Illiana, eres nuestro angel. Descansa en paz.

I miss you so much. May you rest in peace.

My best & favorite memory with them is my high school graduation weekend, they both traveled from San Luis Potosi to Chicago and surprised me outside of my graduation with a tamborazo & with a family & friends party to celebrate finishing high school. They both have left me and my family with great memories, great baking technique, their amazing and delicious recipes of pan dulce such as conchas, bolillos/birote, pan de muerto, mantecadas, etc.

Los extraño mucho, que descansen en paz.

10/14/60 - 02/20/21

Ben was my dad. He was a hard working man who spent his life running the family ranch which was passed down to him by his father. My dad loved being outside and you could always find him up to something. You would never find him inside relaxing, he didn’t know how. His peace was in nature: tending to his cattle, tending to the garden or fields where he would grow hay to feed the cows, fixing something that was broken, the list goes on. He didn’t know how to sit still or stay inside, if all of the works was done he would make more work just to keep on keeping on. He was picky in the silliest ways. He would only eat his food off of a real plate, he could not watch a movie at home without both salty and sweet treats to munch on and his favorite dessert was butterscotch chip cookies. He had the most wonderful imagination and knew how to make all of the kids laugh with his Donald Duck voice he did or the silly drawings he would make. When I was a young child he would work road construction often out of the state and he would always write me letters and draw me a picture to let me know he was thinking of me. He had a tough exterior but he was a big teddy bear behind it all. We, my two older brothers and their families (his 6 grandchildren) love and miss him dearly. Each year since his passing I have set up my ofrenda to honor him as well as my other ancestors who have passed on. I get my Mexican heritage from his side of the family and although I did not celebrate Dia de los Muertos until after he passed I am happy to be more connected to my heritage now and to have a beautiful way to honor my fathers life each year. 🧡

August 3rd. That day heaven received one more Angel

That’s how he raised his 9 kids, with hard earned money. The good old Mexican way.

We all miss him dearly.

Miss taking him to get his fresh DD coffee every morning with his roasted coconut donut… then on his cheat days, he would ask for a “rueda” AKA Big Mac.

I hope you are freely having all of the goodies you want while you sit up there watching us and laughing at all the silly things we do. Miss you today and always.

Funny story, one of my uncles has 5 daughters and 4 out of the 5 married a Mike. But this was always and will always be OG MIKE.

Mike, was one of my favorite in law cousins that I talked to on the regular. He was always a call away, although miles away from Chicago, I knew that distance meant nothing. He was such a family man. We shared a lot of similarities but our absolute favorite thing to discuss was our love for chicken wings lol

I miss our daily talks! I miss the jokes! It’s going to be one year soon that you got called back home. Hasn’t gotten any easier not being able to just contact you! Specially right now! Miss you always, OG Mike!

She also loved her bakery - a lot!! That's why I love this picture so much. She loved sweets and we brought Weber bakery to her often. I loved seeing her light up when she really enjoyed something. I love my sweets too, I guess I know where I got it from :). I had so much admiration for my Gram. She lived a long and healthy life. Not by accident either. She took good care of herself and lived a balanced life. My family was very lucky to have a wonderful woman like her in our lives for as long as we did.

Pan de Muerto es un símbolo del ciclo de la vida y la muerte. Compartir este pan es una forma de conectar con quienes han fallecido y honrar su memoria.

Velas significan la luz que guía a los espíritus para volver a donde estas sus seres amados. Las velas representan esperanza y recuerdo para dar camino a los espíritus en este día tan espacial

Simboliza la guía para los espíritus en su regreso. Su color brillante y aroma fuerte ayuda a atraer a los espíritus hacia las ofrendas.

Las fotos de seres queridos son un elemento clave en la lista del Día de Los Muertos porque ayudan a crear una conexión entre los vivos y los muertos. Honran y celebran la vida de sus seres queridos.

Water is important because it’s a refreshment for spirits, symbol of life, and purification. Water is a way to care for the spirits, showing love and respect.

Cempasúchil flores, también conocida como "Flor de los Muertos", es importante porque crea un camino para que los muertos visiten a sus seres queridos en el mundo de los vivos. Se cree que el color naranja y el fuerte aroma guían a los espíritus.

It is important to have this element on the altar to remind us what made the person unique, creating a personal connection between the living and the spirits.

The bread of the dead represents the cycle of life and death. This element is important because it represents the connection between the life and death.

El agua simboliza la vida, pureza, y renovación. Calma la sed de los espíritus. Es importante porque muestra que seguimos cuidando a los queridos después de su partida. Nos recuerda a mantener viva la memoria de los que ya no están.

A connection is important because they keep the memory of loved ones alive.

These candles symbolize the life and personality of the person, making the ofrenda personal and meaningful with candles.

Tragically, this occurred on his parent’s 38 wedding anniversary. Our family will never be the same, he was only 28 years old. He will never get married, never have kids or spend time with us again. He was doing everything right and sometimes life is just not fair.