My Missionary Brother

My Brother
Charcoal, 2015

My Missionary Brother

My cute brother is currently serving his mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the Fukuoka, Japan mission, and he is of course loving it! I miss him a lot, but he is doing great work over there. He loves all the people he meets, and it's really great to hear how well he is doing each week. Good news is, he comes home this summer!

I am so glad the First Presidency announced the change in how we can communicate to our missionaries each week. It's been so great to be able to video chat with him almost every week, to see his face and get to talk to him and hear from his own mouth how he is doing, rather than through an email. It has really helped me with how much I miss him.

I remember back when we were little, and I still had some loose teeth, Ty accidentally punched me in the face (at least I hope it was an accident!) and knocked my loose tooth out! He also broke my pinky one time while wrestling me to the ground. So the only bone I have ever broken was broken by my little brother. And I tell you what, having a broken pinky on your dominant hand is harder to deal with than you might think!

I have always been best friends with my siblings, I love them all so much! There are different types of relationships though, and each is unique and special for different reasons. My relationship with Ty is great because we are the two middle kids, so we understand each other in that regard. We can joke around with each other, tease, and we both know it's all in good fun. And I love it when my big-little brother gives me a hug (let's face it, I love hugs from all my siblings). 

Me and Ty got to go to high school together during my senior year, which was his sophomore year. It was especially fun because he and I were both in Orchestra together, me playing the violin, and him playing the cello. We were both in the Orchestra class presidency, me as secretary and him as the sophomore representative. It was a LOT of fun! We got to organize events with each other, and drive to and from school together. We had some concerts where we both had solos. We would sometimes practice the songs together, and would often play Star Wars and Lord of the Rings songs together, either with me on the piano accompanying, or on the violin doing a duet. I think that is one of the things that I might miss the most, is being able to jam out with by little brother.

One of the best parts of my senior year was the school talent show. Me, Ty, and a bunch of friends got together and formed a band. A Jug Band! It was so awesome, I played the violin (or "fiddle") with a few others, we had a stand up bass player plucking the strings, we had spoons, washboards, jugs, guitars and banjos. It was awesome! And it was even more fun because Ty was involved. We did a lot together growing up, and I am super grateful for that. 

I am proud of Ty for many reasons, but I think one of the top reasons is that he treats girls so well. That's something that my dad really taught my brothers, is how to treat girls and women. Ty and Gavin always make sure to open a girl's door, whether they are on a date or not, and this includes opening doors for their mom and sisters. My brothers and dad are true gentlemen.

I sure love that kid, and I am so proud of him for serving his mission. I miss him a lot, and I am so excited for him to get home. I'm excited for the future jam sessions, and to be able to finally give him a hug!!

About this drawing:

I drew this picture during my senior year drawing class. I really like how this one turned out, especially with my skill level at the time. I would have liked to fix the eyes, they kind of bug me, but since then I have gotten better at drawing eyes. 

This one was really difficult because I had never drawn someone I knew before, and I found myself having a hard time getting it just right. It's kind of difficult for me to be able to draw people I know because I know them personally and it's even more important for me to draw it well. I don't want to mess up, and at the time I felt that I couldn't get it right. I can't describe it very well, but it's like I want to get their personality and all that I know about that person into what I am drawing, which is hard to do.  I think that has gotten better over the years, but it's still a little difficult at times. I guess I just need practice!