Meet and Greet Monday: Kendall Earl

Adequately summing up my youngest brother, Kendall, is just as difficult as accurately depicting Chance in a few hundred words was. One thing I can say, though, is what my grandma always says about him: Kendall's just Kendall. I know it's cliche, but there really is no one like Kendall. And Kendall is like no one else. But those of us who know and love Kendall wouldn't have it any other way.
It's hard to believe my baby brother is just days away from his twentieth birthday. I feel like he should still be my eight-year-old little brother. But when Kendall got his medical insurance cards in the mail a couple weeks ago, he realized he is, in fact, a grown up now. So I guess it's time I came to terms with that fact as well. In addition to being a real-life grown up , here are a few other things Kendall is:
1. an amazing athlete. Kendall is exceptional at any sport he plays, although his favorite is football. I lost my voice many times while cheering on #22 at Tipton high school football games.
2. too funny for words. No matter what he says or the way in which he says it, there are always many laughs when Kendall is around.
3. a very handsome dude. Don't believe me? See for yourself:

4. an animal lover. Besides myself, Kendall is one of very few people who can handle my crazy canine, Deuce, who's quite fond of his Uncle Kendall.
5. a midnight (and beyond) snacker. At any given hour of the night or early morning, one can find Kendall standing in front of the open refrigerator, or even keeping a watchful eye on the steak he has cooking away on the stove.
6. a mean Farkle player. Whenever I'm in Tipton, Mom always asks Kendall to play just one game of Farkle with us. "All right, one game," he will concede, usually grudgingly. But I think he secretly enjoys it more than he lets on.
7. the person I have to thank for my love of Frasier. Until a few years ago, I had never watched an episode of this absolutely hilarious show. I always skipped right over it when channel checking, assuming the jokes would be over my head and/or that it would be booooring. Oh, how wrong I was. Kendall just happened to mention the show one night, talking about how funny the dad and his dog were. So I decided to check it out the next time I came across it and have been hooked ever since. Thanks, lil brother.
8. the only person I know who never went through an awkward stage. Chance and I were always jealous because we had our share of awkward years. I won't go into much detail, but mine involved hideous glasses, a jerry curl, and acne. Kendall, however, has always been adorable or good looking. So unfair.
9. a history buff. Seriously, this kid (I mean grown man [he does have insurance cards, remember?]) watches the history channel for fun! His tastes in television, music, and movies are quite varied.
10. one of the two best brothers anyone could ask for. I'm a lucky sister.

I gave Kendall a hard time when we were younger, which was my job as a big sister. And I worked plenty of overtime. Now, though, I'm proud to say that Kendall and I are not just brother and sister; we're friends. Kendall shares both jokes and concerns with me, and I know he'll do anything for me as well.
I only get to see Kendall a handful of times a year now, which isn't nearly enough, but it's rare that we go more than a week without texting or Facebooking. I hope my baby brother knows how proud his lil/big sister is of him. He's a great young man, and I wouldn't trade him for the world...although, if you would have asked me when we were ten and six, I would have gladly exchanged him for ten bucks or a pack of Skittles.