Winter walk

This weekend marked the first of our winter breaks, so to speak. It began with a half day for Elisa on Friday (which I conveniently made a half day for Carolina too) and then a full Saturday and Sunday with absolutely no plans. And we still get to sleep in on Monday too for MLK Day--score! But knowing that the forecasters were predicting much cooler temps to come late Saturday and stay for a good week or longer, I was up for a little winter walking around the city during the day before heading over to Jose and Irene's for dinner. I didn't really have a place in mind and Nacho suggested Central Park, but it felt like we'd just been there. Then I thought about the tram to Roosevelt Island, only to realize that I was the only one who didn't go last spring so I figured it might be too soon for a repeat.  But hey, we could still drive over and go for a stroll, right? I mean everything is easier with a car and the fact that it was sprinkling on and off most of the morning meant it would be better in case it decided to get wet again. When we told the girls where we were heading there was of course lots of moaning initially. They wanted to go to Lou Lodati. Ah, yes, such adventurers. Jeez. By the time we got over to the island (only about 10 minutes away), found parking and a restroom (my girls are just like their mother--very found of public bathrooms!), and got out to the path along the northern end of the island, Elisa was arguing with us about wanting to go back to Queens and play at Rainey Park overlooking Roosevelt Island. I swear to God it's always something with that kid. But once again, it was important to persevere and let her know that she isn't the one deciding our day. 

It's true that Roosevelt Island is a place with a kind of gloomy air about it even on the best day. I suppose the history of the place as a haven for criminals and the insane doesn't help. But it also has a kind of calm tranquility that I quite like and I was happy that on Saturday we finally got to explore the northern tip where the lighthouse park and old asylum is located. I enjoyed listening to the girls as they raced around the landscape with their "spy" backpacks on, trying to make up their own game as we basked in the late afternoon sun. And really, for about 30 minutes it was a perfectly balmy winter day on the little island in the middle of the East River. But no sooner had we rounded the tip and we were treated to a windy walk south with almost no sunshine and the kind of cloud layer that meant we were only going to get colder. The girls found a playground and then another area of exercise equipment that kept them occupied and happy.  The fact that Elisa begged to go back there today made me laugh. I had to remind her that she initially didn't even want to go, so yeah, sure, we'll head back. But not today. No, Sunday was our rest day after the little bit of activity yesterday. Today I made chili and chocolate chip cookies and watched the first real snow roll in to the city. It was a beautiful sight and made me content to be home in pajamas most of the day. The girls took a walk with Nacho late in the afternoon to the grocery store and I think they enjoyed their 20 minutes of frolicking in the snow showers. I'll wait til the real deal before I bust out my new snow boots. Yeah, it may be winter for another couple of months, but I'm not sure if we'll have more days like Saturday walking around in mild temps or like today bundling up and hoping the snow doesn't last long. Mostly, I'll be ready for the next big winter break in mid-February when we have over a week off (Nacho too!). We're already talking about where that might take us and Madrid is an early contender if the flights stay looking good. So we'll see where this next month takes us, and hopefully more winter walks will be in my future. 

Another year begins

One year ago I celebrated my birthday week with a quick escape to Portsmouth, NH as my parents stayed back to watch the girls, followed by the Three Kings festivities, a movie night with Nacho, dinner with my family and a blowout karaoke party for 22 of our closest pals. It was a week to remember. This year, by comparison, I started off on New Year's Eve day with severe abdominal cramping and stomach pain that tormented me for three days before I decided to hit the ER and see what all the fuss was about. It's not my style to stop the world and get off, but after the day at Coney Island and suffering every bump on the ride home, I knew something was up with my body. I suppose turning 40 was the beginning of that downward spiral that I'll hopefully stave off for a bit (please God), but this was no joke. It didn't make things easier that I was alone in the hospital for over 7 hours with two medical professionals that seemed to hope I'd take some antacids and go home. I waited them out and finally got both the ultrasound and CT scan to rule out my gallbladder and appendix. Fortunately though, the scan did show I have inflammation in the terminal ileum which is part of the small intestine. No one can tell me exactly why I have this but getting some confirmation for the root of my pain was gratifying. It also meant a follow up with a gastroenterologist to talk further and a colonoscopy in the near future. Ah yes, this getting older stuff isn't for the faint of heart...

 

 

Despite my pain, I did my best to soldier on this week. We had NY Hall of Science passes to use up which meant a little indoor adventure while the weather dipped back into the wintery temps. We had a late lunch at, where else, Nixtamal, and polished off the day at the Lemon Ice King just down the street.  Then there was the Three Kings celebration to prep for and the roscon to buy in Corona. I'm not sure they deserved even more toys this year with all the sisterly fighting that's been going on, but hey, the kings were lenient. And for some reason, the cake from Tulcingo Bakery this year tasted even better than I remember. Maybe because we had to buy the last one during an emergency road stop in CT on our drive back from NH last year, it wasn't the most desirable. But this year certainly made up for it and more. The girls both got their baby Jesuses in the cake and the world was right...for a few minutes. Our elderly Peruvian neighbor even brought over two elaborately wrapped fashion dolls for both the girls which was such a lovely gesture. They didn't quite know what to make of this at first, but I think they were as tickled as I was. We'll definitely have to bake her some treats as a thank you. 

Then Nacho heard from his old aviation college buddy Eric Kjeldgaard that he was going to be on a long layover at LGA and he would be up for meeting us for lunch on Thursday. We decided to take him to Brooklyn for a bit of a stroll through Williamsburg and great views of the city. That area never disappoints and it was a pretty mild day for early January. Stumbling on the public piano propped up on a giant rock was part of the charm. Eric took a few minutes to play us a tune and I really enjoyed catching up with him and listening to him and Nacho geek out about planes. They have that pilot nerd charm. 

By Friday, I was feeling better physically and had an idea to kick off my birthday celebrations in earnest with a movie date in the city. I found a matinee of "The Revenant" showing on the UES at the AMC Orpheum (for $7.49! amazing!) and on our way there we spotted a new Shake Shack which made for a perfect lunch spot. Done and done. The movie was magnificent and I really enjoyed seeing it on the big screen with its imaginative cinematography. Knowing the Golden Globes were coming up, I wanted to see at least one of the movies up for awards and this one lived up to the hype. I hope it's Leo's year. Later, our walk around the reservoir in Central Park was another birthday treat. It's been so long since I've been up there that I was happy to be doing something different. That's what makes life enjoyable after all--mixing it up a bit and of course, having the health to get out there and enjoy it! It was also nice to have this time with Nacho after the blur of the holidays and his absence over Christmas and the lead up to New Year's. I know I fight off the doldrums around this time of year, so being able to do a few fun things with him really brightened my mood. It also helped that he started off my birthday with donuts from Peter Pan. The guy gets me. 

After getting to sleep in til about 10 a.m., the girls made me a chocolate chip cookie cake which I helped oversee. And I even had a gift to unwrap (a sweater from J. Crew) that actually ended up being something I almost bought myself. Ha. Nacho is really getting better at this. Mostly, I just felt relief that I felt better than a week before when I was sitting on my own waiting for all kinds of lab results and hoping I wasn't going to be going into surgery for a ruptured appedix or gallstones. No, it wasn't a birthday I will put up there with the best, but it was a great day nonetheless. We took the girls to Poppy and Charlie's joint birthday party at Super Kickers in Jackson Heights in the afternoon and ended the evening with a very Spanish-speaking meal at one of our old favorites Elias Corner in Astoria. It was just as I'd remembered it and I was glad to introduce Carmen and Jose and Irene to the flavors of the sea that they do so well there. Since they didn't get to celebrate Nacho's birthday, it felt like we were really getting a twofer and I was just the excuse to make it out that Saturday night. For my real blowout party, I'm dragging the ladies out for karaoke again in 2 weeks. So that will be the night I hope to feel 100% better and up for a little drinking and singing. I mean, I'm getting older, but I haven't lost it yet.

Polar Bear Plunge

Earlier this winter, it sounded like the West Coast phenomenon El Niño was set to bring much warmer weather our way. We took a chance and had the park's Holiday Boutique outdoors in early December and were rewarded with a balmy 55F degree day. As Christmas approached and the temps rebounded from a momentary bit of cooler weather, we enjoyed a rainy, almost 70F degree Christmas day. It was almost too warm, in my opinion. I don't love the cold weather, but it's part of the feel of this time of year so I expect it. When I saw the temps for New Year's Eve and Day were going to be more seasonable in the 40s, I figured that was an improvement. Little did I know that Nacho would pick this year to do his first ever Polar Bear Plunge on Coney Island, Brooklyn on New Year's Day. The ocean temps were in the low 50s which apparently is about 10 degrees warmer than normal. And really the air temps in the low 40s wasn't too terrible though the wind gusting was a definite damper on me joining him. It also didn't help that I was having my second full day of stomach cramping (more on that later). But with friends Kenny and his daughter Krystal already veterans of the plunge, we knew we had good company for the eventful day. So we woke up after our NYE party at home and managed to get to the beachfront just before the 1p.m. start time. We weren't officially registered or anything, but it was still a great day and the fact that Nacho made it in and out of the water despite his daughters' pleas that he reconsider (they were NOT impressed) was more courageous. You would have thought from their reactions that he was going off to war. But no, it was just some chilly water though I have to say, I don't think I was inspired to join him in the future. But for this year, I was proud of his accomplishing this goal. Now I can forgive him for his "polar plunge" in Puerto Rico last year on the same day. 

Rockin' New Year's Eve

This New Year's Eve we opted to have a few friends over after 5pm for an early countdown for the kids with the idea that if anybody felt brave enough to stay on til the bitter end, they were more than welcome. It happened last year for the first time that the girls managed to ring in the real new year. with Grandma and Grandpa visiting. And unlike last year, this time Nacho would be returning from a 4-day trip to make it home in time to say happy new year. But you never know from one time to the next if the girls will have the stamina, so I wasn't betting anything on a long night. But they did. We saw the Lefers early in the evening and Samarra and kids visiting from Toronto as well. But by 9:45pm, they were on their way out. The first of several countdowns happened around 8:30pm, and Netflix gave us a handful of options so we took them all. The kids went wild for the confetti again which is always fun to watch. This time around we only fired off one cannon for the kids and saved one for the real midnight which actually gave us time to clean up between messes. And truthfully, the mess is all part of the ambience of the night. The way the kids collect the confetti again and again to throw it back up in the air is a good reminder that we all want to capture fun and send it soaring time after time. Maybe it's the nostalgia of the evening, but it was also nice to spend it with a few close friends at home instead of chasing something bigger and better out and about. The Huderskis made it over just a little after 10pm to toast to the new year and the girls found some renewed energy with Krystal and Kristina around.  Yes, we had lots of prosecco on hand, good pizza from Marabella's, and plenty of yummy appetizers and Carmen's casserole. The new year even started with leftovers. I'll take that as a good omen.