GSJ

This Sunday my little brother will graduate from high school. This upcoming event has brought back some great memories of watching him grow up. Therefore, I decided to blog about some of the memories so they can be shared with others.

Before Greg was even conceived, I would pray every night for a little brother. I did not want a sister...just a baby brother. My prayers were answered on October 4th, 1990, when my mom gave birth to Gregory Stuart Jones. Gregory came from a Tennessee football player (my dad's choice) and Stuart came from the doctor who delivered both Greg and me, Dr. Mary Stuart. He was such a precious baby! He was jaundice so the doctor told mom to put him in INDIRECT sunlight. Well, mom thought she said in DIRECT sunlight so Greg got his first sunburn at a few days old. I remember being told that I could only hold my brother sitting down. This upset me, because I wanted to hold him standing up and walk around with him. With that said, every time Greg laid down for a nap, I would sneak into his room and hold him standing up. He was such a happy baby and he loved his pappy and blanky.

As he got a little bit older, he started acquiring some unique qualities. One of these unique qualities was his love for vacuum cleaners. Yes, you heard me right....vacuum cleaners. If we went to someone's house, his first question was if he could see their vacuum cleaner. He even got two vacuum cleaners from Santa one year. He couldn't pronounce his "SM" sounds so the word "smoke" sounded like "foke" when he said it and "smart" was "fart" to him. He loved riding in the car! When he got into the car he wouldn't make a sound. He would just look at all of the scenery and take everything in his little head. When it came time for soccer and T-ball, Greg was more interested in day dreaming or pulling up his socks than he was actually playing sports.

Now, my little brother is growing up, and while one chapter in his life is closing, another one is opening. He is graduating with great grades even though he had a full time job all through high school. He has a great head on his shoulders, and is an amazing chef....I hope he opens his own restaurant one day. I am so proud of him...he has accomplished so much in such a short time. I will end with a list of things about my thoughts of my brother.

Moments when Greg made me:

• Proud- when he got his Eagle Scout. That is a major honor and I am so proud of him for staying with it and accomplishing this great goal.
  
• Happy- when he came to visit me at my new house in Brandon. He did not get to stay as long as we would've hoped but he is coming back!!!
  
• Impressed- when he owned his own business and when he cooked for mom and me
  
• Feel loved- when he cried about me getting married and leaving for our home for good
  
• Sad- when he left my house in Brandon
  
• Mad :-)- when he is being stubborn
  
• Honored- when he was in my wedding...he had some major roles and he did them so well.
• Helpful- when he wanted me to help him learn his vocabulary words for a final exam in English
• Laugh- when we mess with Dave....especially when he starts telling his stories and Greg acts like he is falling asleep
• Scared- a few nights before my wedding when we went to Hart's Bridge Road
• Relaxed/Content- riding in his truck listening to music
• Stressed- when he backed into my father-in-law's truck at Thanksgiving
• Blessed- when I think of how great of a brother I have and how blessed to have so many great memories together.

I love you, Gregory Stuart! Congratulations on graduating!