One of my most favorite people in the world...

Seriously. This guy is hands down one of the funniest guys I've ever met. Justin was one of Curt's students for several years until he graduated a couple years ago. There were times over the years that he drove me absolutely insane. I literally told Curt I wouldn't be going to any school functions anymore if this kid couldn't get his shenanigans under control. It wasn't just an irritation. He actually made me angry. All the time. It's like... he had an INSANE amount of energy, and he didn't understand boundaries or personal space, you know? And, for a football season, it was directed all towards me. Oooohhh... drove me nuts! He evened out & quit that nonsense. Thank goodness.

Anyway, he's got this personality that everyone just loves. You can't NOT like this guy. And, because he was so likable, he'd get away with murder. I swear. The rules applied to everyone but him. And, it made me nuts. I tried to teach him about integrity. Not that I'm the highest integrity person... I'm not saying that by any means. I try, though. Justin did not. Ha! I'd tell him, "just because you CAN get away with it, doesn't mean you should." Or, "just because no one enforces the rules with you, doesn't mean you should take advantage of that. Follow the rules. Have some integrity, Justin!" He heard it a BILLION times from me, I'm sure. It's not like he was doing anything terrible... just taking a lot of freedoms that the other students didn't have. He never listened to me.

So, like I said, he graduated a couple years ago. I really adore him. Thankfully, he must be fond of us, too, because he comes out for visits occasionally. And, can I say, he gets me laughing until my side hurts just about every time he's here. Curt always seems really irritated with his antics, but I think that just encourages him. It's like, Curt has dealt with him and his over the top personality for years. He's learned to tune him out & not laugh. I guess when you're the teacher, you can't be encouraging behavior like this in class, so Curt would NEVER indulge him. It's just stuck with him. He still rarely allows himself to laugh at Justin's insanity. I, however, think he's hysterical. And, it amuses me even more when Justin is being absolutely OUTrageous, and Curt is standing in the corner shaking his head in disbelief with NO hint of a smile on his face. Is it bad that I think it's funny when people harass my husband!?!

So, yeah, he came back tonight for a football game. It was great to see him... entertaining, as well. Much of the reason that I love Justin is because he's just... himself. Often times, I find myself thinking, "my gosh... who would behave like this!?!" Him. And, I love that about him. I love that he's just comfortable being a total maniac all the time in front of anyone. He's always in a great mood, always really upbeat... just a fun, fun guy.
And, yeah... I have NO idea why. Why anyone would do this:
This is what he called his "wedding-on-the-beach run."
Oh man, so yeah... entertainment. For sure.

But, for the sappy part. The part that makes me feel like a proud mama... he told me a story tonight about how he was recently "accidentally" given a privilege (in da club) that is not appropriate (a.k.a. legal) for his age. He said that he thought about it briefly but decided to follow the rules, though no one would have ever known any better. He'd remembered that I'd harped on him about it for years, and he knew I would be proud. He had integrity. And, he knew it. :) Yay! Though I was most often doubtful that the seeds planted would come to fruition, they did! At least once, right!?! Haha! I'm proud of him, and I'm so delighted to know him.