About 16 years ago.......

Just about this time 16 years ago, I met a wonderful 3 year old little boy for the first time. This adorable little boy is actually my brother, Vinnie. I can remember the excitement I had, since I had been an only child, I always wished for a sibling. A part of me was upset for my parents not telling me about him until then, but I was in the moment, and all I could feel was joy. Well, that evening my parents took me and Vinnie to the Fairfield Lancaster Fair. The memory of this is still so fresh in my mind, like it was yesterday.

A few years later, Vinnie had to move away, as his mom was moving to Indiana. It wasn't until recently that I remembered that day I had to say goodbye to him before he moved. How can the little brother that I just met a few years earlier? Would I ever get to know him? I can now recall how I felt, and being so incredibly upset, it's no wonder I chose to block that out. Over the years, I missed him so much. It wasn't until I lived on my own that I got to see him again. Again, over the next few years, life just seemed to get in the way and there were years that I didn't see him.

Vinnie is a Freshman this year at Ohio State (Newark campus) and moved back to Ohio in August. He called me at the end of August to see if he could come and see us. I was just so excited! Well, he was standing at my front door I realized my little brother isn't so little anymore; in fact, he is way taller than I am. He isn't a cute adorable little boy, he has grown into a handsome young man. Again, part of me was so excited and the other part of me was honestly a little nervous. Here is the wonderful young man, but I hardly know anything about him. Is he going to even remember anything about me? Is he going to be willing to get to know each other, since it was more like being strangers than siblings? I was hoping the answer was yes, and it was.

So it's been almost 8 weeks since he has been back in my life, and it has been so wonderful having him in my life again. Ashley and Katie just adore their "Uncle Vinnie" and I'm so thankful they will get to know him. I actually wish he didn't live all the way in Newark, but he doesn't seem to mind driving out here, so we are getting to hang out pretty regularly. Since the Lancaster fair was going on, I thought we had to go together. He doesn't remember going or any of the weekend when we first met (again, he was only 3), but I think he understood why I wanted to take him. So, here is a picture of us Saturday night. Isn't he handsome?