My Abi

When Abi was born, our house got brighter.  She has been a ray of sunshine from the time she was tiny.

We were at an airport in Nebraska, waiting for my mom, and sister Lori to arrive, to debut my newborn niece, Brienna.  We were in this dinky little airport in Kearney.  So small, in fact, they use a John Deere riding mower to pull the luggage cart.

There was a row of back-to-back seats in the middle of the single-room building, serving as perfect entertainment for an energetic, 16 month-old toddler to stretch her chubby little legs.  People were sitting in the seats, and as Abi ran around, and around the seats, she sought eye-contact with each and every person.  If one happened to look down at their newspaper or book, heaven forbid, Abi would stop right in front of them and stare, until they would look up.  Once they were looking at her, she'd flash a smile, and take off running laps around the seats again, making sure everyone was looking.

She has been the child I would describe as The Happy One.  But, if you were to ask her siblings, they would argue and say she was The Naughty One.  It's kind of true.  Abi was the kid with hidden candy wrappers in her room, from candy she wasn't allowed to eat.  Once, when she was almost 3, she was sick with something that gave her a high fever.  Up in the night with her, I sat her on the kitchen table where I handed her chewable Tylenol tablets, and then I turned by back to get her a glass of water.  I returned quickly to her, and her hands were empty.  I asked her where her Tylenol tablets were, and she said she ate them.  But there was no Tylenol drool or crumbs on her lips, or remnants still being chewed.  And she kept looking behind her in the napkin basket.  Sure enough.  The Tylenol tablets were stashed.

Abi was in the 2nd grade when we left her dad.  She had been home schooled prior to the break-up of our family, but to give her a break from the stress at home, I enrolled her in the local country school near our farmhouse in Nebraska.  It was an old-fashioned one-room school house, with only 7 kids in the entire school ranging in age from pre-K through 6th grade.  And that included Abi.  It was a beautiful experience for her.  She was with a group of great kids, with a dedicated teacher.

Then we moved to California.  She went from a tiny one-room rural schoolhouse, to a public elementary school in one of the most densely populated areas in the U.S.  Amazingly, she thrived.

We moved to a different neighborhood, and she had to switch schools.  She was there for only 2 years before we had to switch her to a different school again, due to yet another move.

I don't know what she would have done, had it not been for the constant familiarity and comfort of her sweet cousin, Brienna, who was always there for her, no matter what school Abi attended.  Just over a year apart, theirs has been an inseparable relationship dear to Abi.

When I married Hugo, we moved to an entirely different city, which meant another change for our Abi.  Her fifth school in 4 years.  This time, she was in Middle School.  We vowed to her that she would be able to put down some roots, and stay with the friends we knew she would make.

Through all of the moves she was subjected to throughout the darkest years of Crisis, my Abi somehow managed to stay on the Honor Roll throughout.  She has always excelled academically.

As a 7th grader, she maintained Straight A's both semesters.  As an 8th grader, she hasn't had Straight A's, but when it's all said and done, she has pulled a 3.8 total grade point average for both years.

Tonight our Abi promotes from middle school, to high school.  With her friends.  The friends she made in her new school 2 years ago when we moved to Glendora, and the friends she will stay with for the next 4 years of high school.

And she will do it with the love and support of her family.

We are so proud of our little ray of sunshine.  Our little girl has channeled her naughty energy to a far more productive, dedicated, ambitious focus, pushing onward toward some pretty lofty goals.  She has the stuff, and I'm completely confident that she will blaze her trails like a champion.

And we had better make sure we're watching her, or else!