Mami and Papi

In my first blog post not too long ago, I mentioned that much of this blog will be about things that I love. So my my topic for the next few posts will be on one of those lovable things: my family.

Every time I visit my grandparents on my mom's side, or even when something sparks a thought or memory of them, I feel like I'm getting more and more sentimental. I think part of it has to do with me getting older and growing up. My life is changing drastically as I'm stepping out into the "adult world," and with that change comes the realization that my childhood is now a thing of the past. All I have left are my memories of it, and many of those memories involve my grandparents.

Growing up, I spent almost every weekend at my mother's parents' house, often with all three of my cousins from that side of the family. It's a part of me, rooted in the deepest parts and farthest reaches of my memory. Climbing the ficus tree out front, racing tricycles in the back, riding pillows over stretched blankets down the staircases -- I loved my childhood with my Mami and Papi, and I wouldn't exchange it for anything, no matter how much "better" that childhood could have been, because it couldn't have been. There is absolutely no way.

So today, I would like to share five facts about my grandparents that make me love them dearly. :)

Fact #1: They have the best taste in food.
You may be thinking "So what? How can that make someone lovable?" Well, my dear blog-follower, when you love food as much as I and the rest of my family do, it makes a big difference!

Food is one of my favorite things. Though some might consider me a picky eater, I love to try new places, new cuisines, and new dishes. Whenever I'm driving around, I always keep a mental tab on what restaurants I see that I'd like to try. It's just a fact -- I love good food. And I get it from my mom's side of the family.

My mom has told me stories and stories about all the places with good food where her family used to go when she was a kid, whether here in California or in Mexico or El Salvador, and most of them have to do with the food they used to buy: Danish pastries, sausage, and pickled cabbage in Solvang; live crabs in Ensanada; fresh beans in San Salvador. Some of her best memories from her childhood centered around food and family, and so do many of mine.

Now that I'm grown, looking back on my fondest memories with my grandparents, I can genuinely say that food takes a big part in all of them. My favorite food since I was a little girl has been my great-grandmother's Spanish rice, and my favorite holiday dish is our family's Salvadoran turkey stuffing. I love Vietnamese pho, and guess where my Papi wants to take us next time we visit? A new Vietnamese restaurant. And it's a well-known fact to all who know me that I adore coffee -- good, quality coffee. And from where do I get my persnickety taste in coffee? You got it... my grandparents.

Oh, and btw... that's where I get my persnickety taste in bread and chocolate, too. ;)

Fact #2: My Mami is cuter than yours.
Don't deny it. You know it's true. ;)

Every kid loves a grandmother who spoils them. That was my Mami. Heck, that is my Mami! When I was little, it was popsicles and Twinkies almost every week, Easter dresses every year, and constant praise about how adorable we were. Today, it's yummy food whenever we visit, trips to Kohl's for our birthday, and constant praise about how beautiful we are... yeah, not much has changed. :)

And, to top it all off, my Mami is a spunky, four-foot-nine Latina firecracker. Today, she took me to her room and gave me two t-shirts that she didn't want. "They didn't fit me," she said in her adorable accent, then broke out laughing. "I looked like a chorizo!"

Seriously, what's not to love? :)

Fact #3: My Papi knows more than your papi
I figured I might as well continue with the grandparent-bragging theme. :)

My Papi is one of the most read-up, knowledgeable people I know. He doesn't have a doctorate, he's not a professor, but he sure knows how to learn on his own. Ever since I can remember, he has something new to talk about when we visit. Politics, electronics, current events -- you name it, he knows what's going on. Maybe not every detail, but he sure knows his stuff. If only I could be as interested and disciplined as he is!

Fact #4: My Mami loves to sing
Though I think most of my musicianship comes from my dad's side of the family, I know for sure that my love for singing comes from my Mami.

Since she was a little girl, my grandma has loved to sing. And when she was a young woman in El Salvador, someone (I can't remember who) told her that she should learn to sing. At the time she was able to have singing lessons for free, and so she learned to sing opera. Now, at seventy-something years old, she still has the most beautiful voice I have ever heard. And every year she sings Happy Birthday just for me.

I have her birthday voice mail from two years ago saved on my cellphone. That's how much I adore it. :)

Fact #5: My Papi loves photography
I have no doubt about where I get my love for photography . My Papi has always been a wonderful amateur photographer, and I don't see anything like it in any of my other grandparents. I get my love of all things photographic from him, hands down.

All over his house, you can find prints going back decades. Panoramas, flowers, portraits -- he's done them all, and he's pretty darn good at it. And no matter where we went when I was little, or where we go now that I'm grown, you can be sure he'll be toting a camera bag loaded with gear.

Again, I can only hope that, someday, I'll learn from his example. :)


Well, there you have it! My grandparents in a nutshell. So much of me comes from who they are, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I love them dearly and am so glad that God has given them to me for all of these years. I'll cherish every moment I have with them. :)