Hey, Stranger

We're convinced that Adeleigh will someday be the Mayor of Fort Collins. Every time we leave the house, she makes it her mission to greet, hug and converse with every single stranger, and animal that we pass. 

We went out for dinner at El Monte the other evening and ten minutes after sitting down, Adeleigh decided there would be no more sitting. So, Nana took her outside to run around for a few minutes. When they came back inside, Adeleigh was ready to make some friends. She started out by walking up to the table behind us where two little boys sat with their parents. They were a nice family, but they were busy eating instead of socializing, so she quickly moved on. 

At a booth nearby, sat a couple without their food. To a toddler, this is perfect friend-making material - No prior commitments. Free to give their undivided attention. She walked right over to their booth and smiled at the pretty lady and her husband. The lady said, "Well, hello, happy girl!" which translates into "Come sit next to me!" because that is just what Adeleigh did. I hurried and stood up to make sure Adeleigh wasn't being too forthcoming. 

Me - "I'm sorry. She's not shy at all."

The lady and her husband - "Oh my gosh. This is just too cute. What's her name? How old is she? Is she always this happy?"

I answered, introduced myself and we all officially met.

Then the lady, Tiffany pulled out her iPhone to show Adeleigh pictures of her dog and horse. Adeleigh started flipping through her photos like a pro. Tiffany asked her, "Do you want to play with my phone?" 

Me - "Just to warn you, she won't want to give it back."

Tiffany - "Oh, she can play with it all night. I don't mind. I just can't believe she knows how to flip through the photos!"

Before Tiffany could finish her statement, Adeleigh had her phone in hand and was off to share it with the rest of the town.

She walked up to an older couple at the next table, pulled herself up into their booth, and sat down with Tiffany's phone.

Adeleigh - "See? A puppy."

Gentleman - "Oh wow! Is that your puppy?"

Adeleigh - "No.........See? A horse?"

I walked a few feet over to go apologize and see if she was bothering them. They said, "Oh, don't even worry. She's such a social butterfly!"

I stood there, chatting with Tiffany and her husband, Yurane, while Adeleigh went back and forth between her four new buddies. Yurane said, "You realize that when she's fourteen, and you tell her about the time she went to sit in a stranger's booth, she's not going to believe you, right?" 

I laughed. 

Then, I told them a story ------

Recently, in Old Town Square, we were all sitting and splashing our toes in the fountain. Across the plaza, sat a family with an empty stroller, watching their toddler play at Bear/Fish Park. All of a sudden, Adeleigh bolted from where we were sitting. She ran across the plaza, bottle in hand, elbows out like a mini-football player, and landed in the empty stroller. Phaeton and I ran after her, embarrassed and laughing. As we approached, I started apologizing to the dad. I could tell that he was trying to figure out who this little girl was and where she came from. 

Me - "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry.....Adeleigh, let's go, sweetie. That's not our stroller."

He smiled and said, "Oh, she's fine. I don't mind."

We all waited awkwardly, thinking Adeleigh would get her fix and jump out to resume playing at any minute.

But she didn't. She would get down for a brief moment, then jump back in and get comfortable. She was perfectly happy staying put.

Then the dad laughed, "Well, I guess we're her family now!" 

Here's a picture of Adeleigh with her new family -

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Tiffany and Yurane laughed and gave Adeleigh high-fives for her initiative. Then, their food arrived. Adeleigh, feeling completely comfortable with her new friends, reached out to grab Tiffany's salmon off her plate. I stopped her. "Okay, Adeleigh. Let's let them eat. Tell them thank you." Adeleigh generously gave back Tiffany's phone and we said our goodbye's. 

Then, before she would allow us to leave, Adeleigh decided she had to say goodbye to every single person in the restaurant. 

And she did. 

And every single person said it back with a smile.

_____________

She'd make a cute Mayor.