Or, something like that...
Somewhere in the area of February 1992, my parents sat down for a serious conversation with their 8 year old daughter. It began a little something like this...
Parents: Leigh, what is the 1 thing you want more than
anything in the world?
Leigh: A trampoline??!
Well, as you may or may not know, my parents never got me that trampoline. (Convincing them that a Super Nintendo would improve my hand/eye coordination was hard enough. Arguing for a toy that could potentially result in a broken skull was a battle I would never win..) They were, however, announcing to me that, in just a few short months, I would be a big sister. (There were times I would have argued that the trampoline might have been a wiser investment... When my precious little brother ate my deoderant, for instance... But those are stories for another day.) Eighteen years later, and although there were times in my somewhat over-dramatic childhood when I was convinced my parents brought him into this world as some kind of cruel and unusual means to fulfill their need for my family to be a constant source of embarrassment for me, their sweet and innocent daughter, I can now honestly announce that I'm glad they didn't give me that trampline.
All joking aside, this school year has been a year full of nostalgia, as every event is Dallas' "last" something, and today is no exception. This evening, my 18 year old baby brother, along with many of his friends who my family and I have watched grow from 5 year old boys to 18 year old men (?), will embark on their last-first, of hopefully many, playoff basketball games as the East Chambers High School Runnin' Bucs. Sometimes I wish we could go back to the days of spending Saturday mornings at the EC Junior High gym watching him and his fellow 8 year old teammates struggle to get the basketball into that 8 ft. high goal, but I would never trade the relationship and bond that we have today.
So, here's to you, my amazing brother and best friend. I am so incredibly proud to be known as "Dallas' big sister", and can't wait to see all of the awesome things that lie ahead. After all, as our very own Mary Poppins (aka Mom) always says, you and I are the only people in the world who have our same blood! ;)
Have a super day, Cyberspace!
and, GO BUCS!!
