Monday, June 23, 2008

Grandpa's 90!!!!!!!








I know it has been a while since my last post; well it hasn’t been that long. I have waited because I desperately wanted to post about my Grandpa’s 90th birthday and I had to wait until I loaded the pictures. For all my family that is reading this you will receive your copy of the pictures this week. So don’t be mad that I posted about this first. On May 31st we celebrated my Grandpa’s 90th birthday. It was a surprise party with an Argentine theme. Everything was blue and white (Argentina’s colors) and my aunt Liz made a GORGEOUS cake. You might not understand what is on the cake if you are not from Argentina. The food was fantastic and as in true Alvarez style we made enough to feed an Army. I am not kidding; we still have food that we haven’t eaten. In the old days my Grandpa BBQ over coal on a rack and to mimic this tradition we did the same. My dad and Wade were in charge of roasting the pig and BBQ on the racks, while my cousin Shawn was in charge of using the grill. We had chimichurri to top of the meat. My dad also bought something called Sweet Bread, why they name it this I am still clueless however it is some kind of gland from a cow. I had to steer clear of that on a count of my stomach would most likely reject it.
As my family stuffed their faces and talked I was in charge of taking the pictures, Hence the lack of my face in many pictures. Everyone enjoyed themselves and ate until their hearts content. My father, Wade and Shawn on the other hand worked fast over the heat. I was afraid my dad would pass out from exhaustion from working so hard. In the end though it was all worth it. You don’t get the chance to see your Grandpa hit 90 every day and still be kickin’ and screamin’ I might add. By the way his reaction once he was walked into that surprise party was a peace sign. It was so cute!! After we all ate we all gathered into the family room to watch a picture video that my sister worked so hard to but together. In the end though we didn’t have the soft wear to complete the project so we had to surrender it to someone who did. The movie was a huge success and it was so fascinating to see all the old pictures. I love learning and seeing what my family looked like growing up. It was such a special moment for everyone.
I have to say that I have an amazing family, who always looks out for each other. I would say almost to a fault but that’s my family. I am so grateful for my Grandpa and that he always showed his grandchildren how much he loves them. I vividly remember sitting on his lap and him singing me songs and always telling me to “Remember the Alamo.” It is something that he still tells me every time I see him. I love you with all my heart Grandpa and am so lucky to have such an awesome Grandpa!!! I will make sure that Gavin always “Remembers the Alamo!”