So Behind in My Blogging, I've Given Up Apologizing.

So much to tell.

Jon & I made the final lap in our wedding extravaganza. This one, organized by my mother and held in Tel Aviv on April 30th 2010, was a luncheon affair. Despite the fact that it rained a bit, a rather shocking weather event for Tel Aviv at the end of April, the party was wonderful and we all enjoyed ourselves. The photographer, Nicole de Castro, took some fantastic pictures:












After breaking the glass.










After the wedding grand finale, we took some time to hang out and enjoy Israel. We spent time with family, lay on the beach, went to Jerusalem, and checked out some fun stuff around Tel Aviv.


The cousins at a tapas bar in downtown Tel Aviv


Quiet Tel Aviv beach


View over Jerusalem's Old City


The new Design Museum in Holon




Ottoman ruins in Tel Afek




Orchid garden at Utopia Botanical Park




Carnivorous plant at Utopia



Now that you have had some measure of an update on my month abroad, at least via photos, I feel I can begin to tell you about life in the present. We are back in Cork, and Jon is working while I am doing volunteer work for the Cork Simon community. We are busy and the weather is a bit more summery, so generally things are good here. Still, I must admit that I am happy to know that after this summer it will be time to go home to Toronto. It's a sort of a countdown in my mind now. But until then, I hope to suck up every moment of our European adventure!

More Canadian Wedding Pictures

We got the rest of the pictures of our Canadian wedding party from our photographer, Noor Al-Mosawi. We had so much fun looking through them. For me, looking at photos is a great way to re-experience an event.

Here are some highlights:























OK, so maybe that was more than a small taste. There were almost 200 pictures, and it was so hard to pick!

Thank You Noor!

When we had our wedding party in Toronto back in December, we hired a friend of a friend to be our photographer. Since she is a busy woman with a very full life who does her photography on the side, she let us know that it would take her a few weeks to go through all the pictures after the party, touch them up, and then send them to us. Well, a couple of days ago we got the first few. Here is the first little taste:




American Gothic


A nice family shot


"Make a crazy face"

A few new things to report:

1. We're married.
Yup, we had a civil ceremony here in Cork on September 25th, 2009. Jon's brother came from Canada to be his witness, and Jon's cousin & her daughter came from England to join in the fun. My friend Lyne was my witness. The ceremony took about 5 minutes, and then we all went out for lunch afterwards. I posted some pictures on facebook, and someone I know from primary school commented that the shots are "very whimsical and jubilant". I think that sums up the whole feeling of the day excellently.










2. We almost burned the apartment down.
But at least some delicious Tart Tatin was somehow salvaged out of the billowing smoke. Another highly recommended recipe (we used both apples and strawberries).





3. Yay for cheap flights in Europe!
We are going to Amsterdam with some friends in early November for a long weekend and then to Malaga in mid-November for a little "mini-moon", as I'm told they're called these days. I have some guilt regarding how environmentally unfriendly our current lifestyle is (flying flying flying, spank spank spank) but... um.... well, yes, I have guilt. No buts about it. Note to self: try to be better about that. Seriously.
On the other hand, no denying my excitement about the upcoming vacations. And J is feeling run down, so he is counting the days.

OK, gotta run - Night out with a lovely lady awaits me.
Au revoir!

I've Had Wedding Planning On My Mind...

Transcribed:
Roses are Red Violets are Blue
Come Watch the Muslim Marry the Jew

From the Roads of Mecca to the Mountains of Zion
No Need to Get Dressy or Put a Tie On

We know it’s a Sin so Let’s all Pop a Cork,
Have Sex Before Marriage and Eat Lots of Pork!

Thanks to Everyone for Coming So Far from Home
Asalamalakum and a Big Fat Shalom!!

From http://www.blushingbridezilla.com/muslim-marry-the-jew/

Highlights of Off-Blogging Times:

1. Our friend D came to visit us after his adventures on the Camino de Santiago. One day we took him to Fitzgerald Park, where we marvelled at the magical mirrored tree.



And played in the playground.


And then in the evening, went out dancing, leaving us in a sort of exhausted euphoria.



2. Our next highlight was a visit to Tel Aviv. We got a chance to hang out at the beach, walk around the downtown shops and markets, and still do plenty of family stuff. My youngest cousin got married, his older sister had her first baby, and we had a celebratory lunch for my father's 60th birthday. On top of all that, everyone was congratulating us on our engagement and wanted all the info & details. Of course, we didn't have the info to offer up, but we just developed a generic narrative for people. Funny how these things go!










3. Jon came home to Cork before me because of work, so I ended up coming back just a few days before my 32nd birthday. Before I left Jon bought me surprise tickets to a Tracy Chapman concert that I'd been dying to go and see. However, the concert was on the night of the day that I arrived back in Cork. Things should have still gone smoothly, but of course they did not. My Tel Aviv-Heathrow flight left late, so I missed my connection to the Heathrow-Cork flight. Luckily I got one 2 hours later, but I nearly had a heart attack when I thought I might miss the concert!







4. The day after the concert, we had an appointment with the Cork wedding registrar at an ungodly hour of the morning. I was tired, but excited & nervous.
A very friendly woman met with us and went through some fairly simple questions and instructions. Then she told us to pick a date for our civil ceremony...!
So, we are getting married on Friday Sept 25th in Cork! Yay!
We are also planning a post-wedding party in Toronto and one in Tel Aviv, but for now we will have a wee little ceremony in September.




5. Next, my brother and his partner Emily came to visit us in Cork for a bit. We had a great time checking out St. Finnbarre's Cathedral, ringing the Shandon Bells, heading out to Blarney Castle, and other shenanigans.









OK, this post has taken me much longer than I expected. Enjoy this last little video, and I hope to be back soon.
Shalom!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9NgXIkyiwk