The Knacks: Welcome, Sammy

Saturday, August 28, 2004

Welcome, Sammy

One of my Dad's former colleagues is from Mexico, and the two have stayed in touch over the years and become pretty good friends. Rick was fortunate to get to spend about two weeks with Guillermo's family a couple of years ago, and now Samantha (Sammy), Guillermo's 18-year-old daughter, is spending her senior year of high school here with my folks in the US.

Sammy's first couple of weeks here turned out to be pretty hectic. Besides celebrating her 18^th birthday away from home, she's had to contend with a return visit from my friends Tony and Beverly, registering for school, traveling up to Virginia and back at least once, a visit from Mom's (maternal) Uncle Woody for her (paternal) Uncle Earl's memorial service, and Dad being gone and/or on the road most of the time for his new job.

We're trying to show her a good time, though. She hung out with a pile of Rick's friends at his birthday party last week, she went out Salsa dancing last night with Joy and Joy's former high school classmate Shanika, and even at this moment she's probably just now arriving in Washington, D.C. with my folks for the Virginia Tech game [pdf]. The biggest challenge with that trip may be encountering still more of my extended family. :-)

Here are some pictures from her birthday party back on the 15^th: