All I Can Say Is: "Go Back!"

I went to two high school graduations this weekend. Both of Melissa's half-sisters, Hilary and Nikki, had their ceremonies on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

It's a bit odd to see the little girls growing up.

Knowing that I had two graduations to attend, the prospect to get caught up in some nostalgic fit and re-live many of my high school moments loomed in the back of my mind. Fortunately, that did not occur. I simply to do not remember a lot of high school moments that do not involve athletics.

Instead, I thought about how long I have known these two girls and out of everybody else in the family, their growth has been the most fun to observe.

When I first met Nikki, she was about ten years old - in fifth grade, I think. I had just started to date Melissa and she needed to baby-sit her little sister for the evening.

I didn't think I had a whole lot in common with a ten-year old girl and I knew if I wanted to continue to date Melissa, I had to make friends with Nikki. We sat around watching The X Files for a while. Somehow, a roll of duct tape was found and before I knew it, Nikki had taped me up like a mummy. She thought it was a lot of fun and we quickly became friends.

Soon thereafter, she went through her teenage stage and she didn't want to be talk to anybody in the family for several years. But that seemed to come around when we went to Boston last year. She had learned some Early Colonial history and was highly interested. While walking the historic tour, I would pull Nikki aside and tell her the things that they don't teach in high school. She'd listen to me when nobody else would.

Hilary is the same age as Nicole. I don't recall the first time I met Hilary but we soon developed our own tradition of sorts. During Christmas while we unwrap presents, each person has his/her own place to sit in the living room; I'm always next to Hilary. I'll always take one of her presents and hide it from her. Only at the end of the night will she get the last present. Over the years, it's become increasingly difficult but all the more fun due to the challenge. That tradition my live on, but the other one won't.

When Melissa and I left her mother's house, Hilary used to race the car down the road. I'd drive slow enough to where she could keep up running from lawn to lawn. Since no self-respecting teenager would be caught chasing a car, that died off several years ago.

In a couple of months, Hilary will be in Denton and Nikki will be in Wichita Falls attending their new colleges. They'll be telling stories of 8 o'clock Economics lectures and all-essay tests that filled up 2 Blue Books, and whatever other collegiate stories get told.

I'm sure there will be more stories to follow in the next four years.