This realization hit me when I received a phone call from my dad, who told me there was a birthday party planned for my youngest sister.

"It's her 16th birthday, you know," he said.

"Wow!" I exclaimed.

"She is already in driver's education," he continued.

"Holy guacamole," I responded.

After I hung up the phone, I began to wonder where the time had gone. I walked to my bookcase and pulled out an old photo album. It contains pictures of her as a baby and older. There was one labeled "Batgirl" because her bib was turned backwards, resembling a cape. Her mouth was a wide smile. It made me smile.

As I flipped through the pages filled with great memories, a more recent picture caught my attention. I stopped and stared at it. "When did she get to be taller than me -- her big sister," I wondered.

Shaking my head with disbelief, I closed the album and placed it back on the shelf. I sighed to myself and thought, "What in the world do I buy a 16 year old for her birthday?"

I have until Saturday to come up with something spectacular.