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Thursday, September 20, 2012

Party Girl

Tonight was a big night for one of the Valente family. Tonight we were able to celebrate Nana's retirement. Around about February we celebrated Papa's and now it was Nana's turn. Tomorrow is her last official day and then she will slip, comfortably, into days with fewer schedules and pressures. We couldn't be happier for her.

To mark the occasion we all zipped out for a part of the party. I picked Abby up from school a few minutes early and Jason met us at the house so we could get there on time.

From the minute Abby walked into the restaurant she was in full charm mode. Now, Nana and Papa are pretty proud of their little "Angel" and so Abby needed no introduction to any of the people there. Everyone, it seemed, has been treated to a library of pictures of her, and some, I'm sure, even remember when she was born. Abby spotted Nana right away and ran in for her greeting hug. Since she didn't want anyone to feel left out, she then proceeded to hug everyone that had gathered. Luckily we got there as it began, otherwise we could have been there for a while.

As she made the rounds I could hear people saying things like, "Abby gives the best hugs," and "She is adorable." One lovely gentleman even told me that although he'd seen many pictures of Abby, and that they were cute, they didn't do her justice.

I can't tell you how much I love watching people meet Abby for the first time. It gives me so much pleasure to watch them fall under her spell. Even the waiter was kind enough to relinquish his serving tray (once it was empty) so that Abby could serve us all pretend drinks. As she handed me mine I made sure to thank her as everyone else had as well. She then, so very seriously, turned to me and said, "Sure! Enjoy!", then blithely turned and walked away.

Soon enough the lure of the food won out, so we did get some quiet moments when she actually sat and had some chips and salsa, but once Aunt Keri and Uncle Joe got there she took the opportunity to commandeer them into entertaining her, which they happily did.

It was when I saw her trying to run off with Aunt Keri's scarf that I thought we may want to head home. After all, by the time we got there it would certainly be bedtime. With a goodbye for Nana and a quick stop at the big mirrors by the stairs (and a helping hand from Aunt Keri) we finally got the party girl to the car.

Abby made it a point to tell me how much she liked Nana's party, and it certainly was such a nice evening. I'm sure they are still going strong and celebrating all the wonderful work that Nana has done over the years. So, congratulations on your retirement, Nana - just think of all the extra time you'll have to spend with Abby!

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