06/12/2026
While we were celebrating Pride with all of you this weekend, our family was also saying goodbye to someone we love.
This past weekend, my wife Cynthia’s dad lost his battle with cancer.
He had one of the biggest hearts of anyone we’ve ever known.
He loved life, he loved people, and he especially loved music.
Elvis was his favorite, he would dressed up as Elvis, and if there was a song playing, chances are he was dancing to it.
He loved Cynthia unconditionally and embraced every part of who she was. During Pride month especially, we’re reminded how lucky she was to have a father whose love never came with conditions.🌈
This video is one we treasure, it perfectly captures who he was even after countless procedures and surgeries: joyful, silly, resilient, and determined to keep dancing through whatever life put in front of him.
Maybe that’s part of why music means so much to us. It’s certainly part of why Fan Girl exists. We believe music brings people together, lifts us up, and helps us through life’s hardest moments.
Last Thursday while at the cafe Cynthia received one last goodbye call from her dad.
When we received the news, Cynthia took a red-eye flight to Mexico City to be with her family and attend his memorial.
I stayed behind to keep the cafe running through our busiest weekend of the year. As much as I wished I could have been there with her, moments like this remind us how grateful we are for the supportive community we’ve built here with all of you.
We wish he could have seen just how much this little cafe has grown and where it’s heading, and how many people it has touched. But we know he’d be proud. And we know he’d tell us to keep going, keep smiling, and keep dancing.
If we’ve seemed a little quieter, distracted, or emotional lately, this is why. Like so many of you, we’re navigating grief while still showing up each day the best we can.
Thank you for celebrating Pride with us, for supporting the cafe, and for being part of our lives beyond the coffee counter. Your kindness means more than you know 🩵
