College Reunion

It's not very often these days that I get to hang out with friends I've had since college. Most of us are pretty far flung across the country, and with families growing (yay, Betsy!), it's not always easy to make the time.  But still I count my college buddies as some of my closest friends even when I don't get to put in the face time I would like. They are funny people who knew me in some very formative years. So I was happy to get invited to the double birthday party for Jason and his daughter Flora this past weekend in Hoboken, NJ. Jason and I have had intersecting lives for the last 15 years or so since graduating. There was a perfect, snowy holiday weekend in Brooklyn Heights back in 2000 which helped me fall in love with this city forever.  And while Nacho and I were living in Madrid, he and his wife Veronica took their honeymoon in Spain and dropped in to pay us a quite memorable visit (Nacho lost a wallet on a night out in the city, and we took them on a boiling hot day trip to Toledo).  Fast forward a year and we were moving back to the U.S. without a place to call home base. Jason and Veronica were moving West and offered up their brownstone in South Philly if we were interested. We were and it gave us a great new start back in the States. Two years later, we were on our way to New York City to live this time, and Jason was selling his place in Philly to follow his career around the globe living in France, Japan and even Mexico for a bit. A few years later, he and the family would make their way to New Jersey just a stone's throw from us in Queens. 

In our nearly 10 years living here, we've only managed to meet up a handful of times, but I've enjoyed each occasion and thought we should do it more often. It's not always easy to juggle busy lives and schedules but sometimes you make time and I'm glad I packed up the girls on Sunday for the drive over and under two rivers. Nacho was off working and I got to channel my inner explorer. Navigating the city alone in a car isn't something I do that often, so it was another good reminder that I'm up for the challenge (though I much prefer subways).  Elisa and Carolina had a great time jamming out to Flora's karaoke machine and playing with her massive LEGO table. Meanwhile I devoured their pork lettuce wrap creations with all the fixins and by the time we sang happy birthday I managed to shove a little more dessert in to top off a great afternoon. I brought my camera and new lens along for a little fun and I'm glad I did. Grabbing the birthday honorees and Veronica before I left, I snapped a quick family photo. It's the perfect embodiment of what they are as a family. Relaxed, fun, and quirky in all the best ways. Glad I made the trek and I hope we'll see them again (in Queens!) soon.