Meet Rick still the cute, chubby, blond baby.

  I fell in love with this little guy from the moment my mom brought him home from the hospital. I was four years old and though he replaced me as the baby, he was so sweet, I didn't care. We connected from the start and he has been my best friend even into adulthood. I remember my mom called him her little Toe Head and I was mortified! How dare she compare my baby to someone's ugly old toe! It wasn't until I was an adult that I knew what she meant, I decided to forgive her then.
   Rick was a little accident prone growing up and he bares the scars of proof. I think it might have something to do with having five older siblings, we did some pretty stupid stuff and because he always tagged along he was the one that got hurt. I remember like it was yesterday Dave, Chuck and I watched him tumble down a flight of stairs like a chubby white sack of potatoes. Boy did we know we were in trouble! He is also the reason there are those "Do not climb" stickers on the industrial garbage cans, he was doing just that and it flipped and crushed him. We almost lost him that time, but the up side is he has a terrific scar that runs down the full length of his belly and turns a beautiful shade of purple when its cold. (your welcome Rick)
  When he entered his teen years he became one of those long haired, ear pierced, head banging teens that wore muscle pants, tank tops, high top tennis shoes and drove fast cars. I on the other hand was like June Cleaver, married and raising a family. Even though we were worlds apart we were still close and he graciously accepted the Mickey Mouse name plate I sent him for his seventeenth birthday.
Now that Rick is grown I still call this six foot four inch man, my "little" brother. He moves pretty fast for being so tall, just flick a spider on him and you will be amazed.
 He is a superior tile man, creative and  hard working. ( I have benefitted from this, thanks Rick)
    Let me just say, I love spending time with Rick. We laugh uncontrollably, tearing up and sounding like wheezy old men over nothing in particular. He is by far the most generous person I know and he genuinely cares for others. His whole family has benefitted from this. He is the perfect ending to this group of fabulous men, I know we would all agree on this.

  This is my favorite picture, best buds forever.              A few more for fun