I've known my buddy Joel ever since I moved to Nashville in 1987. Yes, that means we've been friends for over 26 years. He kept saying he felt "old", but I like to think of our friendship like a fine wine...it gets better with age.
One of the many reasons I love Joel is, he's one of the most caring people you'll ever meet. I forgot to remind him of this story, but in the summer of 1993, the summer before our freshmen year of high school, we had a house fire. We lost almost all of our material possessions, but no one was hurt. I was in Hawaii at the time and my mom, step-dad and BoJangles were at a conference in Gatlinburg.
I remember calling Joel because we talked multiple times a day and when you're that age, material things mean a lot more. He called my parents when they got back home and offered his house, if we needed a place to stay. Mom flew to Hawaii to bring me home later in the summer and Joel came with my step-dad to the airport to pick us up. To this day, I don't think he realized how much that little gesture meant to me.
My time with him in Chicago was short, but we had a blast. It's like no time had passed since graduation day. Here's to another 26+ years of a fantastic friendship.
Blake, Joel (in the glasses) and I
Gradation Day from Father Ryan High School -- May 1997
Afternoon wine break
I was told all the tourist take this shot at the Bean, can you see us?
I gave the deep dish a whirl
I also wanted a cheeseburger and a Coke
Holy cow, we found the Goose Island Wrigleyville Pub
Flight of beers
Words can not describe how good this was
Take me out to the ballgame...
Even the Derby hat couldn't help the Cubbies on this day
