My Other Cooler Brother

This weekend was my brother Lance's birthday. He's thirty-something, I can't keep track, I just know he's old. (Definitely not young and spry like 26!) But lets be honest. No one really cares about him, and I just blogged about him a few months ago and I don't think you guys have fully recovered from that yet, so instead I'm going to talk about my other cooler brother Brandon today.

B is probably the most well-rounded of all of us. You name it, he is interested in it or has probably been interested in it at some point. He's just cool like that.  Here's a small peek into why he's so awesome....

He's artistic. He will never admit to it but he's an amazing artist and I love that he continually is trying to cultivate that talent. My favorite is watching him draw and paint with our nieces and nephews. They just love him for it. Every time he goes to visit them they get so excited to use his water colors and he's more than happy to oblige. He's also great with a camera, he's got some sweet photography skills.
He's great with kids. Oh my goodness our nieces and nephews just love Uncle B. He's the best of Uncles. He always has a game or a story up his sleeve and the kids just think he's the bees knees. None of the rest of us can compete when it comes to being the favorite Aunt or Uncle. B pretty much has it under wraps. He's going to make an amazing dad someday.

He's athletic. He rock climbs like a boss. He loves to get out and hike when the weather is nice out and in the winter he's always look for new places to snowshoe or cross-country ski. He took me on my very first cross-country ski experience. Oh boy was it was adventure, and I don't use the word adventure lightly. Recently he's taken to running and I've loved hearing him get excited when he pushes his limits or tacks on some extra time.
He's a great cook. I never go hungry when I'm staying with B. And if I am ever in search for a new recipe he's usually the one I go to because he has a lot of great ones up his sleeve.
He's so nice. I know the word nice is sort of broad but seriously B is just downright nice. There is no one more caring or selfless than B. He is constantly watching over me, making sure I'm ok and asking what he can do to help with anything. On several occasions he'll recommend books for me to read and then next thing I know they are just showing up at my door because he just decided to just order them for me instead. He's just so darn thoughtful.
He's creative. B is always coming up with great ideas. One year for Christmas he organized The Tolman Family Olympics! Complete with several events, medals for all the finalist and we even each had our own theme song. Talk about awesome.
He's motivating.  He always supports me in whatever and gives me that added boost of motivation whenever I need it. Not only is he outright motivating but the wonderful example that he is, is a constant motivation for me to be a better person. B is someone who is always trying to be a little bit better and do a little bit more. He's a wonderful example of perseverance and I love how open he is with me about the things he's working on and that we're able to have honest conversations about our lives.
He loves family. I love how much B loves our family. He is always coming up with any excuse to get us all together.  Out of all of us he's probably the best at keeping in touch with everyone.

Ok, I could go on for awhile. These are just a few of the things that come to mind when I think about how awesome of an oldest brother I have. Ladies, he's single so snatch him  up while you can because he is a catch. Your not going to find a better man. I sure lucked out when it comes to having the best oldest brother.

....And I guess Lance is OK as well. Happy Birthday Lance :)