Spotlight: Kipper

February's spotlight is my little brother, Derek. He just had his 22nd birthday on February 13th, so first of all: HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIPPER!!!!

(Let me quickly clear up any name confusion. Derek got the nickname "Kipper" from my mom on the day he was born. I have no idea why, how, or where she came up with that particular nickname, but it has stuck with the family. To us "Derek" and "Kipper" are completely interchangeable. And I think I actually use "Kipper" more.)

Derek and I didn't start to get really close until he hit his adolescent years. There is almost a six year age difference between us, so as kids we were just into different things. But as Derek got older we started to have more and more in common and found that we love to talk to each other about anything and everything. Kipper has been my sole confidante on several occassions. I love this guy so much!

I've been going over and over what the best way is to let you all catch a glimpse of one of the people I hold nearest and dearest to my heart. I really don't think there is any easy way, so I'm just going to jump in. I hope I do the task justice! LOL

Favorite Back in the Day Memory: Derek the acrobat. Kipper has a natural talent for gymnastics. This kid taught himself to do standing back tucks at the age of five! Seriously! It was crazy. And he would do these insane tricks on the trampoline. One in particular that stands out was coined "head flips". Derek would jump from his feet, land on his head, and bounce back to his feet. Imagine a four year old doing this. I don't know how he's still alive! LOL! When he was in Kindergarten, some gymnastic coaches got ahold of him and wanted to train him for the Olympics. They were shocked when they found out he had never had a lesson in his life. I can't remember why he didn't end up training with them. My parents had just split and we were moving around a lot. Actually, I think this happened right before we moved to California.

Favorite Recent Memory: Watching Moulin Rouge with Derek everyday for about a month. I thought my stepdad was going to shoot us! We both LOVE that movie. There is so much to discover each time you watch it. We still love to get together for a good ole Moulin Rouge night when we can. We sing along with all the songs and just have a great time!

Things I LOVE about Kipper

• We get each other. I don't really know how to explain that. Not to sound cheesy or anything, but I just feel connected to Derek on a deeper level than I do with most people. You know, one of those people that all it takes is a look to communicate a whole book's worth of information.
• We have a similar taste for movies and music. One of our favorite things to do together is watch and dissect movies.
• He's a tiny little guy. He's not much taller than me (and I'm 5'3''...). But he has an ENORMOUS personality in that lil bod. You know, the whole big things come in little packages, and whatnot.
• Speaking of personality, Derek is one of those people that everybody loves to be around. He literally lights up a room with his presence. I think it would be impossible for him to have an enemy. He always has a smile on his face and a joke on his tongue. He makes people feel at ease and happy just by being there.
• He loves handicapped people. That's kind of a weird thing to list, but I just think it's really neat that he can relate so well with handicapped people. It's a special talent he has. I keep telling him that he should go to school to be a Special Ed teacher or something like that!
• Kipper is so loyal. I know he will always be there for me or for anyone in the family.

Anyway, this doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of who Derek is, but hopefully you get an idea of why he is so important to me.