The Casias Storm

This past weekend, I went down to visit my parents and help out with a wedding. My long-time friend from high school got married two years ago, and my family helped out with her wedding. After the ceremony, one of her friends came up to my mom and asked if she would be willing to help out with her wedding when the time came. The time came this past Saturday.

For anyone that first meets my family, depending on the situation, it might be somewhat of a traumatic experience. When we have a plan for the day, I think others might equate the situation to a tornado that instead of leaving a trail of devastation, miraculously leaves behind a masterpiece.

When I moved into my college house, one of my roommates was home when the Casias storm hit. With screwdrivers flying around building furniture from IKEA, cleaning solution being finished before the smell of it had even hit the nostrils, and moving like we were running on nectar, my family finished a thorough move-in and were grilling dinner by 7 o’clock. By the end of the day, I’m not sure if my roommate knew what had happened but somehow it looked like I had already been living there for months.

Each family member plays an important role in the high functioning Casias storm. My mom is the organizer. With thirty-one years of experience in education, she knows not only how to develop a plan, but also carry it through with a powerful teacher voice. My dad is happy when he’s tinkering. Whether he’s building, fixing, or buying some new gadget to perform the two former tasks, he’s the engineer. My brother is the pacer. He knows how to keep things moving with music, comedic remarks and a pace that gets the family to finish before he gets bored with the project. I am the detailer and follow, my brother and father around, completing the last 5% of their tasks, while simultaneously providing input to my mom’s questions. 

This past weekend we were unfortunately down my brother, but that did not severely impact our efforts or the feedback. I had to tell numerous people that we were not a company for hire and that we did not do this for a living. “My dad is an engineer, my mom is a retired teacher, and I’m half way through dental school”, I’d tell people while clearing plates and refilling waters. One woman was getting married in a month at the same property and asked my mom if she would be willing to run her wedding. My mom chuckled and said, “thank you but we don’t normally do this.” At the end of the night, my mom had to tell the mother of the bride, that she’d only help out with the second daughter’s wedding when that time came and anyone else who asked would have to hire someone who did wedding planning for a living.

I’m extremely thankful and appreciative of my family and of the incredible things that we can accomplish when the storm sweeps through.

About The Author:

Gabriel Casias was born Gabriel Casias. He took a brief hiatus of wonderful Colorado to study chemistry in San Luis Obispo, CA, but is now back in his home state. He loves to dabble and if not at the University of Colorado Dental School of Medicine working diligently to graduate in 2020, he can typically be found outside. He is passionate about running, food, colors, smells, and music.