Instagram Review...it's been a while.

Hello dear friends,

What with finals and final papers looming around the corner, my little reviews have become fewer and fewer! Our every day lives have been crazy but never without their fun moments. We had a belated Passover Seder with our youth, coupled with an intense water balloon fight. Oh, and also some major pyrotechnics as a grand finale. THAT was fun. My husband and his friends thought that it would be a great idea to light the fireworks while holding them in their hands. Thank goodness, they came out unscathed.

Also, Toby won my heart all over when I found him one weekend making breakfast before I had gotten up.
I love that he makes everything so special, even in the little things. But let's face it, it's the little things that make up the big things. Anyhow, hope you enjoy the little peak in our lives!

Toby reading the Haggadah for the Seder. What a hottie! :)

Some of our amazing youth.

You should have SEEN the craziness that ensued! This was the least of it.

Another week, another Shabbat.

Found some time to do some journaling, somehow!

The birds :)

Toby making breakfast for me. What a man.

Had a pick me up yesterday...mmm mmm.

Also had some nice re-lax-ation time all by myself!

Welcome to my new home for the next 2 weeks.

See you next time!

~B~

We will never forget: Holocaust Remembrance 2012

From the Jewish Virtual Library: A badge Jews were forced to wear
in Germany during the Holocaust.

From sundown April 18th to sundown of April 19th was Yom HaShoah ( Day of Destruction) or other wise known as Holocaust Remembrance Day. It is a dark, day in the history of the Jewish people but also for all others. 11 million people were killed in the Holocaust, for no reason at all other than hatred. There are people in this world that are arguing that the Holocaust never happened. THIS IS NOT TRUE.
We should never forget even the most gruesome parts of history, or we run the risk of it repeating itself. How do we know when we're getting sick? We recognize the symptoms.

We must remember the symptoms of intolerance and hatred. I know the Holocaust happened. I have met and known survivors and heard their chilling tales of despair and even of hope. Our children will not have this privilege. They will have only books, movies and interviews. Nothing they can see, hear and touch. We must keep the memory alive for their sakes, for history's sake.

We remember and honor the sacrifices of those who were murdered without cause. To those who were slain because of who they were, and for those who stood up for others in the face of evil.

Last night we lit yahrtzeit candles and said the Kaddish (the mourners' prayer) in memorium. I will post here  too.

May we never forget.

"May the great Name of God be exalted and sanctified, throughout the world, which he has created according to his will. May his Kingship be established in your lifetime and in your days, and in the lifetime of the entire household of Israel, swiftly and in the near future; and say, Amen.
May his great name be blessed, forever and ever.
Blessed, praised, glorified, exalted, extolled, honored elevated and lauded be the Name of the holy one, Blessed is he- above and beyond any blessings and hymns, Praises and consolations which are uttered in the world; and say Amen. May there be abundant peace from Heaven, and life, upon us and upon all Israel; and say, Amen.

He who makes peace in his high holy places, may he bring peace upon us, and upon all Israel; and say Amen."
-Translation from yahrtzeit.org

The Kaddish in Hebrew

~B~

Survey Saturday

Today's survey is all about SPRING, for it has sprung in all its glory.

1. Spring is great because all the flowers and trees and greenness burst forth into life. Spring is all about new life! What a perfect time of year!

2. My favorite flower is a daisy because it is a simple flower that doesn't need a bunch of fanciness to be beautiful :)

3. In the spring, I love to wear skirts and dresses! Spring is such a fun and pretty season, so its hard not to want to feel fun and pretty right along with it.

4. My favorite spring holiday is Passover, which has just passed! We had a great one this year and I miss it already.

5. A nice spring treat is a nice, cold slushy from sonic OR a Cherry Limeade. mmmm. Or an Ocean Water...well really, just go to sonic and get anything is what I'm saying, haha.

6. Green or pink? GREEN! I'm not a huge pink fan, although sometimes I like it, but green is just pretty and relaxing.

7. This spring, I will try to go outdoors more and enjoy nature while it isn't brutally hot!   

What do YOU like about spring?

~B~

Happy Passover...Pesach Sameach...פסח שמח

Exodus 12:13

It's my FAVORITE time of year!!!

Passover is the beginning of the biblical year, a time of deliverance and renewal, and the anniversary of the greatest sacrifice anyone has ever made. Today marks the last day though, which is sad.
I meant to post this WAY earlier but  obviously I didn't, haha. So here we go!


What is Passover?
Passover is the story of how G-D delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt under Pharoah.
For 400 years they were enslaved and they cried out to G-D and He heard them. He raised up Moshe (Moses) and through him, G-D delivered them. He sent 10 plagues and it was the 10th, the death of the firstborn,  that Passover came into being.

"On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn--both men and animals--and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD.  The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.  "This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD--a lasting ordinance. "  Exodus 12:13-15

On that night, the L-RD spared His people from His judgment and because of the lamb's innocent blood, He had mercy on those whose homes were covered by it.
This is how Passover began, but it didn't end here.
A lot of us think that Communion or the L-RD's Supper was just created one day by Yeshua, but no, no. It was all part of the Passover seder (which means "order")! Our own Messiah celebrated Passover, therefore He knew why it was time for the ultimate sacrifice. G-D knew what He was doing then, just as He does now. Yeshua was put on the cross to suffer and die for our sins, the lamb of G-D, during Passover because everyone in those days knew that Passover was all about receiving mercy because of the innocent blood of a sacrificed lamb. G-D ORDAINED His people to celebrate it because it was a celebration of His mercy in Egypt, but also of His ultimate act of mercy that was coming. Yeshua was that lamb to be slain, and when His blood is put over our heart, death passes us over.

So, why the unleavened bread?
That's what a lot of people ask me. The yeast, leaven, hametz, whatever you want to call it, represents the sin or bad junk in our lives. For 7 days we eat food without it as a time of searching our hearts for the things that we need to get out. Paul talks about it in 1 Corinthians 5:7-8...

"Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.  Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."

Passover is the biblical new year, so it's the best time to "get rid of the old yeast" and prepare ourselves to be a new batch without sin before G-D. So this week has been full of fun seders and time together with friends and family, but it is also a time of soul-searching and being thankful for His mercy. What a beautiful G-D we've got!
There aren't many, but here are some of this year's Passover memories!

These are the Haggadahs (that word means "the telling") we used that tell the
story of Passover and guides us through the seder.

The first night of Passover we had a seder at our dear
friends Mikey and Joy's house. It was so fun!

It was also Shabbat, so it was a double blessing to celebrate :)

THIS kid made me cry because I was laughing so hard. He was approaching
adults, unbeknownst to them, and shooting them with various "guns"
That he had in his keeping. Toby made him surrender his guns from his pockets
but he tricked us and had more. Clever little cowboy...

This is the ULTIMATE Passover meal...Matzah Pizza!!!

That's all folks!

~B~

Instagram Review and a Birthday

This week, like all others, has had its ups and downs but all in all it was great!

It started with a FABULOUS bake sale our youth put on to raise money for a retreat...and it was super successful. They all did such great work and were so helpful! 

The next day, in a zippy and an unexpected twist, I woke up with a 101 degree fever haha! I stayed in bed for two days drinking Earl Grey and watching Law and Order SVU. The rest of the week has been pretty good...my sweet youthies and Toby threw me and some other March lovies a birthday party and we all had a good ole time. Life is good, even in the hard times. G-D is just sweet to us like that.

So, yeah. I'm 25 today. HOLY CRAP. It's nuts! I always thought that getting to this age would take forever, but now that it's here, it's not much to write home about. It's nice though! I kind of feel more like an adult...I guess. My hubs and had dinner out on the porch in the lovely spring air. It was nice to change our routine around a bit and just take a literal breather. My mom sent me a box of goodies and my mother in law gave me one too! Some of our dear youth stopped by the house with chocolate and rose after they went to see the Hunger Games. I'm so blessed with such sweet and loving people in my life. It really made me feel so thankful to have all of them in my life. Perhaps that's what birthdays mean when you get older...instead of being appreciated, it truly makes you want to appreciated everyone else :)

Well, let us not delay, here are the pics!

Pumpkin cookies for the bake sale! Had to get rid of that last remnant of fall
for something good!

All the baked goodies!

Some of the youth through the window...they were on babysitting duty :)

During excessive coughing, a fever, and aches all over, I head Benson and
Stabler to keep my company. Along with my tea.

Also, Mr. Frakes kept me company on a hilarious time travel trip through the bible lol.

 

When I escaped bed rest, I saw how beautifully Spring had adorned my
neighborhood with wisteria blossoms.

The youth party was great. Such sweeties!

Wearing the earrings one of my youth made me. Talented girl!

Read a much needed scripture. Thanks G-D He's with us!

Also, I found out that Batman lives in my apartment complex.
See the license plate?

That was my week!  What was yours like?

~B~

Once Upon a Survey...

Spring has sprung and the break has been glorious! 

Today is my last day of spring break (not counting the weekend) and it has been oh so nice. 

I've been entertaining myself with Netflix, cleaning, cooking and laundry (I know the last 3 don't sound particularly amazing, but I've not had time to do them in the last weeks so I rather appreciate them now). 

I'm definitely not yearning to get back to the books, but I will have a little more energy to do so I suspect.

Before the survey, I have a couple show recommendations for you all!

1.) The BBC's Sherlock. It stars Benedict Cumberbatch (what a name!) and Martin Freeman (the new Bilbo) and it is a modern take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's beloved tales. Give it a watch!

2.) Once Upon A Time. It comes on ABC and is a take on Grimm's fairytales, with a twist of course. I am quite in love with all things whimsical, so this is a major favorite :)

On with the survey...be sure to find references to the above shows in it :)

1.  If there was a fairytale my life would fit into, it would be Little Red Riding Hood. Why? Because Little Red is one of the only ones who does NOT make a deal to find success. I mean, she gets eaten by a wolf, but thanks to the huntsman she comes back. After all, we've all been tricked by a wolf or two in life but then learned from it :)  

2. If I had to say only one phrase for the rest of my life it would be G-D is good. Because no matter what is going on, no matter how crazy things get...He never changes. He is always good. That's the one thing that never changes. 

3. Sherlock Holmes or John Watson? That's a toughy. We all love Holmes, however I like Watson because he's more of a relateable person. He falls in love and he feels and he messes up. Holmes, by his definition, is a high functioning sociopath...not very inviting, haha.

4. If I had 3 wishes, they would be 1. I'd wish for my school loans to be paid off. 2. For Toby's and my mom to not have to work and be financially taken care of. 3. a nice house!  

5. Between the woods and Baker Street, I would choose Baker Street. I can always take a camping trip :) 

6. Speaking of woods, if I were lost in the woods, the 3 things I'd carry with me would be matches (to make a torch and make a fire), a bow and arrow (because it's quick and quiet; this is of course in a fictional land where I can actually USE a bow and arrow), and a notebook and pen (creative ideas often come from strife).

7. In an enchanted wood (sorry guys, I'm super obsessed with fairy tales) I come across a looking glass, a spinning wheel, and 5 beans. Unaware of the meaning of these items, I choose the 5 beans because the image in the glass may lie, the spinning wheel may break, but the beans will yield food and are easy to carry.

"And they lived happily ever after."

~B~

Chicky came to town!

Chicky? Who's that?

I'm aware that's a strange name, but it is what my cousins and I call each other, well, one of the many names we call each other. My cousin Meredith (chicky) came to town last Wednesday and stayed through Sunday! Although we missed Tiffany very much, it was so nice to have Meredith with us.

While Toby was at work we had lots of fun just-us-cousins adventures. We went and walked around Downtown Macon and took lots of fun photos. It was in those moments of exploration that I realized just how many times we almost DIED crossing the street, haha! We had ourselves a good, life threatening time...kidding. We stopped in at The Joshua Cup, a local coffee shop, and had some AMAZING coffe (and tea). The atmosphere was perfect for listening to Coldplay and my new found favorite, The Avett Brothers. If you ever go, get yourself a hot cup of a "Joyride". Trust me.

Our nights were filled with hilarity and yummy, fruity drinks as well as Netflix thanks to our new Roku! It was an early birthday present from my aunt, uncle and cousin. We are totally in love with it and LOOOVE having all of these movies/shows on demand. If any of you are fairytale junkies like me, you should check out the show Once Upon a Time. It's quite fun to watch! 

Long story short, My cousins are my best friends and time with them is life to me. It was so much fun and I miss her so much already, but I'm looking forward to the next trip!

Here are some snapshots of our fun!

Me and Chicky! I love her so much! We missed Tiffany though :(

Putting our feet to the street.

Ah, the city...well...as city-ish as Macon gets, haha.

Fantasically Southern Gothic. Visions of Faulkner dance in my head...

Also, I had no idea that Macon, GA was where Bruce Wayne's
parents were killed. Welcome to Gotham.

Coffee/Tea time :)

Earl Grey Muffins...Gluten free, too!

And of course you can't have muffins without tea...for three!

The trio! We love and miss you, Meredith!

Ah, such fun! 

~B~