Nagkita-kita din kami sa wakas!!

I spent Easter this year with my cousins in Southern California: standing from left to right, Kuya Chris, Kuya Arnie, Kuya Noel with his daughter Regine Heart; sitting from left to right: Kuya Noel’s wife Ate Grace, moi, Stephen’s wife Michelle who is also Nats’ cousin, and Stephen. This was taken Sunday night at the Alava-Lopez family gathering at Tito Ignie’s house in Placentia, California. The last time I saw all of them was in 1999, when we were all still single (except for Kuya Arnie who was already married to Ate Trish then). Kuya Noel was already with Ate Grace at that time, though. They eventually married in 2001, if I remember correctly. Kuya Chris and Stephen were both still unattached in ‘99. Now Stephen’s decided to settle down and is married to Michelle, Nats’ cousin.

People joke us about keeping our genes within the Alava and the Orillaza families. Stephen is an Alava-Ulangca, I’m an Alava while Michelle and Nats are both Orillaza’s. Hindi naman sinasadya ano, nagkataon lang. It’s not like we planned to marry the cousins of our cousins’ spouses. Malay ba namin na kami-kami ang magkakatuluyan? As for Kuya Chris, everyone in my and Nats’ families know na laging tinutukso si Kuya Chris at Ate Eunice when we were still kids and Kuya Chris was still in the Philippines. If Kuya Chris and Ate Eunice eventually end up together, then I would say it’s really all in the family! Sabagay, when we all get to heaven, we’ll all be part of one big family, di ba?