I started my journey through New Jersey so I could check the deals at the Target there. Suffice to say that will be another post. I headed over the Goethals Bridge and somehow thought I was going over the Outerbridge, so when I got off and took the first exit, I was on the wrong side of Staten Island. I do not often make those mistakes. In my error I found a CVS, where I had some magic to work, so it was an error that paid off, I got a cashier that liked to push the override button, again, that post comes later.
Eventually I found my way onto the correct highway to head to the in-laws. What is scary is that Staten island is such an insular borough, most people cannot give you directions to go any great distance, they only know their little neck of the woods. I feel like I know a fair amount of the tri-state area! And yet I still got lost.
The Memorial Day festivities had started at 1, my grand entrance was at 230. My son was in a corner playing video games so that situation had to be rectified, when the extended family is together (my mother-in-law and her 4 sisters, and their respective broods), there are plenty of kids to play with. The party was spread over a huge back yard in their condo complex, the food flowed all day, and it was a very nice time. The highlight for me is Cousin Jodi’s famous homemade pizza, always a party hit. It is not made with any special ingredients. No buffalo mozzarella, canned sauce, plain dough. And yet, it is delicious every time. Some foods really must be made with love, her pizza has been perfect for years. And I am from the Bronx, the pizza there used to be famous! My sister and I still reminisce about the pizza parlor we used to hang out at 41 years ago, playing “Build Me a Buttercup” on the juke box!
The day ended with an ice cream cake for my son and my spouse’s uncle’s birthday, they have the same birthdate. When there are 300 relatives, several people are bound to share the same birthday!
Sleepovers on 3 day weekends work best when there is a day to recover. We got home after 10 pm, my son still had to have a piece of lasagna, and take his shower! My son had been asking for lasagna for his birthday, he had never had it before, but insisted it was his favorite food. My sister-in-law obliged him which was very sweet. Several people confirmed that his love of lasagna had come from his viewing of one of his new favorite shows, Garfield, it is that fat cats favorite food! I am scared if that is my son’s role model!
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