siblings.

I got to hang out with all of my siblings for a fleeting moment this past week.

A little back story about how that miracle occurred...

On the way back to Rochester from the Adirondacks, our car decided to die. 

We were about 20 minutes from Jer & V's house. 

Jeremy had been driving & all the sudden he couldn't accelerate anymore. 

We coasted off the next exit and into the parking lot of a Catholic school.

Well, we almost made the driveway. We had to push a little ways .

(As half a dozen vehicles just cruised by - thanks guys.)

Jeremy's brother came & took them home, while Doug & I waited for AAA to arrive "in 45 minutes". 

Well, 45 minutes came & went. 

AAA called to say that they had no idea when the tow truck could get there. 

Jer came and picked us up 

and we had amazing Mark's pizza at their house while we waited for another call from AAA. 

After awhile, Doug ended up calling AAA to tell them to just pick up the car whenever they could.

He had a meeting the next morning that he had to get back for.

So Ethan picked us up from Victoria & Jeremy's.

Then we borrowed Gram's car to get back to Michigan (at 4 in the morning).

Long story short - transmission's dead.

Our car was scarcely worth more than the cost of the transmission.

Thankfully, Doug was able to find someone to buy our crappy vehicle.

And I drove back to NY to return Gram's car.

It just so happened to be Fair Week, and Robert & Bailey were in NY for a few days. 

So we had one night at the Orleans County Fair to hang out and spend a little time together. 

It's been almost a year since we've all been together &
It makes my heart hurt to think about how long it might be until this happens again.

Ethan drove me back to Michigan (&borrowed my sunglasses) & stayed overnight with us.

So blessed to have such an incredible family.

twenty-three

23 random memories with Robert...

1. Trying to build a car with a cart Grandpa used for paintings.
2. Swimming in flood water... Robert pointing a stick at me & pretending it was a gun.
3. Singing "Shimeee shincooopad!" in the barn.
4. Driving home after school the day I took the truck into the ditch, laughing about the thought of me driving the truck into someone's house.
5. All the forts we built with the dining room table.
6. The infamous watermelon joke at the dinner table...
7. Pretending to die after he tried to choke me one time...
8. Pinning him to the floor, holding me elbow at his temple & hissing, "I could kill you right now."
9. Hiding fake bugs & that fake rat in Mom's cupboards.
10. Playing Power Rangers at Grandpa & Grandma Lynk's.
11. Playing foosball & the ever-effective "angel touch"
12. Apples to Apples & the re-appearance of Helen Keller throughout the game.
13. Driving around Plymouth with Tim Hortons iced mochas.
14. All the band injuries that I didn't believe at first...
15. Walking to piano lessons together & hoping SJ wouldn't come to the door...
16. People-watching at horse shows: "Russians."
17. Nearly getting lost in the woods after lunch during bud-tying
18. Apple wars when we were supposed to be thinning...
19. Playing guitar together & thinking we were so awesome.
20. Playing Legos & "Cars & Trucks" for hours on end.
21. Playing catch in the back yard - me, always the QB and you always the WR... thinking we were probably the best combo since Jim Kelly & Andre Reed. Or something like that.
22. The multiple haircuts I gave you at such a tender age.
23. All the random jokes, fights, pranks, triumphs - - partners in crime (& punishment).

Happy birthday, brosive. I love you so much!

for robert...

I have days where my heart just aches for western New York and especially for my family and the farm. However, I'm blessed to have a sweet husband and dear friends in the area who make living in the suburbs a little easier (I said "easier"... key word).

Lately I've been missing my brosive Robert terribly and feeling bad that he doesn't have any loved ones nearby to make his 24-hour distance from home any easier. He's doing what he loves - ranching & being out West, but it's still lonely for him. Please keep him in your prayers, and if you'd like to send him a letter or a care package, feel free to email me for his address.

To Robert

Cohort. Tag-along.

Friend. Enemy. Pest.

Co-conspirators. Tattletale.

Equal. Worst. Best.

Betrayed. Trusted.

Comedian. Shoulder for tears.

Companion. Isolationist.

Prompter of giggles for years.

Fighter. Teammate.

Inflictor of joy and hurt.

Cornerstone of my childhood.

My brother Robert.

3.19.2010

brosive

Happy 22nd birthday, Robert!

I know you can't read this now (apparently Internet isn't widespread in North Dakota?), but I hope this next year is filled with lots of exciting adventures, good health, growth in your faith and abundant blessings.

I love & miss you so much.

happy trails

My little brother is all grown up & moving out West to live the cowboy dream (we hope!). He stopped here tonight & had an early dinner with us before completing the first leg of his 24-hour drive. He'll be settling in Killdeer, North Dakota, where this afternoon it was a whopping 2 degrees Fahrenheit (feels like -9 degrees). Typical of Robert's sense of humor, he grinned and commented, "Yeah, but it's a dry -9 degrees."

Brosive - I pray that this is a remarkable opportunity for you.

We love you so much!

Pair of boots and a sack of clothes

Free & easy down the road I go

Hangin' memories on the high line poles

Free & easy down the road I go

Free & easy down the road I go

Ragweed's rockin' on the radio

Free & easy down the road I go

So I keep rollin' like an old banjo

Free & easy down the road I go

Got the sun shinin' on me like a big spotlight

So I know everything is gonna be alright

Ain't no tellin' where the wind might blow

Free & easy down the road I go

Livin' life like a Sunday stroll

Free & easy down the road I go

Free & easy down the road I go

If you only get to around one time

I'm gonna sit back and try to enjoy the ride

I could make a million or wind up broke

Free & easy down the road I go

Can't take it with you when you go

Free & easy down the road I go

Someday I know it's gonna take me home so

Free & easy down the road I go

Free & easy down the road I go

-Dierks Bentley

21

Yesterday my "little" brother Robert turned 21. Here are a few random memories of one of the coolest kids/men (MEN?!) I know.

1. One time after we had gotten an extended downpour, the bottom of the hill in our side yard flooded. My parents let us "go swimming" in the flood water (yeah, disgusting, I know) and videotaped our shenanigans. When you watch the video, you see us splashing around happily, when suddenly Robert stumbles upon a huge branch. His tiny frame struggles to pull the branch up out of the water, but once he's got it, he lifts it up, points it directly at me and starts going, "Dsh! Dsh!" - i.e. shooting at me.

2. In one of our more violent arguments, I pinned Robert to the ground and rested my elbow against his temple, then growled, "If I push hard enough, I can kill you." Yep, that's me - the loving big sister.

3. When Robert was probably about 4, he went missing one day. My parents and I were looking around the farm frantically, and my mom called the local police, then told me to go to the house and call 911. I wasn't quite to the house when Mom yelled to me that they had found Robert. He had decided to go on a "walk with Sukie around the pond," neglecting to tell anyone.

4. One day, Robert and I were both very young - I would estimate that I was probably 5, so he'd be about 2 - we were downstairs playing while Dad had gone upstairs to shower quickly. In the 5 or so minutes that Dad was upstairs, Robert dragged out a tiny stool/chair we had and fell off it. I yelled up the stairs to my father, "Dad - Robert hurt himself." This was nothing new, so Dad responded, "Okay, I'll be down in a minute." I paused and said, "Okay, I'll try to clean up the blood by myself." Needless to say, that brought Dad running, face half lathered with shaving cream. Robert ended up getting stitches in his chin.

5. A short while later, he fell off a [parked] tractor and had to get stitches on his head. In elementary school, he broke his foot by doing a back flip on a trampoline... and missing the trampoline on the landing. Freshman year of school, he dropped a tuba on his head, resulting in more stitches. Freshman year of school, Robert also broke his wrist by bouncing off of one of our friends after jazz band. He also broke his collar bone in high school at soccer practice.

6. One morning on the way to school (when I could drive), I was in a hurry and asked Robert to tell me if anything was coming before I made a left turn. He responded, "No.... wait, yes. Yes!" This was another tense moment in our relationship.

7. Back when I was still bigger than Robert, we used to play tackle football in the kitchen, much to Mom's chagrin. Instead of tackling him, I would pick him up and carry him back for a loss of yards. Our games never lasted very long.

8. When we were little, we played with mini cars and trucks, and Robert would always make sound effects for the people driving his cars, especially when they were going to and from their vehicles. These sound effects consisted of: "Open door, walk walk, close door, walk walk walk..."

The past 21 years with you have been a lot of fun, brosive. 

Happy [belated] birthday - I love you!