the year before I did so, in the end, it was the only school I applied for.

Throughout our college years, we became real friends. We spent alot of hours driving from Lubbock to San Antonio for holidays and summer breaks. We shared alot of the same friends and ended up seeing more and more of each other every year.

When Jared and I got married, Brent was my "maid of honor" and stood up at the front with me. I am thankful that after living so far apart over the last few years, we're now only an hours drive from each other. Brent's opinion has always been one of the most important in my life. He will always be honest with me and he'll always have my best interest in mind. And I'm thankful that Harper will grow up knowing her Uncle Brentie so well.