April 10, 2014: Cracking Myself Up

My brothers...Mark (far left) and Matt (far right)
Their best friend from childhood, Rich, is appropriately in the middle

Tonight was Date Night. A beautiful spring night in Omaha. Garrett and I enjoyed sushi and libations on the patio of Blue in Legacy. The conversation and stories were top notch.

Date nights are sacred to us. With time as our most valuable asset, we are bucky about budging for superseding plans. From boyfriend and girlfriend to husband and wife, Thursday nights are always booked. Locked and loaded.

This afternoon, prior to Date Night, I enjoyed some personal conversation with a business colleague. Somehow we got on the subject of dating. My friend commented on a man she had dated for a short period that seemed to have it all; looks, smarts, success. But he lacked something that my friend couldn't initially put her finger on. He was boring.

On paper he looked divine, but on a date; a complete bore. She missed the banter. The playful dance. There was no fun in their relationship.

I got what she was saying. Fun and smack talk are things I personally enjoy. And, frankly, this something I probably take for granted. A boring spouse? Wow. That would stink. A blessing I didn't know I had.

Garrett often reminds me of my sharp tongue. In turn, I have to remind myself not to go overboard. I can easily get caught up in the moment and let things snowball a bit.

Within our banter, I often win in our friendly war of words.

"You crack yourself up. Don't you?" is Garrett's common response as I grin full of pride after a score.

I can thank my brothers for my mouthy ways. If I were to receive the best of class award, my first thank-you acknowledgement would go to my big brothers. I may have been the youngest and only girl, but in the war of words, I could hold my own.

To this day, I really don't know if anyone actually gets my sense of humor. But since it is identical to my brothers, we collectively crack each other up when together.

As an example, in the picture above, they are recreating the opening to the show "My Three Sons". Most wouldn't have an idea what I'm talking about. To those fans of this 60's show, the keen eye would note the only missing character as the the cat on the floor.

As a side note, our childhood neighbor, Oka, was unavailable for this reenactment. He played the cat when they did this skit as children. We would roar with laughter as Oka laid on the floor between the three "brothers".

We cracked ourselves up.

So on this Sibling Day (who made that up and when???), I would like to first thank the Academy and then my brothers for their incredibly strong influence.

Thank-you for always making me laugh and never giving me a bye. What seemed like ruthlessness as a child has proven to be excellent training for my adult years. Banter is a good thing. But we will continue to remind ourselves of our mother's advice. All fun things are good....within moderation. xoxox