El Patio

Some of you may know that growing up our family had a restaurant we frequented weekly in uptown Whittier "El Patio". My parents had gone there since they were teenagers and taken all of us in the baby carrier and sat us on the table. The owner's were Gabriel and Ruth De la Parra and were wonderfull people. Gabriel was the nicest man and smelled sooo good always he would take us and make us Shirley Temple's and Mexican pizza's in the kitchen. He is credited for starting my life long love of bean and cheese burrito's and would help me cut them to eat them. They gave my dad side jobs doing work on their floors and hosted many a Brown family function including my grandparent's 5oth anniversary and my graduation party. They sold the restraunt a few years back but remained friends with my dad. I called my dad yesterday and asked him what he was doing and he said sitting down. My dad never sits still except to sleep so I knew something was up. He told me "Gabriel died this morning" and broke down crying and I broke down. This is the 4th major death for my dad this year and after the sale of the house could be counted as 5 deaths. He had just seen him the day before and he had been struggling with Cancer for awhile. I felt awful for my dad because I think he feels his world falling apart and to some extent it is changing dramatically. I am glad I got the opportunity to see Gabriel just 2 months ago at my grandparents house. I put the pic up in my pics to share the memory. So many memories being a adult sucks!

Gabriel and Ruth

10-26-06

Ok, First I will make you laugh...

Conner asked for a sonicare toothbrush for his birthday-AAAhhh,That's my kinda boy.


I was teaching the kids the song Seek ye first and then I told them to draw a picture of a castle during social studies and Elizabeth draws one with a person and I asked her who it was and she said "That's zeek" and I said" Who's Zeek?" and she said"You know Zeek ye first" I was rolling laughing.

We have been crazy busy with all kinds of stuff around here lately and I am hoping next week will be quiet I am going to take the afternoon off tomorrow! that will be a change.


The house has sold and the new owners have the keys and it was really sad for my dad. I cant imagine living somewhere 51 years of my life and having to leave. I am sad I wont go back to the house ever again. Things don't seem to be getting easier yet with the grief and I dont know when it will......................

Here is me at my grandparents house leaving and not looking back