Getting ready for marriage...

Today, I was caught off guard when I read this amazing post about marriage. The simple message is that marriage ain't easy but the road through is fun as hell.

I've been an emotional wreck lately. Between the religious council in Israel, Rabbis in Detroit contesting my Jewishness, and the mess of planning a wedding - I haven't been holding it together very well. Not only that, but try working full time AND taking exams all while climbing out of debt. My life is fun, right?

I'll win the lotto soon... hopefully.

 Like I said, I've been an emotional wreck lately and I haven't been the easiest person to deal with. I may be the luckiest girl in the world but lately I've been very down on myself. I wanted to lose weight before the wedding. That backfired. I wanted my exams to be relatively stress free. That also backfired. I was told planning a wedding in Israel is MUCH easier than planning a wedding in the US. That's a lie. While 90% of the wedding was planned by last November, the last 10% is the hardest part.

Note to my friends looking to get married - ELOPE! Seriously.

I'm hoping that this stuff will pass and I will go back to feeling normal (less moody, more sarcastic).

If you have a moment, take a look at what Lacey wrote about marriage. Her blog is pretty awesome and her post on marriage and love really made me smile. Thanks, Lacey!

Why I Love Etsy

Hello all! Rarely do I actually take the time to write up a product review but this time I want to give a shout-out to Etsy. If you're into one of a kind, personalized, artsy type stuff - shop Etsy. I decided a while ago that most of our wedding goodies and extras would be furnished by smaller stores. In this economy, people are having a hard time making ends meet - so this is my way of giving back.

Recently, I bought a really cool stamp. All it says is Craig and Hillary Glaser with a heart where the "and" is. It's really simple and will last me a long LONG time. I searched for a long time on Etsy and finally found this great business called RubberStamp Press. Kim is amazing! I promise, you will LOVE her hospitality - she is VERY helpful when it comes to personalizing her stamps. I also promise to put up pictures of stuff I've stamped AFTER I buy stamp ink. Who knew it'd be so hard to find ink presses in Israel??

Anyway, the image is similar to this design only without the address:

Kim does phenomenal work and she's truly wonderful! I wouldn't be able to "Brand" our wedding goodies without her. 

I've purchased other stuff from Etsy as well. In May, I purchased a necklace or two from Tiny Trees Boutique and let me tell you - they were a HIT! Just ask my Mom! Her pendents are made from scrabble tiles and are really cute as little gifts. This may be my next purchase from her:

I've purchased many other things from Etsy and will probably buy more stuff in the future... perhaps AFTER my tax refund check arrives. But that's another story...

Wedding, Exams, and Work - Oh My!

Getting married is hard. Getting married in Israel is harder. Will being married be easier? Probably not.

My pre-wedding diet? Failed. (she writes as she reaches for a cookie.)

Pre-wedding prep? Stuck. (she writes as she's trying to find the phone number for the caterer.)

Studying for exams? EPIC FAIL! (but the class notes are in her bag)

This time of the year is always hectic for us- school, work, exams...etc. Getting married made it a tad more difficult. Thankfully, at the end of the day - I am stuck with this guy:

... and 2 very opportunistic dogs...

... and some awesome girl friends...

Life is Good! 

Less than 2 months and we'll look like this: 

 

 

Only Married!!

The Right to Marry...

So, if you've been following at all, I've been having some problems with the Rabbis here in Israel. One Rabbinic branch told me I'm not Jewish. Another told me I need to have an Orthodox Rabbi write a letter proving my Jewishness. Here in Israel, the right to marry a fellow Jew comes from the Rabbanut. There is no such thing as a civil marriage between Jews in Israel. It's the OPPOSITE of the US and is looking more and more like Iran every day.

One of my religious "friends" told me "if you don't like it - move elsewhere and get married in the US!" Well, I don't like it. It's my DEMOCRATIC RIGHT not to like it. I'm all for the Jewish State (10000000% Zionist here) but I shouldn't have to jump through hoops to prove I'm a Jew when all 4 of my grandparents were persecuted in the Holocaust for being JEWISH! My maternal grandmother was in Auschwitz.

The basis for my lack of Jewishness stems from my mom marrying a Catholic on her 2nd marriage. Understand this: both of my birth parents are Jewish. Just because my mother married outside the faith does not make her a non-Jew. She was born a Jew, her mother's a Jew... that's how it rolls. My step-dad, who is AMAZING- by the way, is not Jewish. It doesn't mean I was raised Catholic. I wasn't. I went to the Beth Achim Religious school through Adat Shalom Synagogue. I was active in a Jewish youth movement called BBYO (B'nai B'rith Youth Organization). Yet, I went to a conservative (re: NOT Orthodox) synagogue and I have 2 Rabbis (perhaps 3) that have written on my behalf stating I am in fact a Jew.

None of those Rabbis are Orthodox. Their opinion on my Jewishness does not count.

But you know what's funny? If I were in the US, I could get married because I am a heterosexual. You know what's not funny? Some of my friends cannot get married. While I may be a Republican, I still believe in the democratic right to marry who you want (as long as they are human) - regardless of religious belief. Religion does not belong in American society. If I'm about to be miserable for the rest of my life (joking!) - so why can't my gay friends??

Watch this:

Flower Arranging vs. Chicken Soup

On Thursday, I had the audacity to plan out my Friday. I was going to go for a long walk, pick up a bunch of flowers, some vases, head to the market to buy some fruits and veggies and relax at home.

Man plans.

G-d laughs.

I woke up on Friday with a cold. I could feel it coming - the sore throat, itchy nose, watery eyes... the works. I decided that wasn't going to stop me from one project I had planned: flower arranging.

When Craig and I got engaged and started planning our wedding, I knew I wanted to plan our centerpieces by myself. Don't ask me WHY I felt compelled to do it but I wanted to do it anyway. I set aside this weekend (my only free weekend before exams) to practice my flower arranging.

There was no long walk. No market. No relaxation. I did pick up my flowers and my make-shift vases.

As the day wore on, my cold got worse. I've never had a cold come on this quickly before. Usually, the sore throat lasts a bit longer. A few of my friends have come down with pneumonia which worries me a bit. Yet, I still went on as planned with my flowers.

By 6pm, all I wanted was sleep. My flowers were done but my grandmother asked me a brilliant question "why did you waste your time with flowers? You should have made yourself chicken soup!" She had a point. The flower arranging won because, well, I am stubborn. Now I have no soup for a sore throat. No soup for a cough. No soup for comfort.

Instead, I sit - wide awake - at 3AM. I am disturbing the dogs and depriving them of their sleep. I am also wishing I had made myself chicken soup. Tomorrow's beach day is canceled. I plan to sleep all day (thanks to mother nature's cruel joke in keeping me awake at 3am)... but at least I have pretty, cheerful flowers to keep around the house!