Chappy Chanukah

Hello Friends,

Scott here.

It has been a while since I have updated so I thought I would give you all a little peek through the window into our life.

We have been busy little bees these days. I just finished my internship at Pride Institute and I recently finished my thesis. Now all I have left is the oral exam, which will take place on January 18th at 9:00 am. Finally I will have this degree! Other than that I have been playing in the band and playing gigs with them. We recently performed at The Fine Line. The band has been working on our first e.p, which is due out sometime soon, we are just in post-production on it.

In the meantime, I have been on the job search, which has yielded a couple of interviews, hopefully I will find something real soon. Does anyone want to hire an unlicensed therapist and offer him free supervision hours? Any bites?

Miriam has been busy with work. It is really true that an Orchestra Director's day is never done. Sometimes she leaves for work at 6:00 am and gets home at 10:00 pm. I'm really proud of her, but I hope she gets to rest.

Tonight is the first night of Chanukah! So for your viewing pleasure, I have included a fun picture for you to look at. Enjoy!

Happy Holidays,

Scotty

Almost November? How did that happen?!

Wow, I can't believe it's a week away from November 1! Things have been busy as usual.

Scott's Thesis

Well, as most of you know, Scott is in the home-stretch of finishing his masters program! The down side to that is the incredible workload that Scott has taken on the past few months researching, writing, and re-writing his thesis on a daily basis. With a mere 7 days left until his draft will be submitted for graduation approval, Scott has been working pretty much 24/7 on his paper on top of completing his internship hours.

As a result of this, Scott has proudly grown what the two of us now refer to as his "Thesis Beard". Not only is it quite impressive with its natural body and fullness, but he takes care of it daily with his "special beard soap", moisterizer, and combing it daily; consequently, it is imressively soft! And truth be told, I find that beard just plain sexy! (Must be a Jewish thing?)

G-d willing, Scott will have a chance to rest a bit before his tentative graduation ceremony in January.

Gigs, Gigs, EVERYWHERE!

Between the Wizard of Oz (WOZ) rehearsals at school, and Scott's band getting ready to play a gig next Friday, we've been gearing up for this next week! I'm playing in the pit orchestra with my students for the musical WOZ...I had forgotten what it was like to play in the pit orchestra in high school! So much time goes into it. This past week, while I couldn't stay for all of them, scheduled rehearsals went until 6pm, and after that I even had booster meetings and such. I feel like I've been living where I work. I am however, enjoying it very much! I've had such a case of the giggles lately, and at one point in rehearsal, we had to stop because I was laughing so hard I had tears running down my cheeks! I've been just plain goofy. I'm giving this up to being in sleep deprivation, and having crossed into the "slap happy" realm. Luckily, this weekend I'm planning on catching up on my sleep to gear up for those rehearsals until 8pm, and the actual performances!

While Scott, being the good husband that he is and coming to all the shows, he has his own gig with his band on Friday night. I'm a little sad because I hope for Friday or Saturday night shows from his band, Union Shakedown, so that I can attend them! Normally, his bands performances are on weeknights, and are late in the evening, which means that I'm usually asleep before they even play. Plus I have work early the next day. With every day of rehearsal in my classes being extremely important, if I'm not up to par, rehearsal is not going to go well.

So if you're not doing anything this week, perhaps you will make it to WOZ and the Union Shakedown gig!

We're going to do a 5K! The "Turkey Day Trot"

Something I've always wanted to do is a 5k. Well, this year, Scott and I decided we're going to do the Thanksgiving 5K. (There's more than one...we're doing the "Turkey Trot"...the little brother of the Thanksgiving 5K).

We've been practicing around Lake Calhoun weekly (usually 3 times a week), alternating between running and walking. The first few times we got our tushies kicked! But it has been getting easier, and I always look forward to a jaunt around the lake. Despite the weather getting colder, and our short bought of snow, we've been pretty diligent! Neither of us is running to race the other runners, or to beat a time. Really, its about the fact that we're going to complete a 5K.

Obviously, running is more fun when you have your kick-tushy running attire. Here is a picture of the two of us in our hot running gear that we sport around the lake:

WE ARE HOT.

And this picture, is the epitome of Scott. Note the headband, bushy beard, and Ninja-Turtles sweatshirt.

Well, on that note, this is Miriam signing off with a "Cheers" to the upcoming week!

It has been *BUSY*!!

Hello All!

Well, it's been awhile since either of us have made a post! So I thought I'd take a moment to give a life update.

In the last few weeks, several things have happened:

+Last week, Scott finished his Thesis rough draft!

+School started, so I am back to work, getting ready for our first concert on October 13!

+Scott has completed 500 internship hours (of 700) to count towards his graduate degree!

+We've been enjoying our first Rosh Ha'Shanah together as a married couple!

For the last several weeks, Scott would come home, absolutely exhausted from his internship, and work on his thesis until all hours. Then he'd get up the next morning, and do the same thing! I admire his work ethic, because I don't know if I would have been so diligent after being exhausted from work.

Since he finished the rough draft of his thesis this past week, we've had a little more time to spend together. He even surprised me on Friday when I got home from work with a *SUPER* clean apartment, a dozen red roses, chocolate croissants, fancy olives and cheese. AND he was cooking me tomato soup and grilled cheese! I am definitely a very lucky wife!

Then, yesterday, after Synagogue, we decided to hit up an apple orchard. It was the perfect way to spend a fall afternoon together. (You mean I actually get to see my husband once in awhile?!) We drove out to Afton Orchard in Hastings, MN. Here's a few pictures from our adventures:

On the hay ride to the apple trees.

Is that some forbidden fruit, there? You know it is by that twinkle in Scott's eye!

We are dorks...We couldn't resist these fabulous photo opportunities. and now I can say Scott is "corny"!

The beautiful sun and sky on our way home.

Other than that, we've been enjoying family time for the High Holidays. I can't believe it was only a year ago that we were celebrating our engagement at Rosh Hashana! My favorite part of Rosh Ha'Shanah services last Sunday was when our Rabbi asked us to share meaningful memories from the previous year. Scott was the first one to jump up out of his seat in front of our entire congregation, and said with two thumbs up and a giant smile "I got to marry Miriam!" It was very sweet, and it made my heart melt in that school girl kind of way --including a case of the giggles!

Previous to Sunday we had our big family get-together at my parents house. It was very meaningful to be celebrating the new year with both Scott's and my family! I think it just goes to say that a marriage is not just between two people that love each other very much, but between two families. It was a very nice way to start a new tradition with our new marriage.

So, here's to a wonderful New Year! Wishes for a cup overflowing with blessings as sweet as honey. Or as my Zayde said to Scott and I with a twinkle in his eye, "May you have lots of prosperity!"

L'Shana Tovah Tikatevu!

Miriam

Massive Update!

Hello Devoted Followers,

Scott Here.

As you all know we just got married. So what could this post ever be about? You guessed it...the honeymoon!

So, we decided to go to Cancun for our honeymoon. We were going to just stay in town, but then we found a marvelous deal that we just could not pass up.

We got a lift to the airport (thanks Peter!) at 4 in the morning (we decided to just stay up and bite the bullet instead of risking the oversleeping that we knew was going to happen if we slept. After waiting to get on the plane, which seemed like an eternity, we finally got our seats. As we took off we smelt something reminicent of poo. As luck would have it, we are in front of a row of 3 small children under the age of 7...you can see where this is going. So after taking off we are treated to 3 straight hours of screaming and fighting from the kids behind us with some of the most useless attempts at parenting from the obviously underslept and overstressed parents of these spawn.

So as we finally get to Atlanta (because anytime you fly with Delta, you are guaranteed to have a layover in Atlanta. We get a quick bite to eat and we are off to sunny Cancun. Landing in Cancun, we hop on a private coach and get to our hotel. When we get there our room was not ready and appearently they have never heard of the honeymoon package that we bought. So... instead of explaining that the room was not ready they put us in a room that was not up to snuff. When we got into the room, there was a half-drunken bottle of water in the fridge, dirt behind the lamp and hair/slime in the bathtub...please g-d let that be shampoo. Well, after some complaining to the NWA WorldVacations lady, we got the room spic and span...never underestimate a woman's wrath.

The next day and the rest of our honeymoon was absolutely fabulous. The service was excellent and the food was to die for. We had free room service 24/7. We chilled out on the beach, relaxed in the quiet pool for hours and ate and ate and ate some more. There were these shows that they had every night that were fun, for the most part. One night there was a "broadway" show which consisted of lip-synching, dancing and seizure-inducing strobe lights. We quickly made out exit as neither on of us wanted to wind up in Hospital de Cancun.

At the end of our honeymoon we got moonlight massages on the beach and facials. What the massage therapists lacked in english language skills, they sure made up for in back-fixing talent! It was very nice to say the least.

Alas, we had to head home back to real life. So, waiting for our plane (in true Scott fashion), all of the food that I had eaten had decided to exit me. Yes..I became very well aquatinted with the restrooms at Cancun International Airport. Oy Vey!

We flew back to Atlanta (of course), where our flight got "re-arranged". This basically consists of going from Gate C23 to Gate C35 to Gate C27. Quality Delta. After getting home, we unpacked and were ready to start our lives as a married couple. Touching, I know.

Now we live in marital bliss.

Please drool and yearn over these wonderful pictures.

All the best,

Scott

Song of Solomon 2:10-2:13

Tonight, Scott and I went to Byerly's to get a few olives, a cheese sample or two, and a box of Strawberries. As we were picking out a box of strawberries, I happened to come across quite a treasure!

At first, I could not believe my eyes! Yes! They were really figs! FRESH FIGS! The brown, Turkish kind that I have *never* been able to get in the United States that hadn't already perished! Not only were they not perished yet, but they were under $5 for three of them! (Decent quality figs can run up to $22/pound in the US!) This had to be good to be true!!

It was too good to be true.

Unfortunately, the beautiful figs have some bugs in them =( So, after all that, I won't be eating them.

So, instead of delicious fresh figs that I fear I will only be able to get again if I travel through the middle east, I leave you with this beautiful, romantic song of Solomon, about figs. Perhaps it will make one understand my great love for figs!

¹⁰ My lover spoke and said to me,
"Arise, my darling,
my beautiful one, and come with me.

¹¹ See! The winter is past;
the rains are over and gone.

¹² Flowers appear on the earth;
the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves
is heard in our land.

¹³ The fig tree forms its early fruit;
the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling;
my beautiful one, come with me."

Official Wedding Photographs!!

Tonight, Scott and I got our photos from our photographer, Sue Lund. There are so many good photos, I don't know which ones to frame!

Here is a direct link to our photos: CLICK HERE (Then click on "Miriam and Scott")

The password is: 070509 (The date of our wedding)

And, you can even conveniently buy photos from the site if there is something you wish to have!

She was an excellent choice, and we both highly recommend her!

The Wedding!

Wow, we haven't updated in a LONG time! We are just getting back to the normal swing of things as things begin to calm down from the wedding.

Here is what I remember of the events leading up to the wedding, and the wedding!

The whole weekend was wonderful! The festivities started on Wednesday when Scott's uncle came into town on Wednesday (July 1st). Scott was extremely excited to see his uncle, and I was excited to meet the first of his extended family, and so we had a very nice dinner at our apartment with both of our immediate families (parents/siblings). Thinking back on it, I wish we'd have gotten some photos of the delightful evening.

Thursday was spent getting final things in order, because on Friday morning, my mom, sister, and I took all of the wedding stuff to the Synagogue so it would be there on Sunday. (You cannot drop things off on Saturday because it is Shabbat, the day of rest.) After unpacking all of the baked goods, candle holders, programs, and even the wedding dress, we organized the bridal room so it would be all ready for us when we got there on Sunday.

Friday was the wedding rehearsal (before Shabbat). First the orchestra came to rehearse and warm-up. Then, the bridal party, grooms party, and immediate family came for our practice run-through. Thing actually went pretty smooth (at least, they seemed to for me!), and it was fun to see how things would play out the day of the wedding. Jewish superstition says that a bride cannot rehearse walking down the isle (it's considered very bad luck), so our dear family friend Linda (who was helping us out for the wedding!) sent her husband down for me...I think that was my favorite part of the rehearsal! The rehearsal was followed by Shabbat services and dinner, which all went very nicely. My Zayde made a toast, which pretty much became the theme of toasts along the lines of "Lots of Happiness, Lots of Love, and Lot's of babies!"

Saturday, which was the 4th of July, Scott and I had an auf ruf, or "candy throwing" at services. We got to give our last torah blessing as "single folk", and then our families came up and gave us a blessing. After services we ate kiddush luncheon, and then headed home for a quick change of clothing. Even though it was Shabbat, we decided to do all of our flowers ourselves. So, my dad, Scott, and I drove all over town buying several bunches of flowers to make the boutonnières, and corsages, and my bouquet with. We ended up getting caught in a down-pour, and had to run home once again for a quick "costume change" before the BBQ Scott's parents hosted. The BBQ was wonderful, and the weather decided to be very nice by the time we got there! (Thank goodness!) I met lots of Scott's extended family, and I enjoyed eating the dolmas and babaganoush! (My advice to future brides...let me tell you...that eggplant will come back to haunt you!)

That night Scott and I stayed up until 4:30am making our flowers! I'm not gonna lie, we were really tired the next day, but it was nice to save several thousand dollars! (Bridal bouquets on a holiday weekend started at an average of $300-$400! And what I wanted would have cost $700 --just for my bouquet! Yikes.) I started with my bouquet first. When I had practiced, I had found beautiful dark purple cala-lilies. But, being it was the Fourth-of-July weekend, red-white-and-blue flowers were much easier to find than purple! But, we did find a decent variety of purple flowers, including some beautiful irises. The first time I made the bouquet, it looked a little funny because the irises sat to high, so it looked like a giant firework! (Appropriate for the weekend, I know!), so I took it apart and redid it. It was pretty easy to make, but because the flowers are so delicate, it took about 3 hours to make my bouquet. Scott helped my with the rest of the corsages and boutonnières for the wedding parties, mothers/fathers, grandparents, and the orchestra. I think the hardest part was finding containers for all the flowers, and staying awake.

We both fell fast asleep, and 7am came way too early that morning. Worse is I woke up with a 102.3 fever! (I had been fighting a bad sinus infection and was on antibiotics, but went off them the day before so I wouldn't have an upset stomach on my wedding day...BAD IDEA!) We had forgotten pins for the flowers, so Scott ran out to buy some until my mom and sister picked me up. Getting into the van, I hit my head really hard on the door, and between no coffee, no sleep, and running a bad fever, I ended up bawling!

Luckily, my mom and sister, being the well-prepared girl scouts they are, whipped out a frozen ice pack for my head, and we stopped by Caribou on the way to Bnai Emet. But the time we got there, the ice had shrunken the bump on my head, the caffeine was kicking in, and I was starting to feel slightly high from my cold meds. I got the rollers heated up, and by the time they were in my hair, most of the bridesmaids were there. Things were pretty calm. I was getting pretty loopy from no-sleep/cold meds/too much caffeine, so my mom pulled out some bagel and cream cheese, and licorice, and I ate and felt better. And I laid-off more caffeine.

The girls and Peter were doing their hair and nails, and everyone seemed to be having a good time.

By 1pm, Sean arrived (the *amazing* event guy), and things were getting into place. I went to go finish my hair, and by 2pm, I was doing make-up. By that point my tylenol had warn off, and I was feeling a little anxious. I remember having a very large need for space! At one point in the crowded bridal room, I remember saying "I love you all, but right now, I just really need some space!" By 2:20, I was stepping into the dress, and by 2:30, Laya was standing on a chair and pinning my veil on me! The dress is my cousin's, and is an absolutely *GORGEOUS* dress! But, it is almost impossible to move in! At that point, I was pretty much a bride-zilla in that I would not let anyone come near me! Talya became my body guard (she get's the anxiety/space thing), and when-ever I wanted to go somewhere, she would have to help me with the dress...I joked that I had a small country behind me...lol.

The photographer arrived at about 2:30, and got some amazing shots in the bridal room! (She's really great!) We then proceeded to do all the large family photos, Scott and I photos, and photos with my orchestra students! We will have our pictures shortly, (it takes about 3 weeks), and it's nice to have something to look forward to after all the excitement!

By 4:45, we were escorted down to the library with our parents, siblings, and 2 Jewish witnesses for the Ketubah signing. We hung out with the Rabbi and Cantor for a but, and before I knew it, we were lined up and ready to start the wedding!

The wedding party had their candles lit, and I felt amazingly less anxious. (I think less people moving around, meant more space for me and my dress!) The processional went so quick, and before I knew it, my parents were escorting me down the aisle, while Scott waited for me at the bottom of the stairs. Both parents hugged and kissed me, and then I was left to walk around my groom. I felt like we were a King and a Queen. The ceremony was beautiful, and to be honest, I don't remember much about it. It flew by *SO* quick! After the ceremony, Scott and I were whisked away for the Yichud, or a few moments of quiet togetherness, where we ate a little food (thank G-d, I was so hungry!), and I changed very quickly into another dress that was a little easier to move in (although, not as beautiful!)

We were announced as "Mr. and Mrs. Edgar", and when we came out, Ned's band was playing "Bei Mir, Bist Du Shane" (By Me, You're Beautiful), which was a song my great aunt used to sing to me a lot! We danced a very impromptu dance, and then sat down to eat some food. There were toasts (pretty much the same...be happy, love each other, have lots of babies!), and then Scott and I tried to make some rounds before the meal ended. I was sad we were not able to get to everyone! Pretty soon we cut the cake, and before we knew it, we were being lifted up on chairs by our friends and family to Hava Ngila! That had to have been one of the best Hora's of my life.

People were leaving by this point, and after 85% of the people had left, our friend Mike played us "Some Where Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World" on Ukulele for our first dance. It was quiet, and I enjoyed having a more intimate crowd of our close friends. Scott's dad got a chance to play with the band, and Laya, Alia, and I got a chance to catch up with Ned and Bob from Augsburg (which was a hoot and a half!) We finished thing up with a mad bouquet toss...I'm not really sure who got it, but I remember turning around and seeing all the ladies in a pile, and bits of my bouquet flying around! (I have to admit I was sad I had spent almost 3 hours making it to see it falling apart!)

We were able to clean up pretty quick, and get everything back to our apartment. Our friends invited us out for drinks, and even though it was late, we wanted to stay awake because we were leaving for our honeymoon in 4 hours at 4am! So, we went out, ate a little, and somehow managed to stay awake until we got to the airport. Peter was *AMAZINGLY* awake when he drove us...I was impressed! (And thankful we didn't have to take a taxi!) As soon as we got on the plane, I took some cold meds, and I was out cold and pretty much slept until we got to Mexico, minus the stop in Atlanta.

The honeymoon in Cancun was also wonderful. Quiet and relaxing...exactly what we both needed. And it was nice to have some time just the two of us after the family togetherness over the previous weekend. But, more about the honeymoon another time, because I have already written a book! I will leave you with some photos of the wedding, taken by our friends:

Laya and my mom, pinning the veil my mother made me on my head:

Kiss from my groom during pictures with the photographer:

Right after the ceremony before Scott broke the glass:

Dancing the hora, while our friends/family threw us up on chairs:

At Friday, post wedding trying to stay awake until we left for our honeymoon:

And one from our Honeymoon, off the balcony in front of the ocean:

The case of the Insomniac BRIDE!

Those who know me, know I have two extremes:

1) Fall asleep in the middle of anything.

2) Have Sever insomnia.

Tonight, or rather, this morning, I am wide awake with insomnia. It must be all this wedding excitement!

It has been a busy week-and-a-half...We've assembled our centerpieces, had a final dress fitting, finished the baking, alphabetized the name cards, wrote as many thank-you cards as possible, cleaned like a banshee, etc.; every moment has pretty much been focussed on our wedding this coming Sunday.

Even with the wedding focus, things still seem to be relaxed. I have many things to get done, but I'm not feeling bad if I don't accomplish everything on my daily to-do list.

I have been experiencing Bride-nesia, this strange phenomenon where if it's not written down on paper, I will most likely never remember it! For example, I almost forgot I have a dentist appointment on Wednesday. What kind of bride would I be if I missed my dentist appointment?! (Only kidding...)

And so, this Bride needs to try to go to sleep now and cure this case of bride-nesia...

Celebrating our "Singlehood" on the Good Town of Minneapolis!

Last night was what Alia refers to as the "10-hour Bachelorette party that resulted in permanent marker on everyone!"

We started at Laya's for some pizza and *AMAZING* chocolate cheesecake that Peter baked! We also played some games of the "Bachelorette Party" persuasion, and then I was decorated with bride-to-be flair including an adorable tiara, a "bachelorette" sash, a purple-feathered bride pin, and a permanent marker in which to get people to sign my sash, or me when the sash ran out of room.

 

The bridal entourage then owned Hennenin Ave. as we paraded down to Calhoun Square getting lots of "Congratulations!" shouted our way, and landed at The Independent. And of course, we had to get this obligatory elevator picture in memory of getting stuck in the good old Mort elevator in college with 905735 million people:

And the Independent, I went to to the ladies room with Laya, which is actually a "unisex" bathroom, where a girl named Erin got really excited and said "Are you getting married!" She tried on my "Bachelorette" sash, and then proceeded to introduce me to all her friends who gave me about 10 million hugs after writing all over my sash and on me with my permanent marker...lol.

After The Independent, we unanimously decided dancing was in order. 

So the bridal entourage flagged a few taxis and header for the 508 Club. Our Taxi driver, as my kids would say, was "BEAST". His name was Abdi, and he was rockin' out to some badass music, and when we passed his other taxi-driver friends would shout out the window "You are driving the WRONG TAXI my friend! I've got the Pretty Ladies in THIS Taxi!" He was by FAR the best taxi of the evening.

En-route to the 508 Club, communications with the Groom's entourage were taking place, and on the corner of Riverfront and 5th Street, we met up with Scott's groomsmen and friends. 

While we were waiting on the corner, just as the bachelor's were crossing the street, a very inebriated man stopped dead in the middle of the road, and loudly announced to me from the street "I'm sorry. I'm sorry such a beautiful woman is about to be taken off the market!" (I pretty much stood out like a sore thumb because I had so much damn "flair" on me!)

The wait to get into the 508 Club was a bit long, but luckily one of the groomsmen knew the bouncer, so we got let right in. 

After some dancing, we decided to flag a taxi, and head back to uptown. We were HUNGRY, and decided we would get some fresh grub at the Uptown Diner --which opens late! Laya called for a taxi van so all of us could ride in one vehicle. We waited for an hour, and eventually crammed into Taxi Van. While we waited, we took pictures with the drummers, and Scott and I received marriage advice from some interesting folk (as you can see in the videos...one below, others in another post!)

      

We eventually made it to the Uptown Diner, and by the time we were eating it was right around 4am! While we waited, Scott added to the Bridal graffiti:

 

At this point, were all exhausted, and after eating, we said goodnight to each other and to the evening of fun as we made our ways home where slumber ensued.

First official day off!

Well, this morning has been great! I slept in, and actually feel somewhat rested for the first time in many, many months. I had forgotten what this feeling felt like!

Today is also my first "official" day that I don't have to work. After having a wedding this past weekend (Scott was a Groomsman!), I haven't really had a chance to help my mom with wedding stuff. (She has done the majority of the work so far...she's a good mom!) 

I am teaching lessons all day on Wednesday, and I'm in a wedding on Thursday and Friday via my violin and the "Crazy Trio" :-) , but other than that, I actually have some free time today and tomorrow to focus on wedding stuff.

This week there is a lot on the agenda as we are drawing near to our special day (so exciting!!) I am going to get my dress fitted/altered (I'm about 1 & 1/2 feet too short...lol), I need to figure out my hair for the veil so my mom can finish it, I need to edit the music for my 11 students that are playing in my wedding, I need to compose our programs, I need to write about 303058205820 million thank-you cards, call anyone who hasn't RSVP'd yet, make the favors, finish making the slideshow (FYI, Scott is ADORABLE as a little guy!), figure out centerpieces (we may donate food instead of books because STEP is having a shortage right now), and get to Michael's sometime this week. I'd also really like to get a workout in...I've been on a running role! (4-6 miles on the elliptical, Baby!)

My sister helped me go through our very large boxes of photos over the weekend while I was between the other wedding, so now we can start putting the pictures into the slideshow that will be running at the wedding. My sister is really quite a trooper because she's not only working right now, but she's also taking college summer classes. And not only has she been a great help, but she is also playing in the wedding this coming Thursday and Friday too!

I am feeling so excited about this wedding (as if you couldn't tell by this post..haha!) Next week is the first rehearsal with my students to hear what they will sound like in the sanctuary. The only time I have ever heard musicians in our sanctuary was for Simchat Torah, so this is an extremely special thing. 

What a blessed girl I am to have such wonderful students play music for us in the place that is most holy to me! 

So, I suppose I should get on to editing that music so I can mail the final copies to my students when the Post Office opens!

And real quick, here are a few pictures from this weekend's wedding:

Here's the boys all dressed up after we figured out the cuff-links and button covers! At least we'll know how to use them for our wedding!

At the reception, telling old college tales...Scott is laughing so hard he has his face in his hands, and Mike's mom is totally a good sport about slightly inappropriate college tales!

And two of us after figuring out my camera! Scott's eyes even in black and white show up so nicely!

School's Out...Pictures, Practice Bouquets, and Thank-You Cards!

I can't believe school's over! I got enough done today that I won't have to go in until next Wednesday when I teach private lessons. So until then, it's wedding mode!

This morning Scott came with me to work, and got to hear the rehearsal with the four girls playing the quartet before the wedding! I also copied, edited, and organized about 4953058 million folders for the wedding. I need to finish editing Erev She Shoshanim before I can mail the music out to the 11 students who are playing for the wedding.

Tonight, was many wedding things! First, my mom and I experimented with flowers for the wedding. We really aren't having a ton of flowers because they are extremely expensive, and we really can't afford them. However, things such as the corsages/boutonnières for the groomsmen, parent's of the bride/groom, and musicians will all receive a hand-made corsage such as the one's below:

As for my bouquet, we are also going to make that, too. When I originally priced flowers, a purple wedding bouquet over a holiday weekend would have cost about $300! Instead, I spent about $30 on practice materials, 1/10 of the store bought/designer cost, and created both my own bouquet, as well as all the corsages and boutonnière. I really liked the purple Cala lilies and the small, white roses  that we found. I am hoping we will find those the weekend of the wedding! The orange-pink roses I don't really like. If they were plain white roses, I think it would look a lot better. Here's the "pretend" example that I came up with:

And a close-up of a purple Cala-Lily:

Now I know what I need to do for the wedding, and how many flowers/ribbon/etc. I'll need to buy to make everything.

After making flowers, my sister and I began looking through the GIANT box of pictures that my parents took while we were growing up. We will be making a little movie to show at the wedding, and Scott and I are each picking out our favorite childhood pictures. There is one more GIANT box that I need to go through, and then I can finish picking out pictures. I am glad both our parents took pictures of us growing up!

Wow, almost 3 weeks to go! While I am extremely excited, I'm still feeling relaxed...I hope this feeling of relaxation is here to stay!

Swans!

One of my students happens to be extremely artistic with paper. Today, he gave me this pair of *BEAUTIFUL* handmade paper swans as a wedding gift that took him 2 weeks (!!) to make!

When I showed them to Scott, he spent about a good minute just saying "Wow! How did he do that?!"

Besides the fact that I am completely in awe at the hundreds of tiny little papers that make up each swan, I am also absolutely touched that a student put in so much effort to make such a beautiful gift!

Here's a close-up of the papers:

We plan on placing the swans at our table for the reception at our wedding!

I was a sucker for this countdown!

It really is getting close!

Origami Place Cards

So the other day my mom found an origami book at Half-Price books for $6, and in it, she came up with an idea for our place cards! 

Yesterday we bought paper, and today, we tested our ideas out and came up with these:

This is the one for Friday night, because it's a little bit more work to make, and we need less place cards for Friday's dinner.  I think we'll us a silver pen instead of gold, and the purple paper is the same from our invitations.

  

This is the one for the actual wedding. The paper is iridescent, but it's hard to tell because the camera doesn't pick that up. Also, the purple paper with a design on it is handmade paper. I love working with textiles so much!

We are also thinking we will have used books to donate in honor of our wedding for our centerpieces (donating something and using it as a centerpiece is a very common Jewish thing to do...my sister did food for the local food shelf at her Bat Mitzvah...) I think it will be a good reminder to help the community around us while we are celebrating such a Simcha, and to start our life together by giving something back.

Anyways, off to get some stuff done!

Shavouah-tov!

Mir

You can always go UPtown!

So tonight, Scott and I were exhausted. My mom and I had been running errands all day for the wedding (after Synagogue!), and thought a movie would sound fun and relaxing.

Well, they all started at 9-something PM, and we had missed all the 7pm start times. So we decided to go out for some bubble tea instead.

We were driving along Hennepin Ave. when Scott says "Hey, that look like Laya..." We had to go around the block to park the correct way on the one-way by The Tea Garden, and I looked up, and sure enough it was Laya walking right by the Uptown Diner! 

So I immediately called her on my cell, and she crossed the street and joined us for a spot of bubble tea!

And thus, our random meeting called for a group photo...I like how in this photo Laya is in a tank top, I'm freezing my tushy off and have a scarf on, and Scott is sort of popped in at the bottom...lol...