Bring it Onn: Abbey and Oded Get Married

Dearest seasonally appropriate baby pumpkins,

You may have noticed, by now, that I try not to use the entire last names of the people I am writing about. I originally started doing this at the very beginning of my blogging journey. Rebecca G. suggested that some people may not want their whole names mentioned in my blog and out of respect for internet privacy, I should try using just a last initial. I usually ask people if I can mention them on my blog (or at least mention to people that they will be discussed in a future post and if I don't hear any objection, I take that is an okay) but the last initial has just become part of the W and CP "brand" (do "we" have a brand? and when I say "we" I mean me/I).

Alas, in this wedding recap post, I am using the groom's (and bride's new) full last name because it is Onn. There are just too many fun ways to use this in album and blog titles (bring it Onn, rock Onn...you get it). And like the title possibilities, the wedding itself was so fantastic, I hope you get the feel for the bride and groom's fun and generous spirit and appropriately unique shindig through this little recap.

The Key Players


Me: Photographer, blogger, wedding dancing feend.

Abbey: The lovely and socially conscious bride. We became friends when she was hired to work in the same department as me during my year at Hillel. Also, my dress and pants wearing inspiration.

Oded: The charming Israeli groom who swept Abbey off her feet (slash convinced her to leave her life in the states and travel around the world with him)...

DC Friends: A big group of DC friends made the trip to Boston for Abbey and Oded's festivities including Julie F., Beth K., Jill and Amir S.. They allowed me to photograph them (and every meal we shared) and indulged my need for a pre-trip excel spreadsheet schedule. Important note: Amir also broke his foot while we were in Beantown (he was out for a run when this happened...another reason why eating baked goods at Flour Bakery is a better idea than running if given the choice). The foot is healing well.

Roberta and Joe G.: The lovely parents of Abbey. Joe works for GW so we have lots to talk about (he also interviewed Katie P. when she was applying to GW which is a small world fact I just love so much). Roberta and I share a mutual love for polka dots.

Boston Friends: Lisa S., Neil S., and Katie P. all live in Beantown and were key players in our pre-wedding visiting/touristing/playing.

Laura G.: According to her website, "Laura is a singer/songwriter in every sense of the term." She is also one of Abbey's good friends and sang while she and Oded shared their first dance. During the wedding, we made a international sign for Laura Glyda. I will be happy to demonstrate next time I see you.

Ann F.: Heavily featured in the majority of the reception photos, Ann was one of our Hillel colleagues and basically the most amazing person ever. You can tell I am a big fan by the expression on my face in the photo above.

Nigel and Christine H.: Friends of Abbey's who are now our friends! Christine is a loyal W and CP reader (amazing!) and Nigel knows Rebecca G.'s friend Hal B. as they both are/were BMX bike riders. Also amazing!

Pre-Wedding Festivities


The wedding was in Boston over Labor Day weekend. It is one of four weddings I have or will attend this wedding season and was an excellent kick-off to the spree. The weekend itself was so fabulous--many of my favorite people were in one city all at one time which was glorious.

We ventured to meet fellow 2005-2006 Hillel fellow Lisa S. for some noodles at Wagamama (Lisa also recently moved to Boston to attend Hebrew College). It was great to see Lisa (welcome home from Israel, Lisa!) and celebrate living in the same time zone as her once again. (I love the photo of Julie and Lisa above...)

I even got the chance to introduce GW friend and Boston resident and Harvard employee Katie P. to new Harvard grad student Neil S.! This moment was epic. Neil S. has been mentioned here on W and CP before but if you haven't heard, my love for Neil runs deep. I am also gearing up for Katie's wedding festivities in a mere 12 days (!!) so keep your eyes peeled for the blog recap of that Salem, MA soiree in the near future.

In addition to introducing Neil to Katie, we also got the chance to introduce Neil to OLIVIA (who happened to also be in Boston the same time I was visiting her cousins). They had actually met once before (over Google video chat) but this in person meeting was a real highlight of our trip.



Food Finds
You heard about Flour in my last post about New England but I returned on this trip and loved it even more (is that possible?). I think the fact that I had several of my best friends in toe made the experience more delicious...and that the breakfast sandwich was just as excellent as I remembered it. Thanks to Lina Z. for opening my eyes to the wonders that are Flour Bakery. (...and a big thanks to the owner of Flour, Joanne Chang, for following me on Twitter after I posted a message about this must try brunch establishment!)

Beth S. (friend, new food blogger, and former Boston resident) also suggested the crispy Pad Thai at Brown Sugar Cafe. I will go to great lengths for most any restaurant recommendation, ESPECIALLY when it comes from someone whose food opinions I respect as much as Beth's...so we also made time for Brown Sugar Cafe. In addition the fact that someone dining at Brown Sugar was celebrating a birthday while we were there and the wait staff turned the whole place into a disco complete with happy birthday sung with a house music background, the food was excellent. Because Beth told me to, I got the crispy Pad Thai and loved it. It was sweet, crunchy, and served with a heaping side of bean sprouts. The Thai iced tea was also delicious. I will surely be making a trip back to Brown Sugar next time I'm in the Boston area.


Artists for Humanity
The wedding location was one of the reasons that the festivities were so memorable. The bright, open, airy space set the perfect tone for Abbey and Oded's celebration. I also love the fact that when Abbey and Oded are not getting married there, the space is used to "bridge economic, racial and social divisions by providing underserved youth with the keys to self-sufficiency through paid employment in the arts." The modern art and windshield glass that adorned the walls of AFH was the perfect backdrop for this shindig.

Artichoke Place Cards
I had a lengthy conversation with Abbey about the place cards for the wedding. Because the centerpieces were made of cabbage, kale, and other edibles, we searched for a suitable way to follow this theme through with the place card. It was important to Abbey that guests were not given just another useless item. We did a little Googling and discovered this baby pumpkin place card idea...this led to the idea of using a tiny artichoke as a holder for a simple place card. I was honored when Abbey asked me to write the guests' names on the cards and was pleased with the way the project turned out.


The Ceremony
I loved so many parts of the ceremony. The rabbi did a fantastic job--her remarks drew on stories of Abbey and Oded's travels and she did a great job making the ceremony feel personal. I am sure this is also in large part to the time Abbey and Oded spent working with her to make the ceremony unique. The Boston wedding was actually the first of two weddings, the second will be in Israel in a few months so space was left for friends in Israel to sign the ketubah. Abbey also carried a bouquet of lilies and roses in memory of her grandmothers, Lilly and Rose. So nice...

The Reception
After the ceremony, the event space was turned into a lovely reception area. The dance floor was spacious (very important) and the DJ was basically amazing. I remember feeling like I couldn't stay in my seat while waiting for the dancing to begin. And what I was looking forward to came true--the combination of fun people and a wide open dance floor along with excellent DJing and music selection made for one memorable evening. I think I am still recovering from three hours of non-stop dancing...

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Get Out the Slouch Socks...

...and oversized T-shirts or boxers with witty slogans on 'em...my Bar/Bat Mitzvah Video Screening Party has been scheduled and you're invited!

I am actually really excited about this shindig. You see, my Bat Mitzvah was 13 years go (the Bat Mitzvah of my Bat Mitzvah, if you will) and I think we've actually screened the professional video my parents had made of the special day a total of three times: twice the year I was Bat Mitzvahed, and once during college (it was then that Elissa F. decided to list it in her "favorite movies" section on Facebook--I am not kidding**). So, I decided what better way to celebrate than to host a Bat Mitzvah themed celebration and screen my video (along with yours, of course).

Here is the invitation:

I'll make the Shirley Temples and mini spanakopitas, you supply the video from the day you became a man or woman of the Torah, original invitations, photographs featuring frizzy hair and sports ties, and any other artifacts. Extra points will be given for hot pink, electric blue, or lavender yamikas with the date of your special day printed inside.

Other activities will include:

• a drawn out candle lighting ceremony where I will play the theme song from Friends multiple times
• Coke and Pepsi
• The reenactment of toasts given at my Bat Mitzvah by the same trio of friends*
  
• Dancing in fancy dresses while wearing slouch socks (which I will supply)
  
• The Distance Awards ("We're honored to have so many of our friends and family joining us today, all the way from Boca, Jerusalem, and Brookline...")
• The unveiling of the original sign-in board from my Bat Mitzvah

So, let me know if you can make it and spend some time searching for any Bar/Bat Mitzvah paraphernalia that you'd like to wow us with...

*Invited
**In case you didn't believe me:

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Restaurant Week Wrap-Up

A few weeks ago, Washington experienced a bi-annual event called Restaurant Week (during which restaurant goers can enjoy a three course pre-fixe lunch for $20.09 or dinner for $30.09). I have heard people compare Restaurant Week to Valentine's Day--lots of people are dining in fancy restaurants they wouldn't otherwise, the wait staff is overworked because tables are booked back to back, and tips are paltry compared to what they usually are. Even with these drawbacks, I see RW as a time to try new restaurants I wouldn't usually. And I have to say, there are few things more fun than leaving work in the middle of the day to have a pre-fixe lunch at a swanky restaurant.

So here goes my little recap of my four Restaurant Week outings this year...

DC Coast
DC Coast is located right around the corner from my office so I have actually been there several times, including restaurant week a few years ago. (And funny enough, I was actually with the exact same people, Julia S. and Elissa F., for both visits--I've placed "now and then" photos below for comparison). In addition to the fresh seafood and open, airy decor, this restaurant featured one of my favorite desserts from RW 2009. The Vermont goat cheesecake with pistachios and strawberries is not to be missed if you happen upon it at DC Coast anytime soon. It was the perfect mix of sweet, tangy, and savory. And a pretty significant step up from the dry chocolate cake which was the other dessert option.




Zola
I ventured to Zola with a big group. Let it be know that the restaurant accommodated our large party with ease and even offered a black napkin to those of us wearing black pants to eliminate the dreaded white lint from napkin issue I know you've experienced in the past. My two favorite Zola dishes were actually appetizers. The mushroom fonduta (according to the interweb, fonduta is "an Italian style fondue made of Fontina cheese and served over toast or polenta") was excellent, as was the cold tomato and watermelon soup. I just love cold soups. The butter that was put on our tables when we arrived at Zola was outstanding. It was sprinkled with some sort of exotic orange salt (I wish I could remember where it was from).



Mio
Mio is also located very close to my office. As I sauntered out of my office, crossed the street, and entered Mio's cool and simple dining room most of the day's work concerns ventured to the back of my head. I had a cold cucumber and yogurt soup as an appetizer which was fantastic. As I mentioned, cold soups are some of my favorites, so when they're on the menu I usually order them. (Sadly/shockingly, I didn't have my camera for this meal, but please trust that it was delicious and a good RW lunch destination.)

Tabbard Inn
I actually discovered the bread pudding featured in my 100th post during a RW dinner at Tabbard a few years ago. Although it was not on the menu this year, I did LOVE the dessert items our table shared (hazelnut chocolate cake and another kind of bread pudding). I dined at Tabbard with Stephan K., Jessica T., and Jessica's mom visiting from Atlanta (hi Mrs. T!). I enjoyed both the stories of Jessica's childhood and the delicious bread basket. The pastry chef at the Tabbard Inn has now impressed me multiple times, including the delicious cake he made for Caeden D. and Antigone H.'s wedding reception also hosted there. (I was so wowed, I decided to go back for brunch a few weeks after RW--stay tuned for a guest blog by Carolyn G. about this).

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Operation Hire Reina

On the eve of Rosh Hashana, I am feeling particularly grateful. I am alive. I have some fantastic friends and a really loving family. My red shoe collection is growing and I know how to manage my very curly hair. Olivia has two teeth! It is tomato season. I love living on my block. And in about 28 hours, I will have 10 people gathered around my dining room table for brisket and round challah. The new year is upon us...

Alas, the last three weeks have been very challenging. For a variety of reasons (some I have blogged about), I am feeling low on any sort of reserves for dealing with difficult situations, having trouble sleeping, and generally on edge (and uninspired to blog). But given this rough patch, there have been so many delightful things to keep me smiling (some of which I blogged about in my last post), and one of the main motivations is Operation Hire Reina.

I alluded to the staff cuts at my organization on W and CP, but knew I needed to devote a pretty significant chunk of airspace to this mega networking campaign. Here is a copy of the e-mail I sent to the SYRF network last week:

I am writing with some important staffing news from the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, and to ask for your help.

Due to substantial cuts in foundation funding, several positions have been eliminated from our national staff including the newly hired SYRF Program Coordinator. Although Reina Arai was only part of the SYRF team for six weeks, she made a significant impression and thoroughly proved herself as an excellent organizer, advocate, and savvy communicator. Reina is handling this very unfortunate news with her usual grace and professionalism.

I am writing to ask for your help as I assist Reina in her job search. If you know of openings in your office or at a partner agency, or, have suggestions of colleagues Reina can contact for informational interviews I hope you’ll pass them directly onto her by e-mail at AraiReina@gmail.com.

To download a copy of Reina’s resume, please click here. Please share this information with colleagues in the reproductive justice, youth advocacy, and progressive non-profit communities.

Thanks, in advance, for assisting this young leader in her search for a new professional home.

All the best,

Emily

So that's the story. In a very unfortunate turn of events, the new program coordinator I just hired to work in my department has been laid off. After the initial delivery of this news, some fried chicken at Georgia Browns, and a little crying, Reina and I teamed up to get her a new job. My Washington roots kicked in and I went into full networking mode.

We created a hash tag and tried to make #OperationHireReina a trending topic on Twitter. We put up a new page on the SYRF website and linked to it from the SYRF home page. We picked up the phone and called through our collective address books.

I thought I would illustrate our little campaign by the numbers. All are current as of this morning:

• 6,000: e-mails that went out launching Operation Hire Reina
• 347: downloads of Reina's resume from the SYRF website
• 14: networking meetings Reina has been on or scheduled in the last two weeks
• 9: jobs Reina has applied for since the campaign has launched
• 8: pieces of chart paper hanging in my office mapping out the campaign
• 3: times my Outlook crashed after trying to send the mail merge
• 1: e-mail from Reina's boyfriend thanking me for my help with the job search
• 1: call from our director of IT telling me I had also crashed the server

I didn't think twice about going out on a limb for Reina. I interviewed over 50 candidates for the SYRF Program Coordinator position and knew Reina was who we needed on our team as soon as we met. When many people would have been angry or resentful in the same situation, Reina has been grateful and graceful at every turn.

The silver lining to this whole situation? I’ve had the opportunity to meet Reina and can speak to all she will bring to her next job. When we talk about nurturing new leaders in the progressive community, this is the type of work we should be doing.

I am not worried about Reina finding a job. She is too qualified, positive, and fantastic not to be hired in the near future. I know this is so cheesy, but I really do feel honored that we've met and I can help her with her search. It is just unfortunate that our paths had to cross in such unfortunate circumstances.

To hear about this whole situation from Reina's perspective (and be wowed by her outlook on everything), visit her blog, Semper Gumby.

...and don't forget to participate in Operation Hire Reina! Now that my readership has grown to over 100 people, I hope we'll at least get a few offers for networking meetings in the comments section of this post.

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A Wild and Crazy Pearl Whirlwind

Oh well hello, my 101st post.

First just a quick thank you for all of your enthusiasm about my 100th post. I met my 100-readers-a-day goal and actually installed new fancy Google Analytics which allows me to see what people have searched for to end up here (so far my favorite is "adventures of flat cardboard character" which obviously took said searcher to the post on the Adventures of Flat Froman) in addition lots of other fun stuff. The 100th post has been accessed by over 700 people thus far and received an unprecedented 22 comments!

Since the 100th post, it seems as if my life has been in a bit of a whirlwind! Much of what has happened has been fantastic, celebratory, delicious, and fun...and a few events have been less fantastic. I decided to write quickly with a little update so you know where I've been (and why I haven't written in two weeks) and can look forward to what I have planned for the next few W and CP posts...

Since my last post:

• I ate my way through DC's restaurant week and have a yummy, photo filled post in the works. Get ready. Here is a preview of the photos.
  
• My office experienced some pretty significant budget cuts and eliminated several positions within our organization. One of those positions was the one belonging to the fantastic program coordinator I just hired to work with me in the SYRF department. I will be blogging about "Operation Hire Reina" in the near future, but for now here is a sneak peak at this massive networking/job search campaign about to be unveiled.
• I sat shiva for Florence K., and I listened as her daughter (my mom's best friend), Joan K., described the way she plans to honor her mom's memory by creating an online catalog of the over 60 paintings her mom produced during her 91 year life and finding appreciative homes for each one. I await the link to the site and am honored that Joan asked me to select one for my apartment.
  
• My babysitting baby, Mattie, passed away this morning at 7:15. You can read my previous post about Mattie and his wonderful parents here and specifics of his story on his blog here. Thank you to everyone for your kind words about Mattie and supportive messages and calls. I am grateful I had the opportunity to know Mattie and look forward to celebrating his memory.
• My generous, spirited, and stylish friend, Abbey, married the hilarious and charming Oded during a bright and environmentally conscious ceremony in Boston on Sunday. I made a bunch of new friends during the festivities and am proud to incorporate members of Abbey's inner circle into mine! I didn't take many photos at the wedding (only about 200) but plan to devote an entire post to the details that made the day special. Here is a photo preview.
  
• Olivia learned to sit up on her own and I had the chance to document her new skills last night. I love getting to know her and spending time dancing, laughing, and singing with her.

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