"I feel it in my fingers, I feel it in my toes. Love is all around me. And so the feeling grows..."

Ah, I don't have to pretend I don't know anymore. Weird Kid has announced to all the family that he's got a girlfriend.

Awwwwww.

We are so proud. Hell, even Daisy was thrilled when she heard the news. The two of us have always talked about my little brother's singledom. He's a supreme catch. Neither of us could understand why he didn't have a significant other.

Not that, you know, having a partner is the ultimate gauge of a person's worth...but if anyone in this world deserves a special someone in their life, it would have to be him.

I am so soooooo thrilled, choked with pride. But on the flipside, this girl has no idea how much she has to live up to. :) I haven't met her yet, but I'm trying to keep an open mind. My brother deserves the very best so I don't want to be critical but it's tough. But we raised him right, if he says she's good then she must be. I don't doubt his judgment.

I remember one day in 8th grade...we had gotten out of class early so us "bus" kids got the early bus out of there. Some of us had to transfer buses outside my old elementary school. Weird Kid was still in elementary at the time. It just so happened that Weird Kid got out of school at the same time we arrived for the transfer. So there we were all at the same bus stop together, my friends and his friends.

Then one of my friends thought it'd be funny to pretend we were going out. You know, the way young kids "go out" at the time.

We were holding hands and everything; a little show to fool my baby brother.

"Yeah, me and your sister are going out."

Weird Kid got all overprotective (and I thought I should be grateful that there wasn't an older brother to "baby" me!) and twisted my friend's arm to get him to let go of my hand. I had never seen him so worked up over trying to take care of me.

It was embarassing at the time, but it gets me all sentimental now. I know he'd do anything to watch over our family. So now I have to return the favor. I swear if this girl ever hurts him she's going to have a lot of people to answer to.

Within reason, of course. We don't want to humiliate him or anything like that.