Fun in Florida

Last weekend, I went to Florida for a friend's wedding. It was the first time in years (ever?) that I had been to Florida without kids, and without a more serious purpose. It was so nice to catch up with relatives~I stayed with my Aunt Lynn & Uncle Gerry in Boynton Beach. While there,I got to know their friends, Phil & Barbara. Phil and my uncle have been friends since they were little boys in Brooklyn. It was so cute watching them interact with each other, telling stories and just "being boys". They told hysterical stories of their youth. I have heard most of them before from my mom, but these were told from the boys' perspective...



I also got to spend some time with my Great-aunt Rose and Great-uncle Fred. It was fun to see them. They are getting older, but overall, doing well. My aunt has the same cute sense of humor that she has always had. She is legally blind (from macular degeneration), but she still tells great stories, and has the same great smile that I remember when I think of her. It was wonderful to see her and Uncle Freddy. I went back to see them a second time, and we went out for breakfast to one a diner near them.

I got to spend some time shopping at Sawgrass Mills! This is a h-u-g-e outlet mall. When it was built, it was the largest in the country. Not sure if it still it, but it is pretty big! I was there for almost 2 hours and only saw a very small part of it. I didn't find a dress to wear to the wedding, my purpose for going there, but I did find gifts to give to the Peace Ambassadors for our holiday party! I can't say what they are yet, in case they read this, but I am SO excited!

Probably the best part of the trip was reconnecting with friends and family. I also got to see Ellie Riskin for (about 45 minutes). We were such good friends when I lived in FL, but have not seen each other for a long time. She was just as sweet as ever, and has the most adorable house!

I also got to meet Larry's (brother of the bride) Emilie for the first time, in person! We have talked at length on the phone for years, but never actually met. The only bad thing? My camera battery died before I could get a pic of her and Larry! We all had so much fun at the rehearsal dinner party- It was a bbq on the beach!

Lauren & Steve- the Bride & Groom!

At the wedding, I sat with Larry & Emilie, Jan & Aley, and Larry's cousins, Rachel and Ben. What a great table! Rachel and Ben are going to be my newest "Facebook" friends.

After the wedding I stayed at Jan & Aley's house. It was so nice getting to know their son, Michael. He is a great kid (19!) with a fun sense of humor, and a phenomenal nusic career ahead of him. Even though I had just seen Jan last month, it was nice to see her while I was stress-free! It was so much fun to see Aley~ while at dinner, he showed me how to do "Torah-gami"- folding a dollar-bill into a Torah! M & M are amazed, and cannot wait to learn how to do it! I hadn't seen him in at least 10 years! We need to make sure that doesn't happen again!