"Bros" Before "Hos" or in this case..."Bros" Before "Responsibility" and "Work"

So yes, it has been quite some time since I have written in the blog...but as I cautioned at the onset, don't expect consistency, regularity, or predictability from Scott and me. (Ironically, these are three of the most basic and important tenets I teach the families I work with in counseling). The problem is, as Scott warned before we started the blog, there is either nothing to write about, or too much to write about, in which case I become easily overwhelmed. However, a rare occurrence happened over the past couple of weeks - Scott and me actually had visitors! My brothers, Ethan, Daniel, and Joel all happened to be in town for overlapping days, although Ethan and Joel spent the most time here - Ethan for duties related to the military, and Joel for a "break" from Utah-living. I think it was Joel who commented on the fact that prior to his puberty he felt as though he didn't really "know" his older siblings, including me and Matt, who is the oldest in the family. What with there being an 11-year age difference between me and Joel, and a 13-year age difference between Matt and Joel, he was scarcely out of toddlerhood before Matt and I were "leaving the nest." Gratefully, both Matt and I have ventured back home for one reason or another, and this has allowed us to "know" Joel on a more personal level, one which I am grateful to have had. I have known too many other friends and college roommates who spoke of older siblings, or younger siblings for that matter, as though they were strangers or foreign visitors who fleetingly took up residence in old bedrooms over the holidays and quickly went away again. I ofen tell Scott that I am fascinated by the men my brothers have begun, partially because I largely missed that evolution to manhood - it is as if I knew two separate and distinct people - the three small boys who comprised the "little boys" half of my family and the three men with gruff voices, hardened bodies, and facial hair; sadly, another reminder of my age and the fleeting years of youth. The "fascination" I speak of pangs me the most when they suggest things like, "Why don't we go golfing?" or "How about we go climbing at Mt. Rainier?" And while I marvel at the life experiences that they have had which have created these unique interests, most of which I was not privy to, I relish the times when we are all together and I catch glimpses of the baby-years or flashes of a look that evokes memories of childhood: Joel, the guttural laugh that he had even as a baby; Daniel, the twinkle in his eye and verve for life; Ethan, the wry smirk and mischevious look that bespeak an intelligent mind - often quiet of speech, but thinking, always thinking. So, I was grateful to be distracted from the typical mundanities of my life the past couple of weeks to get to "re-know" my brothers and I am ever mindful that they will not happen often or enough.

Here's Ethan at the Puyallup Fair - they had a display for the Army and we just had to get him to pose in front of it.

Yeah, well, we did get suckered in to buying the latest and greatest in infomercial products the "ShamWow". Although even Ethan was impressed with its "amazing" and "magical" powers.

Ethan, Scott, and Joel at the driving range....for Ethan and Joel it was all about the "power"; Scott was trying to focus a little more on the "technique."

Joel and Ethan take aim!Joel and Ethan discover the "addictiveness" of the Wii tennis match at Sara and Scott's home. You know you've been playing much too long when you wake up the next morning and your triceps and deltoids hurt so badly you can barely lift your arm!