What I've Learned... from Jack!

Happy, happy 21^st birthday to my brother and buddy, Jack!! I am so so proud of you and hope you have an amazing time celebrating your twenty-one years today :)

A few things Jack has taught me throughout the past twenty-one years… 

+ how to “ollie” via a very informative video demonstration (although I couldn’t do it myself if my life depended on it!). 

+ the secret recipe for making delicious, better-than-movie-theater popcorn with melted butter. 

+ just how truly unique of a bond there is growing up with a sibling so close in age to you. 

+ to love, love, love the beach. and the salt water. and the sand. 

+ strength goes way beyond the physical (although he is pretty ripped, too!). 

+ that there really is someone who absolutely despises Disneyland (i know, it’s shocking!). 

+ Meet the Deedles is still one of the funniest movies, almost fifteen years later. 

+ how much happiness comes from doing something that you absolutely love (for him, it’s surfing. for me, TBD… ha!). 

+ dressing up your little brother as a girl really is all it’s cracked up to be, especially when said little brother lets you put lipstick on him! 

+ not to take life too seriously. being funny and silly together is still so much fun. 

+ not everyone has to pay to have their hair highlighted (he just got the good genes! plus, surfing every day might help a little, too). 

+ that twenty-one years later, that chubby little guy on the very top would grow up to be the sweet stud below in the yellow bug.


Photos: My iPhotos

What I've Learned... from my Dad!

What I’ve Learned From My Pops…

• it's totally normal to eat pb&j's for lunch. every. single. day.
• always be the first at the office and the last to leave.
• you really do accomplish so much more when you start your day at 4:30 am.
• an appreciation for basketball, boxing out, and all things sports, really.
• it really is okay to ask for help sometimes.
• that talking like Donald Duck will still give me the giggles, even though I'm 24.
• making everything into a competition can be fun. when you're the winner.
• it's possible to be a complete stud, even in your 50s. he's proof :)
• don't be afraid to simply ask for what you want.
• how to "dolphin" while body surfing.
• that your hard work will eventually pay off. just keep going.
• if you need tickets to a bay area sporting event, he is THE man.
• my future husband better be handy and live up to the fences, decks, and mini play-houses that my dad has built (yup, the pressure is on!).
• patience. oh wait, i did not learn that one from you. haha.
• exercising really is such a stress reliever (yes, you were right!)
• the importance of having an involved and present dad in your daily life as a kid (who am i kidding, as an adult, too!). one who shows up for all those ballet recitals and always tells you that you were the best one out there.
• how to play bocce ball. Like THE champ himself.
• be early. tardiness is rude and a waste of other people's time.
• the true meaning of selflessness.
• that the seemingly quiet boys are still really, really, really funny. you just have to get them talking!

Happy Fasha*’s Day to the best one out there!

*yep, this is indeed an Austin Powers reference, but we have been calling my dad fasha for so long now, it’s almost second nature (but it still makes me giggle a little inside every time I say it!). 

Photo: via here