November has been a very surprising month all around. It's practically flown by and I've been cramming lots of photo shoots into each weekend which has probably made it feel much shorter than it was. But seriously, it's almost Thanksgiving and I feel like Halloween was yesterday. And then there's stuff like Veterans Day which meant I had both girls out of school and Nacho was flying to LA for a 2 day trip. So we made the most of our girl time and hit the movie theatre to see the new Peanuts movie and then lunch at Chuck E. Cheese (something I only decided on the walk to SGP because it was too cold to eat outside) followed by a little impromptu shopping spree at 5 Below and park time (finally) before it got dark out.
Then there was the last minute surprise party we threw at Manuela's expert insistence for Carmen and Leonardo just as they entered their last full week in Sunnyside. It was a bittersweet moment to reflect on the past 7 years of friendship and the moving ahead with the next 7 in a new spot. I have no doubt that Carmen is taking a leap of faith by moving to LIC, but I also know that she is one lucky lady to even have this opportunity. The affordable housing units that opened earlier this year in Hunters Point South had over 97,000 applicants for just under 1,000 units. That she ended up with a 2 bedroom 2 bath unit that was in her price range was nearly impossible. Turning it down would be insane. And yet, it wasn't an easy move. But it had to be done and she did it on her own. As her friend, I'm so proud of how far she's come and I know that this next step is part of a healing process that begins when you wash the slate clean. It's onwards and (way!) upwards! And in a similar vein, Nacho had a personal first and achievement this week that also brought tears of joy and excitement. He was assigned a trip this week that included an overnight in Madrid--his first time flying home and he was elated. It was definitely a dream come true.
After talking briefly to his family, he asked his mom to consider flying back with him since he would be with her going through customs. And she did. It was a perfect way to get her back here for a quick visit, and her second trip to NYC this year no less! The girls have been excited to see her and share their lives with her, including all their desires for Christmas. And so today we caved to their pleas and ended up at Build-A-Bear Workshop in Manhattan. It was slightly problematic that we ended up at their old store location at 46th Street and Fifth Avenue before figuring out that they relocated to the Empire State Building. It meant more begging from Elisa (are we close? are we going to find it?) but we also managed to walk down the avenue and check out a few of the holiday window displays that are so magical this time of year. The windows at Lord & Taylor had some recognizable work from our friend and fellow Sunnysider Quinn O'Sullivan and I was impressed to see how well the crowd really responded to the gingerbread house surfing on a wave of dancing gingerbread men. Lots of hard work involved, but such a delight to see in person. And capping off a very busy weekend was a ride home at sunset that simply had to be seen to be believed. It was a fiery pink/orange/purple sky that light up the Manhattan skyline just as we were cresting the ramp onto the Queensboro Bridge. I wanted to stop the car and jump out it was so magnificent. But I opted to grab my camera for a quick snap and this image barely does it justice. What a view. And it made me hope that Carmen was snuggled into her new couch in her new home enjoying the same. Here's to the month's surprises and to new adventures for us all.
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