This is for Matticus

I know Matt has been wondering when his would come.  It just had to be the right time.

So let's talk about Matthew "Matticus" "Matteo" Brogan.  We've been friends since my senior year of high school.  It started like this.

Towards the end of my junior year, my best friend at that point was Mike Dymond.  There was a problem, he graduated.  So I began a search to find another best friend who could fill the void that Mike left, not that he ever did leave really.  Mike was my high school best friend, the kind that you hang out with all the time, during and after school.  In my senior year, I sought out to form a group of "cool kids" in the music program comprised of myself, Parker Drake and John Ripplinger.  I decided we needed a fourth as most Xbox games supported four people, so I began the selection process.

The selection process turned up many viable candidates such as Spencer Palmer and Addison Marlor.  However, I chose Matt because he was very much like myself.  Headstrong, cocky, emotional, intense and a little crazy.  He was a perfect fit to finish out our group.

Many many adventures would ensue with Matt at the reins of best friend.  Adventures such as trips to Del Taco for Taco Tuesday, getting harassed by an Animal Patrol officer for reckless driving, the musical, marching band, tour.  Too many adventures to list, but there were definitely many.

Matt is important because we were counterparts, a dynamic duo like Batman and Superman.  We were there for each other at every moment, after painful breakups, stress because of school and music, our family lives, college, everything.

After high school I went to Snow, and he later went to the Merchant Marine Academy in New York.  We talk periodically, usually in heavy bursts at a time, bringing each other up to speed in our lives.  We've both changed, for the better I would think, but our friendship hasn't.  We both see each other as immature high school kids just trying to get laid and have fun.

He has visited Utah the last two summers and plans to visit again this summer, much to his dismay.  He said he wouldn't visit again until I got married so I started planning it out to get him to visit.  Luckily our friend Chris Bair is getting married so once again, Matt is traveling to Utah.  Two things bring him out here, his friends and his family.  Needless to say, I am excited for him to visit again and I await our future adventures together.

Here's to you Matt.  Thank you for your tireless friendship.

This time it was my bad.  Dick.