Happy 4th of July and Happy 35th, Sean!!

I am the baby of the two of us, and Sean has always been an amazing big brother! Even got into a fight for me when were in high school! He was my protector, though he once threw a hanger at me- luckily I ducked and it broke the glass behind me! We had this love/hate relationship growing up, as most brothers and sisters do, but ultimately, he stood up for me and took care of me whenever I needed him! I love him and he is such a great friend to me now. I can’t imagine not living close to him- he is such a great brother- one I cherish and love to be around. Especially throughout these childhood pics- I spared you from much of the 80’s and early 90’s- those were not the best picture years for either of us!

This was a favorite thing for my dad to do to us!

Sean is also a great dad!! He has 3 darling daughters that he just adores. They love him because he is the “fun dad”, who gets down and plays with them all the time. He is also the dad who dresses them, and does the hard stuff- I so admire him for that. He takes them on fun adventures and teaches them all kinds of great things. He even goes on field trips with his oldest that just finished Kindergarten. We go on a yearly family weekend trip with him and his family with my parents every summer- it is always a fun time. We just relax and hang out and remember the fun vacations we went on as children. I very much look forward to that get-away.
Every year we go to the pumpkin patch with our combined families- it is always a good time!


Sean won “nicest guy” in his senior class- and that pretty much sums him up- he is soooo nice and so willing to do things for others. He is a great friend, and has several life long friends who will attest to that. He works for a large grocery chain, and has many customers who shop his department, solely because he is there and will spend time talking to them. He really goes the extra mile with his job, and puts in time and effort- winning several awards for his work. Sean is very creative- and an amazing artist. He won many awards in HS for his art, and was even accepted into art school after HS. He is very talented and can do many types of art mediums. He was the reason I passed art in high school! Thank goodness for that!

He has inspired Alex to draw, and Alex actually drew and colored this pheasant for him for Christmas in 2006. He is also a fast learner when it comes to hands on things- he has learned trades on how to fix things, how to finish a basement, and more recently, how to build a deck! He and his father-in-law built a deck on the back of his house that he designed! He is really smart and can envision things in ways I can’t even begin to imagine.

Sean is a die-hard Ohio State fan, and a Dallas Cowboys fan- for life! Seriously, his basement is dedicated to both teams, and it is a sweet room! He has become quite the enthusiast these past years with collections of items from both teams for that room. He has many really cool pics and treasures from his beloved teams. This year he bought season tickets to the OSU games, and will go no matter the weather- he is a true fan- even getting into the Michigan game 2 years ago without a ticket! You have to hear the story from him to believe it, but he did! He and Dana and my parents went out to Tempe for the National Championship game in 2002 when we won it all!

This was in the fall of 2004.

He is married to a wonderful woman that he dated for nearly 10 years before they married! My sister-in-law, Stephanie is a dear friend of mine, and a very important part of our family. We are very much alike, yet she tolerates much more than me! Sean is a better man from having her in his life. We are fortunate to have her in ours. I am grateful for all the great choices Sean has made in his life- he is a very successful guy and is liked by everyone he meets. He is one of the most honest, genuine people I know- that is hard to come by in this world.

I am grateful for my parents who taught us to love one another unconditionally throughout our lives. They were always telling us to be kind to others and take care of each other, because we were only going to have this one brother and sister. I think we have done a pretty good job so far! I look forward to celebrating many more birthdays with Sean in years to come!!

Happy 35th Birthday, Sean- enjoy your fireworks!!