Bragging Rights

Marrying JDub was one of the best decisions of my life. I am so grateful to be sharing this life with him.

And, on top of that, marrying him came with five big bonuses -- his brothers.

You see, getting married was kind of hard on me in ways. All of my very best friends were boys before I got married. I always had an easier time relating to and being friends with boys.

So, to get married and instantly have five brothers to play with has been a huge blessing for me. I just adore my brothers-in-law, all of them and all for different reasons.

And one other bonus was that, in one instance I got to keep one of my best favorite guy friends, too. JDub's younger brother, we'll call him Kiki (because that's what my kids call him), and I have known each other and been friends for nearly as long as JDub and I have.

In fact, I dated Kiki more than I dated JDub before we were engaged. And I kissed Kiki before I kissed JDub. (Yes, there is a Soap Opera Sunday post there. Wait for it.) Trust me. We are incessantly needled about this by our family. And we both take it good-naturedly in stride.

But, really, Kiki has always been one of my favorite people. Large chunks of our relationship consisted of commiserating over the fact that those who would end up being our spouses were so blind to our amazingness. And we were always able to talk and to laugh together. I have always considered him to be a kindred spirit, a dear friend.

I used to puzzle (and still do sometimes) over why I had such strong romantic feelings for JDub (who pretty much ignored me, other than letters, until after his mission) and not for Kiki (who was always fun, kind, friendly, attentive). Who knows. But we are all happy with who we are, where we are, so it seems silly now to ask why.

So, getting back to the point of this post...

This week I have been flashing back to a night almost 13 years ago. Kiki and I were sitting together on a patch of grass with a few other people and he was rubbing my shoulders. I'm not sure how it came up (probably it was because I told him how good he was at massage) but he told me that he wanted to be a chiropractor when he grew up. Very cool, I thought and filed it away. I still remember that conversation and how sure he was of who he wanted to be, what he wanted to do.

Fast forward about 6 or 7 years. JDub and I were sharing a house with Kiki and his wife. Scud was still a baby and their oldest daughter had just been born. Kiki was just finishing up his degree in massage therapy. And he was good at it. Partly because of the techniques he'd learned in school, but I think mostly because of his natural healing touch and sensitivity.

He finished his degree as a MT and also his prerequisite work at UVSC. About a year later their family packed up and moved to Oregon. You guessed it. For chiropractic school.

I remember thinking then, "Wow. He's wanted to do this for a long time and he's doing it."

Grad school took years, as grad school always does. It felt a bit like time warped and slowed down. And that's just for me. I'm sure it was even more so for his wonderful, supportive wife (who is also one of my best friends and the one who introduced me to both JDub and Kiki).

But through all of the years, his vision has remained steady and he's continued to put one foot in front of the other toward his goal.

So, it is with much joy and pride in my wonderful friend that I just have to brag for him.

He is now a full-fledged chiropractor. The tests have all been passed. He has finished his internship (apprenticeship, residency -- hit me over the head and tell me the right word to put here Kiki). He is state-licensed.

I am thrilled for him, for his beautiful wife and his three darling daughters.

You've made it! Hooray! Congratulations!

So consider this both a flashback and a flash forward. A flashback to my wonderful friend, who I am lucky enough to now have as a brother. And a flash forward to the marvelous man he will continue to be and the success I am sure he will enjoy. He is truly a gifted man, a natural healer and a fantastic chiropractor.

I can't wait to see what comes next.

And for those of you who are local and could use a good chiropractor, you can check out his website here. He's worth the visit.