I lay in my bed; nostalgic about the day my grandparents invited us to their small, two-story house. I remember the time when we sat in their dining room. My Grandfather used to always play Sudoku in the newspaper! He always liked number and logic games. He was one of a master of masters! He was a high-proved Intellectual Coefficient, and also a critical of politics. Beside him being a math teacher, he was very creative! He was an open-handed, honest man.
I remember I was sitting beside my grandfather, watching him solve many Sudoku puzzles. Since I was a little girl, I watched and enjoyed him to solve many of them. That day, I was shocked of how and how fast he could solve one. I wished I could be like him one day. He always made us laugh with his riddles and jokes! But the sad thing is that I can’t really remember of one.
He also sometimes made us tricks with his old cards, disappearing things and guessing too. He was tremendously good at this! I can remember when he had 4 cups, and one small ball; he hid the ball into one of those four cups and started mixing the cups very fast.
“Okay Reggie, I will start mixing the four cups,” He pointed out, “and when I align the four cups, you will guess in which of the four cups is the ball hidden.” he assured.
I smiled and giggled a little.
He was so fast like a cheetah. I thought I could do it, but I couldn’t even guess at the second try.
I loved how kind my grandfather was. He always gave hugs to everyone for us to feel comfortable with him.
“Good try Reggie!” He said while reaching me to give me a hug. “I tricked you! I’ll do it again but this time slower, OK?” I nodded. I concentrated. I knew I could do it at least this time. I did!
I can remember his big smile in his face, welcoming us, every time we went to visit them.
“Can I get the salt please?” My mom asked as she tried to reach for the salt at the table.
My grandfather reached for it and passed it to my mom. “Thank you dad,” said my Mom.
“You’re welcome.” Replied my grandpa.
We were eating salad, and chicken that my grandma made.
In this same day, we also gathered tangerines from my grandparents’ big, fat, tall tree of tangerines. The tree danced in the wind. It was a very fun experience.
This day, my family, my grandparents, and I got together in my grandparents’ house to be able to spend some afternoon quality time together.

To add on, another memory I have was when we invited my Mom’s side family to our house. It was February 2010, when both my grandparents had their birthdays in the same month, since my grandfather had 70, and my grandmother 66. We invited all family members: aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and more. We even invited my grandparents’ closest friends. We never told them it would be a surprise. Instead, we told them we wanted to invite them to come to eat with us. We notified the guests to arrive shortly before two O’clock, and we asked my grandparents to get here no later than 2:30 pm.
All those who we invited came, although only three or four people got here after my grandparents. We got the news from my chauffeur that my grandparents got here. We all hid further from the entrance, so when they open the door, we could all shout. All cameras were on, a bit before they entered.
“Surpriseeee!” We all shouted at the time when they entered. I could see their faces going surprised and confused. I bet their hearts were going fast when they heard all of us! Everyone gave my grandparents a big hug and wished them a happy birthday.
I can remember seeing many people in the same floor. It was very crowded, but not that much. There were people inside, and others in our big balcony, where there’s our entire house view, where you can identify many places of San Pedro, Monterrey, and more. The wind could even whisper the rumors of my house’s big forest!  It was so cold; I even saw bears in front of my house wearing jackets! I can picture my grandparents with a very big permanent smile in their face, because they got a special time to get together with their relatives, and closest friends.
At 6:30 pm, we gathered everybody together in our living room, which we call it Sala de los Ángeles because there are four different archangels in the ceiling of which each one represent a different thing. They represent: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.
We sat my two Grandparents in two different seats, but together. We had our cameras on, ready to take a video, and some photos. Max, my little cousin, handed them a little album with photos of memories. Photos about them with their friends, when they were little, some of my mom and her sisters, and many more. When I saw them flip through the pages, I saw their emotional faces. I felt I was in their stories. I felt I was part of their family when they had those precious moments. Some were funny, and some had a good memory to keep with. This time was a very big and great opportunity of gathering with my grandparents, their friends and family because it was difficult to gather so many people for a special occasion, which could always be the last, cause you never know what could happen anytime.
I can remember another time when Andy ate a really big dog Biscuit! We were all amazed, and at the same time we laughed and exclaimed:
“Eww Andy! I chuckled. “How can you even eat that?”
Andy coughed. I guess it was so horrible! “What? It’s just dog food!” He stated.
He laughed! I laugh because of his laugh! His laugh is really strange.
“It seems that you’re a dog!” I responded with a laugh that made my family laugh too.
“What?” Andy seemed confused.
         “Whatever!” I replied with a smile, raising my arms.
This was a long time ago, when we also got together at my house.

Another experience I have was a sunny Father’s day of the year 2012. My grandparents and my cousins were all invited. It was one of those days we invited them to our ranch. We had very fun time together, spending time with our relatives, even though it would be my grandpa’s last Father’s day. We are 8 cousins in total. In my family, we’re four: Natalia, Antonio, Santiago and me. One of my aunts has two: Andrés and Melanie. And my other two aunts have one each. One is Max and the other is Rodrigo. Rodrigo is one tremendous kid. He likes to do everything he desires to, but is also a genius with computers! He makes a really big quantity of videos about her mom, but he was only eight or nine years at this time. Max and his parents live in Atlanta. His mom, Lucía, works at CNN every day. Max is the smallest cousin of our family, like the size of a tiger. Unfortunately, we don’t see them so often. The oldest cousin is Andrés, but we all call him Andy. Melanie, Andy’s sister, likes to dye her hair into many colors. In my opinion, I don’t like it.
This memorable day we made very delicious carne asada. We also made papa al horno, salchicha asada, and quesadillas. At the end, we had a surprise!
“Happy Father’s day!” We shouted as my brothers, sister and I handed them our gifts to my dad and Grandpa.
We gave a gift to every father of every family, including my dad and my grandfather. The gifts were wrapped and very beautiful! What we gave to our grandfather was a shirt made out from my dad’s company. He looked very joyful, his smile looked like a mile long!
We also had cake to share with all. The cake was mango flavored, with vanilla frosting, and mango strips on the top. We even collected apples from our beautiful and tall, apple tree, (which is motionless, beside where we stay at nights). We talked together, and also took my Grandparents and cousins for an awesome ride in our golf carts! We rode fast and we rode slowly. This was a very fun time hanging out with our relatives.

Funny. Motivator. Mathematician. A person who likes to be involved into others’ lives. Two years ago, an uncertain moment happened. My mom came down the stairs. She unfortunately got the bad news while she was in her flamenco class. Tears were running down her cheeks, and accompanied with my dad beside her. My Mom was holding something in her hands. I had no idea what it was. I was sitting on the floor of my room, doing a poster, for homework. At the time my parents came down the stairs heading to their room, I got up, and ran towards them. I started to worry. I didn’t know what was happening, until my Mom’s voice sounded:
“Grandfather is gone.” My mom kept crying.
“But- but, how? I haven't seen him since father’s day.”
I stopped. I didn’t move. I didn’t know what to say. I started to feel a big pain in my heart. I felt I was getting a heart attack. My heart was going faster each time. I’ve never felt like this before. I noticed what my mom had in her hands; it was a photo of my Grandfather inside a frame. At the same time I felt very proud of him of completing a very great life that changed others people’s lives, including mine.

The next day after his death, my brothers and I were coming from school. We went in bus, and stopped in an OXXO because my Mom came for us to get to my Grandpa’s funeral, well dressed. When we finally got to church, I was amazed of how many people there were in my Grandfather’s funeral. I guessed he was a very loving person to others, and everyone loved him as a friend, teacher, dad, and grandfather. A big photo was placed at the very front of my Grandpa’s funeral. During the mass, I could observe many people crying and praying for him for giving them a very blessed life. I turned towards my Mom. Her make-up was running down her eyes. My dad handed her his handkerchief, so she could wipe off her make-up. Also, the music that was played in church, gave us sentimental feelings, which made us cry. My family was beside Grandma at the very front.
I like remembering about my grandfather’s mass because it helps me remember the way I felt, the way others felt too, and what they positively said about him.
Even though Grandpa is gone, I can still smell the scent of his lotion, smelling like flowers in a garden.

Now that my Grandfather is gone, for the past two years, we have invited my grandmother to our favorite restaurant in Monterrey, called Industrial, and also to our house. We’ve also asked my grandmother to let us go hang out with her to her house, for her not to feel lonely. Despite of Grandma’s biggest recent injury in December of the year 2012, caused at Soriana Supermarket, we all needed to go accompanied her, including my cousins, aunts, uncles, to let us know how she’s feeling, and what she needs. Throughout time, she has been feeling much better. Now she can keep doing what she does daily.

My grandfather was a very charismatic man. He thinked before doing it. I loved him ever since I was born. I was only 11 and a half years old when my grandfather passed away. He was the only grandfather I had since the time I was born. (My other grandfather passed away in 1999.) I was very heartbroken when I got the news from my mom. I could feel a really big pain because I always knew he was very loving. From this death, I learned how to get closer to my family and be more close to each other. The death of my grandfather influenced me to be a better person, like treat others the way I like to be treated (*The golden Rule*). He influenced my life to grow up like who we are. I grew from that experience because we should appreciate whom we are and what we have. For instance, my grandfather taught me to love myself even more. Now looking back, what I see now, that I didn’t see before, was that I didn’t spend much time with him when I was a kid, than when I was a baby. When my grandfather was still living, my grandma, Carmen was another kind of person. At the time that he died, he made Grandma’s personalities and characteristics change. She has been interested into people now even more.

Just as much as he liked math, he liked to eat as well.  Four to five times a week, a baker passed through their house. My Grandpa LOVED his pan dulce, or sweet bread! He loved to eat his bread with some warm coffee. In other words, he loved to eat. He mostly always overate. This caused his diabetic disease. Despite my grandfather’s disease -which started around the year 2000- two or three years before he passed away, the disease was turning too complicated, that the doctors decided to cut my grandfather’s leg. He was very courageous being operated. The last two to three years had been very difficult, in which we helped him walk and with his cane, but he never gave up in working. Two years ago, my Grandfather suffered an unexpected heart attack. He was only 72 years. My Grandfather left us sympathetic memories that we’ve always keep in our hearts. My parents have always told me that what we keep in our hearts is what we will always love forever.