Brad

Brad, you taught me so much. About the importance of family, friendship, loyalty, unconditional love, and lifted trucks. I'd never been with someone who was so completely my opposite, with such a different background from me. He had a large, unconventional family, was from the Southwest, more Motocross than SEC football. He was so laid-back, playful, fun-loving, and hilarious. He was good at everything. He had the unique ability to make friends with anyone. And he was bold, as he rolled up in his white Mercedes and asked for my number the first time the we met. 

I felt shocked and honored that I'd somehow tied down the infamous, footloose, and fancy-free, Brad Walters. He confirmed to me just three weeks in, "I'm going to start telling people that you're my girlfriend now, okay?" Full of surprises. He turned out to be such a homebody, enjoying evenings at home making ceviche and salsa, taking long baths, repotting our plants. On weekends, we'd sleep in until 8am (he never did learn how to sleep late) and cook up large, elaborate breakfasts for just the two of us. We enjoyed the little things like running errands together as a formidable team, formulating a plan of action, and executing what we wanted to accomplish that day. 

He was also extremely smart. He could take apart a car and put it back together again; he could build a house from the ground-up. He always kept himself busy, even installing a literal iPad into his 4Runner dashboard. He cared for his animals and his people. If Brad's in your corner, you're taken care of for life, and you are his family now. Even in our break-up, he made it explicit that he was always here for me. I feel like I've been waiting for him to come to his senses and realize all that he is. See what we all see in him. A quote that I'm holding close, "What is grief, if not love persevering?" He's gone too soon, but he loved and was loved.