[mazel tov]

Last weekend I went on (another) trip. This time, it was off to Virginia for my cousin Ethan's bar mitzvah!

After work on Friday, complete with a yummy pot luck lunch, I hopped a MARC train down to DC where I met up with Kara and hopped the metro out to Virginia. I love that about this region of the country: public transportation is really well designed so you can get a lot of places by train.

Friday night was low-key, at least for Kara and I. We met up with our parents and grabbed dinner at Silver Diner. Seriously if you're ever near one of these, I highly recommend it. They use fresh, locally sourced ingredients to create super delicious diner fare. Love.

Saturday was when the real fun happened. Bright and early Saturday morning we piled into a shuttle with Dad's side of the family for the temple service. I do love Jewish tradition and heritage and I'm proud to be a part of it. While having parents with the same religious tradition has a great deal of value, I truly enjoyed growing up exposed to two different belief systems. You see, Dad is Jewish and Mom is Catholic. Kara and I were raised Catholic but we also learned about the other half of our heritage. We had to learn tolerance and understanding from an early age. When we reached Confirmation age, Mom gave us the option to explore and told us we could convert to Judaism or a different Christian denomination. She even offered to drive us to services so we could check them out. It's not that she didn't care what we believed, it's just that she wanted us to find our own way and claim a faith as our own. We both ended up claiming the Catholic faith but we did so knowing that the choice was ultimately ours. My exposure to Judaism has enhanced my Catholic faith. It's not that I go to Bar Mitzvahs and think, thank goodness I'm not like them. That's not it at all. It's a lot like traveling to be honest.

Enough about religion--back to the weekend celebrations!

After the service was a kiddush luncheon at E's school. Of course there were bagels and lox and cream cheese galore. It's not a good bar mitzvah without them and goodness knows I love me a good bagel & schmear. Goodness knows I don't eat them that often anymore, mostly because there's not a good bagel place anywhere near me. If I lived in NYC I would be in serious trouble!  Holy mother of all things sweet do I love butter cookies. Growing up I used to love that my grandmother would get us butter cookies from Karsh's, a Jewish bakery near her house in Phoenix. Those cookies set the standard. Sadly very few cookies have lived up to that standard. While the kiddush butter cookies were not Karsh's, I was still excited for them.

Next up we took a little break. By that I mean we hung out in my parents' hotel room and watched football for a few.  Then it was time to get gussied up and party!

Pre-party we did family portraits, which I will definitely be sharing once I get them. The night started out with a cocktail hour, complete with a full open bar. Side note: vodka, ginger ale and sour mix is potentially the best mixed drink. Ever. There were roving trays of yummy apps such as sushi, lamb, and black bean eggrolls. The party was held at a gorgeous country club nearby. E chose a "green" theme for his bar mitzvah. Not only did his talk focus on the links between being environmentally friendly and the Jewish faith, the entire party was built around a green theme. We got to vote on which non-profit we wanted him to support and all around the party were reminders to be "green." The adults got a full sit-down dinner, made with organic food of course, while the kids got a buffet. After dinner  it was time to dance the night away!! The food kept coming though--there was an adult only dessert bar where you could pick a cookie paired with an alcoholic beverage. You nibbled your cookie then took a sip of your beverage and experienced flavor magic. Mom, Kara and I went for the bourbon which turned out to be way too strong for us, even when properly paired with a cookie. There were also organic ice cream sandwiches in fun flavors like apple pie, pumpkin cranberry, and peppermint white chocolate. The bar stayed open the whole night, although it did move under a giant tree in the center of the dining/dancing area. There was a photo booth with silly props too! Finally it was time to head back to the hotel where we sadly had to say our goodbyes to extended family.

Sunday was a bit...subdued. Dad dropped Mom, Kara and I off in DC. The three of us girls grabbed breakfast before Kara's first meeting of the day. Then Mom and I puttered aimlessly around for a few hours, pausing frequently to sit on various benches. It was way too nice of a day to spend indoors! We ended up finding the Constitution Gardens which are stunningly gorgeous. If I lived in DC I would be in those gardens constantly. After that we wandered over to the WWII memorial where we met a WWII veteran and his wife. The veteran had served in the Pacific theater as a deep-sea diver for the navy. He told us a funny story about when he accidentally welded his helmet to the bottom of a ship off Leyte Island in the Philippines. He would tear up whenever someone said thank you and shook his hand. It was adorable. He truly was a national treasure and I am so honored to have met such a brave individual. Finally it was time for Mom to head to the airport and me to head back to Baltimore.

I had such a wonderful time this past weekend. It was lovely seeing the family I so rarely get to see and celebrating E's big day.

Once again, Mazel Tov Ethan!! I'm so happy for my little cousin!