Feliz Cumpleaños, Abuelito ♥

Today was my Abuelitos birthday.
(for those of you who are reading and are not familiar with spanish, Abuelito= Grandpa)

I believe he would have turned 85 today. 

It has been 3 years since he has been gone.

My parents have a photo of him framed on top of this cabinet thingy my mom has in the living room.
I pass by it every day and I can't help but smile every time I see it. In this photo he is in his uniform. And if I am correct, the day this photo was taken, my dad was there and he was the one who took the photo. So, not only does it make me smile to just see Abuelito, but I can't help but picture my dad being there and envision them smiling and having a warm conversation. Then it just leads me to remember how much I miss hearing Abuelitos voice. So soft and full of love and wisdom. By then, I am just struck by a flash of memories and a specific conversation that I remember having with him.

   It was at the Upland house, and I had taken my Spanish homework to work on while my parents and I were visiting. I figured I would get more luck with proper help from Abuelito then my parents. And I was right. It is sad to say but, I don't think I ever had that long of a conversation with him in my entire life.

Abueltios first language was Spanish. And he learned English while he was here. My Abuelita only spoke spanish so most of the time Abuelito did the translating for me when I wanted to say a few things to her. Even though Abuelito spoke English, his Spanish accent was still pretty thick. I loved that about his voice. 

  Back to the conversation I had with him, I distinctly remember him asking me, "Why do you need so much help on your Spanish work?" My answer was, "Because my dad [his son] never taught me how to speak Spanish." The look on his face was priceless. along with his smile and the laughter that came from him. He helped me finish the last bit of my homework and I remember him telling my dad in Spanish that He needs to speak more Spanish to me. I remember him laughing then looking at me and saying, "a partir de ahora me voy a hablar con usted solo en español."  which meant, "from now on I'm only going to talk to you in spanish." I just remember freaking out because I was not up for that challenge. of course, he was only joking. But it made me smile. 

It is that memory that constantly replays in my head. I only wish I did speak Spanish as fluent as I should. I just might have been able to have more amazing conversations with him. Especially with my Abuelita. But that's for a whole other blog entry.

There is only one other thing about this photo that aches my heart every time I see it. My Abuelito was doing something he loved. And something that he was amazing at. I only wish I would have been alive during his glory days. My parents, aunts and uncles have bragged about how amazing he was. If he only knew how much of his love for what he did was passed down to me. For a while after his death, It was hard for me to get back to the kitchen. It was a constant reminder of him. But eventually I've realized to embrace it. And now, I can't help but to think of him while in the kitchen, doing something I love. Something that clears my mind and makes me smile. Something that brings me closer to him. I still wish he was around so we can talk about things I've made or want to make. So he can teach me all his tricks and help me better my skills.Whether I choose to make Baking my profession or just a hobby I pick up, I know my Abuelito would be proud. And just for him, I promise to try and teach my future kids how to speak Spanish. :)

¡Feliz cumpleaños, abuelito! Usted siempre estará en mi corazón. Y gracias por el amor que tengo para hornear.

♥L