my not-so-little brother...

This is what happens when you don't see your family very often...all of a sudden, your little brother is HUGE!!! My parents sent me this picture, taken a few weeks ago, and I could hardly believe my eyes. The happy couple on the left is my parents, then my brother Ben in the back with his curly red mop blowing in the wind, and finally my Aunt Pat and Uncle Tom (he's my mom's "little" brother...). They went to Sao Paulo to spend a week with my family a few weeks ago, which was awesome! Both of my mom's siblings have now managed to go down to Brazil and see my parents in their "natural habitat," and I think it has truly been a blessing for all those involved. They're standing in the parking lot of the Pan American Christian Academy, the school I went to (from Kindergarten through 12th grade!), with the administrative office building/library in the background. Note the palm trees - it's summer there!!!!! :)

Katrina, this next one's for you...if you thought Ben was scary when he was shorter than us, I can't imagine what you'd do if you bumped into him now! :) This is Ben's best impression of a scary pirate, from my High School in Brazil's production of The Pirates of Penzance a few weeks ago. (It's very strange to me that, in the past 5 years, PACA has done a big musical drama production every year, with about half of the high school involved every time! When I was a student, let's just say that drama wasn't the most popular 8th period elective class...For example, my Junior year, we had to scrounge around looking for a play that had an all-female cast! Because there were NO GUYS who signed up! We couldn't even do something like Little Women, because we would at least have needed a guy to play the crucial part of the March family's suave neighbour Laurie. You see, we weren't allowed to have girls dressed up as men pretending to be men. But now, they don't seem to have any trouble getting guys to be in the plays! And singing and dancing, nonetheless! My, how times have changed...) So without further ado, here is my handsome pirate brother!

But don't let the picture fool you - he's really a sweetheart. :) Love you, bro!!!!!!!!