The week in review

So just because it's officially spring and it feels nothing like it, I thought I would post a few pics from this week that was. First, on Monday, I made it out in the snowstorm (hopefully our last for a while) to participate in the General Meeting for our local park, Sunnyside Gardens. I'm serving as Assistant to the Vice President this year and as such, I'm enjoying the behind-the-scenes aspect of the meetings and organizing events. It's been such a crucial part of our lives here in the neighborhood for the past few years and it's probably the biggest reason I can't even contemplate a move to the 'burbs. I would miss our friends and that park too much.  So I thought it was time to get more involved and see what I could contribute. Finishing the meeting early and heading over to the wine bar to cap off the night didn't hurt a bit either. Can I just say one more time it's awesome to have such like-minded friends?  We chatted about schools and kids and plans for the park events, and I have a feeling there will be more of these evenings in my future.  Snow or no though, the night was chilly and by the next morning it was time to make some lentil stew and hang out inside...

Midweek was it's usual run of days on days of trying to entertain the girls while not sure how much outdoor time we could take. This 30 and 40 degree weather is just making me miserable, so when it got to the upper 40s, we hit the south side park again and made a quick stop for pizza on the way home. I will say it's nice to have the days noticeably longer now, but it's also a tease when we're stuck inside one more afternoon trying to waste away the remaining daylight hours.  So much for my stay-at-home-glamour post, sorry. Yeah, sometimes, this dreary sprint to spring feels so demoralizing because it's all so close and yet, so far away.  And today was no exception with its snow blowing in my face as I marched around downtown Brooklyn with Nacho after his naturalization ceremony. I can't say we've waited for this day the way that other families have--for many years it wasn't something he was entirely sure he wanted to pursue.  But still, by the time the thing was filed, the paperwork approved (yay me! I guess I'm still a paralegal at heart) and the interview over, there was a sense that this was the last hurdle in our long immigration journey. 

Who would have thought that the boy with an H-1B visa teaching flight instruction in St. Louis would end up a pilot in New York City with a wife and two kids? Nacho came to the U.S. in 1994 as a student and except for a year or so back home to try to find work, has made his entire adult life here. He is well versed in all things American having watched plenty of South Park and Simpsons, and he has almost lost his accent all together which confuses people trying to guess his nationality. They never pick Spanish. But that's okay, he knows where he comes from and luckily, this acquisition of U.S. citizenship won't impact his native nationality. But it will make him a bona fide citizen here and a voter which I think is very important.  Visas and greencards may not sound romantic, but they contributed greatly to our love story. And so today was really the culmination of all that paperwork and waiting and wondering--and it all turned out okay! More than okay, really.  We have built a life here that we are both very happy with and having this extra bit of stability and permanence is like icing on the cake. And speaking of, to celebrate we took advantage of our babysitter for Carolina and Elisa's extended hours at preschool and grabbed lunch at Ganso, a hip little ramen house in Brooklyn.  It reminded me of all the lunches and dinners we've had in the city and how normal that all used to feel. I'm ready for more of that in our lives and hopefully this will be the year that starts to happen.  Because having these children in our lives is truly amazing, but not having to share our fabulous salted caramel and black sesame ice cream for dessert was even better.