We may be a decade apart, but you are still my dearest best friend. You keep all my secrets, and let me cry, even if you have no idea what is going on. You keep me laughing with all of the wild shenanigans you have pulled. Like the time you told the lifeguard that you felt discriminated against for not letting you go down the water slide, even if you were still too short. However, my favorite time will always be your first day of Pre-K. It was time to go to recess, and you ran all the way home (Only a block, but still quite a sight) yelling, “I’m free! I’m free!” Except, the two teachers chasing you, finally caught up to you and took you back. I’m glad to know that I have kept you laughing as well. Remember the time when we went to McDonalds and for some strange reason, they put habanero sauce on my sandwich. I took a huge bite of it, and then immediately threw it out the window (because spicy foods are definitely something I’ll never be able to handle.) You started laughing uncontrollably, and when I asked what was so funny, you said, “Those poor birds are going to eat it, and explode from the spice.” Your sense of humor is unlike any other eight-year-old boy, but I love it.
You may be young now, but I hope you will never be too big to come to your sister's house. I hope you will always come down here wanting to see the museums and begging me to show you around campus. It will always warm my heart when you told me that one day you want to be a bulldog, just like your big sister. I hope that there is never a weekend where you get bored here. I hope when you’re older that you will appreciate the hour and a half drives worth of memories we’ve made. Those drives where I’d sing too loud while you patiently waited for the song to be over just to tell me how awful I sounded, and that I should just stick to dancing. The drives where you promised you were awake enough to watch Netflix, but fall asleep anyway.
One day you’ll be old enough to drive down here yourself. When you are, I hope you walk right in without knocking. I hope you know this will always be your home away from home. I hope you know I’ll never be too old for any adventure you’re ready to take on, no matter how far. Until then, I hope you continue to dream big. I hope you keep making plans to be a fancy engineer. I hope your reading level continues to skyrocket (which by the way is already pretty stellar.) I selfishly do not want you to grow up, but I know you’re going to do impeccable things with your life. I will always be here for whatever you need.
