Let's see…two dozen plus one.  What do we have ... 25!!!  Supposedly it's a bigger birthday, with it being a quarter century and all.  I'm not so sure about that for me necessarily, however, I do feel it a good time to look back on a quarter century worth of fun, and make a "forecast" for the next quarter of a century.  Yeah, I'm lucky if I can predict a quarter of a day!
   So how about the 25 most meaningful memories to me in my first 25 years?  Okay, okay it sounds boring, but just bare with me.  No it won't be 24 Sweet Corn Festivals and one other memory, I promise.  It may seem a little "me me me" doing this, but what the hell, I should be thankful for a fun 25 years and looking forward to 25 more great ones, thanks to y'all, don't ya know?! (a little KY and MN right there).  Okay, here we go, in NO particular order...

1.) Counting cars on Route 6 with my Grandma on the porch swing in her house in Spring Valley.

2.) Playing cards and other games, almost daily each summer as a kid, with my Grandma and Grandpa in Mendota.

3.) Going to sporting events with my Dad, including Illini football and White Sox games as a kid, the 1996 Mendota Basketball Supersectional game in DeKalb, and my first NFL game in Indianapolis nine years ago today.

4.) The night my sis was born.  We shall call her "Mini-Matt".

5.) You knew it was coming ... SWEET CORN FESTIVALS.  From seeing and helping my Mom prepare, to riding the carnival rides with my sister, to watching and picking the beauties of the pageant, to nowadays bouncing off the walls in the beer garden.  The memories will keep coming here!

5.) Family vacations, highlighted by fighting with "Mini-Matt" in the backseat.
    
6.) My first kiss!

7.) Senior year at Mendota High School ... Prom, Graduation, and Misbehaving!

8.) Mom’s cooking, even when I come home nowadays.

9.) SPARKY'S BASEMENT!  Spark, Scruff, Slim, Lucas, and the cast of characters.  Video games, pool, pepsi, cards, and ladies.  Well at least the first four.  Simply put, memories from here were some of the most "mmmbooyah".

10.) "Todd"

11.) Being a member of the NIU Drumline in the Huskie Marching Band!  From being cut, to making the cut, to the hardest working team I've been a part of, to the games of "nut ball", to the post parties, to performing and marching in front of thousands, I truly am lucky to have been part of it!

12.) Jimmy, Peach, John Mark, and Yates taking me under their wing in Paducah, and teaching me the ropes of being a hillbilly.  I learned all too quickly, thanks to short-shorts tennis, Jeremiah's, the Moss Rose, and a little trip to Nash-Vegas!

13.) Living in an apt at college with the Big D-man, Peckster, and the tallfreak.  From the 95 degree move in day, to the raucous video games, to mooning each other and yelling Arnold quotes, it was ridiculous ... ridiculously good!

14.) The Central IL vacation of July '03 with Lynda, that featured Chambana, Lincoln, Springfield, Oakford, and Bloomington. 

15.) Deep discussions with Holzner on life, ladies, and science, and how we think we know it all, but we don't know jack!

16.) Road trips to NIU football with Bobby and Danno, that have included Toledo, Columbus, Evanston, and most recently Soldier Field in Chicago.  Breaking down cars, insane 4 am screaming, ripping on Notre Dame, keeping Mengler from fighting, and taking leaks in the Ohio State river...just insanity.  And more to come, I'm sure!

17.) College classes!  I know this sounds weird, but there was nothing like academia.  Surrounded by people that were intent on learning and listening to professors intent on teaching (well, about 90% of them), it was day after day of good times, even if the grades weren't always reflecting that!  Who knows, maybe there will be more of these in the next 25 years?!

18.) Wuj and I doing everything together for years.  From clubs, groups, church, riding the bikes, taking Northbrook to school in mathematics, and obviously picking up the ladies together!  Ha!

19.) Christmases!  Even if the big bearded guy isn't exactly real!

20.) Going to my sis's music and sporting events, with several more over the next nine months.

21.) What this blog is named after ... THE PLYMOUTH BREEZE!  My first car helped me through thick and thin.

22.) My first job, working as a dishwasher at the M.C.C.  Surprising to some, I'm sure.  But looking back, that job in particular taught me a lot, and man the food was good!

23.) Going to my Aunt and Uncle's for the 4th of July, where my Uncle always put on a great firework show in good ol' Rutland, IL!

24.) Working as a meteorologist with fellow scientists (nerds) for four plus years now.  Learning each day from brilliant people and getting the chance to help the public.

25.) Living and learning in Minnesota, and being a suburbanite in the big city!

Honorable Mentions:  1.) When Scruff got engaged!!!!  2.) Kicking Luke's butt up and down the streets of Mendota … and that will continue!

Okay, for the next 25 years, what shall happen?  Well, I probably will not be a true citizen of Mendota ever in that time.  Pretty sad yes, but they'll be 25 years plus for that in something called retirement.  (Friedlein - Mendota Mayor 2048).  I'll hopefully live back in IL for some, if not most of that time.  Possible I'll still be in the great North Star State?  Maybe I'll have left and come back?  I wouldn't mind ending up back in the Bluegrass, but do I really need that dirty southern twang?  I better have a house soon, with my own lawn, garden, and central air!  I will attend many more weddings, with the next ten years likely including some big ones.  Quite possibly in that time I'll be walking my sis down the aisle for hers?!  AH!  Luke, you are no part of that equation.  I suppose sometime in the next 25 years I myself would need to take the walk.  Heck, in 25 years, they'll be Matt Jr, little Todd, and Matteline running around.  Holy moly!  I plan on remaining a "weather weenie" through that time, unless of course I make good on that promise to live out of Sparky's Basement as an adult.  Doubtful that Bobbiy and I shall live 25 more years if we keep trekking to NIU road football games and yelling our not so accredited opinions of other universities, such as in the past.  Holzner and I will continue into our 30's and 40's foolishly proclaiming "Women want us, men want to be us" while onlookers shake their heads.  I'll see Big Slim coach his three sons, all starting at one time on the high school basketball team, to a certain IHSA championship.  And Mammen, Spark, and I will still end every phone conversation with an "mmmbooyah!", while our wives yell "Grow up!"  Yes!  It will surely be a fun and unpredictable next quarter of a century!

Here's to 25, which is already off to an mmmbooyah start.

MTF