Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to You, Grandma Eunice!

We got together for an early celebration of Eunice's birthday. My cousin Stevie and his family brought the piñata... it's totally their thing, and they are good at it! I mean seriously, ¿Nacho and Esqueleto, chocolate? ¡Excelente!

A beautiful Pasadena day, a beautiful birthday woman, and as much family as we could gather? Plus a feast, and a Nacho Libre piñata? "Don't you want a little taste of the glory? See what it tastes like?"*

*If I try to summarize my profound love and admiration for my amazing grandmother, I will become emotionally overcome, and unable to face the responsibilities of the day. So this post will be liberally sprinkled with lovely images, and Nacho Libre quotes... "Everyone is dancing, happy, party!"


::Beckie, Daniel, Eunice, Rebekah, and Julie::



::Talia, Ashley, Andrea, Steve, and Eunice::



::Ron, Eunice, and Delia::

Nacho: "Ok. Orphans! Listen to Ignacio. I know it is fun to wrestle. A nice piledrive to the face... or a punch to the face... but you cannot do it. Because, it is in the Bible not to wrestle your neighbour." That is what piñatas are for!


Esqueleto: "Summon your eagle powers."

As Stevie pointed out, Mexican families tend to be big. Piñatas have to be built tough so everyone gets a chance to beat it senseless. Grandma went first and she gave it her all. At this point I was reminded, again, of the twisted irony of choosing a favorite character for your birthday piñata... you have to hit it, pound it, destroy the object of your affection. Of course, it is for chocolate. I guess the inevitable truth is that chocolate is the greater object of our affection.


First honor goes to the birthday celebrant, and then we bring them in by birth order. Maria wasted no effort, hitting swiftly, deftly. ¡Dale!


With a height advantage, leverage and strength, Max had eagle powers and he used them to great effect.


Nacho: "I don't want to get paid to lose. I wanna win!"


Nacho: We need to show him that we mean business. That we are ready for the 'big leagues'." Talia is ready for the big leagues!


The piñata is beleaguered. We smell the chocolate. William is dealing some piledrives.


Ron knows when to stand back. We started bringing in harder sticks, new tools of piñata destruction. I was recalling other piñatas, other means of bringing it down.


Cousin Julie showed no mercy. "Eagle powers... come to me! Please!"


Sister Encarnación: "No. If you fight for something noble, or for someone who needs your help, only then will God bless you in battle." Rebekah was fighting for something noble, and with a good, strong stick, and her efforts caused a great rejoicing...


Candies!!!!

My life is good. Real good.


Time together, to celebrate this day, to recall yesterday. Grandmother's eighty-ninth birthday celebration was a happy one, sentimental, and silly. Full of laughter, and connecting.


It was dear, and heart warming, seeing family that cannot often get together. And we made early plans for next year, so family, you know who you are, mark your calendars. We want a full house. Steve, we're gonna need a bigger piñata!


I don't know that we need a fancy venue, or entertainers. We seem to manage just fine making our own fun, finding our own entertainment.

"You gotta be kidding me. Everything you just said, is MY favorite thing to do, every day!"


Julie applied her crazy-hair skills to Maria's head... hair raising fun!


One last laugh before we head out... someone taped Nacho's picture onto Grandmother's light fixture, where she can gaze at his nucleus while falling asleep.

Nacho: "Beneath the clothes, we find a man... and beneath the man, we find his... nucleus."


So now you pretty much know what we do. Pretty dang exciting, huh?