Blog #302: Dear Gavin

Dear Gavin,

First of all, thanks for letting me call you kid/babe/baby/G$ even though you're 13 now. I know it's not cool for a teenager but I'm glad you let me do it.

Secondly, thanks for being one of my best friends in the whole world. Some people think I'm crazy when I tell them that my 13 year old brother is one of my best friends, but you have been since the day you were born.

You came right at the time when I was getting "older" and wanted to still do "kids stuff," but didn't know if that would be uncool. Being able to do it with you gave me an excuse, so I got to basically extend my childhood by spending all my time with you. You were always in for my crazy plans, and there are few things I loved more than doing crafts, making carnivals, or having karate fights with you.

Even as you're getting older, I still love spending time with you, and I wish we had more time together. You're adventurous and down to try anything with me, but you're also incredibly smart and terribly funny. You've had a better sense of humor than me basically since you could talk, but I don't even mind because you're so hilarious. You're also so sweet, which makes it even easier to spend time with you.

I've loved watching you grow up and do so much cool stuff, even though you're only 13. Your musical talent is out of this world, which I knew long before "Jimmy's Restaurant" or "Don't Sit on Your Pretzels" even existed. You've already been in a couple bands, so I can only imagine what you'll be doing by the time you're my age.

I also love getting to talk about more "grownup" stuff as you've gotten older. You had the blessing/curse of having three much older siblings, so you've always been older than you are, but now we can talk about jobs or moving out of Osage City or anything else. I hope you always remember that you can turn to me for anything, and I'll always be there to talk about it with you and help you out.

Leaving you was one of the hardest parts about moving out of the state for college, and I hope you don't feel like I abandoned you. Even though I love how much younger you are than me, it's also one of the hardest things, because I had to leave while you were still so young. I know you're very independent and you get along well with just Mom and Dad, but I do still wish we had more than just ten years together under the same roof. Leaving you makes me so sad to this day. That said, you can come visit me anytime. Heck, maybe we'll even live together again at some point in the future.

Our "Valerie" and "Ways to Go" traditional jam sesh will never get old to me, and I am always ready for a food parade when you are.

I love you, I miss you, and I'm sorry I used to pay you in gum. Please forgive for that.

Kailyn