Sunday, September 09, 2007

Coley's Quinceniera

I just saw the pictures of my granddaughter Nicole's quinceniera (hope I spelled that right) and she is gorgeous. It is a latin tradition that when a girl reaches the age of 15 they have a huge party to celebrate it. Someone likened it to a wedding reception in importance.

Nicole looks more like her mother than her father but she has inherited his beautiful Cuban coloring and really does look very Spanish. Like many girls these days she appears much older than her years. Thank heavens she has strict parents who have an old fashioned view on how to raise their children. My firm belief is that Nicole and her sister, Lisette, have such a strong, respectful bond with their parents that they'd never do anything to shame or hurt them. This is the way all families should be.

Nicole is very feminine but she's also a jock. When I'd visit them a few years back it was always cute the way sweet little Nicole turned into such an aggressive player on the soccer field. It brought back memories of her mother at the same age playing field hockey.

When Coley was very small she hated me. I have no understanding why because I wasn't lucky enough to see them often at that time. When her father had the accident that cost him his leg I went down to Florida to care for the girls (Jake wasn't born then). Coley was a gorgeous 4 year old who didn't have a kind word for me, often standing with hands on hips asking when I was going home. One day I'd had enough and told her we just wouldn't talk if she was going to be nasty. She cried and cried and then did a complete about turn and became the wonderful little girl she was to everyone else.

When her father returned from the hospital minus his left leg, Coley was the one who wanted to change the bandages. Again she reminded me of her mother who cried when hurt as a child but the sight of blood fascinated her enough to stop the tears. We have a strange family.

Today my beautiful Coley is all that anyone could ask for in a grandchild. She's lovely, smart, athletic, and well mannered...even to me now!

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