Birthday boys

July was party central around here, and fortunately, I got a new lens to replace the broken one before I missed out on these terrific photo ops. My camera has always been like another appendage for me, something I feel almost useless without.  And as odd as it sounds, taking pictures helps me enjoy things more. It's how I "see" things and how I process my surroundings. Being able to snap a few special ones for the friends we adore is just my way of saying thanks for the party. So when Riley turned five a few weeks ago, I was glad to be there and see the kids enjoying themselves with face painting, balloon swords and shapes and a dancing/magic show that kept the kids entertained. The decision to bring in the clowns was a wise one, I think. This is the perfect age to let someone else do the heavy lifting when it comes to party entertainment, though it isn't cheap. But I think these kids got every penny's worth out of them.  It takes a lot to command a rogue bunch of 4 and 5 year olds, and these clowns did a fantastic job.  Elisa even jumped on the face painting bandwagon (a first!) and I promised I would let it stay for as long as it lasted. She was definitely in her element that night, dancing and spinning and laughing with friends. And I was only sorry we had to cut out early to head to NJ for dinner and miss what I heard was an amazing pirate ship cake. But such is life when you've double booked yourself. Oh well, the party played on...

The next weekend was a party for Bix's fifth, and this time, the venue was the entertainment--the AMF bowling alley on 34th Ave in Woodside. We hadn't been bowling with Elisa since our trip to NC a year ago, so I was looking forward to seeing how she liked it this time around. The verdict: still not a lover of the lanes, but man, sometimes she lucks out.  She ended up with a strike and several spares, and scores that would have put my younger bowling enthusiast self to shame. A little known fact is that I received the "Most Improved Bowler" in my 3rd grade after-school bowling group. Yeah, Strike-n-Spare in Kansas City, MO--the bowling alley of my youth--was not far from my mind during the party. From the stale air inside perfumed with wax and old shoe leather (with hardly a note of years-old cigarette smoke) to the beaten up checkerboard metal lockers, I was transported back to my childhood and hanging out on a Saturday night while my parents rolled.  

Unfortunately, Elisa has yet to inherit my love of the lanes, but when she does, I'll be sure to bring her back. For now, I think having friends to bowl with was somewhat good and yet distracting. The kids had trouble keeping their focus while they waited out their turn.  Even a couple of minutes between each turn felt like an eternity to them, and there was lots of shouting for kids to come back and play while they hung out on the railings or played games under the birthday party tables. I also had to keep telling Elisa it was not time to go play video games since she'd seen some cool motorcycle game on the way to the bathrooms. Nevermind that the game was way too advanced and graphic for her. No, she was determined to play and pretty much wanted to quit bowling and forego cake in order to do so. But I said not so fast, and we made it til the very end before sneaking away to see what the video game fuss was all about. Several teens were playing and Elisa was easily intimidated by their presence, and for good reason. She waited until they left and then jumped on the bike for the photo op. Then a kid returned and motioned to her to buzz off, and she happily complied. Yeah, we're a little ways off from really owning our time at the bowling alley, but with friends and pizza and birthday cake galore, who cares? Happy birthday to both our birthday boys and let's see what the next five years bring...

Summer Social Fiesta

Last Friday we celebrated the Sunnyside Gardens Park's Summer Social & Firefly Night amidst nearly 100 degree temps and lots of humidity. It wasn't the best night of the summer weatherwise, but the crowds still came out for the party.  After a few weeks of planning and lining things up, I was relieved. This year I've been assisting the park's board with event planning and volunteer recruitment for fun stuff like this. It's been such an eye opener to see what actually goes into making these events happen after years of just enjoying things without giving the workload a second thought.  And I have to say, I have the utmost respect for our park's President Lisa Jacobsen who has somehow juggled all of this with her job and family life.  It's easy to find excuses why you can't find the time to help or be part of the park's infrastructure, but once you are, you realize that none of this would happen without a few key people.  So I'm very happy to help in any way I can, and I really hope to continue doing so over the next few years as I go back to work and add a few more layers to my life.  The park largely runs on the volunteer efforts of its members, and it always amazes me how people show up the day of to help bring these special events to life. Despite the sweltering afternoon, we had a handful of people willing to help place tents, string up lights and decorations, and oversee the food stations as we got ready to get our fiesta on...

The inspiration for the evening's South of the Border theme came to me one night after helping organize the Out of School BBQ. I was envisioning a taco truck taking over the blacktop and then it all fell into place--we needed a margarita contest and a guacamole competition. The rest of the decorations and the decision to combine forces with Firefly Night just fell into place, even though we had to push things back a week which might have impacted how many bugs there were to chase. But all in all, it was a successful night from the numbers of people who turned out, and the fact that I barely saw my children as they flitted about on the field and wandering around (sometimes shoeless, poor Carolina) playing with friends and waving glow sticks into the night sky.  And having playgroup moms I know and trust (thanks Julie, Kristin and Tania!) help pull it off was another bonus. Ramon and his wife from the taco truck worked their asses off and seemed genuinely pleased with the hectic pace, admitting they didn't expect to sell so much. At the end of the night, after generously rewarding Nacho and I with a few freebies, he asked how much he owed us. Nada. Seriously, that was the highlight of the party, in my opinion, and it was great to see the park community enjoy a carefree night under the stars. As we closed up the park a little after 10 p.m., I was relieved to be out of the heat and ready to start replenishing lost fluids with water--instead of the sangria I'd been drinking all night long. Yes, the next morning was a bit of a headache, literally, but that's what happens when you're having fun sometimes--maybe too much fun, I'll admit. Now I'm looking forward to hosting a smaller affair at the park this coming weekend for my two girls' August birthdays.  It's as good as a backyard for us when you live piled high in the city, and that's why the park is like a second home. We're so glad to be a part of it.  

Groove is in the heart

July wouldn't be July if the birthday parties didn't start piling up around here. First there was Noah's, then Riley's and Bix's. This weekend we're gearing up for Skylar's and then our girls' shindig next Friday, followed by Birdie's on Saturday. Fortunately, we'll be heading out of town for a few weeks after that so we'll have a bit of a reprieve from all the summer birthday fun. But fun it is, especially when each party brings out different performers, beautiful cakes and good friends. Though as I'm finding out planning our first real party for both girls, all this birthday hoopla is a lot of work too! So kudos to Tania who made Noah's 1st birthday party a truly groovy affair with lots of kid crafts (making tambourines, photo booth props) and a great performer in Tanya True.  The kids were mesmerized by her singing and games, and I loved walking around the rock theatre taking it all in as I snapped away. It's not easy keeping these big kids entertained, but scarves and dancing were definite winners.  The party rocked on and I took the girls out to the pool for a little break in between songs. We were back in time for the cake which was an amazing creation from another mom in our playgroup, Kathy Sullivan. She's been chasing down her dream of making specialty cakes and confections lately and each one looks better than the last. This tie-dyed groovalicious cake for Noah's 1st was exactly what the party called for and I was happy there was enough left over for me to get my own slice.

Later as I spoke to Tanya after the show, we talked a little about my photography and I promised to forward her some of the photos from the party. It was clear she loves what she does, and we spoke just briefly about following your passion in life. And as I mumbled something about not being a "professional" photographer, I knew in my heart I was downplaying myself. I love taking pictures. It's in my blood and it is truly my passion in life. Yet, I still hesitate to call myself a photographer. I hesitate to build a life for myself doing this thing that I enjoy.  Why do I do that, I wondered.  Tanya seemed very keen on working with me to get some shots of herself on other gigs and my immediate reaction was "oh, I don't do that."  Saying yes would be too scary.  But something tells me I need to follow this fear. I need chase it down and see where it leads me. I know I'm not going to start my own studio or end up taking portraits for Vanity Fair.   But if I could share my joy of being part of the moment--of capturing the essence of an event or day or family outing--then I would find meaning in my work. And getting paid to do it would just be the icing on the cake. Isn't that what we're all seeking? Isn't that what I deserve?

Rebuilding the Rockaways

It only took us most of the summer to make good on the promise of returning to the Hurricane Sandy-ravaged Rockaways, but yesterday we finally made it. And we weren't disappointed. After all the devastation I'd seen on the news, I wasn't expecting much. But the brightly painted boardwalk outposts and new paths and terraces were a welcome indication that the rebuilding is happening and it looks like things are going to be even better than before given a little more time. There were great new ramps up to the boardwalk, cool stadium style steps down and even solar-powered phone charging stations. In another year, I can only imagine the throngs of people here. But on a quiet Monday, we were practically alone. It was perfect.

Elisa didn't last long on the beach, claiming she was cold and tired. She laid in the beach tent for a while and then I finally checked, and yes, she was coming down with something. Oops. Should have figured something was wrong when she fell asleep in the car on the way there. But her energy for the first 30 minutes there was undeniable. That's how much the girl loves the ocean. When she wouldn't get back out there, we decided to head up to the boardwalk for a quick bite of lunch and then home.  As we discovered last summer, having Caracas, a perfectly delicious restaurant outpost from the East Village, in the Rockaways is like combining the best of NYC--awesome location and great food.  We ordered the standard arepas and some Ommegang beers and settled into one of the picnic tables to take it all in. Yeah, not bad for our first beach outing of the summer.   Elisa couldn't be swayed by any of the lunch I'd packed, and I knew it was getting serious when I couldn't even tempt her with ice cream. We were off after I'd grabbed an iced coffee and two scoops with dulce de leche sauce. 

Overall, I will say the beach is still a long way from being back to form. There are still large sections that are not yet open to the public, as seen by the red flag cordoned off areas. We had to walk a bit further down the beach to around 108th to be able to enter the water, and there was still a bit of trash floating around.  Considering how overcast and foggy it was, we weren't able to get a good view up the beach, but I gather that it was the same all over. There are still lots of construction vehicles all over, and police and parks department workers milling around.  Mostly, I'm glad to see that less than a year later, the Rockaways are on the rebound and that businesses haven't given up on the area. It's still well worth a visit, and I know if we were going to be around in August, we'd be back. Maybe in September....

EDITED TO ADD: On Tuesday Elisa wasn't running a fever, but complained of a sore throat. Took one look and thought I better get her in that afternoon. Yep. It's strep. So we're starting antibiotics and hoping Carolina avoids it. But by last night, she too was running a low grade fever. None this a.m. though, but uncharacteristically, she slept over 12 hours. Hmmmm....what to do. Wait and see, I guess.