When I was a little girl, I attended primary, our church's name for the children's meeting, during the last hour of our Sunday service. Every week in primary we had a Spotlight! It was pretty much the greatest thing about church; the thing that kept me coming week after (boring) week. It was so exciting to think that maybe, just maybe I'd be the lucky one they'd describe: this person likes pizza (duh! what kid doesn't?), has two brothers (ok...that could still be me), favorite color is aquamarine (Uh, (moral dilemma) I li-i-ike aquamarine, wouldn't say it's my favorite, but maybe my mom told them wrong ... I'll keep standing...) When it was finally my turn, I beamed and bloomed in the attention.
In adulthood it seems like we're all trying to deflect the proverbial spotlight as much as possible, but who are we all kidding? It feels dang-darn good to have five minutes of flattering fame whether you're seven or eighty four. So I want to do a somewhat regular "People Watching" installment to feature the greatness of people I think are great so they can feel a little greater about themselves! Doesn't that sound...great?
You all probably know more about Nate and Henry's greatness than you even want to, 'cause my sappy disposition hardly lets me write a post without gushing tenderness for them. And I've already spotlighted my darling mother and dashing father, so I think it's only natural that I proceed with the rest of my immediate family. Let me also give credit where credit is due and say that I'm inspired by these two lovely ladies, who regularly devote their posts to the greatness of others. Thank you, Jill and Nie, for scattering sunshine through the Ether with your complimentary posts. And I hope you don't mind if I perpetuate the precedent. I can't think of any better use of cyber space than to spotlight good people. And so, without further ado, I give you this week's Spotlight Debut:
My Brother
Ryan
Ryan was probably one of the most beautiful children ever to grace the face of this planet. He had big blue eyes, girlishly long lashes, and perfectly golden skin.
His imagination was equally beautiful. With a spatula and a coat hanger in hand, he could occupy himself for hours in the Magical Land of Make Believe, which was conveniently located in the corner where the top step met the banister on the flight of stairs that led down to the basement in our old house. And he loved dinosaurs. He loved them so much that he watched The Land Before Time every day for several weeks, even months, in his young childhood. Then the obsession switched to Fox and the Hound and that became the daily movie of choice.
Although his taste in movies got a little narrow during his little boy-hood, his tastes in almost everything else grew broad and he amassed a group of friends as diverse as his personal interest set. One day he'd come home from school with a snivelly little dweeb talking about bandwidth and gigs of RAM. The next day he'd be off with the most meat-headed jock, shooting bunnies in our back field.
His musical affinities were equally assorted. A favorite CD in my collection is a mix that Ryan burned for me, which features, among other randomly compiled selections: Warren G's Regulators, Vivaldi's Spring, Ozzie Ozbourne's Crazy Train, and Little Mermaid's Under the Sea. All on the same CD. All the one-time favorite tunes of my then fourteen year old little brother. He is one of the most refreshingly eclectic people I know. Here's what he had to say for himself:
What is your favorite memory with your favorite sister? (Hint: That is me.) -- "I loved staying up late and getting the tired jollies with you while you were home for a bit in the summer. Kickin' it in the guest room and laughing til our tummies hurt was really cool for me, especially since we had never been very close. It made me feel like I was old enough to "sit at the cool table."
Ryan Loves Food. And he eats like nobody's business. It's rad. One of my favorite memories was finding him hidden in the pantry, cheeks full of Almond Joys and a "Guilty!" look on his face. He was supposed to be cutting weight for wrestling. Oops!
Favorite Snack -- "mixing bowl" (and he does mean mixing bowl,) "filled with cereal before bed....yum yum!"
What would we find you doing at
What would you like to be when you "grow up?" -- "Some sort of physician, or serve in the church somehow...travel internationally and teach or something like that, who knows..."
Hobbies -- Football, my lady friend, (her name is Taryn, we really like her,) outdoor activities, walking at night (love it), reading/resting.
Things you miss most about home while you're away at college -- "I miss ping pong with Halley, chatting with Kate, walking/going down below to the barn with dad, chatting/tennis/eating/fun with mom, sleeping on the living room couch, the nice spirit that resides there, the goodness of mom and dad and brightness of Kate and Halley."
Favorite things about school/BYU -- "The spirit of the classroom and campus. It makes me SOOOOO HAPPY!"
Places you'd like to travel --
Please choose one from each of the following pairs of options:
I am an Introvert/Extrovert
I am Cautious/Daring
I am Tough/Sensitive
I am Intense/Mellow
I am an earlybird/Night-owl
I am confident/a little insecure
I am The life of the Party/Content to blend in
Given the choice, I'd rather: play outdoors/go to a movie
Ryan, you make the handsome quotient on my blog soar. These pictures show everyone your gorgeous eyes and dashing smile, I wish they could know your super sense of humor and your jumbo-sized tender heart, too. I guess those are member's only benefits that come with being part of such a fantastic family! I couldn't love you more if you were made entirely out of Peanut-Butter Bagels (and you and I both know, probably better than most of the other humans on this planet, how much one can love those!)
Hearts Forever,
Em
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