Monday TOP TEN: my brother-in-law Dean

I really love my family.

We are quirky.

But we like to party.

It brings me no greater joy than to see my family happy.

It is because of all the joy that this dude brings to my sister, their kids, and to the rest of the clan that I present to you:

MONDAY TOP TEN:

MY BROTHER-IN-LAW DEAN.

There are a lot of great things about Dean, certainly more than ten. However, I must abide by my own rules and stick to ten.

Please be aware that these are really not in any particular order, I am placing numbers in order to make sure I get all ten on here :)

1. Dean is a fantastic photographer. In fact, I am shamed by my poor photography of him taking a photo at the Gonzales Ranch last Easter:

2. Dean is a devoted family man. He adores my sister Jodi and practically waits on her (and those little darling twinsies of theirs) hand and foot.

3. I love myself some Chick-fil-a. Seriously. I really dig it. My fantastic brother-in-law Dean not only humors me with a Sacramento Chick-fil-a dinner every single time I am in town, but I am convinced he is equally lovin' the Original Chicken Sandwich.... plus a twelve piece nugget please.

4. My brother-in-law Dean is always up for whatever activity we suggest. Wanna take a tram ride in Palm Springs? He's there. Wanna jaunt up to Tahoe with the in-laws, Dean? Oh, yeah. How about a little trip to Bass Lake with the crazy Cheathams? He says: "Bring it on".

5. Last year I trained for and ran the Half Marathon on the Monterey Bay. Dean totally blessed me that day. Here I have just run a butt-load of miles, and when I find them (of course they came to cheer me on, because they rule): my kid, sister, the twins, and my dear brother-in-law Dean are all sporting SHIRTS WITH MY PICTURE ON THEM! I laughed until I cried. It was his idea, and the shirts read: my sister/mommy/aunt is not a quitter! How flipping awesome is that?

(answer: pretty awesome)

6. When I came for a visit & babysat for Jodi & Dean, he bought me the hat I am wearing in the above picture. It was perfect. I wear it all the time.

7. Oh yeah, Dean is a studly runner, too. Much more so than me, because he has actually completed a FULL MARATHON. For real. And, he now runs with a double BOB stroller preceding him - that's really hard, too.

8. Jodi & Dean are the best gift-givers (see #6). They always discover the perfect thing to really honor the person to whom it will be given. It is either a fantastic talent, or a honed skill that they both practice regularly. We are all thankful for their generosity and thoughtfulness.

9. Dean plays games. Apples to Apples. Cribbage. Mancala. Mexican Train. Maybe even a little X-box? That is fun. We all really laugh and have fun and learn a lot about each other during those late night Apples to Apples sessions at Bass Lake!

10. Dean has been a shining light in our family since the day he walked into 1010 Kentfield Drive exclaiming "Sequence! I love Sequence!" (see #9).

Whoops, I am breaking my rules here, but #11: those two make really cute kids :)