Passover in Arizona

For those of you who do not know we are an interfaith family and over the past four years have had a blast exploring each other's religions and celebrating both Holidays.

Normally for Passover we attend a Pot Luck dinner at Temple, but this year we used it as a reason to visit my Grandparents in Phoenix, Arizona (not that you ever need a reason to visit family).

It was Corey's 2nd time there and I have been there several times over the years, so this trip we skipped the normal tourist attractions and ventured out a little bit.

Our trip started with the airline loosing my luggage, which meant a day of shopping for a few clothes and necessities before Seder dinner.  As tradition in most Jewish families, we frequently rewrite the calendar to accommodate when the most family members can attend the celebrations, so Seder was actually the night before Passover began.  If you are looking for a quick 30-minute Seder that does not forget tradition, this is the one we used.

The next morning, we had breakfast at one of our favorite restaurants in AZ, Chompies New York Deli (which appeared on Travel Channel’s Man v. Food!).  I really wish Richmond had more Kosher restaurants, it was such a treat to eat Challah sliders!  Corey had the Monte Cristo. It was enough food to feed us for an another meal!

Thanks to a tip from a cashier while buying some clothes, we discovered that several MLB teams spring train in Arizona.  We went to a White Sox versus Texas Rangers at Surprise Stadium.  The game was a lot of fun and the stadium was really neat, you walked in and you were actually at the top of the stadium, it is set up so almost all of the seats are in the shade.

We also visited Corey's all time favorite Mexican restaurant, La Hacienda.  Amazing food but a little difficult to find within the resort. Amazing customer service skills and the food was as amazing as we remembered!

 

It was a great trip and it was so nice to see my Grandparents!  

30 & fabulous!

In keeping my promise to catch up "old news" while also keeping up with current events, I bring you our 30th Birthday celebrations!

Around March I realized between switching jobs twice in one year, running a booming business, and Corey working 6-days a week we really haven't had time to hang out with most of our friends.  For my Birthday we decided to host a big Turkey Fry and celebrations.  I truly had a blast and it was so nice to see everyone. I felt so loved!

Paula surprised me with this gorgeous Birthday Cake from Alice, who made our amazing wedding cake.  If Alice's shop was closer I would be 300 pounds!

We used the opportunity to break-in our new cornhole boards.  One is Carolina Hurricanes (Corey) and the other VCU Rams (of course!).

 Birdie loves Mrs. Goose!

I have no idea but this is normal for us

 

yes I took a lot of selfies haha

BFFs!

We can't take normal photos

 

yummy, fried turkey!

 Sorry for the bad quality, I had to borrow the below pictures from a friends facebook page, apparently I stopped taking pictures once there was food.

Making S'mores

yum!

For Corey's Birthday he decided to keep it low-key.  For the special occasion he decided to celebrate at Ruth Chris Steakhouse, a VERY fancy steakhouse in nearby Midlothian.  The restaurant is actually in a old house and has a very neat story behind the life of the building.

I had lamb-chops that melted in my mouth

So far 30 isn't as bad as I thought it would be, in fact I keep forgetting I am 30!

Weekend Update & Pinterest Yummies!

This weekend was the first in which Corey was actually off all weekend, thanks to starting his new job tomorrow. No more Tower Climbing!! We decided to spend the weekend down in Yorktown visiting with his family, since we haven't had the chance in awhile.

Friday I attended the new Temple (Corey was home sick). I liked it but since it was Shabbat and Yom Kippur, it was hard to judge. They used a lot more Hebrew than I am used to but I did recognize a lot of the melodies from my days at Capital Camps and New England Hebrew Academy. Due to the closest Temple in Front Royal being over an hour away, Capital Camps and my years at the New England Hebrew Academy were my main Hebrew education. I am so Thankful that my mother sent me to both of these places, especially Capital Camps. For those not familiar, it is a Jewish overnight camp in Pennsylvania, kids from all over the county attend. From their website:

As a community agency our mission is to build Jewish identity using the most powerful tool – a quality immersive experience. While compared to some of the best private camps in the country, we like to think the motivating factor for choosing us is our impact and drive to ensure every child finds success. We approach working with your children differently than private camps – our mission is what drives us not profitability!

I consider myself reform, which among other things means I like to attend services in mostly English, although I really enjoy when the rabbi will read the Hebrew from the Torah and then tell us the many ways it can be interpreted (as our old Temple did). Each Hebrew Character can be interpreted so many different ways, all of which can change the meaning of an entire passage and I like being able to choose how I want to interpret them. I plan to attend the new Temple again this Friday and see how normal Shabbat services are. Just like there are Christians who only attend Church on Christmas and Easter, there are Jews that only attend services during the High Holidays and it can really change the entire feeling of services. None the less, I felt amazing after services and think I have finally reached that point in my life where observing in everyday life is not enough for me, I want to consistently attend services and be active in the community.

Saturday we headed down to Yorktown, we had a great time cooking and just spending time with his parents. Sunday Ed made his BBQ chicken while Corey and I handled the Roasted Red Potatoes, Corn on the Cob, Lima Beans and I tried a new Pinterest recipe (that turned out amazing)!

Corey talking to "his" redskins

Corey's Corn recipe is so simple but amazing!

For the corn: We peeled off all but two layers of husks, then soak the corn in water for about 30 minutes. Corey then grills then for about 20 minutes. The char on the husks gives the corn an amazing flavor!

 

PB Cap'n Crunch Treats

The Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch treats were a Pinterest find and amazingly easy! They didn't even last the entire day so I guess everyone really did like them! I used full size M&Ms and put them on top instead of mixing them beforehand.

L'Shana tova Happy New Year

There is no better time for reflection than the Jewish New Year.  I've had a lot on my mind and we have a ton going on.  But I just realized we haven't post a new update since July 31st.  A lot has happened in that time & I wanted to update you all.  I appreciate you following our little blog and please know that Corey will be back soon with some new recipes!

Let's start with the super fabulous news.  As of this Friday, Corey will no longer be climbing towers!  He was recruited for a position as a site tester.  As I understand it, he goes to each tower before any work is done on it & hooks up to the bottom with a special computer.  He will then interpret the data to decipher exactly what is wrong with it and/or if it is capable of upgrades.  After all the work is done he goes back to essentially make sure everything they did works and that the crew did not break anything.  I am sure it is a lot more technical than that, but this is the description that makes sense to me.  Speaking of new jobs, I am absolutely loving my new position at work, along with my new supervisor.

Duck has finally adjusted to the new house, I am so excited I no longer have to wake up at 3am every day.  He still gets up at about 6am but that is not nearly as bad.  Here he is with his favorite toy, panting in the Air Conditioning (yay for having central air!) from playing with it so much.  He is such a goober but we love him.

Over the Labor day weekend Corey wasn't feeling well so instead of going out we opted to finally decorate a little.  It definitely feels a lot more homey.  I love this house so much.  Pictures to come soon.

Last week I took an Art Etching Class with Ms. Sassy Cat and Melissa.  I totally fell in love and Corey said it is his favorite art skill of mine.  I foresee lots of Etched glass gifts for the Holidays and decorating our home.

Our complete projects at TC artworks

my practice piece at home

While searching for some fun pictures for this post, I stumbled upon Women on the fence blog which had the below poem which I just thought was beautiful.

I thought that was perfect for this time of reflection.  I have also been looking in to finding a new temple to attned.  I absolutely love Or Ami and Rabbi Romer (who married us) but they just do not have many activities geared towards young adults without kids, they also do not have many members in their 20-30s and only Friday pm services.  This Friday I hope to attend Yom Kippur services at a new (to us) Temple in town.  They have a young professionals group, book club, movie night, Saturday morning services and lots of other activities that sound intriguing.  It is tough to find a Temple that is receptive and supportive of an interfaith couple but according to a few friends who have attended this Temple, they are.

Wishing a Sweet New Year to you and yours.