She finally updates!

I haven't written in this blog since the beginning of December. I kept meaning to write, but things kept happening and my list of what to write about kept getting longer and longer. I figured instead of putting this off any further, I would just try to summarize a few of the amazing things I have been up to lately.

Before winter break, I got the chance to go to Bethlehem for Christmas Eve. Unfortunately, it started pouring rain right as we left Jerusalem, but it was still a great adventure. Arabic was the only language spoken there, so we did our best to figure out what was happening and where the holy sites were that we should visit. We managed to get outside the church of the Nativity, but only after standing in a rainy moshpit did we learn we needed to get tickets in advance. Oh well!

Christmas tree in the center of Bethlehem

In February I went on a trip up north with several classmates and my friend Jessica who is studying in Jerusalem for the semester at Betzalel (an art school). We visited Haifa, Akko and my new favorite place in Israel, Rosh Hanikrah. Rosh Hanikrah is along the coast next to the Lebanon border and is the the only coastal part of Israel that is rocky, and not sand. The rocky shoreline is now filled with caves and grottos hollowed out by the waves crashing into the  rocks. It is one of the most beautiful places I have been to. Our trip up north also included an epic meal in the old city of Akko and visiting the Bahai Gardens in Haifa.

 View from Rosh Hanikra

One of the grottos at Rosh Hanikra 

Amazing feast in the old city of Akko 

Part of the Bahai Gardens in Haifa

Also in February my parents came to visit me. This was their first time ever in Israel, and I am so happy that my studies here provided a chance for them to finally get to visit Israel. They went on week and a half long tour of the country, which included five days in Jerusalem! We ate at some fabulous restaurants, did lots of shopping (thanks for the new boots Mom and Dad!) and got to enjoy some of Israel's sites.

Ross's at the Israel Museum

Last weekend I participated in program called Perspectives, where we traveled around Israel for a day and a half hearing different Jewish-Israeli narratives on the Israeli-Arab conflict. As Michael Klein Katz would say, "It was transformational". I could write for pages about the trip and how much I learned, but i will try to keep it semi-short here. We met with a variety of people including Danny Tirza, who is the architect behind the security fence; a peace activist who runs a Palestinian-Israeli radio station; a woman who was evacuated from her home during the Gaza disengagement and now lives in a caravan just over the border in Israel; a teacher who lives in a Kibbutz right by the Gaza Border and works to teach peace and tolerance to teens traumatized by the incessant rocket fire from Gaza; and Jewish Israelis who live in Nokdim, a Jewish settlement inside of the West Bank. It was an amazing experience getting to hear narratives about the conflict I had never heard before. I learned so much and while I still may disagree with the viewpoints of some people, I feel I can finally understand their viewpoints and ideology.

Below is an excerpt I wrote for one of my classes, after returning from Perspectives:
"Personally, I have spent this year trying to develop my concrete viewpoints of Israel. Am I pro-one state or two-state solution? What are my thoughts on the Wall being divided by gender? Do I agree with religious settlers? How do I feel about the disengagement of Gaza? After serious reflecting and process and on all these question and more, I’ve realized I am pro-dialogue. There are so many narratives to the story of Israel, both internal and external to the Jewish people living here. As I have traveled around Israel hearing many different stories and hearing the passion with which people talk about their different viewpoints, I have come to understand so much more about Israel and Israelis. I don’t necessarily agree with everyone I have spoken with, but after talking with them I understand where they are coming from. After each meaningful conversation I have, I always walk away wishing everyone else could have heard this conversation and then perhaps that will lead to peace and a better Israel. I have decided I am comfortable with being in flux about my views on topics within Israel, because that flux allows to me consider different perspectives that I hear. I just want to make sure I am open to hearing different narratives and continue processing my thoughts on it all."

Bomb Shelter in Nitzan, a caravan city where people who were evacuated from Gaza in the disengagement still live. Nitzan has at least one bomb shelter on every block. 

Gaza Border

On top of all these exciting adventures, I am still going to school and loving all my classes; especially my Bible class. I am taking pretty much all the same classes as last semester, only without the History of Zionism and second temple history, but adding Rabbinic texts lecture and translation classes. Between school and homework, I am trying to take in as much of Israel as I can before I move back to the states in just under two months. Its been such an amazing experience so far, and I want to continue getting out everything I can from this year.

Wow, I am really not doing well at keeping up with this blog! But, at least I have a good reason-- and its not just homework. I have actually been going out and experiencing much of Jerusalem.

A couple weeks ago I went to a Beitar Jerusalem game, which is a local soccer team. Soccer games here are very intense! Beitar Jerusalem is known for their rather offense chants, which include, "Your mother is a whore" and "suicide-bomber" (when a member of Beiter makes a mistake on the field). Alcohol isn't allowed to be sold in the stadium, since the fans are already so rowdy and out of control. We also noticed that at least 95% of the people attending the game were male-- very interesting. Beitar Jerusalem lost horribly to Haifa, but it was a very fun experience!

At the Beitar Jerusalem game

As I mentioned before, Hannukah is approaching, so sufganiyot are appearing all over the place. I have been taking full advantage of this and have had chocolate filled sufganiyot, sprinkle covered ones, caramel ones-- yum! And still so many more to try!

Classmates enjoying their first sufganiyot of the year

Over thanksgiving, my class along with the Rabbinic students from JTS and Ziegler (Conservative Rabbinic schools) who are spending their year in Israel, spent 4 days in the Negev desert in the southern Israel. It was quite an adventure. Our first day we spend the afternoon visiting a community in the Negev, and learning about their different achievements and challenges. We then walked into the desert (a common theme for this trip) and read poetry about nature and got to reflect just being in such a beautiful place. That night we all walked into the desert (see?!) and ate a barbequed dinner around a giant bonfire and sang songs and got to know students on the other programs. 

The next day, Thanksgiving, we were given the option of going on a hike through Park Timna, or a more challenging hike up Har Shlomo. I decided to challenge myself and go on the Har Shlomo hike. Unfortunately, its not so much a hike as a climb/scaling up the mountain at times. There were several times were you pulled yourself up the mountain using a rod sticking out of the rock. And the way down-- let me just say as someone who is afraid of heights this might have been the scariest thing I have ever done. But it was absolutely amazing and so worth it!

Classmates and I on the top of Har Shlomo

Thanksgiving night we had a lovely turkey meal at Kibbutz Ketura, a kibbutz associated with the conservative moment. (JTS and Zeigler students stayed at Kibbutz Ketura while the HUC students stayed at Kibbutz Yahel which is associated with the Reform movement). Unfortunately the next day I wasn't feeling so well, so I stayed in for the day while my classmates visited different eco-green Kibbutz and went to Eilat. 

Saturday, we again walked into the desert for our Shabbat morning services. We walked for about 20 minutes, until you couldn't see any sign of civilization. It was absolutely amazing to be out there, completely surrounded by nature and quiet. I always love outdoor services, and this may have been one of my favorite ones ever. Afterward, we spent the afternoon relaxing on the kibbutz before heading back to Jerusalem. 

Me hagbah'ing (lifting) the Torah during our service

Photo credit to Elle Muhlbaum

I'm approaching my halfway mark for time in Israel, which seems crazy! I've already seen, experienced and learned so much here, and am excited to see where the next half of my adventure here takes me!

Wait, there's life outside of the library?

Wow, its been a long time since I last updated. Let's see if I can remember everything that has been going on since!

I spent 10 wonderful days over Sukkot break in Italy and France with Nate. I had such an amazing time visiting all the museums, seeing all the sites, and eating like a queen. It was a fabulous trip, and such a great way to relax from school and studying.

Nate and I on top of the Duomo in Florence

Cinque Terre, my favorite place in Italy

When I came back to Israel, midterms were in full swing so I have just been go-go-go since returning. Studying for tests, writing papers on type-scenes in the Torah, translating prayers, and learning more Hebrew and grammar- its non-stop and I am loving all of it. Bible has emerged as my favorite class by far. Reading it in Hebrew and really seeing all the nuances of the text, the contradictions and hyperlinks to previous stories, and see how everything I learned growing up really didn't happen quite like that-- I can't get enough of it. I'm excited for winter break when I will have some free time and can do more leisurely reading and translating of the Tanakh. Yes, I have become a Bible nerd.

With all the studying, schoolwork and extra programs, I don't get to spend much time off campus. On Tuesday however, my History of Zionism class was cancelled so a couple classmates and I went to the Old City. Walking through the Old City, I realized being cooped up at school can make me forget what an amazing place I live in. I live 15 minutes walking distance from a 2000 year old city, and can see remnants of the Temple. How awesome is that? I'm going to try and spend more time in the Old City, which is such a magical place, and work more on getting out of the library and just out and around Jerusalem and Israel in general.

Last night I went to see Meir Banai play at the Festival of the Ud. Yes, Israel has a week long musical festival celebrating the Ud instrument. Meir is a really famous musician (from a family of famous musicians I am told) here in Israel and just absolutely wonderful. I have never been so memorized by music, and super exciting, I even understood some of his lyrics!

Now that the High Holidays are behind us, Israel is starting to focus on Hannukah. The between Sukkot and Hannukah dessert of krembo is now in stores, and I am obsessed. Marshmallow cream galloped on top of a cookie all coated in chocolate? Heaven! Also, since Hannukah is now only 5 weeks away, sufganiyot are starting to appear in bakeries around the city. While I haven't ventured out to try any yet, I promise to give you all a full report of all the Sufganiyot I eat while studying here this year!

Hope everyone is doing fabulously and Shabbat Shalom!

Holiday update

Israel is in the midst of its Holiday season. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the Jewish High Holy days, ended last week and tonight begins the festival of Succot followed next week by Simchat Torah and Shimeni Atzeret.

It was such a surreal experience to get to spend Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur in Israel. All the busses would flash "Lshana Tovah" (To a good year, the Hebrew equivalent of Happy New Year) and you could just tell in the air that something special was happening. It was awesome getting to spend the New Year in Israel, but celebrating Yom Kippur in Jerusalem is an experience unlike any other.

Most importantly, no one drives on Yom Kippur. And I mean no one. The streets are completely empty except for the occasional police car or ambulance. Everyone kept telling me how awesome it was, but its something I could not have understood without being there. As erev (evening) Rosh Hashanah services ended, my classmates and I left Blaustein Synagogue at HUC and filed into the streets. Everyone in Jerusalem walks in the middle of the road on Yom Kippur since there are no cars. Also since there were was no traffic you could hear the city. As I walked to a friends home, I heard the sounds of people praying and singing from synagogues on every block. (yes, synagogues in Jerusalem are like Starbucks in the US, they are on every corner).

As my classmates and I continued to walk in the streets, we came across the most incredible site. In the middle of the intersection of Agron, Rambam, Azza, Keren Hayesod and King George (hopefully listing all these streets will help you realize what a major intersection this is) a large group of students were sitting and singing and praying. As people walked out of synagogue and passed them, they would join their circle and sing with them. Israelis, Americans, visitors, Olim (those who have made Aliyah and moved to Israel), secular, modern orthodox, there were Jews from all over coming to the middle of this intersection and praying together. It was by far the most spiritual moment I have had in Israel yet and the first time I connected spiritually to the land.

The children in Israel love Yom Kippur because they can ride their bikes, scooters, roller blades, etc all over town without any fears of cars. Families come out together just to be in the streets. It really is an experience unlike any other.

As soon as Yom Kippur ended, Sukkahs began going up all around Jerusalem. Its amazing seeing them at every restaurant, and in every open crack between homes. I will not be in Jerusalem for Succot (I am actually in Belgium as I write this post on my way to Italy), but it was great getting to see them all go up. Its just so awesome getting to live and experience the Jewish life that I had only ever read about or seen in movies.

That being said, I am very very excited for my Europe trip. First off, Europe has two big things I have missed dearly since moving to Israel: Starbucks and toilet seat covers. More importantly, I get to spend my first trip to Europe with Nate, which I could not be more excited about. Seriously, yesterday two classmates had to hold me down because I couldn't stop bouncing with excitement during class.

One last important piece of news regarding the Holy Land. In 2006, an Israeli soldier named Gilad Shalit was kidnapped by Hamas militants and has been held ever since. They have not allowed the Red Cross to come visit him and check on his conditions and have released very little communication from him since his kidnapping. Last night, the Israeli government reached a deal with Hamas to exchange Gilad for 1,000 Palestinian terrorists currently being held in Israel. The exchange should happen in the next couple of days. I received this news while in the Tel Aviv airport and there has been much mixed reaction. Everyone is happy for Gilad to finally be coming home, but many are worried about the impact of releasing 1000 terrorists from jail. I am choosing to focus on the positive and want to say, Gilad, we are happy you will be home soon.

The role of sermons and synagogues

We just finished celebrating Rosh Hashanah here in Jerusalem (and all over the world of course) and Yom Kippur is just around the corner. Of course as I think of these two Holidays my mind turns to sermons. (Be warned, since I am thinking about sermons which are historically long, I will be writing a long blog post in their honor)

Rosh Hashanah morning, I went to Kol Haneshama, which is a progressive synagogue in town. They are quite large and during the Holidays and chag, are often filled with visitors. It was quite a new experience for me, a Chag (holiday) service in Jerusalem. First thing I learned, no one comes to services on time. I got there right on time and there were maybe 20 people in the entire synagogue. By the time we were halfway through the services, there were at least 200. I was informed that Israelis often skip the basic Shacharit (morning) service and come in time for the good stuff, the service part relating to Rosh Hashanah. I also learned that while in the States we are honored with one long sermon, at this synagogue they like to honor us with 4 (yes four) sermons delivered by communities members. 


Now, all these sermon's were in Hebrew, so I had no clue as to what was being said. Luckily, after the service, one of the temple member's filled me in on the first sermon that was given. The speaker (who I believe was a temple Board member) spoke about the congregations need for more advocacy. Two things he pinpointed were refugees and racism. He spoke about supporting and volunteering at the new Gan (preschool/kindergarten) at HUC which is for refugee and migrant workers children. He then spoke about an experience he had recently had at a Hummus bar in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Talpiyot. It was a new Hummus bar and had received rave reviews, so as a Hummus lover, the speaker went to go check it out. He got there and saw a sign which read, "Kosher Israeli". He asked what that meant and the Hummus Bar owner proudly proclaimed, "We only employees Israelis" (read, no Arabs). The speaker told the owner that he could not frequent a place supported racism and walked out. The speaker then spoke about how congregation members should go to this Hummus bar and tell them that they think this illegal and racist practice is unacceptable. 


After recapping the Sermon for me, several congregation members began to discuss the sermon which lead to a discuss on what is the role of a synagogue? Is it place for advocacy and policy-making and politics? Or is it a community building place? I was fascinated by the conversation and realizing that synagogues in Israel have many of the same problems and concerns as synagogues in States. 


As this conversation continued my mind drifted to where my stance fell. Should sermons be political? Should clergy let their congregant know where they stand on certain issues and more so, give their synagogue as an entity a stance on issues? While I am not in school to become a Rabbi or Cantor, as a Jewish professional I will need to decide the message of the organization I will be working for. 


My mind drifted back to a friend of mine, who's family resigned from our synagogue in Lafayette after a political HHD sermon was given. I don't remember what the Sermon was about, but I remember trying to grapple with the idea-- was it ok for the Rabbi to give a sermon that some people disagreed with? Should the Rabbi stick to their convictions and say what they truly believe, or should they try to appease all the members and give them a safe space to worship in, and speak about their personal beliefs in their private lives? Do these things need to be at odds?


I spent much of the weekend struggling with this question: What is an appropriate sermon to give? What is an appropriate stance for a synagogue to take on certain issues? While I was deep in thought about these, I received an email from Congregation Beth Israel (the temple I was member of in Portland) with Rabbi Cahana's sermons from Rosh Hashanah. Immediately I noticed the title of one of his sermons, "Marriage Equality". With haste, I opened the email and read what Rabbi Cahana had to say. (Instead of making this post even longer and recapping all his thoughts, you can read the sermon here)


Two parts of his sermon really caught my attention in the midst of this sermon crisis I was having. He wrote,
 "But, though I cannot give a legal opinion, I will give a moral 

one: legislating discrimination is just wrong. That is not who we are as a people 

or as a nation. Allowing people to vote for discrimination is wrong."

 and:

"I plan to take up the stand. I plan to speak out. I plan to be plain. My 

conscience, my sense of Jewish Justice and basic fairness, compels me."

Suddenly I realized I had been looking at this all wrong. Its not about being political; its about being Jewish. If my Jewish values compel me to speak about an issue that I see happening that is wrong, then I must speak out about it. It would be wrong and against my morals and what being Jewish means to me to let any sort of wrongdoings occur if I have the ability to speak out against it and rally other people to action. Yes, a synagogue is a place of community-building and worship. But is also a place of Tikkun Olam (fixing the world) and doing what is right. If I know something in my heart is right, then I must do all to strive for that goal. Sure people may disagree with me or even become angry with views expressed, but as a Jew it is important to stand up for what is right. 

Thank you to all the Rabbis, Cantors, and Jewish Professionals who have not been scared to stand up for what is right and are not afraid to ruffle a few feathers if it means ending injustice. I hope that in my professional and personal life I can be like all of you and use the voice and responsibility I have been given to make a difference in the world and work for what is right. 

The HUC Players

Last week was our first week of fall semester, of all those many classes I showed you in my last post. I really enjoy all my classes (much more than I thought I would), which is of course great. The best part of my classes, are my teachers who are all hoots and  half. Here's a little synopsis of the character I get to learn from:

Sima Haruv- Sima teaches my Grammar class, which may be one of my favorite classes. It's all so mathematical and formulaic! Sima is a small Israeli woman, who suffers terrible through our hour and twenty minute class because she isn't allowed to smoke while teaching. To help her get through the period, she always has an unlit cigarette in her hand, which I find oddly adorable. Besides this, she sometimes forgets to use her indoor voice and in the middle of a sentence explaining what type of vowel to use under a stressed syllable she will start shouting at the top of her lungs. If you ask her a question, she runs at full speed towards you. Needless to say, classes are highly entertaining with her.

Rabbi Shelly Donnell- Rabbi Donnell is an older man who wears bowties. It was love at first sight. He is head of religious life here and teaches my Liturgy Discussion class. His sister lives in Portland, so we always have lots to talk about. 

David Levine- David teaches my Second Temple through the Antiquities history class. He is an amazing lecturer as he makes event his very boring sounding class interesting. I haven't gotten to know him to well yet, as this class is taught with all 37 of us in one class, but I get excited for each lecture. 

Chana- (Aka muumuu Chana) She is my Hebrew teacher so I have had her for the past six weeks during Ulpan. She has an amazingly high pitched voice which all the students here love to imitate her yelling down the halls "Kitah A-leph!". She has an incredible sense of humor and whips out hilarious jokes when least expected. She also wears a muumuu every day. 

Joel Duman- I had Joel for Biblical History over the summer and now have him for my Bible class. He has a mustache that rivals possible any other mustache I have ever seen. Whenever someone talks about him everyone else holds up a finger over their lip to signify his mustache. Really, it is something special. 

Dalia- I have only had Dalia once so far for my Liturgy Lecture class (not to be confused with my Liturgy discussion class). She is so knowledgable (as are all my teachers) and makes learning about liturgy so interesting. 

Dave Mendelsson- Oh Dr. Dave-- how do I best put him in words? He is a small British professor and is incredibly educated on all things Israel and Zionist related. I have him for both my History of Zionism class and my Israel Seminar class. He is so entertaining and tells some of the funniest stories. He also carries around a briefcase which makes him seem that much more British. Love it. 

Sally Klein Katz- Sally teaches my Education Seminar class. She reminds me a lot of my mom, so I absolutely adore her. She also lives in perhaps the nicest apartment in Israel and has an amazing view. My goal for the year is to get invited to as many dinners at her house as possible. 

So those are the teachers who make up my life right now (since school and homework are pretty much my life). Now when I write about them in future posts you will know who I am referring to!

Other updates:

-We had a 3 day tiyul to the Galilee this weekend which was amazing (except for the fact that we didn't get to have a weekend at all). We visited all different pioneering communities and kibbutzim, and my favorite part was a visit to the Kinneret Cemetery (Dad, you would have loved it, but no fears, I took many pictures for you!)

-I got a job working twice a week at the school Library in the evenings. My hope is to get a majority of my homework done during this time so I can start having a life outside of the HUC campus. I'm currently working my first shift right now and enjoying it quite a bit!

Hope everyone is doing well back home! 

End of Summer

Our summer session ended last Thursday, so this past week I have had a week off of school, which students have been calling everything from summer vacation to ulpan break to intersession (because yes, school here is just that much like camp).

While many of my classmates opted to travel to nearby countries, I chose to stay in Israel, and for the most part, Jerusalem and do some exploring around here, along with catching up on sleep in preparation for Fall Semester to begin.

Last week I started my break with going to services at Har El, a progressive synagogue here in Jerusalem. Har El was by far the most American-like synagogue I have been too yet. The tunes and customs were all the same as I did back in the good ole USA, and much was in English. I felt cheated in a way at this service; I am in Israel and wanted to experience an Israeli synagogue, not something I have been experiencing and attending for my whole life. However, I know that when I get homesick later and really miss my Beth Israel experiences, I will likely head on back to Har El.

I spent last Shabbat at the Israel Museum with a couple of classmates. I have been to the Israel Museum twice before, once in the archaeology wing for a Biblical History field trip and once in the Sculpture Garden for the Wine Festival. It was so much fun and there is so much to see there! We went to the Jewish history/art section first and got to see torah covers, hannukah lamps, and clothes from Jewish communities all over the world and from all different time periods. The Israel Museum also has recreated some synagogues from countries around the world including Suriname, Italy and India. You get to walk into the room and see what synagogues look like elsewhere. My favorite was Suriname, which was a very white and bright room to show the joy of prayer and had sand on the ground to remind us of the exodus form Egypt!

Other highlights from the Museum included the modern art section, seeing more of the sculpture garden and visiting the dead sea scrolls. One of my favorite exhibits was a movie, which is 24 hours long and shows clips of movies and tv shows that show the time. It has clips from every minute of the day, and all the minutes in the movie match up to the minutes in real life. So if its 10:17, then there will be a clip showing that has a clock at 10:17. Its all about how time is fleeting and how we often take time for granted.

Reconstructed Suriname Synagogue

I also spent a day and a half in Haifa, which is a coastal city north of Tel Aviv. We went to the top of the Bahai Gardens. As my classmate Kenny taught our group, Bahai is a fairly new religion, I believe in the last 200 years. These gardens were magnificent and so gorgeous. I could have stayed there for hours just looking into the nature of it all and thinking about life. We unfortunately got to the gardens too late to walk around them and were only allowed on the top two terraces (the gardens go down a hill and make up I believe 19 terraces). Unfortunately we did not get to spend much time in Haifa, but I definitely plan on going back and visiting the beaches and national parks nearby. 

This break also included my first visit to the Kotel where I went up to the wall. While I have been to the kotel several times so far, I hadn't yet made it to the wall. I have had a fear of the wall, although I'm not sure if that fear was that I would go to the wall and feel nothing or go to the wall and feel a true connection. I didn't think I would go for a couple more months, but my dear friend's aunt was diagnosed with brain tumors and she asked me to put a prayer in the wall for aunt. I went to the Kotel and slowly walked up to the wall. All around me women were deep in prayer, some sitting in chairs, but many all the way up at the wall, with their heads touching the wall. I waited until a spot by the wall opened up and went and said a healing prayer for my friends aunt and all those who are sick and put a note in the wall. 

As I stared at all these religious women around me, I felt... almost guilty. Here are these women, so devout in prayer and so convicted of their faith. The wall means so much to them. And there I am, not sure about not only my feelings regarding this holy place, but also what it means for myself to be a Jew and what prayer means to me. Would my doubts about the place lessen my prayer? Lessen the prayer of those around me? The women's section of the wall is quite small, and I was taking up room touching the wall, and others had to wait for me to leave. Did I deserve to be there if I don't know what the wall means to me? While I waited for my friend to finish up his prayers on the men's side, I thought about this internal struggle I have been feeling in Israel- what connection do I have with Israel, with Judaism here? In the US, I was so sure of my beliefs, but as I have come to Israel, so many questions without answers have popped in my head. I am excited to continue to discover what it means to be  Jew to me, and with it, what my connection is to the wall. While I felt guilty at this visit, I am curious as to what my reaction will be on future visits. 

Stepping away from the philosophical, our fall semester of school starts tomorrow. I am a little nervous as to how I am going to manage my 8 (yes 8!) classes, along with homework, my volunteer internship, seeing Jerusalem and staying sane. In case you are wondering what my fall schedule looks like:

My class schedule

I know with a good attitude and lots of emails/calls/letters from all of you (hint hint) I'll make it through this semester just fine! Hope everyone has a fabulous Labor Day Weekend and a special Mazel Tov to Bryan and Sonia who are getting married this weekend! Wish I could be there!