Surprises all around

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. 

November Weather

The Toys R Us holiday catalog arrived and it was FULL of good ideas--keep those Sharpies ready!

Elisa is studying Ancient Egypt (and now Greece) in her Art class. I love it. 

Carolina likes to hop on board the Mickey Express in the morning when we walk to school from Elisa's bus stop. How could I say no? 

We spent Election Day with Carolina wandering around Central Park in the abundant sunshine. What a glorious day off to picnic and enjoy the last hurrah of all. 

Then Nacho and I managed to spend a morning tromping through Williamsburg, searching junk stores (my idea of fun) and talking a long walk back from lunch at Mu Ramen (his idea of fun). 

A drive through Middle Village to location scout my next shoot turned into a bit of lunch at Policano's near JFK after Nacho's medical. All in a day's work and so tasty! 

Halloween was barely over and I still hadn't come to terms with the fact that November was starting. But that's the nice thing about time, it just keeps on coming even if you aren't ready. So we rolled our clocks back an hour to fully embrace the darkness of the encroaching winter and yet the temperatures have remained mild enough that my outdoor photo shoots are still all about frolicking in the leaves.  Never mind that I haven't managed to get my own children out for a nice photo amidst the scenery. I keep saying maybe next weekend and soon enough it will be too cold to bother. Must organize my own family shot soon! But last weekend was all about the business I do have, and it was fun and at times challenging. As I told Elisa the other day, it's kind of like I take work home considering I'm often asking small children to hold a pose or smile or whatever and they totally don't listen or want to do what I ask. Not much different with my own two! But still, I find that when my work does pick up as it seems to do this time of year, it's nice to have that extra bit of income to offset things. And it's even better when things are local and I can squeeze in time to hang out with family or see them do things like the Pumpkin Smash at Lou Lodati Playground. Carolina hurled our very decaying pumpkin off a ladder and in doing so managed to splash herself and Nacho will the juicy remnants of the old gourd. I got it all on video (will try to post) and it was hilarious. Then we scraped the bits off the tarp and into the composting bin. All of it will turn into compost for the NYC Parks which is such a good idea. Halloween might be over but it's fun lives on.

Halloween Weekend

Halloween 2015 was a winner. Friday night kicked off the holiday weekend with parties at each girl's school so we divided up to conquer. I played photographer again for the preschool set and it was a lot of fun. Carolina did great hanging out at the party mostly on her own which helped a lot. And we raised nearly $450 total with the raffles and photo booth--a great fundraising start to the year! Then Halloween Saturday we started off with Elisa's Girl Scouts party which she dressed up for as a black (Hello Kitty) cat with just minutes to spare. And then I had a quick photo shoot in the neighborhood with a repeat family from last year which was great. It's amazing to see the difference in these little ones from baby to running toddler. I returned to pick Elisa up and then Nacho took the girls to SGP while I started editing photos from the AMB Halloween party the night before. It was already a busy day and we hadn't even begun trick or treating! After lunch the girls relaxed for a bit and then we got dressed and ready to head over to Birdie's house to kick things off around 4:30 p.m. Since it was a weekend day, lots of folks were debating about when to start but I think from the look of things, 5 p.m. was the right time. There were many houses with signs saying such and that they didn't have candy yet. Ha! Sunnyside might be a hipster haven these days, but they still like to show their old school side once in a while. So it was a delight to be out among so many friends and neighbors enjoying the evening. The girls loved going door to door and we made it up and down both sides of two streets. It seemed to be enough. And then we returned to Max and Amanda's for a pizza/chili party with all the trimmings and plenty of spiked cider to soothe our candy soaked nerves. 

The kids did good for the most part and the fact that Nacho had to leave early to go to work (flying to Manchester, England) was the only down side of an otherwise lovely night. But we wrapped things up by about 8 p.m. and managed to walk our way back home without any complaints from the girls both hobbling around on high heels. Every year that we stay in Sunnyside I'm reminded what a fantastic community this is and how lucky we are to be surrounded by so many friends and families that make our kids' lives even better. We couldn't ask for more right now. So we won't. Halloween is one of my favorite holiday memories as a kid and it brings me back to a place of such fun and indulgence. I love seeing the kids' faces when they check out their haul and ask if they can have some. The answer is always yes. Enjoy it. We managed to get a cavity-free assessment this week from their dentist so all the better! And finishing the night with the girls in bed by 9 p.m. left me with plenty of time to enjoy watching my Kansas City Royals win Game 4 of the World Series against (who else) the NY Mets. Yes, it's been a very difficult week in our household. Nacho really learned to love baseball through watching the Mets and I have to say I love that team. I was a Murphy fan from his first season with us. But c'mon, how could I NOT support my hometown boys the Royals? I was a George Brett fan since I wanted to marry him at 5 years old. So yeah, I'll pulling for my Royals and loving every minute of this Series. Even if it means trash talking some of those friends and neighbors here. All in good fun....let's hope we clinch it tonight!