whirlwind weekend

[lizziebelle]

The fabulous niece and I went down to NYC for my cousin grrlfriday's big 40th birthday bash, dubbed DeannaFest. We took the GoBus down yesterday morning, eventually figured out how to get to Brooklyn on the subway, and met more family at Deanna's place.

The party was at a rooftop garden at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. What a fabulous venue! It's a real working garden, and the views of Manhattan were spectacular (see above pic). Several other cousins, aunts, and uncles came, along with my brother & sis-in-law, and plenty of Deanna's friends. I finally got to meet Jim Hightower (a client of Deanna's), who was wearing a fabulous shiny disco-ball-like shirt along with his trademark cowboy hat. He's a nice guy, and I've always admired his work.

The food & drinks were lovely, and the DJ kept several of us dancing for hours, including my brother, who I don't believe I've ever seen dance before (except in musicals onstage). The ceremony (it was a lot like a wedding; we all said we felt like we had married Deanna) was beautiful, and it was at sunset, with Manhattan shining in the background. I was honored to be a part of it. Deanna is more like a little sister to me than a cousin (my parents are her Godparents).

This morning, I walked over to Green-wood cemetery to stretch out my stiff legs (I'm not used to all that dancing!)



It's only a couple of streets over from Deanna's place. What a lovely old cemetery. If you're ever in Brooklyn, you should definitely check it out.

A bunch of us met for brunch in Park Slope, at a place called Bogota. I had plantain-stuffed French toast and a mango mimosa. Yum! I met a couple of new folks who couldn't make it to the party last night, and I liked them very much. Deanna attracts such a wealth of interesting people! I'm lucky to have gotten in on the ground floor. *g*

Willow and I rode back with some friends of D's who live in this area, which was much better than taking the bus. Yay for new friends! We promised to all go walking in Mount Auburn sometime.

It was a fabulous weekend, and I am exhausted. But I feel energized by all the positive energy created by celebrating one of my favorite people.