Breathing Lessons

As wedding energy pumps up, I take a minute to slow down. Things, I feel, are going at a whirlwind pace. Everyday, I wonder who else has RSVPed, everyday the to-do list gets updated, with items checked off and new tasks to tackle. It's tough to stay calm. I feel the wedding that was once more than a year away growing closer and closer. I don't feel behind, or disorganized, or worried. These final days are just a ton of balls in the air, though. The devil is in the details, and boy are there a lot of devils. But you know what else is coming more into focus: the rest of my life! My life past the wedding, with its catered food and music and dancing and family and friends. Just this week, I was looking at the calendar for the rest of the year (trying to figure out vacation days for the honeymoon), and Dan and I were talking about a September trip to Chicago for a friend's wedding and the High Holidays. It's a comforting feeling, knowing that there really is life after wedding, because with all the planning and focus on that big day, sometimes I lose track of that fact. And so, as the day draws nearer, I am trying to remember to breathe deeply, enjoy the final days of planning, and look forward to the big event and the many other big events thereafter.

Mindful Twittering

As time trickles down toward the wedding (less than two months to go...I can't believe it), I thought I might need something in addition to the blog to update my readers on the latest nuptial news. Time is more limited now, and things are happening faster. In fact, just today, my mindful groom ordered our wedding bands (as in the rings, not the music) and dropped off information necessary for our marriage certificate. The details have sprung into action--no longer is it "find a venue for the reception" but "start doing seat assignments." We've hired a caterer, but now we need to decide between yakitori or citrus marinated salmon fillets. For cupcakes--vanilla or chocolate? Mango or raspberry sorbet? Traditional or modern ketubah? The planning stage is more intense, more fast-paced, but I am trying to remember to relax, to have fun with the details, and to twitter about them. So check me out on my new twitter site: www.twitter.com/mindfulbride. But don't worry, I'm still a mindful blogger, too!

Who's Coming?

Now, the exciting part begins: getting the RVSP notes. We had the responses sent to my parents' house, so almost every day I call them, begging them to tell me 1) how many of the off-white, self-addressed envelopes returned to them 2) what the letters inside said. And so, one or the other of them finds the mail, sorts out the response cards, and reads each message out loud to me. More often than not, Dan is in the background, and I convey my parents' message to him. I purposely left the response card blank--a tip I learned from a bridal magazine--to encourage creative responses from our guests. So far, their poignant witticisms haven't disappointed me. What did disappoint me was yesterday, when none of the responses came in the mail. I actually felt sad, and both Dan and my dad told me, "That's it. There are no more guests coming." Fortunately, that's not true, because four more "yeses" arrived in the mail today. I spoke to my mother at 8pm to get the latest update. And, as I prepare for sleep, I only wonder what I'll learn tomorrow.

Meaning in Matzah

2009 is just full of firsts: last night, Dan and I hosted an inaugural sedar. A small sedar, but a sedar nonetheless, complete with horse radish, haroset (the delicious apple and nut concoction), matzah, and all the other traditional Passover delicacies. We passed over the standard brisket in favor of chile-rubbed salmon fillet topped with an avocado pineapple salsa. My parents came over, bringing the ever popular matzah ball soup, some wine, and chocolates for dessert. It was a small, cozy sedar honoring the importance of freedom and liberation, and as we read the prayer book, one line stayed with me. "Every generation must find freedom for itself." I am sure this line can be interpreted several ways, but on the eve of my wedding (I'm speaking figuratively here...it's not literally tomorrow), I was thinking that every person must carve his or her own path as they grow up. They should have the freedom to choose their job, their home, their hobbies, their friends, and their life partners. The choices aren't always easy, and like the leavened bread we forego for eight days, they come with certain sacrifices. But in the end, these choices help define who were are.

Please RSVP By...

The invitations arrived. A square shaped piece of paper, with Elissa and Daniel written in big silvery gray cursive letters at the top. (A whimsical, slightly less formal cursive). The text below is in the same font and color, only smaller. The whole invitation is framed with a one-eighth inch of the same silvery gray hue. If you turn the invitation to its back side, it is a solid silver gray. I think they came out beautifully, if I do say so myself. Last week Dan and I spent the evenings stuffing the invites, placing the invitations ever so delicately inside the silver-lined envelope. In another process, we stuffed directions, parking information, and a response card inside the response envelop, which we then added to the larger invitation envelope. Then came stamp time. Rather than affix an ugly $1.00 stamp to each envelope, I splurged for two, much nice $.42 and $.59 stamps (price $1.01). Then, with everything glued, stuffed, inserted, Dan dropped them off, where they'll travel all across the world.

Surprise!

This morning I woke up, and thinking of my long wedding to-do list, I nudged Dan out of sleep. "Dan" I said. "You know what we should do?" "What" he replied sleepily. "We should just get married TODAY!" "What?" he repeated. I went on to recite the nuptial-related errands, everything from mailing out invitations to finalizing the menu to picking out the wedding-day attire. "I am not saying we shouldn't have THAT wedding, but wouldn't it be so nice just to already be married, so when June 7th comes around, we can relax, knowing that we are already hitched," I explained, excited growing in my voice. We could get married today. We could go to sleep tonight husband and wife. Dan sat up in bed, thinking for a second. "It's an intriguing plan," he said. "Do you think the rabbi could come on such short notice?" I hesitated. Like most rabbis, ours is over-extended and always busy. Getting him to come with no advance warning was more or less impossible. But sure enough, he had a cancelled appointment, and was able to squeeze our ceremony in. Keeping with tradition, I wore a white skirt and matching top; Dan put on his favorite black corduroy blazer with the suede elbow patches, a crisp white shirt, and dark gray slacks. The event happened so quickly, in such a blur, that I really can't remember much else. Except the date: April 1st!!!

A New Pet?

On my way to work this morning, I abruptly stopped in front of the newspaper stand. A picture on the front page of the paper had begged my attention. It was a baby leopard, born at the national zoo. Unbelievably adorable, this precious ball of orange and black fur pulled at my heart strings like only newborn animals can do (I was overwhelmed with emotion when I saw pictures of little Tai Shan, the panda born three years ago). Early yesterday, two leopard cubs were found alive--the first time in 16 years!