Memorial Day Part Two

This year the Sunnyside Gardens Park Memorial Day was not actually on Memorial Day Weekend for a change. It was held yesterday, one week after the fact, and thankfully one week after our trip to PEEC in the Poconos. So we didn't have to choose favorites and I was able to attend both and soak in all the fun.  Normally we'd be trying to squeeze in a trip to North Carolina on May 30 for mom's birthday, but with all the craziness going on here this month, it wasn't going to work out. So we'll rain check her for a visit as soon as school lets out in June and try to make the most of our time around the neighborhood. And that's just what we did yesterday from noon to close at 5pm. We came just as the drum corps was finishing up and before the bouncy houses inflated. It was a somewhat slow start to the festivities, but like the sunshine and humidity, once it got going, it was full steam ahead. And what a steamy day it was for my girls. Carolina gave me a frown for having to wait in line in the blazing sun. But her mood quickly lifted each time she entered the bouncy house with her unlimited stars and stripes wrist bracelet. And Elisa navigated the fairgrounds laid out in her familiar park with plenty of bravado. She didn't need me much at all and that was nice. Even better, she took care of her sister and kept them both hydrated with lots of juice and Italian ices. It isn't always easy to turn them loose when things fill up at the park's public events, but yesterday was a good blend of local families and park regulars. It never felt overwhelming and I think the fact that it stayed busy throughout the afternoon was a sign that there was plenty keeping folks of all ages at the fair. The young magician was a little hard to hear and not so much of a rah rah type as the past clowns. But that was okay. He had the kids practically charging the stage and completely enthralled, so I'd say that hit all the marks. The only thing I really missed was hearing Jeff Fairbanks and his band playing ragtime tunes throughout the park. Funny how something can really frame an event and you don't even realize you enjoyed it so much until it's gone. But otherwise, it was a great day at the park and probably the longest we have stayed for one of these fairs. So well done to Tania and her crew that made this event such a success. It isn't easy to pull the park's biggest fundraisers together, but they did a great job. And soon it will be my turn to plan and pull off the Summer Social, a much smaller affair for park members. Better get brainstorming...with June first just a day away, summer will be here soon!

It's official

Back in April, I mentioned that our spring break trip to North Carolina involved a little side trip to Atlanta for Nacho and me. It was the interview of a lifetime at Delta Air Lines and we both understood a lot was riding on it. There were prep courses and a mock interview to get ready for and the 6 weeks between the phone call and the interview date were full of mood swings from giddy optimism to complacent dejection. It would be okay if he didn't get it, but it would be amazing if he did. And then he got the handshake and welcome onboard that meant it was all happening. Our lives were changing yet again. And somehow this time, it felt like it was really destiny. I told Nacho a year ago when he took the job with JetBlue that I had a funny feeling he wouldn't be there long. Maybe I was just holding out for what I thought he had always wanted--to work for an international airline with reach to Europe and all over the world--but it really didn't feel like JetBlue was his ultimate destination. In truth, I didn't have any idea where he would end up.  But later this fall and winter when he mentioned a couple of friends and coworkers getting hired by Delta, I felt like he was telling me something. He wanted that call. He didn't know if he'd get it, but he wanted it. And then it came. He texted me while I was shopping at Costco one sunny afternoon in February and I couldn't believe he had an interview.  It was as if my premonition was all working itself out. Finally our past was merging with the future he'd been telling me about for 16 years. The one where he would put in hours and hours to earn the qualifications to fly some of his dream airliners for one of the best air lines in the world. 

So yeah, I'm pretty proud of him. I'm proud of his dedication to this job which has included a decade of working his way up through the regionals to get to this point. All those crazy schedules, holidays away, and the low pay of the first few years. Things improved and we found our way through it mostly by prioritizing our quality of life. We wanted to live in base here in the city and make the most of his time off. And we have. Even my decision to stay home for these past few years has been influenced by the fact that it's easier to have one constant parent when the other is gone often. I know it would have been the same anywhere, and that starting over was just a raw deal, but seeing him work for JetBlue on reserve with the same shitty schedule and only slightly less crappy pay he had 10 years ago has been hard. He's done it with no bitterness, but still it's been a stressful nine months at the bottom of the totem pole again. We had hopes that he would be able to pick up additional time on his days off which never materialized. I've watched bills sit longer and worried from month to month how we were going to make this first year or two with a pay cut work.  So to hear that he'll already have 45 people below him in NYC when he comes out of training is like hearing he's on the way back up. Things are moving. It's a very good time to be joining the company and we both know it. Last Tuesday they flew me down to join him for a banquet at the Delta Flight Museum outside the airport in Atlanta. It was a really special evening and I felt that this company was making an effort to include spouses and families in a way that I have never seen in the air lines. It's hard to really meet Nacho's coworkers or see his day-to-day work life most of the time, so this was a nice change. And thanks to Carmen and her mom, I was actually able to make it. I flew out on Tuesday morning and returned by preschool pick up time on Wednesday. My village rallied around me and even in that, there was a feeling of life moving forward--a new perspective on myself and how my girls could handle our absence.  

So we'll see where all this goes. Right now, we're still in the honeymoon phase and training is only just beginning. The hard month of mid-June to mid-July is yet to come. Nacho will be back in Atlanta and then Miami for training on the 757/767.  He might very well have overnights in Madrid or Malaga, London or Amsterdam before the summer is over. It's his dream and I'm so excited to see it all unfold. No one tells you when you meet someone and fall in love that you if you are lucky, you will get to ride with them on their own fantastic journey. It's hard to keep the end goal in sight when you are mired down in life's obstacles. But we've done okay. We still make each other laugh. And I think he knows that no one is more excited for him right now than me. I know how much he deserves this. 

What time is it? Party time!

Few things herald in the beginning of the (almost) summer season like the arrival of Friday night bbqs and the first birthdays of our playgroup gang. With the second round of kids well into their twos and now threes, things are picking up.  In just a couple of months, Carolina will be four, for goodness sake. It's all moving so much faster this time around. So when Kerry and Dawn decided to team up to celebrate birthday girls Lulu and Grace, we were all ready for a blow out party. Three year olds are really looking for a little action and this dynamic duo got it in the form of face painting, a magic show complete with real live bunny rabbit, dance party, cotton candy machine and not one but two cakes to choose from. It was a real pleasure to also photograph it for them which meant lots of racing around trying to see where the action was. With two honorees, I knew my work would be cut out for me. But both girls got into their grooves after a bit and I think the photos capture the spirit of the day. It was a lot of fun...

All of this just reminds me again how fortunate we are to be living her still in Sunnyside. It's not every kid that can say they have been sharing birthday parties with friends since they were one. And yet, here is a group that might not always be part of our day to day life but is very much apart of our fun and entertainment. And never more so than in the summer at Sunnyside Gardens Park. For us, for now, there is still magic in the air there. The kids play and we can sit back and relax. My girls took off for good  long stretches during this party, but they always found their way back. And of course, they were there just in time to get freshly spun cotton candy and do the limbo. Who could miss that? I don't like to pose things too much when I'm shooting parties, mostly because that's not how the party feels. And really, Lulu and Grace are still too young to care much about sitting still for me. They did what they came to do: they ate, they played and they most definitely conquered. Well done, #3, I say.

AOC Field Day 2015

Earlier this month it was time again to head outdoors at Academy of the City and enjoy a morning of field activities. The initial day was postponed due to a threat of rain, but by Thursday morning, the clouds and cool temps had left leaving us plenty of sunshine and warm weather. A bit of a mixed blessing, really since it was much cooler last year with overcast skies. But oh well, the kids really didn't mind except that they were all very thirsty by the end of the two hours. Next year I must remember to bring more water! Otherwise, they ran and played and jumped with great abandon. Elisa acted a little clingy with me (shocker), but finally found her groove flying over the hurdles and racing with bean bags and plastic eggs. The games were pretty much the same as last year, and the teams were all mixed up so kids from different grades played together. I thought it went smoother initially than the chaos of setting up last year. So kudos to all the teachers and Mr. Quinn for giving it their best. I really love seeing the whole school participate in something like this because it reminds me of my own field days at Fleetridge Elementary. Those were some of the best days at that school and the ones that stand out after all these years. I hope Elisa will feel the same way some day. Til then, I just enjoy watching the kids frolic and play which is as much about learning as studying your multiplication tables. Everyone needs some fresh air and running around to grow. Hard to remember sometimes as an adult, but it's true.