Married in Manhattan

On Memorial Day weekend my brother in law and his beautiful fiancee tied the knot in a series of events that not only were fun and jubilant, but celebrated who they are, as individuals, in each others' lives. 

I loved the no-fuss wedding from the start.  The officiant was a long time musician friend, and the wedding was full of them.  One of the groomsmen, another long time friend, played Mendelssohn in his best George Harrison as they walked down the "aisle."  They held each others' hands til death do them 'part.

The ceremony and reception, followed by an intimate, seated 4-course lunch took place in one of their favorite restaurants in the East Village.  This is where they had their first date four years ago, and to commemorate this, the owners of the restaurant set the small patio table, where they ate that first evening, with candle lights.  Close family and friends gathered around in the small but cozy restaurant and watched them exchanged vows. Followed by emotional and funny toasts; recollections about their years in high school; their passions growing up and the friendships made along the way, which brought some people to tears, and others to deep belly laughs.  Various generations conglomerated in that tiny room. Forty-six handpicked and very special individuals filled the room, in the words of the bride, "with two simple feelings so palpable in this very room: generosity and loyalty, we thank you for being here," to celebrate this joyous occasion.  And by the way, beautiful brides, do toast at their own wedding!

The photographer was the bride's sister, and a few friends, including me, took up to the task of embossing the day's images with extra cameras to ensure they had plenty of memories to look at. 

Of course, there's isn't anything closer to a NYC event than an after-party, and the groom is the king of the after parties.  After the memorable lunch, we walked a few city blocks to a lounge with a roof terrace, to keep the momentum going.  The rest of their friends joined us and we danced, and drank, and had a great time!  I loved how the groom's DJ friends stepped in to provide the music. And the cigar boxes, provided by my dad, were a huge hit, as the men (and some women)  proceeded to enjoy their puffs.  (Thanks, dad!)

The last venue, another bar a few blocks east, welcomed us with an assortment of delicious dumplings, provided by a friend of the groom and bride, including an edemame one that was just heavenlicious!  What a great New York wedding this was.  Cheers to the lucky couple!

NYC evening with a friend

On Memorial Day weekend, my husband and I drove to NYC for a three-day mini-vacation getaway.  It was the first time Emilu was away from us. My parents had flew in to stay with her and our dog.  We arrived on Sat. around 4 p.m. and I immediately met with my friend, a fashion blogger, for lunch in the East Village.  We walked around and caught up with our lives.  We stopped for espresso, then hopped over to Greenwich to grab a cupcake from Magnolia.  I had always wanted to try one but the lines are always too long. 

This time there wasn't a line.  I got a key lime pie mini cake, and it was delicious.  No kidding around, it tasted like the ones back in Florida (the key is key limes and sweetened milk). We sat in an adjacent park enjoying our treat. Later, we encountered the wall of Tiles for America on the corner of 7th Street, the first memorial to the victims of the September 11th attacks.  This city for all its rudeness, is quiet emotional and full of gratitude for the men and women who perished helping in the aftermath of the attacks. New Yorkers will never forget.

Later in the evening we sat down in a corner bar, enjoyed a couple of glasses of wine and realized we were both lucky beyond measure.  We had our health, our faculties, and our families' love and support.  We live in cities we both love. The rest is icing on the cake.  We ended in Starbucks and around 10:30 p.m I grabbed a cab to our hotel in the Financial District, right in front of ground zero.

First a hand, then the whole heart

As you can see I'm still going through the pile of pictures from our vacation in the DR. This set of images I took one day during lunch in my mom's apt. My grandmother had lunch with us almost everyday. It was our time together, and one of the most fulfilling hours of the day. After lunch, we'd have coffee and dessert, and Emilu would play on the floor until her nap time. Then we'd all take a little siesta (I never could). That was my time at the computer. When we first arrived, Emilu was shy and introverted toward my grandmother. She always is. I think her white hair  makes Emilu distinctively suspiscious. But, my grandmother never acted dissapointed by her reactions. She would tell me that children raised by their mothers, especially around this age, are more attached and more suspicious of strangers.  She would even tell me not to let her whimper when she'd see her.  My grandmother is acutely distressed by babies' cries, especially when they are avoidable.  So, everyday we would set out to modestly have her interact with my grandmother on her own terms.  And my grandmother, who's wise and patient, would entice Emilu with small gestures, little by little, day by day, until she finally gave her a giggle, then a hand, and finally, the day before last, her whole heart.

All the pretty horses

Mr. T is a horse man who's married to my mother's cousin.  He raises Paso Fino horses, a breed  prized for their smooth, natural, four beat, lateral ambling gait. Considered the smoothest ride in the horse world. Their home is a ranch just outside the city, which houses 20 + horses in stables, and five dogs. This is where you want to live if you have country in your blood. My grandfather did.  A city-boy turned country man.  He had Paso Fino horses too.  He loved and admire this breed's gait. For their tap tap, which resembles a dance. I recently visited the ranch for the first time. The horses are exuberantly beautiful.

The horses are ridden everyday.  According to Mr. T, most horses love to be ridden.  They like to be useful, but also learn to enjoy working and being ridden, as long as they are ridden well and frequently praised.  He's had horses that have given him a sullen look when they are about to be ridden. You teach them to love the work and the ride. And eventually they do. Some horses could be finicky eaters.  There's one mare that doesn't like alfafa at all.  (Note:  Alfalfa is highly nutritious forage for horses)  He's tried to mix it with other grass hays to no avail.  She leaves it whole without as much as touching it. Funny horse.

Would it be a horse ranch without a pretty energetic fox terrier?  Lilly is playful, but very laborious.  She might not interact with the horses, but she's engaged in their care.

I enjoyed visiting the ranch.  Maybe one day, I can actually ride a horse, and feel the country breeze in my face.  Do you like horses? Have you visited a horse ranch before?

Growing

Babies do grow fast. Makes me want to hit the pause button for a little while. Impossible. Time is flying. It's inexorable.

Back from the seaside

We got back today! And I'm still tingly from all the relaxation and memorable moments we spent these last few days. Yesterday was Election day here, and so it was unusually slow at the beach.  But luckily for us, we spent our beach days in a quiet, sunny haze that will live in my memory for many weeks to come.  Here are a few pictures of our first moments upon our late afternoon arrival on Thursday.  We decided to walk to the beach that same day even as the sun was lazily going down, and ended up having dinner at the waterfront restaurant. More pictures coming soon.

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