celebrating the rogue accountant.

Listening To: Tennessee by Drew Holcomb
Tomorrow I'm: going to see Jack the Giant Slayer. I'm absurdly excited. Doesn't it look fun? 

Do you mind if I brag for a minute or ten?

My brother, whom I frequently refer to on here as The Rogue Accountant, earned his CPA!!!!!!!

Chase has studied himself into oblivion to earn his CPA, while working full time, and I'm so proud of him that I've been bouncing around all day. I'm proud of both of my siblings. They're passionate and driven, and they've both put so much time and heart into doing what they do. (My sister is a doctor, and my brother is an accountant. I'm sibling-ed between two smarty-pants overachievers. I like to think I bring balance to the force.)

Chase told me I could blog about his CPA savvy if I wanted to, but he didn't tell me I could write this next part. But I'm going to anyway:

Five years ago this month, on our way to rent a movie, Chase and I were in a car accident. That accident is still the punctuation at the end of my nightmares; just the memory of the sound of the other car slamming into us still makes me sick. After our car spun to a stop, the first thing I did was look at my brother through the haze of airbag dust and yell, "You okay?"

He looked down at his leg and said, very calmly, "Uh ... no."

His leg ... it was obviously broken. I'll spare you the details, but the sight of it made my vision tunnel just a little bit. It was movie-bad. Of course, in no time, the pain began to register. And then it was horrible. But he was so brave. I would have been screaming, but he was quiet, and calm. The next months were hard for him, but the next few weeks were the worst. In the accident, his leg and wrist were bad-broken. Even when he got to come home from the hospital, he had silver bars sticking out of his leg, set in place to stabilize the bones.

And yet, I kid you not: the first thing he did when he got home, with a broken wrist, with bars sticking out of his leg ... was pop off a really funny joke.

He was able to take a few classes online, but the accident slowed down the school process, obviously. Still, he kept working toward his degree. He picked back up in his internship the following semester, and the internship lead to full time (because he's amazing like that). I'll never forget the day on the front porch, several months after the accident, when he pulled the splint loose from his scarred wrist and played his guitar again.

He's lion-hearted.

I've never met anybody who looks for the good in a situation, or the good in another person, the way he does. He's never wanted to be defined by a weakness, or a set back, or a broken bone. He doesn't grovel. He doesn't play on anybody's sympathy. He keeps living fully and doing his own thing. And he does it all with the best sense of humor. He's the funniest person I know, and I know lots of funny people.

I'm proud of him for earning his CPA, because that's hardcore. But I'm more proud of the person he's grown up to be. He's had some bumps along the way, the kind that would make most people stop and give up. But he doesn't. He never does. He just pushes through with faith and determination and, of course, a sarcastic joke that borders on inappropriateness. Everybody who knows him is crazy about him, but I get dibs on being his biggest fan.

He's my hero.

(This pic cracks me up. He's not typically this ... animated.)

If you feel like being sappy too, I hope you'll head into the comments and tell me about a friend or family member you look up to and admire. I can't wait to read about your heroes! Happy Weekending, Lovelies! :)