Mayan Adventure Waterpark - Fun with My Brothers!

As I mentioned in my last post, I had such a good time visiting the Mayan Adventure Indoor Waterpark in Elmhurst, Illinois. I had been to plenty of outdoor waterparks, but never an indoor one. My brothers and I decided to go and spend the day, and we took plenty of pictures along the way!! (God knows why I am posting pictures of myself in a bathing suit on the interwebs, but... why not???)

Apparently, I was sharing a story about how the waterslide was "THIS BIG!"

My brother, Adam, and me - I didn't know that we were supposed to make political statements, unless I am supporting the "blue and white flower" party...

My brother, Ricky, and me. Adam says that Ricky looks like my bodyguard in this pic - no problem with that, here! Both my brothers are younger than I am, yet they both tower over me. I really should call them my "big" brothers!

Good time was had by all! I highly recommend a day at the waterpark to all of you, especially when it is so cold and snowy outside - go find some sunshine inside!!

Remember your sources.... :)

Just had to share -

my sister and I were at the "Family Guy Sings!" event a few nights ago. It was taking place at Carnegie Hall, as I mentioned a few posts ago. We were so excited to be there, and, before the show started, we were discussing the irony of such a silly, obscene show holding an event as such a revered concert hall.

My sister then said, "Well, I read an article about the show online, and they said, 'How does one get to Carnegie Hall? Apparently, by creating a hit adult cartoon and staging a live reading of the cartoon.'"

I stopped her.

"I WROTE THAT!" I said. She was quoting me.... to ME! I love it. We got a good laugh about it.

Happy Almost Thanksgiving!!

Flying home for winter break.... hooray!!

As many of you know by now, I am originally from Chicago, Illinois. I happen to be a very proud midwesterner, and there is something about the Chicago area that will always feel like my true home, no matter where my life takes me.

I was last home, where my whole family (other than my sister, Lindsay) lives, in August. It is really unfortunate that I can't travel home more than 3 or 4 times a year, but that is just the reality of the situation. My job as a rabbi is such that I work 6 days a week (Thursdays are my precious day off, unless I have a funeral or event), so I can rarely travel on the weekends.

Nonetheless, I have booked my next trip home for the end of December - hooray! My sister won't be able to join me, unfortunately, but both my brothers will also be at my parents' house, so a good time will be had by all who are around (and we will call Linds frequently!!).

And, all of my Chicago friends: let's get together!!! I miss you all so much :)

So, what about you? Where is your family in relation to where you are? Do you live near them? Did you stay where you grew up or did you move away?

Some OLD photos!

Just bought a new scanner, and made sure to scan some OLD pics of me with friends and family. Enjoy a sampling!

Here's me! I'm about one year old here, and already - the love of music was obvious.

At one of our good friend's weddings, my two best friends from high school, with their husbands.

(Josh, Jessica, Lauren, Jason, and me!

In 2003, receiving my Master's degree - I was ordained as a rabbi one year later.

Sometime around 2001, my family and I went to the Chicago Botanic Gardens and took some fun photos.
(Back row: Me, Ricky, Adam, Lindsay; Front Row: Dad, Mom)

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

Aren't my parents cute? I am so proud to be the daughter of such loving, caring, dedicated, and funny people. My dad still looks at my mom with a sparkle in his eyes and says to her, "You are such a cutie!"

As some of you know, my dad suffered a stroke last fall. It could have been much worse - he had no paralysis. However, the cognitive effects have been very difficult. For a guy who has always been so witty, so quick on his feet, ready with a pun for everything you say - the stroke has been hard to stomach. He gets very frustrated when thinking of a word or phrase becomes a massive endeavor. His energy level has been minimal, and the smallest activities exhaust him. He used to only be able to talk on the phone for two or three minutes at a time.

Luckily, he is now attending an intensive rehab program three days a week. Already, the changes are obvious. He is thinking more quickly, he is making jokes again, and he just, you know, "sounds like himself" again. He is able to speak on the phone for longer amounts of time, and those connections in his brain seem to be, well, working!

It is really scary to think that we may have lost him last September. I am doubly grateful - that he is still here, and that his unique personality has also returned.

Daddy, I love you, and I am filled with gratitude for every day that I get to speak with you and learn from you. Happy Father's Day!

Heads or Tails Tuesday: Fools

Welcome to another edition of the popular meme, Heads or Tails Tuesday. If you are interested in participating on your own blog, visit the HoT Home Page for more information. Each week, we are provided with a concept, phrase, or even a choice between two ideas, and we can write whatever we would like.

This week's topic: Fools

I have always had a tenuous relationship with April Fool's Day. I am very sensitive about being tricked because I am usually either gullible or vulnerable in some way. Plus, my dad's birthday is tomorrow, and that has always been my focus on April 1 (yes, my father and I are BOTH Aries - woohoo!!).

This year, however, I decided to play a simple joke on my sister. Sorry, Linds!!

I am currently out of town, at our annual rabbi convention. This year, it is being held in Cincinnati, which is considered the "home base" for American Reform Judaism. Now, Cincinnati is not at all glamorous (apologies to anyone offended by this comment), but I figured that I would use it to my advantage.

So, I called Lindsay early this morning at her office. I left her a voice mail that said the following:

"Hi, Linds! I hope you had a great night, and I look forward to talking to you soon. Listen, I wanted to tell you something. I have, unexpectedly, totally fallen in love with it here in Cincinnati. Isn't that crazy? I really think that I should move here. So, last night, after we got off the phone, I spent some time online, looking at information about what it is like to live here. I am really excited about what I've found, and I wanna talk to you about it when you get this message. What do you think??"

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! <--------- That's Lindsay's inner monologue when she got this message.

She left the most polite message back: "Hi. I would love to hear more about your decision. I support you in whatever you choose. Let's talk about it some more."

Well, I couldn't let it go on too long. I knew that, before long, she would probably call my parents to discuss this strange turn of events. So, I emailed her, and asked her how her day was.

She wrote back, expressing her surprise about my feelings toward Cincinnati.

I responded, simply: "APRIL FOOL'S!!!!"

Epilogue: Lindsay called my mom, and asked her to yell at me for playing such a cruel joke on her. HA!!!!!

My Grandmother

Dear friends, I wanted to let you know that my grandmother, whom I called Amma, passed away today. I promised my grandmother, years ago, that I would officiate at her funeral. This brought her great peace. It is one of those promises that you hope never to fulfill.

I have been given permission from my doctors to fly, though I am not looking forward to it. I have made all the appropriate "handicapped" provisions: wheelchair on departure and arrival, special seating on the plane, note on my ticket. I hope all goes well, physically, so that I can be present, emotionally.

Illinois friends, I wish I could see you on this trip! Will have to be sure to come out again, soon, for a good reason.

Wishing you all the best, and hoping that you had good memories with your grandparents. Now that my Amma is gone, I have no more living grandparents. Yet, I am confident, they will always live on, in my memory, in my heart, and in my soul.

Updates

I am back home, having spent most of the week in Chicago at my dad's hospital bedside. He's only 59 years old. What a challenging time it has been. Your comments and prayers have meant so much to me and my family.

There's good news and bad news. Let's do the bad news first:

My dad seems to have had several strokes, all at once. He has weakness on his right side, and trouble speaking. His eyes didn't focus for the first three or four days, though they seem to be doing better (I told him he was so lucky that he got to see two of me!). He is totally exhausted all the time, no matter how much sleep he has gotten.

And now, the good news:

The doctors are saying that he could have a complete recovery. I don't know how long it will take, but there is much hope. His personality and wonderfully absurd sense of humor are intact. He smiles, he is able to walk (albeit slowly and with help). The hospital has been attentive, caring, and kind. My sister is there now, and we will be able to visit again after the High Holy Days. I told my dad that this was quite a creative way to get all us kids home again :)

All in all, it looks like we may have been very lucky. Perhaps this is the final warning sign from God, and we have to see it or else. With love, help, and lots of family and friends, we can get through this.

I hope you are all doing well. Have a great weekend.

PS - I came down with a terrible flu as soon as I got home last night. OY VEY!!!

Please keep us in your prayers

Dear Friends,

My dad has had a stroke. I am flying home to be with my mom and to see my dad. I think that my siblings and I might alternate who visits over the next week or so. I have no idea how this is going to turn out. I am grateful knowing that I have so many loving and caring friends and family to help us out. Yet, at this moment, I most need to pray:

Mi Shebeirach avoteinu v'imoteinu, May the One who blessed our ancestors, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob, Leah, and Rachel, please bless and heal my father. May he soon return to our family with a complete healing of mind, body and spirit. Please bless his doctors and caretakers with knowledge to do what is right, and allow them to do the holy work of healing so that he can come back to us in wholeness.

God, please help me cope with this uncertainty. Please quell my fear, calm my heart, and keep me strong. I am so scared - scared for my dad, scared for my family, and scared for myself. I have no idea what is ahead, and I will need you, God, to give me strength and hope.

Blessed are You, Adonai, Healer of the Sick. Amen.

One Week Countdown to a New Roommate!

Hello, dear friends - I hope you are all doing well. I am excited to write that we are at a "One Week Countdown" to when my brother, Adam, will be moving in with me. Hooray for having a new roommate!

He is six years younger than me, majored in music at Illinois State University, and is an overall awesome guy. He has a "pied piper" kind of quality; people are enamored of him and want to follow him wherever he goes. He seems to be burnt out from school, just ended a long-term relationship, and he is ready to start a new chapter in his life.

So, what did he do? - he called his sisters in NY - "Can I move in with you guys??"

How could I say no? My apartment is larger than my sister's, so he is moving in with me. Luckily, Lindsay is right across the street, so we will all be able to hang out whenever we want.

It seems to be a rite of passage in my family - each sibling needs to live with big sister, Marci, for some amount of time. Lindsay did it, too! Maybe my youngest brother will need to do so when he is done with college :)

I will, of course, keep you all up to date on how the move-in goes, and what it is like to live with my brother. What a fun new adventure!!

Thanks for the good wishes!

I really appreciate everyone's wishes for my recovery - it was so nice of you to send your blessings. I am feeling much better - I got around slowly without the crutches today! Because I was able to put pressure on my foot today, I figured that the crutches were more trouble than they were worth. My biceps are already SO sore :( Of course, now that it is nighttime, it hurts and is ready for some ice....


In other news, my youngest brother (I am the oldest of four) just moved into college today. He is now a "fighting illni," and I can't believe that he is old enough to be in college!! It is just crazy to see how much time has passed, and that all four of us kids are no longer kids - we are now adults! We all get along really well, and I am amazed to see the ways that they are growing up. They are all brilliant, kind, compassionate, and hilarious people. Maybe we will all start a business together one day?!

So, this got me wondering:
For those of you who have siblings, what is something that they do to make you proud?

My ankle rankles me!

Alas - all I have to report on today is the fact that I badly sprained my left foot yesterday, and I am just a-limping around. I don't know how I did it, but 'tis really quite unfortunate. I need my left leg and foot because my car accident injuries are all on the right side - right lower back, right hip, right leg/foot. Over the past few years, I have gotten in the habit of allowing my left leg to support myself. And now? Well, for the next 3-6 weeks, I don't really have a leg to stand on (never knew I would use that phrase literally!).

Thank goodness for my sister - she is the best. She met me at the E.R., brought me to her apartment (much fewer stairs than mine), and has taken care of me since last night. She constantly checked on me, helped me take the ice pack on and off, fed me, and generally helped me get around. Tonight, she helped me stumble back to my apartment (SO SLOWLY) and got me situated at home for the night.

Much as we love and appreciate our family members under normal circumstances, challenging times remind us how important and special they really are. I feel so lucky to have my sister around, and I think that we take good care of each other. I love you, Lindsay, and thank you so much!!!

Anyway, I hope not to use the crutches for very long. They are so helpful, but so awkward. So, sorry for the kvetching, but wanted to post an update. Hope everyone else is doing well!!