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Twenty-one things about my Chris, my Buddybug, on his twenty-first birthday:

1.  He is a senior at Notre Dame and loves it.

2. He is a rabid sports fan; ESPN perhaps his favorite channel.

3. His personal fav game is basketball, followed perhaps by ping pong; but his viewing favs are all over the map.

4. Except for NASCAR.  Happily, never, never did he or will he  like NASCAR.

5. He is a musician; he has an ear and hands and a voice for music, gifted to him…plain and simple.  

6. He likes all kinds of music, except maybe not so much country or heavy metal…for which I as his mom am forever grateful.

7. He is a genial chap.

8. He is a true friend, to so many, and he means it…once you’re his friend, that’s it.  Done deal. 

9.  He is a lightening fast Bananagrams player, able to create word combos at a maddeningly fast clip…..house champion – much to my chagrin.  (And tho I put that up as a bday present of sorts….I can still whup him from time to time, and he knows it.  It’s good, it keeps him humble.)

10.  He is very even keeled, patient, and calm..which is probably the armor God equipped him with in order to grow up w/ me as his mom and this tribe around him.

11.  He loves his faith; it truly deeply and really means very much to him, and for that he inspires me.

12.  He loves to travel, has done so all over the world, and will surely continue….just like his dad.

13.  Even so, he loves to come home too and is content to hang out with his mom, read, and play volleyball in the pool with his sibs.

14.  He is not materialistic….at all.  He doesn’t have cravings for many things.

15.  He is very very difficult to buy a bday present…see number 14.

16.  He does however, and always has, like a good watch (exception to number 14…and good, not necessarily expensive, just “good” simple function.). 

17.  Even as a small boy he was fixated on time, to the point of our exhaustion at his referencing the time, ever so precisely, ALL the time, but particularly as you were running late to school….See number 16.

18. He is often late, despite number 17, and thus, number 19.

19. He is a procrastinator….at odds with number 17, or perhaps because of it (?).  

20.  He loves my cooking, especially my cakes and pie; which makes me ridiculously happy.

21.  He has grown into an exceptional young man, a fine son, brother, friend….and we all love him beyond speaking.