A great creation was instagram, and so was the iPhone camera, I've been taking full advantage of this lately. Here is some documentation of our small Paladino family reunion last weekend..
Grandma Jane-"I feel like im in China! We're all eating from the same dish"
Cousin Sydney falls asleep in public at the dinner table, as would any Paladino.
This little lady Kristen was our reason for reuniting, she just returned from serving on a ship abroad for a year, she missed CJ very much.
Our family stylist, Tosh the Scottish Terrior (Grandpa arranging car assignments in the background, very important business.)
Aunt Laura in a happy moment.
Here is Uncle Scott waving from the balcony, he switched our tickets so I could sit with the rest of the family. He is one of the sweetest guys I know. When we were just wee little lads and lasses he used to tell us ghost stories.
I love sweet things. There are way too many bakeries here for me to deny myself of them anymore! Sometimes I can just look, but most of the time I have got to go inside and get just a little sample.
Going to get something sweet is special, and I like that. And whether you're by yourself, or with someone who shares your appetite for delight, you're going to feel special. You choose your desert, then they put it on a nice little plate, and off you go to sit at a tiny table to enjoy your sweet treat..maybe you're feeling extra excited and order a cup of coffee on the side, that's always nice.
One of my favorite sweet things I had this past weekend was the French Toast at Frankie's on Clinton Street in the East Village. I have never had French Toast as amazing as this. Make a point to go to Frankie's at some point in your life, I am sure you will not regret it.
This past weekend we got real adventurous, and took the train to Hoboken. Beyond this charming village, we took the light rail to the Liberty Science Center. As soon as we got to exploring we lost my brother..which is strange because usually I would get lost first. But he decided to have a pizza with the kids and take a nap in the IMAX. Let me tell you, this place is pretty on top of their stuff when it comes to IMAX screens, because it's the biggest on this planet. I don't know how they did it, but the perspective they created made me feel like I was not experiencing real life in there.
After waking up from Tornado Alley, we did a little bit more exploring, because this place offers an array of interactive activities. CJ proved his strength over children, holding himself up for 1 minute, Emily spent some time in the "Touch Tunnel", and Timmy and I figured out how to make 4 triangles out of only a few sticks.
Before leaving, we caught an important presentation on balloons and science. A great day of learning we had together. We left excited to see where our next adventure will lead us.
A few people have mentioned to me that they, or somebody they know, have disliked Terrence Malicks "The Tree of Life". I can understand, it's a pretty heavy movie in the beginning..but just fight through it and see the beauty in this film. I hope I might convince you to give it another chance, or to see it if you havent. I have been thinking about summer a lot lately, and its making me remember vivid moments from growing up. It makes me think about this film.
The film begins with Jessica Chastain, a mother of three boys, quoting "The nuns taught us, there were two ways through life - the way of nature, and the way of grace. You have to choose which one you'll follow." Through the film we see her son struggle with a battle going on inside of him of which path to take, he has a mother that is living life through grace, and a father who is living life through nature. I love how this film captures the beauty and importance of everything that surrounds us when we experience the little moments in life, the smells, sights, feelings and sounds all gather up to create our whole memory. It captures everything that surrounded us in that simple moment.
Like when I think about going to the pool in the summertime as a little girl, when I remember it, I barely remember the actual pool, but I remember the walk from my house to the pool, my towel wrapped around me, blonde hair wet, barefoot, the color of the gravel and feeling on my feet, brother five strides ahead of me arms out pretending he's superman, sun setting through the trees, and so on and so on. That was a simple moment, but when I see gravel, and the sun setting through tall trees, and warm air, I am taken back to this moment. This film captures the gravel, the tall trees, the arms out pretending your superman.
It is a reminder to me of how important it is to just slow down for a minute and realize and appreciate what is surrounding me, what is happening in the present moment. There is so much detail and beauty to find in everything around us, every little place we go.
