this one's for you bro...

Tonite, as my sister, bro-in-law and I were painting the garage door (a late birthday gift for my dad Ted), Kristian pressed me with a question: "So Maia, why don't you have any photo's of your family on your blog?? Huh?". So Kristian, despite the fact that you painted more on me than the garage, that you knocked over the box of stamps in the hallway AND that I now have to go and re-do everything that you painted today, this one's for you ;)

I'm going to be honest here...God blessed me with an amazing brother-in-law. But I think the 'coolest' thing about Kris and I's "story" is that our friendship wasn't immediate. Kris and I are very different people. He likes the business scene. I'm a free spirit. He likes to fish. I hate fish. He likes to hunt. I could never shoot an animal. He is obsessed with beef jerky. I think it smells like a cat treat. However, we also have a lot of things in common. We both love God. We both love my sister. We both like to be goofs. We both like to talk smack to each other. Throughout my time of getting to know Kristian, God has done amazing things in our friendship. Kristian is one of the guys in my life that I really respect. He has a passion for God. He desires to be a man of integrity in a tough business world. He protects my sister and honours her everyday. He loves my family. He looks out for me and is my 'overprotective big brother'. So, after all is said and done, I love ya bro! I remember thinking the day that you got married to Sarah, "Wow, this guy is really going to be a part of my life forever. He'll be there for all of our family birthdays, there to greet me at the airport when I come home from one of my many adventures, there if I ever get married, there to poke fun at, cry with, pray with." And you know what? That makes me really really happy.