an open letter to a hurricane

Dear Irene,
Kindly back off. Leave New York airports alone-
We have a wedding this week
and don't have time for you, or any other natural disasters for that matter.
Sincerely,
Y.



photo : MCT via Ynet

Mr. and Mrs.

A few pictures, not many words.

We wake up at 4:00, and catch a taxi in the dark...
by the time we walk through the terminal, the sun is just rising.




Sooner than we know it, we're already landing in Larnaca.





We stop to get ready, I wear my green dress and H. has new wedding shoes.We drive through old narrow alleys, and arrive at the town hall. A few couples are waiting , pacing back and forth, signing papers. Some men are wearing shiny white suits , other couples look tired, dragging suitcases behind them.

Then it's our turn. The officiant is festive, and wears a large gold medal around his neck. Wagner's wedding march plays in loops - almost making me run for the door, but I don't.



We solemnly swear a few things,
and sign a few papers.

And that's it! after promising to love each other in happiness and in happiness*, we are officially married ! We stop by a blue door to take some pictures



Then we drive to Nicosia and get the coveted Apostille stamps, making everything extra-official.

To Be Continued....

* Turns out we both misheard the officiant. We were supposed to promise "in happiness and in UN-happiness"... but blissfully chose to ignore the chance that we will ever be unhappy.

off we go

Notarized and translated Certificates-of-Singleness : check!
Passports : check!
Festive wedding shoes : check!

Photo Essay to follow....

Cyprus Bound or: If at first you don't succeed...or: Mission Civil Marriage - Phase Two

Exactly one week from today we will hop on a plane to Larnaca , say I do, and come back at night with a shiny new marriage certificate in hand! All of this has been rather spontaneous but necessary. Despite the deep friendship we forged with Frau D. at the Leipzig municipality and her undeniable concern for our happiness and well being, HQ rejected our request and sent us on a scavenger hunt for more documents and translations. At this point, we decided to cut our losses and try our luck with the Greek. As expected, they are a just a little bit more relaxed.You basically have to show up- which does seem like a reasonable requirement,and prove that you are single-and now that we are experts in all things notarized/authorized/appostilled this is a piece of cake. Speaking of cake-This is also fun because I get to have my cake and eat it too
i.e I get to elope, and have a real wedding.
win-win.
Sappho looks on thoughtfully....




*In full disclosure,the first photo above may be a somewhat glorified portrayal of the whole experience as I understand that the Town Hall ceremony does take place over a Kentucky Fried Chicken.

counting down

One month from today folks, one month. For some reason, this came as a surprise to me this morning, and I find it both exciting and terrifying at the same time. We have deteriorated to the point of excel charts, but Good Things are happening, and Stuff is getting done. It did occur to me that things could be a little simpler, but the fact that we seem to be physically incapable of doing anything in a normal, mainstream fashion has it's consequences. So I find myself doing research on industrial cooling fans into the night, or waking up at the crack of dawn to take pictures in an olive grove...
This week is proving to be exceptionally fruitful .Sparks are flying and little miracles are happening. Our rings are being cast ,we have a photographer, and veil and flower research is being done by my lovely mother who should be sainted for all of her wedding mitzvas. What?
you're confused? - you didn't know that sainthood and mitzva-doing go together?

The countdown begins!


Beautiful nesting rings by Blanca Monros Gomez

taking a deep breath

Well, it seems like we've made it to the weekend safely, which is not to be taken for granted... especially after being blown away this week by a tornado of events, some sad and unexpected.
Today, on the way back from town, we decided to take a detour.We drove through the forest down a dirt road and found our way to a little goat farm. Even though the goats were out-we stopped to have some fresh goat cheese and bread and take a deep, deep breath.
Now back on our feet, and armed with lists and charts, I think we're ready to conquer next week with a vengeance. First up : Rings! which is even more exciting because we get to sit with the mother of a dear friend and design them ourselves.

Embroidery by artist Andrea Dezso
Rings unknown

a peek at my magnum opus...

words for the day's end

The Master Speed
- Robert Frost


No speed of wind or water rushing by
But you have a speed far greater. You can climb
Back up a stream of radiance to the sky,
And back through history up the stream of time.
And you were given this swiftness, not for haste
Nor chiefly that you may go where you will.
But in the rush of everything to waste,
That you may have the power of standing still—
Off any still or moving thing you say.
Two such as you with a master speed
Cannot be parted nor be swept away
From one another once you are agreed
That life is only life forevermore
Together wing to wing and oar to oar.

* Photo by our talented friend Adi Ben Shushan

the week that was, or: adventures in the outback

Let's gloat a little on the successes of the past week, shall we?

Chapter One: in which I generously present my dentist with a challenge and am nominated "best patient ever" for bravery and humor in the face painful goriness. I think it's because I laughed at his jokes in spite of the wrench and pick he had in my mouth and the beads of sweat running down his forehead as he fought my wisdom teeth. When they finally did come out,he told me the roots were exquisite.... You see - there is beauty everywhere.



Chapter Two: redemption and good food. Last time we all went to taste and sample a caterers menu, my soul was hurt a little by a whole lot of fried food and general nastiness. This week brought redemption with delicious food that we are all excited about.



Chapter Three: into the belly of the beast. When I pictured getting the invitations printed- I had in mind some sweet and whimsical print shop. Somewhere where they would love my little tree design, and pull out rolls of perfect organic recycled paper in all shapes and sizes. They would not try to push me off the edge with shiny shimmery wedding paper and snort at our minimalistic design... (but truth is always better than fiction-every single time). Instead, we found ourselves in the depths of a huge industrial building in South Tel Aviv in the hopes that maybe one of the printers just might have some normal, not-scary paper. Inside this mammoth building which was something of a cross between a factory and a parking garage we wandered down ramps and up elevators across puddles of scum from printer to printer. The next few hours should really have been filmed as a mini-documentary- some highlights included: a slew of colorful and shady characters, scandalizing and raising some eyebrows as if we had the most bizarre unreasonable request in the history of printing "THIS IS NOT HOW YOU DO WEDDING INVITATIONS" said one scruffy guy, and the challenge of a broken flip flop which left me dragging my foot behind me like a wounded animal.* But we made it.Through some miracle, we found paper, and ordered the last sheets in the country.They didn't snort or scoff at our design, and even liked my little tree. That sealed the deal for me- print them! I cried, print millions! just print the #@&% invitations!



* seriously, how can you prepare for this sort of thing? Am I supposed to have some desert survival kit with me at all times?

M.I.A

In case anyone is worried I've been swallowed up by the earth, or changed my name and moved to Vegas , rest assured, I most definitely have not. I have managed to drag myself, two violins, and an assortment of suitcases bags and other paraphernalia to Berlin and convince the powers that be to let me on the plane with all said stuff. Major victory.
Here on the other side, searches continue for : the right food, the right paper, right photographer and the right shoes, among other things. The shoe search is now approaching Holy Grail status and I am this close to going barefoot which probably wouldn't come as much of a surprise anyways....