Saturday, July 26, 2008

Taking a Break

The "baby" came to visit us this week. Sarah, 21, is a criminal justice major at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. She will be here for 2 weeks, exploring Napa and taking a well deserved rest from her studies. She graduates in December with what will be her third degree (you go girl) and is trying to decide if a Master's Degree in Psychology is next or if it's time to get out there and strike some fear into the criminal population.

Last night, after closing the gallery, we strolled across the street to Ceja's tasting salon and wine bar for "Hot Salsa Nights." I have been telling Sarah how much fun salsa can be, but have been met with the usual resistance when a parent suggests that something is "fun." I know my daughter, all she needed was the right environment, and a terrific salsa partner to help her loosen up a bit. To my delight, both were present and as it turns out, she's a pretty quick study. Ariel Ceja had her on the dance floor and doing fairly well almost immediately. The best part was the smile that stretched from one side of her face to the other for the whole evening. She was having fun and so was I.

When they are small children we marvel at their accomplishments, console their pains and encourage their growth. Last night, I watched my daughter take "first steps" of a different kind and found myself enjoying parenthood all over again. Afterwords, we talked and laughed about the evening's events and made plans for this evening's encore.

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