The Bar Mizvah

Saturday was our cousin Matthew's Bar Mitzvah. Since we're Baptist and hadn't been to a Bar Mitzvah before, we weren't really sure what to expect except for lots of Jewish traditions and a big party afterwards. We're assuming it was a traditional ceremony but its hard to know just what "tradition" is when its your first time at an event. Can't you just hear "Traditions" from Fiddler on the Roof? However, we were right-on about the big party! You'll hear all about later on when I give a detailed description of everything, including every single song, each appetizer, and how many glow-sticks went flying into the air and landed on unsuspecting people.


If flying glow-sticks doesn't tell you how classy our family really is, I don't know what does.

Having arrived (miraculously) at the synagogue on time, I took the opportunity to find the bathroom. After asking for directions I (once again, miraculously) found the bathroom. As soon as I entered that room I know I was in for trouble. Especially in the area of getting the lock to work on the door.

Let me make one thing clear: I do not like public restrooms where the doors don't lock. Securely. Particularly if I don't have a friend to guard the door for me. Clearly I was in trouble.

I struggled with the locks in both stalls for approximately 5.8 minutes before I decided that maybe I could just wait until we go to the reception. That decision was going out on a limb because I had no idea how long it would be til we actually go to the reception since, like I said before, I'd never been to a Bar Mitzvah. I went back to the line going into the sanctuary only to find that my family had (unmiraculously) abandoned me and I had to stand there alone and unsure of what was at the end of the line. However, the wait was not in vain as I stood behind Cousin Cheryl who was kind enough to inform me of other restrooms with working locks.

At this point I am going to inform that this is a long story so you might want to grab a pillow, a glass or two of lemonade and some cookies. You're going to be here for a while.

I finally entered the sanctuary only to discover that my family was sitting with all my relatives in the front. To make another thing clear: I do not like sitting in the front for any event(except for maybe a Josh Groban concert) but I bravely walked up, in front of everybody, anyway.

From the minute the service started, we didn't have a moment to rest, what with the books, and 92% of the service,being in Hebrew. One book was even printed backwards so page 1 was all the way to the right and page 698 was all the way to the left. Thanks goodness we didn't have to read right-left. I never would have survived that culture-shock! My non-Jewish, non-Hebrew reading uncle decided he "knew" Hebrew well enough to reach over and turn the pages in Grandma's book at the "right" time as if he understood just what the Rabbi was reading. Oh Jimmy, I was so on to you!

It needs to be shared that my sister, Elizabeth, needed to go to the restroom in the middle of the service. I was a good person for her to tell because, if you remember, I knew where the bathroom with locking doors was. This time though, there was a new problem: the program clearly said "please to do not leave the room when the ark is open." Even though I had never seen an ark before, and it didn't look like what I had imagined, when they opened curtains to reveal a small room with shelves of scrolls, I was pretty certain that was the ark. Whatever the cost, I knew that I didn't want to leave the room when the ark was open and risk being thrown out of the Jewish synagogue on the day of my cousin's only Bar Mitzvah. I mean, how embarrassing would that be for the family? Not to mention for me...

Matthew did a very good job reading/chanting and preparing his sermon. It was nice to see how proud his parents-especially his mom who is the Jewish parent-were of him.

Since this is really long, I won't write about the glow-stick flying reception right now. Depending on how many 'I-can't-wait-to hear-the-rest-please-tell-me-more' requests I get for it, maybe I'll write about it tomorrow! ; )

Memorial Day

"Heavenly Father, we bow our heads and thank You for Your love. Accept out thanks for the peace that yields this day and the shared faith that makes its continuance likely. Make us strong to do Your will, and write on our hearts these words 'Use power to help people.' For we are given power not to advance out own purposes, nor to make a great show in the world,nor a name. There is but one just use of power, and it is to serve others.Help us to remember it, Lord. Amen."
~President George Bush

Baghdad Tears

On a Iraqi street in Baghdad,
A soldier mourns as he kneels
Beside his fallen American comrade.


Tears shed for one who died,
Sacrificed to free oppressed,
For Iraqi newborn freedom.

American modern minutemen,
On foreign soil to teach,
Sacrifices for liberty.


An American in Iraq mourns,
On a dusty Baghdad street,
A little Iraqi girl...wipes away his tears.

~Roger W. Hancock

I would especially like to thank John, Myles, Garrett, Greg, Joe, James, Joshua, and Auntie Terry for their service to our country(sorry if I forgot anybody!).

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Hopefully I'll be back tomorrow to tell you about our Jewish cousin's Bar Mitzvah. For now all I'll say about it is what an extravaganza!

We're off to spend the afternoon with Erika and her family. I hope you have a great day! What are you doing?

Josh Groban Medley

This is one of my all-time-every-in-the-world favorite singer's/musician's Josh Groban singing a fabulous medley at the 2008 Emmy's. While none of the songs here are my favorites of his(that would take up its own post!),its so fun to watch!

Warning: these songs will stick in your head and you may start singing them at very inopportune times. This blogger is not responsible for any embarrassing events because of this. So please, when you're wandering down the cereal aisle at the grocery store this week and you suddenly start singing, "Sunday, Monday happy days. Tuesday, Wednesday happy days...", don't come to me with stories of how people looked at you funny. And how suddenly you were the only person standing in a previously crowded aisle! : )

Wordless Wednesday

Maids in Brown

The biggest news in these parts lately is that our oldest brother is engaged and getting married in late October! We are, to put it lightly, totally thrilled. We love Erika!

This brings up the whole exciting topic of wedding fashions. Erika announced that she's chosen brown as the color for her bridesmaids. I was a little unsure about this before but now that I've seen some really pretty dresses, I'm all for it; it is a Fall wedding after all! The bride is letting us choose the style of the dress that we want-as long as its floor length and not strapless-and Danielle, another bridesmaid, and her family are going to sew them. This means I have some very fun decisions to make! This also means I have some very hard decisions to make! I've pretty much decided on a square-neckline, cap-sleeves and an Empire waist. I also really like bows so I was thinking maybe a thin ribbon going over the Empire waist with a bow, or a wide sash. But I also love the look of lots of little buttons down the back! I think I'll only have the bow or the buttons, not both, because I do want to keep it simple.

I love this dress. I like to call this style a "Cool Whip" dress because that's what the bunching of the skirt reminds me of! I think for the wedding though, its a little too fancy.

I'm off to look for more dress ideas!

Fashion Week

My BFF and I are planning on participation in this fun fashion week that Amanda is having! We'll be walking down the Red Carpet in our Saver's shirts, hand-me-down skirts, consignment shop shoes and, to top it all off just to show how classy we really are, our Salvation Army jewelry! Clearly we'll be the envy of the fashion world!

Of Journals and Blogs

I love writing in my journal. I love that what I write about today will be even more special 25 years from now when I want to know what I want thinking, feeling, enjoying, and doing. Blogging is so similar. While I am not going to stop writing in my journal, here I can post about cute summer dresses, my favorite pictures I took during the week, and write about, and link back to, other blogs. And I should just say it...I love reading other blogs! It's so fun to get new craft ideas and yummy recipes, read photography tips, see cute pictures of babies, and learn about and pray for those that need it. Plus, when I thought about posting pictures of cute summer dresses on my family's blog, I realized that that really wasn't a family post; it was just about me and what I liked!

*This first post is dedicated to Megan from Shabby Blogs who helped save me from utter and complete blog boringness and very patiently answered all my questions. Thank you Megan!!*