Reese's Pieces

My littlest (ok, littlest is not the right word since he's six feet tall...lets go with youngest) brother, Reese - he's the one surrounded by ladies in the photo below is a pretty great guy.  He's always been the sweetest guy.  I hope my saying that doesn't decrease his street cred, but there you have it.  He's a sweetheart. 

The week before I moved to DC all those years ago, Reese came and knocked on my door and asked if he could take me out to lunch before I moved.  He had saved his money so that he could take me out to J-Dawgs (his favorite hot dog place).  Mind you, he was 13 at the time, so offering to spend that kind of money to take me out was a big deal.  But that's just the type of guy he is - he's thoughtful and kind; friendly and giving.

He's also an old soul.  I like to joke that he was born 45 years old.  He's been "working on his resume" since before he could even legally hold a job, and, when he found out what Valedictorian meant, he decided, "yeah, I think I want to be that."  That's Reese for you - outsmarting us all even back in his tweens.

Reese has studied German since the 7th grade and was desperately hoping to get his mission call to Germany.  Of course, this made me think that he'd more likely get called somewhere like Hong Kong or Madagascar, just because that's the way things go. 

Blake and I, along with the rest of our family, waited fraught with anticipation for him to receive his call this past Wednesday.  I could hardly believe it when Reese called me at 6:30 and excitedly told me that he'd gotten called exactly where he dreamed of going - Berlin!

Congratulations, baby brother!  We'll miss you these next two years, but we're so excited for you!