Jonathan has been my next door neighbor since second grade as was also the first kid I met when my family moved into our new house way back then and from that point on we pretty much grew up together. When we were in grade school the neighborhood kids would play street hockey almost on the daily, and if it was too cold or snowing or raining, we would set up a rink next door in his basement. When we went through our extreme sports phase, that same basement became a mini skate park, which was always fun to fall in. We both have a love of hockey having been to a few Red Wings games together over the years as well as playing a season of hockey together on a team called the Heat back when his dad was coaching. Back when his Nana and Papa had their old house we used to ride dune buggies, go carts and what not around the land (one time I even managed to drive through a wire fence.) Then when our families have gone up north to his families cottage, we've had some good times riding around on boats and doing stupid shit like tubing with six people and switching places while we're being towed...I'd say we've had a pretty good time as neighbors over the years.
Since the goal here is to come up with one memory, I think I'll go with the night of his 21st birthday. The night started at his house where Justin, Matt, and I all had a few beers and drinks of Red Stag before we went off to the bar. Jonathan's girlfriend, the lovely Stefanie Zerafa, was our designated driver for most of the night which meant that we could go as wild as is possible in the suburbs of Detroit, and I must say...we had a pretty amazing time. Stef gave us a ride to a bar called Boston's which was around ten minutes away to grab some drinks and have a little bit of food too absorb some of the toxins which would undoubtedly be filling our bodies in the coming hours. We ended up stay here for several hours and by the end of the night became close enough with the waitresses that not only were they giving use some free shots (I believe nerd bombs were their drink of choice), they were even taking shots with us. After having a great time there, Stef dropped us off back at his house where we thanked her for taking us out, but the night didn't end there.
Following our return home we went to the local bar about a half mile walk away called the Kit Kat Klub. It's a great little dive bar that we frequent when I am home and it is the perfect place to end a good night. The whole birthday thing even got the bartenders to give Jonathan a Kit Kat Klub beanie as a birthday gift, which was pretty great. This bar was also where Jonathan and I managed to drink our good friend Matthew under the table. If I recall correctly there was even one point where Matt was lying on the floor in the bar, something the rest of us found quite amusing. All in all, I would say it was a pretty great night and I'm glad that I was around to help give my neighbor a memorable 21st birthday.
While we don't see each other as much as we used to since I've moved away, I still have a good time with him whenever I'm back in town and we go out, and I think that's going to last for a long time.
Cheers mate, don't think I could have asked for a much better next door neighbor.
-Andrew
