And G-d Was Watching: Top 7 People We Met

By Julianna Squicciarini

1. The Gordon Family [Joe & Karen, Autumn, Noah, Abigail, Anna, Timothy, Isaac, Joshua, Elizabeth]
How we met: Our Aunt Lynn brought the Gordons to our 2008 Passover Seder in April.  We had said, “Bring friends!” and…she did
Where they’re located: Rock Hill, SC.
What’s great about them: They are always willing to drive an hour to party with us!

2. The Zilber Family [Eugene & Elena, David, Daniel]
How we met: The Zilbers became Quo Vadis customers in May 2008.  It didn’t take long for them to become family friends!  Mr. & Mrs. Zilber emigrated from Russia several years ago, but their two sons were born right here in the US.  We were honored to be invited to their home for a festive dinner later in the year.
Where they’re located: Charlotte, NC.
What’s great about them: Their way of expressing things, with accents which we adore, using phrases that charm the heart.

3. Kelly Miller
How we met: Kelly and I sat across from one another on the Eurostar, traveling from London to Paris in July 2007 – she was one of the only girls my age on the tour.  After returning home, we began emailing and getting to know one another much better.  In June 2008, she came and stayed with us for about three days, giving my family the chance to meet her as well.
Where she’s located: Home is Louisville, KY, but she is currently attending an art college in Baltimore, MD.
What’s great about her: She was one of the easiest guests our family has ever had, hands down.  It also never ceases to amaze me that we can remain such good friends with virtually no face-time!

4. Gloria Hartis Alexander
How we met: Morgan bumped into Gloria (almost literally!) as she was leaving the Zilber’s office one day.  Morgan has never met a stranger, so the following week Gloria was with us for a Sabbath dinner.  Now she’s simply part of the family!
Where she’s located: Charlotte, NC.
What’s great about her: We love how relaxed she is around us!

5. The Covert Family [Tim & Lisa, David, Daniel]
How we met: Our parents met the Coverts on the Israel tour in November 2007.  In August 2008, however, our families finally got together here in Charlotte for a weekend, giving the rest of us the chance to meet.
Where they’re located: Atlanta, GA.
What’s great about them: It is so rare to find a like-minded family, but the Coverts really seem to be on the same page of music as us.  What a find!

6. The First Fruits of Zion Group [Boaz Michael, Daniel Lancaster, Steve & Mona Lancaster, Jeremy Schoenwald]
How we met: Ok, this one has some poetic license, because actually our family has not met them.  Morgan and Christine were privileged to meet all five of the above on their Israel tour in November 2008.  From the stories and occasional contact via Facebook, we all feel as though we know them.
Where they’re located: Marshfield, MO.
What’s great about them:
Boaz is always calm, cool, and collected.
Daniel is *such* an entertaining encyclopedia of information.
Steve & Mona are sweethearts.  Period.
Jeremy is a godly young man, always amiable, and always aiming the video camera at Morgan and Christine (wait, that didn’t sound right…)

7. Richard Rampe
How we met: Morgan and I met Rich toward the end of the year, when he walked into the USO during one of our shifts.  A couple of weeks and a few emails later, he came over for pizza, and to meet the rest of our family.  He’s one of the police officers in the CLT Airport – always good to have friends in high places
Where he’s located: Dallas, NC.
What’s great about him: His very easy-going, laid-back, friendly nature.  Also, having a police officer at a party seems to lend an innocence and probity to the event, doesn’t it?

In closing, I would like you to take a quick look at the locations of these seven people or families and notice that only two of them live right here in Charlotte, NC.  G-d has brought so many new faces across our path, from far and wide.  Bottom line – wow!

Soup and Sukkah… belated

This post was sadly delayed only because this week has been filled with fun and relaxation –  not to mention parties and celebration – which I’m sure will be related appropriately in later posts. We are mainly going to focus this time on the wonderful event we hosted on the 15th of October, as it was the biggest party this month. It was (see title) The Annual Soup and Sukkah Party during the week long feast of Sukkot. The turnout was tremendous and the sukkah looked amazing thanks to our decorating team. A special and warm thank you to Julianna and Christine for stringing the lights and painting the three posters of various fruits. The lights made the party, along with tiny spotlights scattered about the backyard adding “depth” to the darkness around the mill of people. Happy and cheerful conversation took place around the porch, and after some really delicious soups brought by our guests, we had a performance of a well-rehearsed dance by Aunt Lynn, Morgan, Julianna, Christine, Peter, and I. It was well received by our large audience.

Under the Tuscan Sun: Day 3

By Christine Squicciarini

For those who forgot between posts, our parents are spending 10 days in Italy celebrating their 25th anniversary! (Ok… maybe no one forgot.) Today they strolled the historical streets of Florence, and visited the great shopping areas Florence is known for. Cypresses, vines, and olive trees surround their villa, making it a breath-taking place to relax. With a little of the villa’s own Chianti thrown in, they may not want to come home!

We enjoyed a pleasant Sabbath with Aunt Lynn – basically the day consisted of all good things: a fruity breakfast, a little (ok, a lot) of dancing, a little midrash, and a delightful picnic at the park! All in all, a restful day. We supped on crepes (with all the fixings) – and for the uninformed I recently learned that crepe is French for “pancake.” Pretty cool, eh?

Stay tuned…

Under the Tuscan Sun: Day 2

by Julianna Squicciarini

Well, first an update on our beloved parents.  They have arrived safely in Italy – we know this because of an affectionately cryptic email received this morning at 9:00am.  If you’ll remember, we had to wait three days before hearing anything from them last time they left the country.  So this is good news.

As I write this, our parents are (hopefully) in bed and asleep.  It’s around 10:30pm there right now.  Of course, they could be partying.  You never know.  Anyway, on their itinerary for Friday was a walking tour of the historical streets of Florence.  According to our online bank statement, they also did some shopping and had an excellent dinner to celebrate their anniversary.  At around 4:00, they left the hotel in which they were staying, and were transported to the villa, where they will be spending the rest of the tour.  It is reportedly located amidst the Tuscan hills, and surrounded by cypresses, vines, & olive trees.  Sounds scenic.

Now, back to the interesting party.  WE had a lovely day, very relaxing.  Christine and I ran errands this morning, and dropped in on Rachel Allison, who has just had all four wisdom teeth removed and is in quite a bit of pain.  It was great catching up with her, as always.  Morgan went over to one of our customer sites and recorded their phone greeting – they are from Russia, and they wanted a nice, cheerful, intelligent-sounding American on their phone

The rest of the day was spent in preparation for Shabbat, and the advent of Aunt Lynn, who has just made her appearance.  We plan to spend the evening enjoying the delicious meal we have on the menu (acorn squash & frosted cranberries, pesto pasta, and a crisp green salad, accompanied by challah bread and finished by the last of the summer fruit tarts) and perhaps doing some dancing.  It should be quiet and relaxing.

Good Sabbath, everyone!