Dylan Wade Calhoun
D.O.B. 7 February 1994
Dylan is my best friend. He has been since I can remember. Of course we fought and still fightI've learned over the years many people are blessed with siblings but very few are given a friend- one who has been there through it all, one who has seen every great and every embarrassing stage of life AND loves you anyway.
"A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity". Proverbs 17:17
So in honor of Dylan being alive for 22 years,
here are 22 things about Dylan you may not know
And all reasons we love him.
1. Dylan is committed.
When Dylan decides he is going to do something, he does it.
He worked, and continues to work, his tail off {harder than anyone else} to play college baseball-because he is committed. He has completed intense workouts {all night long, crazy ones}-because he is committed. He wanted Andy to teach him to snowboard and he learned in one day, even after falling countless times- fully committed. I have no doubt that Dylan will complete anything he commits to finish.
If this picture says anything it's " fully committed".
2. Dylan loves superheroes.
Loves them. When he was younger mom had to convince him to be Clark Kent so he would dress like a typical citizen for a few minutes in the grocery store {but don't worry, his cape was in the car just in case}. With this love of superheroes comes responsibility- he has always felt like he had to protect me. When he was about 4 years old we were hiking in the mountains and came across a nasty hornets nest. Dylan shouted "Da, da, da, daaaa I GET THEY". And took off towards the nest. Thankfully, dad made him run {the other direction}. This sense of protection he carries has not changed over the years. With that being said, I've always felt safe and protected around him. He gives you a feeling of safety from any danger.
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3. Dylan loves to dress up.
This may sound crazy but he is always dressing up. Of course kids dress up when they are little. We were Luke and Leia most of our childhood, if he wasn't too busy being Superman, Spiderman, Buzz Lightyear, Batman, Indiana Jones, Davy Crockett, or just your average cowboy. But to this day, Dylan still has to wear the right costume for every event-when he rides horses with me- he has to be a cowboy, when he shoots the AR-15- he has to wear military clothes, when he goes hiking- he's basically Bear Grylls, when he gets invited to a wedding he gets excited, why?- he gets to put on a suit, he even has Thor's hammer that he got for Christmas l
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| Your average cowboy battling your not so average pumpkin. |
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| Pistol for backup. Facemask struggle. |
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| Formal cape attire. |
Not much has changed....
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| The mighty Thor! |
Propper attire to shoot.
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| Fighting the beast with Thor's mighty hammer. |
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| An indian outlaw on his mighty steed. "Shadowfox, show me the meaning of haste" |
He has been a Navy Seal a lot lately.
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| lexie |
4. He knows how to laugh at himself.
This is a trait I think we could all learn from him. Dylan is always laughing at dumb, real life things he did. For example: awkward handshakes, you know the ones that are so horrible because you both went in to do something different; Dylan can turn those awkward moments into a great laugh with someone -simply by laughing at himself. And then the awkward moment passes. It's an amazing gift.
Pictured below, Dylan is the 2nd from the right side. Notice he didn't make it out of the pre- jump phase. He pointed this out.
Awkward hand shake example.
Along with laughing at himself, Dylan is especially good at laughing at me. He is the one person that can completely make fun of me and it doesn't offend me. ever. I don't know how he manages it.
5. The hair.
Oh, the hair. Don't get me wrong- Dylan has great hair... but it has taken a few years {22} for him to tame it. And not just head hair but facial hair. He loves beards too. I'll let the pictures speak for this one.
This was the "flowing locks parted down the middle" phase.
This is the "head band" phase. And you get to see an appearance of my "lack of eyebrow" phase.
The "poof" phase.
This is the "super curly, wear a hat/toboggan/your sisters hat all the time" phase
The "long flowing locks with gel added" phase. {better}
This is my favorite: "short" phase.
This is the "long, dingy beard and mustache" phase.
Just different beard styles.
This is the "cave man" phase. yikes.
The " full,dark beard, toboggan required" phase.
I'm sure there will be many more phases in the future.
Let me clarify- Dylan loves to cast himself out into the wilderness with nothing but his survival bag and attempt to not die. He's actually pretty good at it. Let's just say if I ever get trapped on an Island and have to survive... I hope Dylan is there with me.
Survival Shelter.
Men make fire.
Not only does HE love to survive but he makes OTHERS want to learn his survival skills too.
Most of Dylan's friends have at least learned to make fire with a flint.
{Including Lexie}
Maybe it's a requirement...
7. Dylan is our entertainment.
Let's get something straight: I'm not funny. I am horrible at telling jokes {mostly because I can't stop laughing}. I can be home and no one even has to know I'm there. Dylan is the complete opposite. He is hilarious. He can make anyone laugh. And everyone knows when he is home. Be it quoting movie lines, talking about things that happened and turning them into this hilarious scenario that I never would have imagined, or simply doing crazy-insane things. all. the. time. We always say he is our animated character. And he really could be.
He's also everyone else's entertainment...
Then there's this....
8. Dylan will always defend me.
Even if I'm in the wrong.
{And if it's not in an argument against him: like the time he would have argued to his death that Robert Pattinson played Harry Potter...no, no.}
He always helps me and takes my side against anyone else. We were always a great team against mom {sorry, mom}. If I didn't complete a chore he would back me up with a really good reason for why I didn't get it done. And we hid mom's wooden spanking spoon- where she will NEVER find it. That's really what a best friend is right, someone that will defend you?
9. Dylan includes everyone.
During big events Dylan is the one person looking around to make sure every person is included. I wish I could say I was like this. I forget about other people in big crowds- not Dylan. He is the one pulling everyone into the fun.
He's really good. I'm always proud to tell people that my brother plays collegiate baseball. I mean that's really cool! Not many people can say they continued a sports career through college.
11. Dylan loves movies.
He can watch a movie one time and be able to quote the whole thing. It's an amazing talent that most merely dream of. And not only can he quote them, but he uses the quotes in real life- and it's hilarious. He can also tell you about pretty much any actor- what they played in, how much money they make, who they're married to, why their career ended so poorly or why they excelled, what their hair looks like, what workout plan they're on...
This is also a hair phase...
The "half mullet, short on sides" phase.
The force is strong with this one.
He may be a movie star some day.
Hey, "it could happen".
12. Dylan is humble.
He may be one of the only college athletes I know that is humble. He always gives glory to God through every win or every good play. If you give him a compliment he always takes it humbly. He also gives the glory to his team and his coach- he never takes credit for himself. It's amazing.
13. Dylan is messy.
Oh goodness is that boy messy. He can seriously walk into a room and destroy it. It's unbelievable. He starts taking his clothes off when he walks into the door -one garment at a time until they're strewn {may not be a proper term but I hope you know my meaning} through the house, and then he makes the living room into his bedroom, and then he eats second dinner at midnight after the kitchen is clean and leaves dirty dishes everywhere, and then he tracks in dirt and clothes that smell like smoke {from his survival times}.
But that's Dylan. And home wouldn't be complete without his mess. I mean seriously, when he isn't there the house is too clean- it's almost frustratingly clean. So we love every part of him- even his mess.
Not only does Dylan make a mess but he usually has a posse with him. Who also eat everything, spread clothes all over the house, talk/laugh/yell late into the night, have light saber battles all over the house, and typically smell like outside.
{There are about 4 more of them not pictured.}
yeah... i don't know.
But as many times as I've been mean to each of them it's all out of love.
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| Dad: "If you're going to walk around like that walk way over there and don't speak to me, better yet just act like you don't know me." |
He eats all.the.time. It's crazy. When he was a toddler mom had a time limit for how long he could eat, otherwise he would sit at the table for hours cheerfully eating.
He can eat a huge meal and literally 30 min later he could eat again. He eats hobbit style {six meals a day, seven if they can get it}. He eats more than men 3x his size. He's basically a disposal- which is nice when we don't want to clean up left overs. We just hand them over to Dylan.
He's also appalled at the rest of us because we don't eat as much as him. My dad isn't even a big eater. So Dylan has come up with a theory that dad, mom, and I absorb our nutrients from the sunlight through photosynthesis {see what I mean about his crazy scenarios}.
Andy is the only one that hangs in there with him. almost.
15. Dylan supports anything I do.
This is so important to me. He was always there for every horse show, when i went to college, when i moved again{and again, and again}, when I finished school, when I got married {and he gave the best speech in the world at the rehearsal dinner}, and every little thing I've ever done. He has been there.
He single handily moved a very large couch out of my house, down the stars, across the driveway, and into the dodge truck for me {I tried to help but I basically made girlie sounds and watched}. He's always supported my running. He doesn't hesitate to go on runs with me and help me challenge myself. He is fast.
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| My first horse show. Dylan, "I pledge allegiance..." |
16. Dylan loves Disney.
And he's not ashamed. He can quote Disney movies like no one I know. Whenever we're both home we watch Disney movies. It's a little piece of childhood for us, and it's comforting to me. And we watch them all. You name it, we watch it and most likely love it!
He can also make really great facial imitates. I have no idea how he can control his facial muscles so well. It's awesome.
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| the smolder. |
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| DISNEY |
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| 101 Dalmatians, matching costumes? Well of course! |
17. Dylan is kind
I'm not a very kind person. I try to be but it's not natural to me like it is for Dylan. He is just truly kind.
Let me give you an example: Back story- Dylan hit my car like 4 years before and I blasted him for it, I was livid... so flash back to a few months ago. I was driving the dodge and backing out of the driveway {at a brisk pace} and slammed into something.hard. So i look out the window and see... Dylan's poor car. Push about 10 feet back from where it started. Dylan saw everything. He came down to where I was, put his hand on me and said, "it's okay Issy, if you're going to hit it, then hit it good".
Now dad on the other hand is more like me {or I'm more like him} he pitched a fit.
Visual image: kicking the tire, verbalizing some
Not Dylan, he's kind.
18. Dylan is a true American. He loves America.
From Navy Seals to Marines to American books and movies, he loves it all. He is one of the few people left that truly support our troops and love our nation.
And that is really cool.
This also goes back to # 3.
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| una friends |
19. Dylan knows when to make me laugh or when to just sit in quiet.
Most people don't understand that about me {which is understandable because I don't even understand it}.
But Dylan does. He may be the only one. He just knows.
During all the craziness that goes on in life there is a time to just sit in silence.
As hilarious and able to make his presence known {if that's a real adjective} as Dylan is, he knows when to just hang out. And I appreciate that.
20. Dylan rode in the car with my dog, my mom, my dad, and me for TWENTY SEVEN hours.
Not only that but he helped me move all my stuff, drove a lot of the way, put up with my mood swings {for it was a stressful time for me}, and didn't eat all my snacks in the car. I mean any person that will do that deserves a gold metal.
21. Dylan should NEVER have caffeine.
One time I bought him a Starbucks coffee because he was helping me paint my house... BAD IDEA. His energy level kicked up like 80 notches. He was out of control. I don't think his mouth shut for a solid 5 maybe 6 hours. And there was paint everywhere. He even thought it would be funny to carve his name in the baseboard and that the new paint would just cover it up. Nope. It's still there.
22. Dylan is an encourager.
He always encourages you to keep going. Even when you're tired. Even when you're weak. Even when you feel defeated. He won't let you quit.
Along with encouraging he's also optimistic. He has an eye for seeing silver linings in situations.
Dylan is my role model. I look up to him like he's my big brother, instead of my little brother. He is
patient, kind, loyal, sincere, and genuinely cares about people.
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| Dylan may have been the cutest kid alive. |
Dad and Dylan both got dirt bikes for Christmas one year. One day they were riding on the track and Dylan crashed directly in front of dad. Well, dad couldn't react in time to avoid him...
{Don't worry, thankfully, Dylan was not hurt}
Dad ditches his dirt bike and runs over to Dylan.
Dad: "Are you alright, man?"
Dylan: Through sobs,"it, it felt like you ran over me."
Dad: "Oh, well that's weird, bud".
Dylan: As he looks back to see... dirt bike tire track-Dylan body print-dirt bike tire track.
"YOU RAN OVER ME".
Dad: "Don't tell your mom, she will take the bikes away".
{Mom didn't find out until years later}.
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| andy |
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| chloe |
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| stuart |
Dylan, I'm so glad Mom and Dad didn't meet my request when I asked them to return you to the hospital at 3 days old. You're an amazing person and I'm so thankful to even know you, much less have the privilege to call you my brother and friend.
I hope you have a wonderful 22nd Birthday! I'm so thankful God blessed me with you.
You're not finished just yet!
A few friends and family were asked to share what you mean to them...
Andy Buck
A man that has no equal. Dylan Calhoun is a man of many
talents, skills and values. He shows violence of action when needed yet has a
side of compassion that few can understand. Adventure is in his blood,
Determination guides his steps and Christ dwells in his heart. Its an honor and a privilege to call Dylan
Calhoun my friend.
Dylan is a true version of an American bear grylls, always there for adventure as stupid as it can be! He has been a true brother and a fun lad to hang out and I already miss his beard! He loved to cuddle his dog and will always know every sentence of every movie he watched!
Katie Hilyer:
Dylan is a blessing to be around. He always makes everyone laugh and is so positive and fun. He is such an incredible Godly young man who I am proud to say is my cousin. I'm so thankful to have him in my life.
Brandon Tate:
Dylan is a cool guy. We do manly things. Dylan covers for me when I break everything at the Calhouns'. That's a good friend.
Macie Partridge
Dylan has been one of my favorite boys for my whole life, and these last few years he’s become one of my very favorite men. Not only is he the life of the party and one of the most entertaining people to be around, he has a heart of gold. My favorite memories revolve around Dylan, whether it’s throwing up off the side of a fishing boat, trying to implement a policy of world peace between him and Issy, timing him on tasks we bribed him into doing, sharing a surprise birthday party on the same day as a funeral {unfortunate timing}, or watching him do Urkel imitations. Dylan, I love you and I’m so proud of the man you’ve become! I hope you have the best day!
Anna Kent
He's the brother everyone wishes they
had. He represents the true picture of patience simply by listening and
allowing God to work. I'm unbelievably proud of the man he has become and the
road less traveled he decided to walk. I think everyone could learn something
from Dylan, including his selflessness when it comes to helping others and
never asking for anything in return. What a hard worker. What a loving man.
What a big heart.
P.S.
If anyone needs apocalypse guidance,
he's your guy.
Garrett Dempsey
he sent pictures only... no words.
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| the "flex stage". flexing all.the.time. |
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| they borrowed {stole} the honor ribbons from others. |
You've earned some great friends, Dylan.
Thank you for reading! I know this one had a lot of words.
UNA's baseball season starts this weekend! Everyone follow The Lions on Twitter @UNAbaseballGOOD LUCK GUYS!
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