Goodhearts and Oddfellows

I have to admit that we've been very lucky so far in 7 years of birthday parties for kids. Most of the time, we actually enjoy hanging out with the families hosting and it feels like a social outing for us as much for the girls. So when I got an email from my college friend Jill's younger sister Kendal about joining them for her son's first birthday party in Williamsburg, I was excited. Kendal and her husband Brian welcomed baby Atticus last summer and I hadn't seen them since the fall when we did a photo session in Central Park near their place on the Upper West Side. Then I found out that Jill and her family would be flying in from KC for the special weekend, as well as their other sister Gretchen and her family, and both sets of grandparents, well, I was stoked. It was a Goodheart family reunion and I was not only invited but asked to do photos. I love being part of events like this because it's really what I enjoy capturing the most. I want to give families those pieces of their time together in a way they've never seen before. And having all these people I really like together was just the best thing I could ask for as a photographer/guest. I didn't have to worry about not being motivated to keep searching, keep looking for good opportunities. When you love the people you are working with, the opportunities find you. I said before the get together that I really wanted to get a shot of the three Goodheart girls together to update their last portrait many years back. We found a second to grab it and I'm so glad we did. The backdrop to all this fun was Oddfellows Ice Cream Co. which has a great little vibe going for ice cream connoisseurs like the Tortajada girls. Yes, with flavors like raspberry peppercorn and miso cherry, there was no chance to play it safe. I tried the smoky deliciousness of s'mores mixed with a creamy carrot cake that couldn't have tasted better together. My only complaint was I couldn't eat and hold the camera up at the same time. 

By the time the party was winding down, we knew these girls needed a little break from the sugary action and opted to run them around the East River State Park for a bit in the heat of the day. Oof. It was hot. Jill and Dave joined us for a brief bit with Miles and Graeme before heading off to enjoy the rest of their whirlwind weekend. Then we took the girls over to the playground where water was flowing freely. How could you resist a little splashing around? Even if we didn't change into swimsuits? I mean, getting soaking wet in your clothes is okay sometimes too. After that, we were heading back to Queens to hang out and cool off in the A/C. We didn't realize it until today that we actually left Carolina's newish Skechers in the park that afternoon. The transition to Crocs meant we up and walked out without the sneakers--a total amateur mom move. But oh well. It was a fun day and I don't regret any of it. Least of all that I indulged in not only ice cream but an amazing Momofuko Milk Bar cake that should be considered a person's lifetime allowance of sugar. Wow. That was some sweet, sweet shit. But man, was it good. First birthdays are about tasting it all and if the look on Atticus's face was any indication, this is going to be a very good year.

Like Old Times

Back in October I was on a roll meeting up with friends during the week while the girls were in school all day. It was a newfound freedom and I was savoring it. I had a couple of weeks where lazy breakfasts in the city turned into meandering walks through old haunts that left me just enough time to hop on the train and get home before pick ups. It was really wonderful. And among the highlights was a day I spent catching up with my college friend Cale. He and his adorable daughter Maggie were in NJ for a few months with his in-laws while his husband Seth held down fort in San Francisco as their home renovations got underway. It was a crazy coincidence that we both ended up in coastal cities far removed from our Missouri homeland. But the more I see of his posts on Facebook, I realize we both have found the "home" we needed through friends and the family we've made and it's such a delight to see him again and be able to talk about all these wonderful changes.

Seeing Cale as a father was just amazing. We found so much common ground as parents who love our kids but also realize that nothing is the same again ever. Life has been  forever altered and that takes some getting used to. It puts things into perspective that you couldn't have understood before becoming a parent. We shared so many laughs over cocktails at Cookshop (while Maggie slept like an angel) that I really wished he would stay in New York a little longer. It might not be the same as us singing and jamming to PJ Harvey in my old beat up Mercury Topaz on a road trip in college, but it was just as fun. I want to do this again soon!

Playing Tourist

Last week my college friends Jill and Dave came to town with their two boys to visit the city and Jill's sister Kendal who recently had her first baby boy.  It's been a few years since I've seen them and their oldest boy Miles is just half a year older than Carolina, so I figured we'd be well matched to enjoy some tromping around the city together. I even found them a housesit in the neighborhood so they had the convenience of real apartment living while close to us.  With Graeme just shy of turning one in September, it's all about having a few spare rooms when you travel. Man, I don't miss those days of sleepless nights and wondering what will happen after an exhausting day out on the town. But Jill and Dave had been crisscrossing the country this summer with stops already in Chicago, Michigan, and Philadelphia. They were up for the NYC family challenge. So the first day we decided to meet up in Central Park after their morning with Kendal and baby Atticus. As we tried to narrow down a meeting spot, Jill suggested the Obelisk since Miles wanted to see the thing that featured in one of his storybooks. The Obelisk? What the heck was that, I wondered. A quick search and I realized that in 10 years of living in the city, I had not once been to the thing referred to as Cleopatra's Needle hiding behind The Met. We made our way over and up on the train and within a few steps inside the park, we were there. I love playing tourist in my own town--there's always more to see. 

We made our way through the park and over to the west side to Shake Shack for lunch. Usually I try not to freak out when I see the line is out the door and to the corner. It's not always a terrible sign that we'll never find seating and have to wait forever for our food. And in fact, that day turned out to be a perfect outing to the Shack. We found two adjoining tables downstairs in the A/C and Dave and I both got offered free beverages by an obliging employee. That his was beer and mine a soft drink almost didn't matter. We were winning at this tourist trap lunch outing. The coffee and donut concrete special with Donut Plant pieces thrown in it was just the icing on the proverbial cake. We walked slowly back towards the Natural History Museum stopping for a bit at the fountain for Jill to let Graeme nurse and then snap a few pics. And that's when it dawned on me that Miles might actually prefer to head back to Queens with us and chill out and play while Jill and Dave headed off to the High Line. It was a divide and conquer strategy I highly recommend to visitors and one that paid off well this day. We grabbed some ice cream for the kids on the way past the park again and then hit the subway where the sight of us with three kids caused a kindly Bronx man to explain the delays because of a broken track at 72nd. I mean, we must be tourists, right? I smiled to myself and declined his offer of seating. It's times like that when I realize that living in Queens for 10 years, I still don't look like I belong here sometimes. But that's okay. I'll consider that just a sign of my double agent status--a Midwestern transplant living happily in the heart of Queens--which is a perfect foil to leading other transplants around the city when they come. The next day we gathered forces to make a day trip to Brooklyn via the East River Ferry. It was a beautiful summer day with almost cool winds in the morning. Jill and family enjoyed a little time at Hunters Point South while we drove over and hopping on the next ferry worked out perfectly. The day was off to a good start!

And really any day that involves a river ride under not one but three bridges, a carousel, cool art installations, a playground with a giant ship, a picnic lunch AND ice cream has to be a banner day, right? I mean, we spoiled these kids rotten and they mostly deserved it. My girls have done this same day already once this summer, but repeating it didn't seem to bother them in the slightest. ;) This time they got milk shakes and there was no water fun at the pop up installation which was under repairs. But otherwise, it was a perfectly executed family outing in the BK. By the time 3:30pm rolled around, we were ready to wrap things up and take the ferry back to Queens. But Jill and Dave had energy still to walk the Brooklyn Bridge on their way to MoMA so we bid them farewell and made the return trip.  It was nice to see them hanging out at home a bit on the other days of their trip and we talked a lot about their lives in KC, recent travels, and of course our families. I don't know if I will have a college reunion in another two years, but if I don't it will be okay. In the past 6 months I've seen Jason and Betsy, and now Jill and Dave. I have a few more I'd like to see. But maybe that's the better way to do it. One at a time and at a pace we can all handle. Who's next?

Wiscation

Sometimes in life you have to do the unexpected. So we did. Last week I had a recurring thought that it would be fun to visit my college roommate Betsy and her family for their annual Door County, WI vacation week. I mentioned it to Nacho and we both gave it a lot of consideration. Then I decided against it. There was too much going on with birthdays and not a lot of extra cash laying around for a vacation. But the more we waited it out, the more we kept coming back to the idea. Then we looked at flights to Milwaukee and there were plenty of open seats. I found a vacancy at the Innet Motel next to Mike's Port Pub for $83 a night which is right across the street from Betsy's cabins at the Square Rigger in Jacksonport. It was all starting to make sense. We could do this. We were going to spend money on groceries anyway. Why not take it on the road? And so we packed up the morning after Carolina's party and took off. The trip was perfection and everything fell right into place. No waiting at the airport, no crazy fuss getting the car and driving up. By Monday afternoon we were washing away our cares in Lake Michigan. It was amazing. The whole week really felt like it was perfectly aligned. And I'm so grateful to the Riley-Andersons for making us feel so welcome. They let us crash their family reunion and soak up all that Door County has to offer. I got to meet baby Quinn and he is every bit as delicious as he looks. What a sweet little guy! The girls have become converts to this Wisconsin adventure too and asked several times when we can go back. Nacho seemed to enjoy the swimming and hiking and natural beauty of the area just as much as I'd hoped. So who knows, maybe we'll sneak another August in Door County in the near future. But for now, this one was pretty spectacular.