If the Make-A-Wish Foundation kept track of the greatest amount of earth moved during a wish, the top honor would surely belong to 18-year-old Jarvis.

Jarvis, who goes by the nickname Critter, wished to drive a Caterpillar D11 bulldozer at a working quarry.

"I've always loved heavy equipment," he said. “”It’s something different, something I’ve always wanted to do.”

The volunteer wish granters had to dig deep into their resources to find a quarry for Critter, who has a digestive disorder. They needed one that was willing to let him get behind the wheel and feel what a 935-horsepower behemoth can do to piles of dirt and rock. They found one near St. Louis, a 12-hour drive from Critter's Mississippi home.

Critter's wish started with a visit to a Caterpillar dealer just outside of St. Louis. The staff gave him a warm welcome, offering a tour and an avalanche of Caterpillar memorabilia – boots, a jacket, stickers, photos and a key to crank up some of the equipment. They stayed until dark, when the staff turned on the lights to the dealership's new holiday display. During his stay in St. Louis, Critter also enjoyed some time at a St. Louis mall and a long visit to Dave & Buster's.

But the day at the Fred Weber, Inc. quarry was really the centerpiece of Critter's wish. He tried to stay patient as workers gave him a tour of the equipment – a Caterpillar 992 loader, various tractors, everything but the D11. Finally, Critter couldn't contain himself.

"Where do you keep that beast?" he asked.

The answer was a short pickup truck ride away to the top of a hill in the quarry. The huge machine dwarfed the pickup truck, and Critter eagerly scrambled aboard. To his surprise, he found some creature comforts to go along with the horsepower – a plush seat, a CD player, and a surprisingly smooth ride.

The engine rumbled to life, and Critter practiced turning, going forward, backing up and moving the "ripper" attachment on the back of the dozer. Within 10 minutes, he felt comfortable enough to push some dirt.

He spent nearly 90 minutes ripping up rock and moving mounds of earth, all while his brother and father videotaped and photographed his adventures. His new friends at the quarry edited the footage and set it to the songs "Eye of the Tiger" and "Mud on the Tires."

Even a year after the wish, Critter's excitement hadn't abated.

"I was in a happy place," he said. "I wasn't thinking about what I go through."

-Justin Schmid