graduation 2017

It's official...

I am the parent of a high school graduate.

Damn...I feel old. (lol)

My oldest child, Deion, graduated from high school on May 26th. I'd like to thank everybody who commented on my social media pages with well wishes for him. I really do appreciate it.

I would also like to thank all of my family who came to celebrate with us. We had a lot of family that came from out of town to honor Deion. I'm very thankful for that. I was glad my parents and my in-laws, my brother and his family, my cousins as well as all of our family and friends could make it. It was a joyous occasion.

A week before graduation, I told Deion that I wanted him to "savor the moment" of graduation. I wanted him to enjoy it all. I reminded him that you only graduate from high school once...so live it up. I told him about the day that I graduated from high school. It was June 7, 1991. It was a great day. Graduation was cool. But I really didn't cherish it like I should have. I was ready to rush off to college. I appreciate it much more now. But if I could re-live that day, I'd savor everything and cherish some of the people who took that journey with me. I didn't want him to have the same regret that I had.

Deion had a lot to be proud of. Not only did he graduate from one of the best high schools in the county and metro Atlanta, but they accomplished a great deal. They graduated 99% of their senior class, 98% of the students would be headed to college, and they had been awarded over 15 million dollars in college scholarships. Honestly, that doesn't happen at most high schools...nor does it happen at an all black high school (which his was)...but it did. As a class, they have a great deal to be proud of.

I would be remiss if I didn't thank the village that helped my wife and I with Deion. Especially the grandparents. My in-laws, who live 5 minutes from our house, have always been incredible and helpful. I don't know where we would be without them. My parents live in South Carolina but they did a lot for us as well. I remember when Deion was in the 11th grade my mom made a 4 hr drive on a Sunday from South Carolina to our house...just to help Deion study for a test. I had no idea that she was coming. She just popped up at my house. I was shocked. She stayed for 2 hours...then drove back to South Carolina. I wanted her to stay but she said she had to go. While I thought it was crazy to come that far, it spoke volumes about how much she loves him. Deion is the first grandchild on both sides.

I am extremely proud of the kid. I think the some of the fussing that I did over the past 4 years have paid off. LOL.


Here are a few of the thousand pictures that were taken over the weekend...


The graduation was held at the Georgia World Congress Center

Deion with his brothers and his cousins. When I looked at this picture, I realized that we'll be going to high school graduations for the next 10 years. LOL. Deion is the oldest of his siblings and cousins. But it seems like there was a child born on both sides of his family every year after him.

Deion with my niece Taylor.

Party at the crib...we had a graduation party for Deion on Saturday (May 27th). We had about 70 friends and family attend the party. I threw some food on the grill as well

graduation cake

Chillin with my mom

The fam...Kameron (rising sophomore), Brandon (rising 5th grader), Skyler (rising 1st grader), Sherice & me

throwback videos...a few days before graduation, I pulled out some video tapes. The video tapes were labeled "Deion...the early years". I hadn't watched them in over 10 years. So, I decided to watch them. When I saw this little kid, it made me realize how much time had passed. It also reminded me of how this little boy changed my life forever. I watched videos of him when he could barely walk. Then I saw a video of us playing catch in the park. This was when it was just me, him, and Sherice. When I saw that little boy who loved playing catch...I went back to that moment. Although I was watching this video with nobody else in the house, somebody started cutting onions in the room...

you did it...this was my favorite picture that we took. I told him that I loved him and that I was proud of him. I told him that this was the first of many graduations. I hugged him and had a flashback to the day that he was born. The doctor handed him to me and asked me what his name would be. Without hesitation, I said...Deion. Life goes by so fast. But in that one moment...that one embrace...it was August 9, 1999 again.

College awaits in the fall. But right now, the high school graduate has made his father proud.

And old...but that's ok, LOL

and so it begins..

I was looking through some old photos and ran across this picture.

My first thought was about how young Sherice and I look (LOL). This was sometime in 2003. We were just two young parents getting started.

My second thought was on the two little boys in the picture. Deion, who was almost 4...and Kameron who was almost 1. I'm amazed at how much time has flown by since this photo. They were just 2 little boys. They aren't little boys anymore. Deion is a senior in high school. Kameron is a freshman. As looked at the picture, it took me to a place beyond the two little faces. I remembered the day that we found out that we were having our second son. I did the math and realized that Kameron would be 3 years behind Deion. This made me think immediately about me and my brother, Damon.

As you may or may not know, my brother Damon is almost 3 years younger than me. Knowing that I'd have 2 sons immediately gave me visions of me and Damon growing up all over again. We grew up in a house where our parents loved us and encouraged us to be ourselves. We did the stuff that brothers do...we played, argued, teased each other, fussed, and got on each others nerves. But there was always love and respect. We always looked out for each other.

Fast forward to 2016. Deion and Kameron are back in school together. This could be the last year that they attend school together. This time next year, Deion will be in college. And Kameron will still be at home. As the summer ended, I gave them "lectures" on what to expect and what we expected from them. There was a level of excitement in our house because with them both at the same school...it's less running around for us.

Seeing the two of them in high school together made me remember my senior year at Wilson High. Like Kameron, Damon was a freshman. My senior year was EVERYTHING. I remember people would say..."I didn't know your brother was here"...others would say "There's a freshman walking around who looks like you."...then there were the few who'd say "I didn't know you had a brother". By now; I'm sure Deion has heard it all. They've been in school for a month now. I've already given them a more than a few talks. The talks usually start with me saying..."When I was in high school..." I'm sure they may be tired of hearing it. But I want them to enjoy this year together.

I told them before school started..."Deion you have to look out for Kameron. And Kameron you have to listen to Deion." Sometimes that's the hardest things to convey to teenage boys. They have very different personalities. Deion is very outgoing and very friendly. Kids like him. Deion is friends with EVERYBODY. I like it when parents tell me how much they enjoy being around him and how mild mannered he is. Kameron is very laid back. He likes to get a "read" on people before he lets you get near him. At times, he appears to be quiet but that's not the case. He's very outgoing...especially with his friends. He has his "4 man crew". Those are his best friends. He's cool with kids outside of his crew but nobody comes above the crew. I laugh when I see them together because they remind me so much of how I was with my crew. In a lot of ways...including what I described...they are a lot like their Dad. And that's not a bad thing.

From the first day of school, I've been preaching to Deion about how he's got to look out for Kameron. A few weeks ago, Deion was on the phone with Damon. When he got off the phone he said...

"Dad, Uncle Damon said when he first got to Wilson with you...you told him 'Don't come around me. Don't bother me. And don't come around me and my friends'. What's up with that, Dad?"

LMAO!!! Wait...I don't ever remember saying that.

Did I say it? I doubt it. But if he said that I said it. I might have said it.

Nonetheless, I want them to enjoy this year. I told Deion that his "little brother is cool and he's going to blaze his own trails. You just help guide him". And that's true. That's what's going to happen. It happened to us. I looked up one day and people weren't calling him "Kyle's little brother". He quickly made a name for himself. Kameron will do the same. I enjoyed that year at Wilson with him. I want Deion to do the same with Kameron.

The next year, I enrolled at South Carolina State University. Four years later, Damon joined me there.

Who knows...history could repeat itself. We'll see...

high school dayz

Check out the 12 RADIO SHOW. The 12 RADIO SHOW is the most innovative and interactive show on Blog Talk Radio. Tune in tonight at 9pm EST as the host, 12kyle, informs and entertains! Don't just listen to the show...be a part of the show and participate in the interactive chat room...or call in to speak with 12kyle and his co-hosts.

TOPIC - High School Dayz...

co-hosted by Krishna

On this episode, we're going to take a trip down memory lane! Join us as we discuss our memorable moments from high school. We'll discuss our likes/dislikes, different subjects, high school best friends, popularity, activites, teachers, good/bad memories from high school. You don't want to miss this!!! Join us! Share your experiences!


You can listen online (www.blogtalkradio.com/12kyle) or via phone (347)215-7162. Press #1 if you want to speak to the host. You can also send tweets if you want to have your questions answered or comments to @12kyle

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english 101

Thanks Mrs. Harris and Mrs. Townsend

Both women taught me English when I was in 4th grade and 9th grade, respectively

Mrs. Harris was my all time favorite teacher. 

These two women came to mind as I thought about what to write on this blog. They both had a huge impact on my education. I'm not sure if they knew it or not. Mrs. Townsend would often say..."English is a beautiful but extremely complex language. Don't mess it up." Those words always stuck with me. 

I was reviewing Brandon's homework a few days ago and I was looking at some words that he was using in his sentences. He was using the words...THEIR and THERE ; YOUR and YOU'RE. Surprisingly, he was using them correctly. He's in the first grade. I was baffled at how he knows which words to use at the age of 6 when there are people much older than him who can't do the same thing.

There is not a day that goes by when I get on Facebook or Twitter and see people using words incorrectly. These 4 words are often misused. It's understandable when people are using slang. I get it. More often than not, this isn't the case. Sometimes I read Facebook posts and I wonder aloud if some of these people even WENT to an English class. I'm not saying that you should proof read your posts or tweets. Can a word be misspelled from time to time? Sure! I'm sure I've misspelled more than a few words on this blog because I normally write late at night before I go to bed. But when it's clear that you don't know the difference between THEIR and THERE...then that's a problem. 

I remember Mrs. Harris used to always fuss at us about writing our names in cursive. I hated to write in cursive then and I still do now. But she explained to us that it was important to write your name neatly because it was your signature. She said you'd be using your signature for the rest of your life. If we turned in a paper and our signature was sloppy, then she'd make us write it over again. Little did we know then that she was teaching us to have pride in our names. I don't even know if schools teach kids how to write in cursive anymore. My cursive writing was terrible back then and is still terrible to this day. But my signature isn't. I remember asking her if I could put a star above the "I" in my last name instead of a dot. She asked me why did I want to do that. I told her that I wanted it to look different from any other signature. She said it was fine and I've been doing it since that day. It's funny how these things stick with you.

Sometimes I get frustrated when I read my sons' writings. None of them write like me. They all write well for their age. But not like me. Then, I remind myself that they aren't me. They don't have Mrs. Harris nor Mrs. Townsend. I try my best to show them what I learned. Being able to write well starts with being able to speak well. You have to know which words to use. You also have to read extensively and retain what you read. I've always done that. I'm not saying that you can't use slang because I use it every day. But if that's all that you know then that's all that you'll use. No matter the profession that you are in, it will involve writing and you have to be able to effectively communicate what you want people to know. When you write something...much like with this blog...you are taking people on a journey. It's your job as a writer to get them from the beginning to the end their destination. 

Mrs. Townsend was correct. English is beautiful and complex. Learn it. Master it. Don't mess it up. 

let's go back 2 high school

The boyz are back at it!!!

Check out this week's podcast with Eclectik on the Eclectik Discussion Podcast. My boy Eclectik had me on his podcast this week. Tune in and listen as we laugh and talk about our high school days.

Click the link and listen!

http://eclectikrelaxation.com/blog/2012/05/17/edp12-high-school-memories/


Eclectik

Wilson High

12 RADIO

Check out the 12 RADIO SHOW

Tune in tonight at 9pm and listen to the host 12kyle as he entertains and informs you.

TOPIC - HIGH SCHOOL MEMORIES

co-hosted by SHELLYSHELL.

Tune in as we take a trip down memory lane. If you want to laugh and reminisce, you DON'T want to miss this show

show link...http://tobtr.com/s/2996525

20 yrs...

June 7, 1991

I'll remember that day for two reasons...

One reason...Michael Jordan dropped 29 on the Lakers in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.

The second reason...I graduated from high school that day. Today marks 20 years. Wow. Time flies. It doesn't feel like it's been that long. As I reflect on that day, I remember it like it was yesterday. I remember seeing my family and friends in the crowd. I remember wanting the graduation to be over as quickly as possible because I was ready to party. More importantly, I remember those classmates who sat in their cap and gowns with me. We were a "different bunch"...to say the least. We weren't a unified class but we had a bunch of great individuals. I had gone to school with most of them since the 7th grade. There were a few who I'd known since I was in the 2nd grade. I woke up that day thinking that graduating from high school was no big deal. My thought process changed later that day. I realized the level of pride and strength that we had. I remember seeing my classmates crying after it was over. I didn't cry. No need for tears. This wasn't my final destination. This was a stepping stone to propel me to the next level. But it was sad because it would be the last time that I would be around this great collection of talented people. You never really knew how much you meant to people...or how much they mean to you...until you part from them. I remember giving hugs and dap to my classmates when it was over. Little did I know that we'd lose 2 classmates before I enrolled in college in August.

Through the years, I've learned more and more about those that stood with me that day. We are a great group of people. We're probably more unified now than we've ever been. That's cool with me. The pride and the strength is still there. And always will be

Wilson High School Class of 1991...I salute you.

backinmyday

1987 was a lonnnnnnnnnnnnnnng time ago.

Well...for some people it was. LOL

I bring up 1987 b/c I was having a convo on twitter with Pigskin Loving Lady and she mentioned that she graduated from high school in 1987. I advised her that I ENTERED high school in 1987!
So, after a few jokes. I began to try to remember what THE JAM was in 1987. I couldn't remember. Shoot, I have a hard time remembering what I did yesterday. I definitely don't remember '87. But it got me to thinking about the year that I graduated from high school...1991. I began to wonder about the music that I listened to back then.

Still couldn't remember. So I decided to look it up. Wanna know what my favorite cds that were released in 1991???

In no particular order, I'll give you my fav 4 cds/tapes/albums that dropped in 1991.

Boys II Men
Cooleyhighharmony

singing group from Philly who was founded by New Edition member Michael Bivins

hits- Motownphilly, It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday, Uhhh Ahhh, Please Don't Go, End of the Road

A Tribe Called Quest
Low End Theory

a hip hop classic.

hits- Check the Rhyme, Jazz (We've Got), Scenario, Buggin Out

Ice Cube
Death Certificate

critically acclaimed music for one of the hip hop pioneers on the West Coast

hits- Steady Mobbin, True to the Game, Us, No Vaseline

Michael Jackson
Dangerous

anutha gem by the G.O.A.T (greatest of all time)

hits- Black or White, Remember the Time, In the Closet, Jam, Heal the World

I'll admit that I didn't know that these all came out in '91. I used Wikipedia to find out the music that dropped in '91.

What about you? What was the music that dropped the year that you graduated from high school?

onceapromatime

Spring is upon us. Spring symbolizes different things.

Warm weather...

Blooming flowers...

Spring Break...

and going to the prom!

Yeah. Going to the prom is always a memorable time. Good memories...or bad memories.

Last year, I was sitting in McDonalds and I saw a kid walk in and he had a tux on. Immediately, I thought..."His night didn't go too well." LoL. I went to the prom 4 times. Three times when I was in high school and once when I was in college. The prom that I attended when I was a freshman in college was my girlfriend's senior prom.

That night was memorable...but for the wrong reason. Like most kids, the objective was to go to the prom...hang out...take pics...then head to the hotel. That was our plans, too. The night was going according to what we had planned. We took pics and then we went to the hotel. Things got very INTERESTING once we got to the hotel.

We checked into the room and got settled in. We started watching tv. The night was going well. As I was anticipating our next move, I decided that I needed to get the portable radio that I had packed in my trunk. I wanted to set the mood with some soft music. Bad move! As I go to retrieve the radio from the trunk of my car, I placed the car keys in the trunk...then I closed the trunk! I immediately realized that I had locked the keys in the trunk of the car. Damn!

I went back to the room and told my girl what happened. I'm spazzin out because I'm in a jam. I can't call a locksmith and pay for them to open my car. I can't call home and say..."Hey mom! I locked the car keys in the trunk...and I'm at a hotel with my girlfriend!" I had to think fast. I knew that there was a spare set of keys at the house but I couldn't go home to get them. After about 30 mins, I figured it out.

I knew that my lil brother could get his hands on the keys. I called our house and prayed that he'd pick up the phone before my mom did. He did! I told him that I locked the keys in the trunk. I told him to call JFresh on a 3 way conference call. JFresh was gonna be my lifeline. I knew that he was in town but I wasn't sure if he was at home. He called him and he answered. I told him that I needed him to go to my house...pick up the spare keys and bring them to me at the hotel.

"Mannnnn, whut the hell have you done??? You did what? You locked your keys in the trunk? Haaaaaaaaaaa!!!!"

He got a big kick out of it. When he pulled into the parking lot, he had a HUGE grin on his face. Of course, I didn't think it was funny. It is now! LoL. Glad that he had my back. I was glad that my brother made it happen. And my mom never found out.

Did you have a memorable or unforgettable prom story?

Hollatchaboi!