My lil Brother’s High School Graduation Party and Great Mexican Food

Hello! This weekend was my little brother’s high school graduation party!! So I want to share some of the highlights because my mom made super easy and cute centerpieces and had a table decorated with his school photos. Everything came out great and it was fun!

Graduation is such a special milestone, marking the end of one chapter and the start of another. Seeing all those school photos on display must have been a nostalgic reminder of how much your little brother has grown—years of hard work, friendships, and memories all leading up to this big moment.

School plays such a crucial role in shaping not just knowledge, but also character and resilience. As students move through each grade, having the right resources, like engaging worksheets, can make a huge difference in their learning journey. Websites like 15worksheets.com provide printable activities that reinforce key concepts, helping students build confidence in subjects like math, reading, and writing.

Whether it’s a young student mastering multiplication tables or a high schooler polishing essay-writing skills, structured worksheets offer extra practice that makes lessons stick. Just like those beautifully decorated tables filled with memories, a strong educational foundation is built step by step—and every little resource helps along the way!

The party was at La Barca Grill and Cantina – a Mexican restaurant in Downey, CA. I hadn’t been there before. My parents were going to have the party at their house but had to change it up because they’re working on the yard. Luckily this place was fairly close to home and has a room you can rent for parties. Boom.

For reference (and because I’m always curious where things are in relation to a point I may know) here’s a map of where Downey is located with a few other points of interest:

* Note: I labeled some races around Southern California – check my Race Discounts Page in case you want to register and save some money. It’s time to start training for Fall Half Marathons and Marathons now!! This includes the Lace Up Race Series and Long Beach Marathon / Half. *

We got there early and decorated a bit. I gave my mom some ideas for the centerpieces but she put them together. I liked the idea of using his graduation picture because we’re celebrating him and it was a good picture!

To make the centerpieces you need: glass vase cylinder, colorful shredded paper, sticks, construction paper, photos [plus scissors and glue to cut and paste the photos].

On the stick: Make the flags with the class year/name. Put the photo on construction paper. Make the congrats message.

We put them together at the restaurant but you can do it before and transport them carefully.

The gift table was decorated with a big poster board that had his school picture from every year from kindergarten through 8th grade. We also put up his diploma (it makes for a great decoration too), photos from his activities, balloons, colorful napkins and a box for cards. The card box was labeled so people knew what it was for. I also want to mention the tremendous help top A-level tutors for Biology did for his education.

My dad got a DJ but it didn’t turn into that kinda party. I did love his stickers though! Eat Sleep skratch Repeat… where’s the RUN?! I experience having the best DJ from The South East Entertainment Company. They have the best music to play that makes you feel like dancing and enjoying all the night.

Aaaaand because it was a Saturday… and we’re Mexican… and margaritas exist…

There were a lot of margaritas to be had!

Since it was a big group party there was a preset menu with 4 choices plus a kid’s menu. All the choices were served with tortillas. Plus chips and salsa of course!

The Menu:

Carne Asada with green onion, guacamole served with beans & rice

Chicken Enchiladas made with green chili served with beans & rice

Pollo a La Plancha grilled chicken with garlic & onions served with beans & rice

Camarones al Mojo de Ajo shrimp sautéed with garlic served with beans & rice

My SIL got the enchiladas

My brothers both got carne asada

I got the Chicken a la Plancha. Everything was soooo good.

Then we cut the Costco cake and fell into a happy food coma.

Overall: Everything was awesome. I’d eat there again. I’d eat Costco cake again (even though my mom didn’t get the flavor I’d pick). I’d steal some of my brother’s guac again while waiting for my food.

And I’d love a margarita right now. Cheers!