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...

Getting Closer!

I can't believe how fast time is flying, and how quick the wedding is coming up!

On Thursday we both met with the executive director and the Rabbi to talk about the logistics of the wedding.

We walked through the sanctuary, and tried to figure out where the best place was to put everyone. It sounds like the orchestra will be on the upper level of the Bima (see below), and the Chuppah will be on the lower level. The Wedding party will stand on the stairs, and onto the main floor of the sanctuary.

The Rabbi also had some cool ideas about a Ketubah, and also explained the order of the ceremony. My favorite part is where Scott gets to put the veil on me after everyone leaves the room. She explained this for

 two reasons:

1) To make sure I am in fact me (Biblically Rachel and Leah were switched at the wedding)

2) and by leaving the two of us alone, we are defining our own space as a new couple.

I am also debating whether or not to change into another dress for the reception. I'm kind of accident prone, and the wedding dress is difficult to move in. If I change into another dress, I think I will be able to move easier. And since I am borrowing the dress from my cousin, I would feel better about less chance of spilling on the dress. We shall see!

Much love to all! Enjoy the long weekend!

Love (And Shabbat Shalom),

Mir

The longest walk EVAR.

So this afternoon I was actually able to leave work by 3pm!

I thought about going ot the gym, but it was incredibly nice outside. So instead Scott and I decided to check out the trail about a mile away from our apartment that goes into Minneapolis. We ended up walking all the way to the Sculpture garden, and saw the sparkling new painted cherry!

On the way back though, we were both starting to run out of energy...lol. And we brought back a few blisters on the bottoms of our feet.

It was *such* a nice walk though, and we walked about 7-8 miles! I think this summer, that trail is going to be my morning walking route.

It's so nice to know that even in the middle of the city, there's still a beautiful prairie to explore.

Off to bake that kugel for dinner!

-Mir

Fun With Baking

Hello,

While I type this, Miriam is currently making a Banana Cake. This is one of the many qualities that I adore about her.  At least I know i'll never go hungry!  We had these overripe Bananas hanging around so she decided to put them to good use.  

Recently Miriam received a KitchenAid mixer from her Bubbie and Zaydie.  This was given to her at her Bridal Shower.  No doubt she will be using this many times to make baked goodies for our future children and guests.

In other news, i just finished my 2nd week at my new internship.  I am a Mental Health Counseling Intern (Practicum Student).  The internship is going well so far and I do have my hands full.  I have realized that my weekends need to be very laid back and relaxing, because if they are not, I do a great disservice to my clients.  I think I can deal with this whole relaxing bit.

Other than being tired from the change in activity level and sleep, I am doing really well.  I am thrilled that summer is on the way and i plan to do a lot of relaxing on the patio and spending as much time as I can outdoors.  A little less than a month and a half until the wedding...this is getting exciting! 

Take Care,

Scott

Busy week!

Well, this week was quite exciting!

First of all, we've mailed all our invitations. It's amazing how many hours it took to stuff the envelopes with all the correct invites. Now, it's even more exciting to wait for response cards to see who's coming!

Here's some photos of what our invitations look like...we made them by hand, thanks to a lot of help from our friends and family!

Second, I officially have arranged for some of my orchestra students to play at our wedding. Scott and I decided since they are such a big part of my life, that it would be very meaningful to have them provide the music for the ceremony. So far, it looks like I will be walking down the isle to Sunrise, Sunset, and our recessional will most likely be Erev Shel Shoshanim (Evening of Roses). 

My students will be sitting in the upper part of the Bima, facing Scott and I under the Chuppah, and with the way the sanctuary is designed, we will literally be surrounded by our family, friends, and community as the Rabbi recites the 7 brachot (blessings). This is a bit of the stained glass window that my students will be playing their music under (picture can be found on the Bnai Emet Website):

I like that it says "Emet", which means "Truth". (Bnai Emet, the name of the Synagogue means "People of Truth").

Third, this coming week, Scott and I are going to meet with the Rabbi to figure out some logistics! We still need to by our ketubah (marriage contract), and figure out the wording for that. I want to pick out one with some artwork on it, so we can hang it up on our home. So far, I've been attracted to sunsets, and pomegranate trees, but ultimately, I think it's going to come down to cost!

It's amazing how soon the wedding is coming up...I still feel relaxed about everything, and I'm looking forward to seeing so much family! 

Really.

This is what happens when we are in severe sleep debt on a Saturday night.

Shower #1!

Wow, this weekend was crazy busy between the school fundraiser, Shabbat, Talya being in town...but the highlight was my first bridal shower!

My aunts cooked, baked, and treated me like a queen this weekend at my Baubie's house. It was good to see so many old relatives, new relatives, and close friends of the family! Everyone keeps telling me I'm glowing, and after seeing the pictures from this weekend, I believe them.

These are three of my favorite pictures from the shower. The first two are with my cousins, and the last is my mother and my Baubbie Rene...that one is extra special to me because it has 3 generations in the one photo:

I was sad my sister Talya couldn't be there, but I did get to see her for Shabbat and for brunch on Saturday before she had to get back to Fargo for her choir concert!

Now, I am slowly working on those thank-you cards. I have gotten 12 written so far, and my goal is to be done writing them all by Shabbat on Friday. I admit I am glad to be getting rid of my dorm dishes, and will now have enough milk dishes that people won't have to eat in shifts when they come over =)

My Aunt Ann made a paper journal for us, and had everyone write a piece of advice in it. I haven't been able to read it, yet, but I'm excited to take in the advice my aunts, cousins, grandparents, and parents took in when they got married. It's like the little "L'Dor V'Dor" (translation: from generation to generation) book of advice.

If Baubie Rose were here right now, I know she would've had at least two or three words of wisdom to add. Not to mention, Kvell all over the place =)

It is truly apprent the wedding is around the corner...tomorrow the first set of invitations goes out! How did May get here so fast? Pretty soon I will be sadly saying goodbye to my seniors. But as the school year ends, the wedding begins!

B'Shalom and Lila Tov to all!

Miriam