SO Proud

Today, actually as this blog post is published, my little brother is graduating from high school.  My youngest sibling, Dillon James Mercer, is a part of the graduating class of 2012 from Brookwood High School.  And I could not be prouder of him!

I remember the very first time I held him after he was born.  At that time I surely wasn't thinking ahead to when he would be graduating from high school.  I hadn't even reached that milestone yet, nor had my sister.  I didn't think about him being a high school graduate when I graduated from college or my sister graduated from college...he still had a ways to go even then.  But now, here it is.  High school seems so much tougher than it was when I was there, and yet Dillon has always been in the advanced classes.  He is one smart guy.  Maybe hasn't always applied himself as much as he should but again, here we are at graduation and he is a part of it.  Not only that, he applied to several colleges and got in to every single one.  Out of those colleges, he has chosen to attend Columbus State when fall semester starts up in August.  Now I could really just cry, my little brother is going to go away to college!!  And I really am so proud of him. 
I am sure he is so excited to get out on his own, just like I was once I graduated from high school.  Time to get out of the parents' house, haha.  But I still don't want him to leave us, or Sophia, who worships the ground he walks on.  I guess he was just a little bit older than she is now when I went off and left him for college.  :-(  The good thing is that there are so many more ways to keep in touch, and since Sophia pretty much already knows how to make a Facetime call on my iphone, Uncle Dillon can expect a lot of that when he goes to college!!
Eighteen years goes by so fast.  I am going to blink and Cooper and Sophia will be graduating (so not ready for that!!).  I didn't think this day would get here so quickly, but when this post hits I will probably be sitting in the stands of Brookwood High School, waiting for the principal to call my brother's name and to see him walk across the stage to get his diploma....I could cry just thinking about it!!  In fact, I am probably crying as I sit at the graduation ceremony, haha. (There will definitely be an post on the ceremony, complete with pictures of the big night and the graduate!) 
Anyway, I just wanted to quickly write something to say that Dillon, I love you very much and I can't believe that you are already grown up and are graduating.  I am very very proud of you for hitting this important milestone, so proud that you are planning on attending college in the fall, and just proud in general to have you as my brother.  Michael and Sophia and I are so happy to be celebrating this big event with you and will always be here for you if you need anything as you head off to college for a new, exciting future!!
Congratulations on graduating, Dillon James Mercer, Class of 2012!!!!