Not by blood, but by choice, these are my brothers. Apart from Mom & Dad, these boys have shaped me into the man I am today more than anybody.

Josh and I spent much of our youth living within spitting distance of each other. We got to raise all sorts of hell before there were real consequences. Maybe there were consequences, but we didn’t get caught. When we weren’t causing trouble, we’d be busy yelling profanities at strangers on Call of Duty. We’ve since graduated to heckling one another on the golf course or over a couple beers at the friends Christmas party.

College roommate and adult roommate (well… temporary tenant), Carson knows me about as well as anybody today. We grew up friendly but not close friends until this group of boys became inseparable. Our crude sense of humor and mutual interest in having a good time quickly formed the tight bond we have today. Even though Michelle (MIKE) dragged him down to Illinois, he makes every effort to come back and see the gang every chance he gets.

Lucky for us, Carson has a pretty cool cousin - Cole. We used to ride around on our bikes and spend late nights playing video games together as kids. Now we hit the golf course, dart board and volleyball court together. Cole has provided an invaluable friendship and is always the easiest friend to have a conversation about nothing with when you just want to shoot the shit.

Connor, sometimes known as ‘Dad’ to the group, has truly earned that title both literally and figuratively. He is quite literally a dad to two great children, but also the one who had a good head on his shoulders from a young age, something that I have always respected. We were also college roommates and have shared more than a few good times together. When he’s not busy fulfilling his fatherly duties, I still get to share a round of golf and a round of darts with one of my best buddies.

That leaves Dylan, aka Dyl, aka DylDunShredder. My best man, the truest of friends and genuinely one of the best people one could hope to meet. He was the late-comer to the party, only becoming acquainted with the group in the last year or two of high school. We’ve more than made up for lost time though; there hasn’t been much that we haven’t done together since then. I do regret introducing him to the game of golf, only because I quickly found out that the dude is a natural. Aside from the occasional humbling, it has turned out to be a pretty good move. We’ve shared multiple golf trips with friends and family, and are headed out on another one pretty soon.