for your 19th birthday I'm going to list my favorite 19 things about you / our friendship...(in no particular order)

1) "be good"
2) you know when to push me to talk and when its not worth it b/c I'm not going to say anything else
3) you fit in perfectly here at wpi
4) you're the first person I call when I need to talk, I need someone to understand
5) you always understand, even when I can't explain it
6) you push yourself, you want excellence, like with this whole college thing, you expect more from your school so that you can expect more of yourself... I respect that
7) "let's join the circus"
8) your passion
9) our adventures...there have been quite a few
10) I love that you were afraid of me in 9th grade MUAHAHA!
11) you let me harass you about things, say things I shouldn't, you fight with me, tell me when I'm wrong or when you disagree
12) I can talk to you about anything, whenever we went anywhere the car rides would turn into these talk about everything, life, boys, death, family, friends... we covered it all
13) the rose on the dashboard... (we'll need to get a new one for this spring)
14) RIP crash
15) I'm completely myself with you, and I think you're completely you, theres no need to hide anything, put on any acts, or try to be something we're not
16) you let me bitch and moan, even brag... and for some crazy reason you still like me
17) I love your mom :-)
18) I feel like I've known you forever, its weird that I only met you four years ago because I feel like you know me better than anyone else
19) we're forever friends


So happy birthday to one of the best people I have ever met, happy birthday to my daughter, happy birthday to the green giant ... have a great day, you certainly have earned it. love you.... be good


ps I know its a day early but I won't be here tomorrow

I'm trying to be happy for you, trying to be supportive...sometimes its just harder to smile.

its weird the things we remember . . . I haven't made that drive since the summer before my senior year. I only ever drove there during the summer, two nights a week. I worried I'd forget how to get back, get lost in the dark . . . but I knew every twist in the road, everyvbuilding I would pass and every mile that went by, I felt more and more at home.

I remember the gas station we'd stop at to get slushies on the way home, its the same one we'd stop at after the winter tourny so he could get his coffee. I remember the icecream shop I always wanted to stop at, but never took the time. I remember the lake, the houses and the "highway" in ashby. The drive never meant much to me when I made it twice a week, but when I drove back last night . . . I wanted nothing more than for that drive to never end.

I think I could go back there 20 years from now and still find my way home, I know the buildings will have changed and roads repaved, but the memory means to much to me to ever forget.

gLiMmeRs of hope; keep me coming back everyday. These certain days, words of praise, short proofs of improvement and triumph. The chance of greatness; sucess due to nothing more than sweat and endurance. Wishing theres a reason I'm still here, something more than simply filling a spot. Doing things I previously was uncapable of, becoming stronger, faster, better. Fleeting moments of brillance...

its a love hate relationship...