This blog is in honor of my youngest sibling, James. James is 13 yrs old and going into 8th grade this year. Next Sunday, we celebrate "Gotcha Day", which is the day we adopted James, or, as he remembers, he adopted us. James is really an amazing character. He may not be book smart, but the kid's a genius when it comes to mechanics. At 13, he can fix the lawn mowers, rebuild trailers, and pretty much run anything on wheels. He can drive a standard. I can only manage an automatic. Genius. See, on the other hand, I can name you the American Presidents. Does this earn me a living? No. James will be able to not only make money, but he will save money by fixing his own car. James is one of my heroes. He rocks. At the same time, he's starting to hit those changes every guy must go through. His voice has finally changed, he's officially taller than me and Mom, and yesterday, he came to tell me the "good" news. He was giggling in the way 13 yr old boys do and he (annoyingly, because it makes me feel short) put his arm on my shoulders. "Hey, Chris, guess what!" I stare up at him, wondering what marvel he has ready for me. Did his mini chihuahua try to attack my grandma again? Did the transformers morph or transform into giant bunny rabbits? He doesn't keep me in suspense long. "I got my first armpit hair!" In true boy fashion, he raises his arm and basically tries to rub my face with it. Gagging, I pull away just in time to hear him say, "Yep, now I'm a man!" And as I run away, completely grossed out, I hear my parents dying in hysterics behind me.
So here's a Happy Gotcha Day to James. I'm very proud of the way you're growing up.
