I am thankful...day 4

Today I am thankful for my brother-in-law, Brad. Brad is Gordon's younger brother by three years and has always been close to Gordon and I. Growing up, we used to pick on Brad something fierce and he took it well. He used to tag along with us to hockey games, pizza night and other activities we did back then. Brad has lived away from us for quite a while. He moved out of his parents house and went to Irvine, CA for work. That was an amazing place to visit. Then his job transferred him to Maple Grove, MN. We were sure he wasn't going to like it there. Complete opposite of CA in weather and lifestyle, but Brad fit right in and made a great place for himself. We had the pleasure of visiting him twice when he was in MN. Then his job transferred him again. This time to Wheaton, IL. This move has been hard on Brad and also on us. He is a lot farther away and we haven't yet been able to visit him there. We hope to soon.
Brad is a great guy who loves his family and spends as much time as he can with his nephew and niece. The kids think he is a big teddy bear. Last year he went with us to a store over Christmas break and taught the kids how to run up and down the isles yelling at the top of their lungs. After that, he put them in the dog beds on the shelves at Fred Meyer and told them to bark like dogs until we found them. Yes, the kids think he is great, but I want to deck him when he does that kind of stuff. But hey, what are Uncles for if not for spoiling?
Brad, I love you. You are a great brother and a wonderful uncle. Life would be great if you were a little closer to the farm, but we treasure the time we get to spend with you.