Laughing Out Loud

 

So, yesterday was my birthday.  Honestly, it was just a regular day.  It was just another morning where I woke up, destroyed our bathroom, showered, checked my emails, and hit to road to work.  I didn’t feel differently, I didn’t feel more special than normal, and it was not exactly magical by any means.  I mean, I definitely rocked out to Taylor Swift’s “22” multiple times, earning random weird/bewildered looks from strangers, but it was just another ordinary day.  (The start of the football season was probably the most significant thing that happened… what is life…)

We tend to deem days like these more special than others; birthdays, anniversaries, etc.  And we celebrate.  Some of us get drunk, some of us treat our loved ones with more attention, flowers, and presents.

But why not every day?  My phone went nuts from all the wall posts—thanks by the way, to everyone who wished me a good one.  I seriously do appreciate it, though this blog post might suggest otherwise.  We shouldn’t need these specific times of the year that say it’s okay to post on someone’s wall, send them a good morning text, or give flowers to.  Why wait?

And in light of yesterday, I realized one thing… it’s not necessarily all about me.  I mean, we’re celebrating another 365 days I’ve somehow miraculously survived, but by no means is that anything I want to take total credit for.

It’s about you guys.   And I aim to try and name each person specifically in this post.  I admit, I am being a little hypocritical by saying we shouldn’t do these special and nice things just because of some designated date, but whatever.   I also resolve to let these people know they’re appreciated and loved consistently in the future.

So, to start, I have to call out Mitch Riley.  This guy has been my closest friend since junior high.  I can rely on him for intellectual stuff, he taught me how to play guitar, and I wouldn’t be in love with music as much as I am without him.  I would not have gotten through my senior year of high school without him because every morning of the 12^th grade, he drove out of his way to pick me up and take me home.  He is one of the most sincere guys, smart guys, and greatest guys I know.  I’m better because of him.  I’m smarter.  And I’m certainly more tolerable.  Without Mitchell, I would not be who I am today, and honestly, I probably wouldn’t even be around today.  Thank you, arm, for helping me survive the last 365 days, and I look forward to more adventures and shenanigans over the next year.

As you all know, Emily Johnson and I broke up back in November of 2013.  Regardless, she is probably one of the closest people to me right now.  I learned so much about being a good boyfriend from dating her.   To everyone I’ve talked to since then, and all these random girls that believe I’m a sweet and nice guy; I’m pointing at her.  She showed me how.  Emily is the most sweet and kind person I’ve ever met.  I don’t regret a single day I spent with her, and I’m so happy and grateful that we’re friends still.  She’s more or less my voice of reason, and that one person that doesn’t care to tell me when I’m doing something wrong, but always because she cares so much about me.  I hate that we had a temporary hiatus and didn’t talk, but I love that it’s over and that we can call each other the best of friends.  Emily, thank you for wasting 3 years on me, for being there for me, and never ceasing to show me the way.  Most especially, thank you for being you.

I can’t leave out Jonathan Wallace.  I wouldn’t be in politics without ya.  Twenty years from now, I’m probably going to be cursing you for ever recruiting me as an intern on Morthland’s race, but for now, I’m happy.  I have an awesome career, an incredible job, and plenty of food and beer in my tummy because of you. You’ve opened doors for me and guided me on a path to a level of success I never felt was possible earlier this year.  Besides that, you’ve been a brother to me.  You’ve talked me down when I’ve made stupid decisions, and steered me differently when I’m about to.  You’ve taught me a ton about web development, campaigning, and God knows what else.  I could blame you for some of the crazier experiences in ’10, but I grew more wise and mature from those, and like the people previously mentioned and following this, I wouldn’t be who I am if you weren’t a huge part of my life.  And I can’t forget, you gave me the shittiest (and first)car I ever owned, which got me places that walking and getting rides otherwise wouldn’t have.   You also introduced me to Marcus Aurelius, the Art of War and the 48 Rules of Power, all things that have guided me to lead a better life and career.  Remember 3411!

I can’t leave out Jon’s younger brother, Benjamin.  Dude, all the times I had financial and romantic woes, you were there to help me piece things back together and move along.  We’ve got a thing for giving each other rock solid advice and opinions, even when we know it might upset the other.  You’ve always had my back and you have always been so incredibly honest with me.  I’ve always got yours.  Also, thanks for favoriting half of the crap I tweet, because it certainly boosts my self-esteem.  I also have to mention that Jonathan and Ben were the only people that gave me a phone call on my birthday.   Way to make me feel super special, guys.  The man love is literally flooding across this web page right now.

Order by no means suggests the amount of value people are to me, but I can’t fail to include my mom and dad.  We’ve had a rocky relationship and some of ended up written on this blog, unfortunately. Regardless, I’m so content and glad with where we’re at now.  All of the values and positive traits I have today were engrained in me by your parenting.   I could say, just like the rest of the people listed here, that I wouldn’t be who I am without you guys.  Beyond that, I would probably still be on the other side of this world living a life nowhere near as spectacular and incredible as the one I’m living now, thanks to the both of you.  I could not ask for better parents, and though I might have suggested otherwise, I wouldn’t trade you guys for the world.  I love you both.

It’s almost 1 AM, so I’m going to consolidate everyone else into a single paragraph below.  I’m who I am because of all of you.  You have all made small impacts on me and left fingerprints in my life that will never wash away.  Thank you for being there, for being my friends, family, and to some of you, more than that.  I guess the meaning behind all of this is that my birthday isn’t just a celebration of me living another year, and looking for more to come, but it’s a celebration of my existence because of each and every single one of you.  So, yeah, happy birthday to me, thanks to you guys.

And to the following, with a brief reason next to them, due to my lack of time and desire to keep this under 2000 words:

Thank you:

Kaitlyn Kahle for always being there for me, and giving a shit.    Rusty Naftzger and Levi Straus for helping me survive the long shifts at RadioShack and all the awesome times.  Eric Reyes for the roof over my head in the QC and being a good brochacho.  Lissette Martinez for being an awesome friend, unofficial sister, and an inspiration. Rebecca Miller for always helping me believe when I doubt.  Celeste Raya for just being so sweet and caring, and a great person. My grandparents for just being the most incredible grandparents this world has ever known.  My extended family for always supporting me and being there.  Kenzie Tucker-Green for giving birth to a beautiful daughter and just being a good friend, keeping me company, and also being there.  Emily Claus for all the laughs and random conversations throughout each day, also for this growing bucket list and a weird craving for grilled cheese.  Eric and Shari Johnson for supporting me so much, helping me with all my car troubles, and always being wonderful people, and also raising two spectacular daughters (and two dogs, one that I can relate to now).  Bob  Stefanski for not being a shitty roommate, playing Madden with me until 2 AM, and just being a great guy and mentor on the campaign trail.  Stephanie Milefchik, for being there, answering the phone at the most random hours of the night, and inspiring me to write again.  Jorge Rea for getting me into FPS and letting me rent out his garage for four months.  My clan for making FPS fun, and for all the friendships and awesome experiences. Kirsten Bryant for never allowing me to forget who I am, and drowning me with compliments and encouragement.  Mark Kaczmarek for teaching me so much about government (and sometimes your beliefs on how it should be).  Stacy Brown for giving me the courage and confidence to talk in front of people.  Montana Farrell for getting me into poetry and Cards Against Humanity.  That one random cop who didn’t give me a ticket because of my zombie apocalypse knife joke.  Asians in general.  Maddy Krause for keeping me occupied on Snap Chat, for always caring, and for being so kind. Vanessa for the very interesting summer and for being so brilliant that it blows my mind.  Joe Woodward and the other folks at HRO for being great coworkers, teaching me so much, and putting up with me.  Callen Brown for reading half the crap I publish just because and just being such a nice person.  Erica Sunken for hating me with good reason, and motivating me to make different decisions because of that.  The rest of the Wallace brothers for the good nights and epic video game rounds.  Ed Sheeran.  Levi James for all the laughs and random internet crap.  Skip Clarquist for teaching me a lot about music and worship.  Taylor Brothers for the same thing, but for also being such an inspiring guy.  Dwayne and Kathy for being wonderful people, leaders, and so encouraging.  My former coworkers at Whitey’s Ice Cream for making that one of the most memorable and fun jobs I’ve had.  Emma Levich for the advice, the obvious perks of your friendship, and getting me hooked on hookah.  And my brain is tired and I’m falling asleep.  Let’s just say everyone else who I missed or forgot (not because you don’t matter, but because there are just way too many awesome people in my life, it seems).

Thanks for reading this. Don’t wait until your next birthday to thank and appreciate the great people in your life.