Friend of the Decade: Zach Hunter

This photo isn't recent. Rather, it was taken at my parents house several New Years Eves ago. I thought it was appropriate on many levels.

Zach and I started hanging out at the beginning of 2003. We had, have, will have a mutual close friend, Clark, and we found ourselves in nearly all of the same classes.

Our friendship didn't start off well. Pre-dating this friendship formation, Zach disliked me for taking his skateboarding friend, Cody, away from him some weekends to go camping with me. Then, when we were finally around each other, I used to threaten to beat him up. I'm glad we never fought. I probably wouldn't be writing this today. Dead not jail.

In fifth grade, my friend Dan told me about this kid Zach on his football team who "hits like an 8th grader." Wow. We still laugh at that.

We've been through some pretty cool stuff together. I remember Gatlinburg, another New Years Eve, eating pizza under a bank drive-thru while the rain poured down.

We used to go camping with my parents a lot. A teacher once accused us of having "too much fun in the woods."

He convinced me to start playing tennis, which I still love. We have lost many times as a doubles team. Last year, we lost to 12 year olds.

I convinced him to start playing disc golf, which I think he is still deciding on.

We recorded an album under the name Battlebots 7. Oh man. That was horrendous.

Zach wrote, directed, and starred in a few short (homemade) movies. I lent my acting skills. They are YouTube sensations. Or not.

The only time I have ever been traveling 100 miles per hour in a car was with Zach driving.

There was the one time when we decided it would be a good idea to shave my head to the scalp in the middle of summer.

We lived with each other for two years when college began. He was the best man in my wedding.

I've been a butthead some. He has been a butthead some. Generally, we are nice to one another.

Zach and I are really different people, especially nowadays, but my decade would have been way different had he beat me up in 8th grade.