JUST ANOTHER FAMILY GATHERING
By Jay de Leon

Just about every month, the de Leon clan gets together for an informal party. Most of the time, we would find a reason to celebrate—a birthday party, a holiday, a death anniversary or even a Manny Pacquiao fight . Sometimes, it would be a combination of those occasions.

Almost always, the venue is at Martin de Leon’s house in Granada Hills in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles. It is probably because so Martin does not have to pack up his two little ones, his house is central to the Valley where many de Leons live, but I think the main reason is that Martin and wife Tracey do not mind us messing up their nice house.

Also, for most of these gatherings, Cris Rugprayoon usually funds the occasion. Thanks, Cris.

Clan gathering, Thanksgiving 2006 at Granada Hills, CA.

April was no different. The occasion was a birthday party for the April celebrants-Mark (aka Chai) Rugprayoon and Jay de Leon. The latter is now too old to be celebrating birthdays, but the family included him so the old man won’t feel left out, and he loves to eat.

Most of the time, all the six siblings and the ruling matriarch of the family, Dona Pacita de Leon, simply known as Grandma, try to make it. That seldom happens, but we all try to make it. Just to keep the cast of characters straight, I am publishing a family picture the last time the group was complete, at least when a camera was handy. 

Cris Rugprayoon, Pacita de Leon, Maria Arneson (seated)
Al, Jay, Rey and Leo de Leon (standing). This picture was
taken on January 2008 at Martin de Leon’s backyard in
Granada Hills, California during the January family gathering.

All the boys went to Ateneo. Cris went to Maryknoll and UP, and Maria was a wee St. Theresa’s College (STC) grade school girl when she left for the US. Rey, Al and Maria got their college degrees here in the US.

The rest of the pictures were taken on April 14, 2008, Sunday, at Martin’s home in Granada Hills in Los Angeles.

Here are pictures of some of the food, which was mostly Filipino during this particular gathering, at my request. Please don’t let my doctor know.

Pancit luglog

Crispy pata, the cholesterol special
of the day.

Usually called deviled eggs, we call these
angels’ eggs, because they were prayerfully
prepared by my sister Maria, who is
a devout Christian.

The rest of the food included dinuguan, kare-kare, lumpia shanghai and several pies and dessert.

Believe it or not, everybody in these subsequent pictures is related either by blood or marriage.

Leo de Leon, Maria Arneson, Nancy de Leon
(Leo’s wife), Cris Rugprayoon, Jay de Leon,
Sabrina de Leon (Martin’s daughter) and Grandma
Pacita de Leon.

Rogues Gallery: Leo, Jay and Al de Leon,
and Mark Rugprayoon (son of Cris).

Fria Rugprayoon (Ken’s mom), Leo and
Jay de Leon. Yes, Fria is full-blooded pinay.

Jay de Leon and Maria Arneson. I love this
sweet sister of mine.

Beauty and the Beast. Jay de Leon and Tracey de Leon
(Martin’s wife). Thanks,Tracey, for being hostess
for most of these family gatherings.

Sabrina de Leon, Ken Rugprayoon, Rachel Arneson
and Marissa de Leon.  Sabrina and Marissa are
sisters, and would be first cousins to Ken. Rachel
would be aunt to the rest. Got that?

How sweet. Marissa offers me my birthday present--
salad she personally picked from the backyard.

Martin de Leon (son of Cris) did not have a picture taken during
this occasion, because he was the photographer, so I asked him
for any photo. Here is the badass himself, with his mini-badasses
Sabrina (left) and Marissa. Photo taken a couple of years ago,
at Universal Pictures in Los Angeles, CA.

For the record, Charn (aka Nui) Rugprayoon, grandpa to Marissa, Sabrina and Ken, came late and I don’t see any pictures of him anywhere. Also not pictured are Tracey’s relatives who came for the occasion.

The missing sibling in this occasion was Rey de Leon, and wife Gigi and kids Diana and James who are away at college—Diana at UCLA and James at San Francisco in USF. The others who usually show up but could not come this time include Brett Arneson (Maria’s husband) and other daughter Tabi, and Michelle (Leo’s daughter).

James Ray (JR) and Diana de Leon, Rey’s kids, in an
undated photo as they say, away at college.

Of course, it has been a while now (2000), but we still miss the grand patriarch of the family, Don Adolfo de Leon, known as Grandpa. We know he is with us in spirit during these gatherings.

Till the next gathering of the clan…

Photos by Martin de Leon. All rights reserved.