Not only was this weekend my husband’s birthday, but it was also the 90th birthday and 68th wedding anniversary of another great-aunt and uncle on my father’s side, Crescencio and Paula Ancheta. We celebrated this very special occasion with a big party given by my extended family in Palmdale. This is such a milestone not only because of the age of the birthday celebrants, but the years of marriage they shared together.
Because of my father, we are very close to many of our relatives, even if they are 3rd and 4th cousins. We practically grew up together because my parents made sure to make the visits to Palmdale almost as regular as visits to cousins who were just 30 minutes away.
Now that we are spread out all over, we don’t get to see each other as often as we used to. For example, when I used to work up in the San Francisco area over 10 years ago, I used to see my cousins Derek and Sharon on a weekly basis. Now, we keep touch through Facebook when we can. But it’s always great to see them in person like we did this weekend. This is where we have the opportunity to see each others kids who we only usually only see through pictures.
I’m happy to keep the tradition of attending these large events, and the smaller ones as well because I want my son to continue to experience the closeness of family as I did growing up. So much of this bond I have with my cousins, aunts, uncles and even my immediate family as well as family in other cities and countries all over the world is because of my father. I want Dominic to know and understand the importance of family. Hope you all had a great weekend!
Dominic’s outfit: Gap for Kids shirt; H&M tie; Old Navy pants; Converse One Star shoes