G-A-L = F-L-U

Earlier this month I finished training to be a volunteer for the Guardian ad Litem program. Since then I've been working with kids in the foster system, and it's been really fun. There are frustrating parts, but I've had a blast hanging out with the kids I've met so far. 

However, after two weeks of crawling on the floor playing "Monopoly", making bracelets with lots of little kids hands pawing for beads, and drawing pictures with shared markers, I think I've become infested with those infamous little kid germs. It also feels like the infestation hit my body via a bus. Blah. 

Fact: Flu Virus survived this flame engulfed bus to come get 

me and drive the bus head on into my body. 

Fingers crossed I shake this with some ramen and sleep. And Biggest Loser episodes. And whining to Barrett. I have a home visit tomorrow night that I don't want to miss, so homegirl's gotta get back to good! 

Snow is pretty awesome.

Especially when it isn't cold enough to stick to asphalt, but it is cold enough to preserve a snowman overnight.

Last night was the first time I experienced snow at a place of residence and not just a place of vacation-ence. I'm not sure why that matters, but I thought the differentiation was important. I watched the snow, made a petite snowman on my car, and then went to bed. The next morning, the snow was still fluffy but the roads were clear. Win-win, in my book.

On being a Jewb* in the South

*Jew + newb = Jewb

So, I technically became a Jew on April 15, 2011. The irony of becoming a Jew on tax day isn't lost on me, and my penchant for slightly offensive and inappropriate humor appreciates the coincidence.

My decision to become a Jew is sort of a long story, so here's the short version: I think Judaism is interesting, thought provoking, challenging, and rewarding. The religion and the culture made sense to me, so once I realized I could convert, I struggled with the decision for a few years and then finally studied and became one.  And then I moved far, far away from any Jews I knew.

(Barrett took the journey with me as well, but our experiences were very different, so I'm only going to talk about me right now.)

I had a pretty sweet deal in San Diego. I rekindled a friendship with a really great woman named Eva, who was able to sort of mentor me through my Jewification and make Judaism much more accessible to me. I had really supportive non-Jewish friends, like Tauni and Mark, who asked really great questions and made me feel like I was always making the right decision. All three of them even attended my graduation from Jew school.

 Immediately after this picture was taken I tried to high-five Barrett,
who, instead,
body-checked me into a table. 

Our synagogue, Congregation Beth Israel, was totally gorgeous and the people we met there were absolutely wonderful. Rabbit Satz, (Awesome Rabbi #1 in the above picture) spent hours with us after services, in private meetings, in pre-marital counseling sessions, and even at our own wedding, where he created a beautiful and educational ceremony for us and all of our guests. Rabbi Berk (Awesome Rabbi #2) and Rabbi/Cantor Bernstein (not pictured but totally Awesome Rabbi #3) were also exceedingly generous with their time and energy. Learning to be a Jew was really easy back in San Diego. Being a Jew out here is way harder, though.

I'm honestly not sure why that is. There's still a Young Adult Division the meets semi-regularly. There is still a Reform synagogue. There is even a Conservative synagogue that I may even like better than the Reform synagogue. There are charismatic rabbis, young Jews, old Jews, a Jewish boarding school, and even a really great Kosher section at the local Harris-Teeter. We've hosted Shabbat dinners at our home, attended services, and threw a Hannukah party. I'm toying with the idea of hosting a seder this  year, too. For whatever reason though, I just feel less Jewish right now.

Is it because I still don't know enough about Judaism? Is it because the South is predominantly Christian and conservative, and I got spoiled with a huge Jewish congregation? Is it growing pains? Is it learning to be a Jew without attending services and instead practicing more at home? Is just because I'm not a great Jew (whatever that is)? Maybe it's because my first year and a half being and becoming Jewish was one big step after the other, and now I am Jewish and it's like: I'm HERE! I'm JEWISH! ...Now what? 

Help me out, little man! 

I have a feeling it's all of the above, and then some. For over a year, my version of Judaism was attending services on Friday night, going to some classes while I converted, and maaaaybe attending Torah study once in a blue moon. Now, I don't really jive with the Reform synagogue here. It feels more Protestant to me than Jewish, and while I like the Conservative temple, I don't know enough Hebrew to follow along with the services. To be fair, I haven't attended Torah study here, and maybe that's something that needs to change.

I suppose I thought that once I'd studied, converted, and continued practicing and believing I was Jewish, I would actually, ya know, feel Jewish. Right now I just feel sort of isolated, and if there's anything I love and know about Judaism, it's that no Jew is meant to be Jewish in isolation! By Judaism's very nature, that is impossible.

I'm not sure what the next best step is to fix this (services? mikveh? Torah study? more lox and bagels?), but I do hope I fix it soon. I feel like I'm doing a disservice to myself and to my hard work when I feel like this, and I have to believe the ability to change this feeling it entirely up to me. What is the point to being a Jew if you just sit at home and feel kind of weird about it, right?

Jew-ing Out, Vol. 1, Ed. 1

So, we got married August 21, 2011. We finally got our ketubah framed. The timing of our decision to frame may have had something to do with Michael's 50% off custom framing sale (see: title of post--ZING!), and it may also have had something to do with the fact that showing off your ketubah is way easier if you're not unpacking it from a cardboard sleeve every single time you want to display your one piece of customized art.


In short, a ketubah is a Jewish wedding contract. Back in the old days, it really was a contract (much like civil marriages are today, only with much different terms). The ketubah dictated what the husband was required to provide to the wife; it dictated the minimum amount of sex a husband must have with his wife, and it also stated what sort of financial compensation a wife was entitled to should her husband decide to divorce her. Think of it as a document that encompassed some basic aspects of pre-marital counseling and prenuptial agreements before those things were en vogue.

We opted for a ketubah containing both Hebrew and English, as well as egalitarian language stating our contractual marriage vows. We chose artwork that evoked memories of our wedding day (there were peacocks everywhere), and something that wasn't overtly feminine or masculine. It was tough to pick one we both liked, but our pre-marital counseling sessions had us readily equipped to handle such conflicts.

Without further ado, here are some pictures of our ketubah:

                                The beautiful ketubah, and our rental grade carpet.

                           I think the mint green matting really makes the leaves in the border pop.

                                                Still loving the green matting.