Sweet Fifteen

"The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together." -Erma Bombeck

This weekend I went home for my niece Sarah's 15th Birthday Party, or as it is known in my culture, her quinceanera. I had a very enjoyable time and though I admit that I'm not a proponent of quinceaneras in general, I went in support and had a great evening since I am a fan of birthdays. I went to one or two when I was 15 or so and stood up in one of them. I have a fuzzy memory, so I don't really recall what went into it though. They were common growing up.

My brother Abram and I left Austin after work on Friday and made it to the Valley a little after 10pm. This is where I normally clean up, find some friends and go and have some drinks. I was exhausted though and decided to go straight to bed instead. Little did I know I would be needing that rest the next day.

My mom was fighting off a sickness, which is never fun, but she was a trooper all weekend. Saturday morning I visited with my father over breakfast, and later picked up a small bottle of Maker's Mark since the event allowed hard liquor. I figured that would be more than enough for me, but I threw in a bottle of Parrot Bay rum for family. Then I went over to my sister Ana's house to hang out with all the kids while they got ready. So my sister Ana's daughter Sarah was the birthday girl, my sister Eliza's daughter Victoria was a dama (like a bridesmaid), and my sister Vero's daughter Jamie was also a dama. Sarah's little brother Michael was also in it. Eliza was also over helping out with hair and whatnot. I caught everyone on their way out to their family church thing before the reception. My sister Ana looked great and not just because of the efforts she had made to get in shape. I think she made a good dress choice. She looked a like a very proud mother.

I arrived at the hall and was impressed with the scale of the event. I imagine if I had a wedding reception this big I'd be lucky. The whole event had characteristics that were a reflection that Sarah's dad that put a lot of work into it. I put aside the fact that I might do things differently and just appreciated all the hard work that went into the evening, it was apparent. We took some formal family pictures with Sarah and I dropped off my gift in the card box. Dinner then started, and after eating, I visited will extended Alaniz family that I hadn't seen in quite some time. My niece Bekkah hung out with us and even her family able to make it. That is my favorite part of family gatherings like this, that you get to catch up with so many people.

Sarah was wearing a light pink dress that had pearls sewed on and looks white only from a distance. She looked very pretty and happy. Then the whole presentation started and I'm probably not well equipped at describing it without over simplifying it, but there was an introduction, and then a few dance numbers. The kids all did great and I was impressed with their dance routines. They looked like there were having fun. You can tell they put in many hours into the preparation. It was also the first time there has been an event where 4 of my nieces/nephews were all participating. I thought the idea of wearing pink laced converse with their dresses was cute. Below are my nieces, Tori and Jamie.

So here are all my Flickr photos of the event. I also posted a few on Facebook.

We finally called it a night and said our good nights as the kids continued to have fun on the dance floor. The whole thing went very well from my perspective.

After the party, I went with Abram to hang out with his good friend Elaine. They have been good friends since high school and I have gotten to know Elaine better over the years. She is quite the up and coming business woman I must say and her professional advancement is always impressive, but was more so on this occasion. We also met up with a married couple they have known since high school. The night took the usual path of drinks at various bars, the lively discussion of random topics, mixed in with a little reminiscing. It was fun. I learned that when a place has the word Irish in the name, that that can sometimes be a misnomer if all you hear is Spanish music, and that it is hard to go out in your hometown without running into familiar faces. We all returned back to her place where Elaine's boyfriend came home with some friends and her little sister showed up with the worst tasting diet Big Red drink I have ever tried. We shot the shit for a few hours and I was happy to find out that maybe more people might check in on my blog than I might imagine. I hadn't drank like this for a while I have to say. I scored a free t-shirt, but I don't remember the context, yet I am a fan of free t-shirts and it was a nice surprise.

Here is a funny thought I had that night while out drinking, that common sense should have made apparent. What I will say is about it is that no matter how adorable that college co-ed might be, once the conversations shifts to how unfair it is when your parents don't respect your privacy when you are in your bedroom, you know there is a reason for the half your age plus 7 rule. It makes for a funny moment, if only in my head.

Sunday, I said my goodbyes and made what felt like a much longer trip back to Austin. There is never enough time on short trips like this and there were a few friends I missed out on getting to hang out with. Not to mention friends I have promised to hit up when I visit home. I'm sure it won't be long before I have occasion to visit again though.

not really like samson