Andrew's Bar Mitzvah Bash....THREAD TWO....COMPLETE WITH WRAP UP.....5/18 About This Page:

[TigerLily]

AH! I can't believe I missed the start of your TR. I so enjoyed your pre-planning. I'm caught up and am so so so enjoying your report. You're family is just beautiful!

[Grammy Grumpy]

Fabulous pictures! You guys look great and it sounds like things are still going on schedule with no problems. So glad Izzy has had her special time too!

Keep it coming, we want more!!

[piratefreak]

Great pictures. You all look so wonderful and relaxed which is great to see. Can't wait to hear more.

[Jookiba]

Your photos are absolutely beautiful Dani-they did a tremendous job on both yours and Izzy's hair!! Great job posing everyone.....can't wait to see more of the pics!!

Anxiously waiting for details from both the ceremony as well as the party.

Hurry back to us Dani!!

[mattnkatsmum]

You both look gorgeous.

It's funny. It was Kat's birthday party last Saturday and she too insisted on having her hair straightened. At five, she has already fallen out with her curly hair. I have to say that straight hair suits Izzy far more than Kat!

Can't wait for the next bit.

[Caldercup]

OMGosh.... what wonderful photos! Love the hair and poses... SPECTACULAR!!

I'm actually getting butterflies in my tummy over the upcoming celebrations -- I can't wait!
Eileen

[scrapbookmomma3]

Great update and photos. More please!

[lexiemom]

Izzy is adorable! Love the pics! Sounds like a wonderful relaxing afternoon.

[Nala]

You and Izzy both look beautiful! Glad she had a fun morning with the grandparents.

Andrew looks so grown up in those pictures!

Can't wait to see more shots of the evening!

[marylandmouse]

Danielle- I can't wait to hear more details! I just signed up to join and I am so excited. What a great community! Jodie

[DrDolphin]

I just caught up on your whole trip - wow-- your photos look wonderful - and you and Izzy look just wonderful!!

[piratefreak]

Anxiously waiting to hear all about the big event...more please

[disneydani]

Well, first off, I apologize for not updating for awhile. I have been busy, in a good way, with a lot of company. First, as a 40th birthday surprise, I flew Heather (WHMom) in for a three day visit. It was awesome to have her here! Next, my childhood girlfriend and her toddler daughter came down from New York for a couple of days. It has been fun to catch up and watch her highly energetic and absolutely adorable daughter. In any case, things are settling down, so hopefully, I can start knocking out some more updates. So, without further ado….

THE CEREMONY

We all gathered on the second floor of the GF at about 4:30. This was the first time I was seeing many of our guests and it was lots of kisses and hugs all around. Fortunately, everyone was where they were supposed to be, in a timely manner, and we all hopped onto the monorail for a quick ride over to the Contemporary. Our choices for transportation from the GF to the Contemp were limited: monorail for FREE or charter bus for a cool $500. Easy choice and I thought it would be more interesting as some of our guests have ~never~ ridden the monorail!

Within five minutes, we were exiting the monorail. My planner was supposed to have the elevator on the monorail platform unlocked for us but….it wasn’t. Note: I was only mildly annoyed at this point. We were redirected to the elevators on the second floor. So, we all headed there… except, my planner didn’t have the foresight, insight or ‘any sight’ for that matter to have more than the one main elevator unlocked. So, it took five trips up and down to get everyone upstairs. Note: moderately annoyed, blood pressure is rising. In any case, I was in the last elevator up and by this point; everyone was seated and ready to go. Except, my planner, in her infinite wisdom, or lack thereof, didn’t see fit to assist with the seating arrangements….my parents and grandparents were in the back row and friends were in the front. Granted, the room isn’t huge, but still, it is a respect thing and unfortunately, I was outside the room with Andrew and didn’t realize what was going on. To add to my irritation, my planner only put out the plain silver yarmulkes not the adorable ones with Mickey Ears. Fortunately, Paul realized what was up and he asked the planner what going on. She said she wasn’t sure if she was supposed to put them out or not. Hello, she was setting up a few hours earlier…call me! So, Paul quickly doled them out to those who were interested. Alright, does it sound like I am ranking on my planner? Well, I am. While, I don’t expect perfection, I think it is reasonable to call me with a question or make sure the elevators are unlocked….especially since this was the agreed upon plan!

Sorry to get off tangent, there. Alright, I was outside with a very calm Andrew and the Rabbi. Right before we headed in, I put Andrew’s Tallis (prayer shawl) on him…and immediately watched the color drain from his face! He looked at me, with terror in his eyes and mumbled “I think I forgot all my Hebrew”. I gave him a kiss and hug, assured him that he would do great, and headed into the Sonoma Room.

The service lasted about an hour. Paul, Andrew and I kicked off the service with lighting the Shabbat candles and recite the blessing. The Rabbi was wonderful and really knew his audience. He would explain, in English, what prayer was being recited and why and then complete it in Hebrew. Andrew did absolutely amazing on all his prayers, Torah portion, and speech. He was poised and mature, and aside from speaking a bit too fast, he did wonderful! Towards the end, it was my turn to stand up and speak. My legs felt wobbly and my voice was definitely wavering in the beginning, for sure. In the end, we both survived and were relieved the hard stuff was over! I cannot even articulate the range of emotions I felt at that moment. It was an amazing experience to watch Andrew take part in the ceremony and become a Bar Mitzvah; especially with the gorgeous backdrop of WDW…my heart was very full, as were my eyes, the tears were definitely flowing.

I wish I had pics to accompany this post but, I don’t….yet. Actually, we are very lucky, many Rabbis and synagogues do not allow the service to be photographed or video’d. Personally, I think it is a shame to miss recording such a monumental event. However, Rabbi Lefkowitz is very modern and had no objection. So, while we had a photographer and videographer….I don’t have the pics/video, yet

[Colexis Mom]

I'm glad the ceremony went well Sorry about the elevators and the planner who obviously lost her mind

[Lemap760]

Sounds like the ceremony was beautiful.
Sorry about the glitches with your planner. You have every right to be annoyed.