Oh the places you'll go!

My senior year at 'Cuse, I lived with 7 of my best gal pals. Though the estrogen was suffocating at times, the year together in that house solidified friendships that have become like a family here in NYC. I moved here after college without really skipping a beat, but that super smooth transition was because I  have this network of highly entertaining pals, always ready to explore a new part of town or snuggle up with the remote and a bottle of vino. 

Friends. Fam. Party Planners Extraordinaire. 

Unfortunately for us/exciting for her, Joey flew the NYC coop and moved to LA this week. So we threw her a party. A really awesome party at her Aunt Madeline's bakery. Complete with a fancy bartender, all of her favorite foods, and of course, a pinata. 

You thought there wouldn't be balloons and pinata
debris worn as hats? You thought wrong.

Evonne made a NYC vs. LA bracket, which was central to the evening's entertainment. 

The Lakers beat out Central Park in the final round. Bullshit if you ask me. 

Awesome cookies by Aunt Madeline @ Duane Park Patisserie

Ballsy move to pack up and ship off across the country, but it is the "get up and make it happen" in her that got us to Vegas, that had me puddle jumping over to Maui last year, and that I'm sure will drive her to awesomeness. 

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes

You can steer yourself

any direction you choose.

You're on your own.  And you know what you know.

And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

-Mr. Seuss

Get it, girl. Miss you. Be nice. Have fun. See you soon. 

The here and now

23 of my kids being promoted to 5th grade.
10-15 the number of crabs I ate this past wknd (I lost count, which is always a sign of a good time).
11 days until Vermont vacay & my cousin Syd's wedding!
10 (on a scale of 1-10). How excited I am to see Bad Teacher w/ my coworkers :)
5 more school days until the end of the year!
4 more IEPs to write (fml).
3 things you can't do in the courtyard of my building: slackline, fry a turkey, have a party. Seems like a waste of space to me. (Note: I found out through phone calls, not personal experience. Don't worry, I haven't making a nuisance of myself. Yet.)
3 letters/care packages going out this week
2 days until Clare comes!
2 trips to the beach this past weekend (Rockaway Beach & Coney Island)
1 kid who didn't pass his state tests (however, this is the kid who did go to Puerto Rico for the month of March)

1 new pair of shoes in 2011. I held out for 6 months, twas about time for some retail therapy.
0 the amount of food in my fridge.