Written By: Michael Sandoval

The World

As We Know It

P.IV

The Trip That Reminded me”

The month of June had come to an end and we were finished with the three and a half month lock down. The boarders were open and it looked like it was going to be somewhat of a “normal” summer in Spain. Although there was a long list of travel restrictions, I was blessed enough to have been able to plan a trip to see my family in the United States.

My trip was scheduled for one month. This trip would be a record breaker. It would be the first time in 12 years that I would see my parents and family for longer than two weeks. After moving from home when I was about 23 years old it was time to create new memories and rediscover my adolescence in the city where I grew up…. “The City of Sin”

Las Vegas has always been good to me. The values that were given to me by my family made it easy to grow up in what can sometimes be considered a reckless place. It is a city that has never been known for its cultural depth but certainly a city that could deeply test the profundity of one’s moral code. It is known as “Sin City” where people came to express their freedom and compulsions in short segments, but it was my home. A home that I cherished and a location that will always hold a special place in my heart!

An arrival home was never a simple occurrence. The family always found a way to enhance the experience and make it memorable. After being picked up by my brother in law Robert, we drove to my mother’s house where I was greeted by my parents and a house full of exaggerated banners that decorated the walls wishing me the warmest welcome home! My father prepared the cold beers. They were served in ice chilled glasses that had to be held with two hands because of their massive size. My sister arrived with an enormous cake shaped like a burger and French fries to remind me of the food that I had been missing while living in Europe. Lastly my mother’s feast that always reminded me of my youth was something to never forget. As we sat around the table with nieces, nephews and siblings, I felt complete.

The Fourth of July was just around the corner and we would be celebrating the festivities at my sister’s house. It was an incredible day full of fun and laughter; but, this year, the 4th of July was a lot more than just a BBQ and fireworks. 2020 had really given us one of the hardest first halves of the year in what could be history. What we needed was an inspiration that could unify the masses and could remind a country that we could “Stand United” . On this day I wished that the people of this beautiful country could look beyond the dreadful ways that our lives had been affected. I hoped that our society could get past the forms of chaos, anarchy and or civil position and instead commemorate the anniversary of our “home” receiving its freedom and adopting our declaration. Moments like acquiring something as special as a country’s independence should give us strength to unite as one and celebrate life!

Being home made it easy to forget about the worlds circumstances. Every day there was a reason to smile or a smile to celebrate. It was so incredible to see how my amazing nieces and nephews had turned into such successful young adults!

My parents and I came together naturally after a few days of normality and relaxation. My father and I began making bread, homemade fermented drink recipes and some of his traditional childhood favorites. In efforts to continue my culinary inspiration I was developing recipes every other day and my father turned into the certified taste tester and my right hand man when it came to the photo shoots lol. My mother and I started collaborating on a special project to develop face masks for my web page. We went through various trials and were finally able to develop “The Quarantined Cook” mask. My mom put all of her love into ensuring that each mask was given the attention to detail that it deserved! I am incredibly proud of what she was able to produce, and I am blessed to be able to call her my mother!

The eventful month kept me busy. I was so happy that I didn’t realize how fast the month was moving although we had already done so much. We celebrated a birthday, I spent three days in Los Angeles doing food photo shoots, we went to the lake, I saw longtime friends,  I visited my past college professors, we had pool parties, family brunches, sleepovers, late night cinnamon roll activities and so much more!   

July 2020 is going to be a month that I will always remember. Partly, it was due to the unbelievable time that I had with my family, but also because during this month nothing else mattered. It didn’t matter how stressed I was about the uncertainties of my business and dreams of my future. All that matter was that I realized that everything that I needed in my life was right in front of me!

My Family