Deep in the Heart of Texas: Day 4

By Christine Squicciarini

Wow. What an INCREDIBLE Sabbath!

I know we’re all still in Passover mode, so you’re probably thinking like I am, “What made this Sabbath different from all other Sabbaths?” Let me tell you. THIS was Bella Torah’s first Meetup publicized event since our move to Meetup.com on March 23 of this year! What a success! We had a healthy turn out for Shacarit morning prayers, and how encouraging to see some new faces! There was some wonderful discussion over the weekly Torah portion… another blessing. ;-)

After prayers, a delicious oneg gave everyone a chance to meet everyone else… the house was filled with laughter and conversation, and more guests arrived for Dad’s class Animal Sacrifices and How They Apply to Us. You’ll have to get on www.bellatorah.com to hear the class, ’cause that’s another post. Obviously Dad has a gift for presenting material in a clear light! It’s always a phenomenal learning experience to sit under his teaching. I got rave reviews all afternoon about how great the class was!  

Class ended and people stuck around to debrief with us, which was awesome. It’s so neat having a a congregation of like-minded believers, why didn’t we Meetup sooner?  I do need to mention that in Morgan’s absence, I took over working the coffee bar. Very nifty. I’m gonna have to do that more often. :-D I got to talk with like EVERYONE, but I stayed in one place… definitely a new experience…:-)

Speaking of Morgan, we didn’t hear a peep out of The Traveler, but that was to be expected since it was  the Sabbath. We have since found out that she enjoyed some very tasty vegetarian sushi… and she is adjusting very well to the numerous dogs (so she says ).

Well, that’s it. It was an INCREDIBLE Sabbath! And now you know why.

Deep in the Heart of Texas: Day 3

Well, we got another call from The Traveler today, and this time most of us got a chance to talk with her. Apparently everything is going extremely well, except for the fact that she doesn’t have any pictures of us, so I very sweetly posted a picture of the family on Facebook for her to show all her friends.

Morgan says that the adult seder was *so much fun*, and lasted until after 2:00am!! Admitedly ours didn’t last quite that long, but almost. It makes me think of a movie or something: “The Seder Wars: Who can have the most seders, stay up the latest, have the most guests, have the most fun, have as many new people as possible and win the Passover Prize!?”. Seriously, I think she’s winning. But don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying we haven’t had a lot of fun too… (not to mention many attempts to get a hard-boiled egg through the neck of a grape juice bottle… okay, a *lot* of attempts.)

There have been rumors of 11 dogswhere they are staying, and she seems to be handling it just fine, since she’s still alive and well Also that the Schoenwalds are very much like us in that they use Organic Jason Soap and Tom’s Toothpaste. Both items we use.

Well, I didn’t hear anything like “…missing you guys…”, “…wish you were here…”, “…wish I was there…”, or anything like that, so it’s good to know everything is up to par over in the ‘Heart of Texas’, also evidently in the ‘Heart of Nowhere’, since it was at a remote location nearly 2 hours from the airport. But never fear, Morgan seems to be keeping in contact, and she’ll even have Internet access soon on someone’s computer. So if you’re missing her, please comment on this post (or an earlier one) and express yourself. I’m sure it will be greatly appreciated.

Deep in the Heart of Texas: Day 2

by Julianna Squicciarini

This morning, we heard from The Traveler. Morgan called us at around 9:00. Of course, due to our absolutely fantastic Passover seder last night, none of us were up except our father. They had a nice little conversation - yes, she has arrived in Texas safely. She is currently preparing for her own Passover seder, which should happen in…about two hours.

Christine also received a text from her, with assurances that she is, in fact, having lots of fun

So, to spread the love – hugs from Morgan

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!

And G-d Was Watching: Top 7 New Traditions of 2008

1. Dinner parties
Frequency: monthly
Started: January 2008
Details: the story of this tradition is like a match – it started off with an enthusiastic flame in January when we had the brilliant idea to have a different couple over for dinner each month, as a complete surprise to our parents, accompanied by incredibly gourmet food… and it worked out splendidly for the first two months!… but by March things had started to burn down a little, and it was kind of scorching our fingers, the way matches do when you have that one last candle to light but no matter how hard you try it’s just not going to happen… and by April the dying ember was officially out, leaving behind the stub of a used match and a wisp of smoke… reminding us of its former glory.
In other words, once the summer entertaining started, we lost track of the formal dinner parties. So this is a tradition which both started and ended in 2008.

<insert moment of silence>

<on to more cheerful thoughts>

2. Valentine’s Day Lunch
Frequency: annual
Started: February 2008
Details: Julianna hosted a girls luncheon at Maggiano’s in Southpark for Valentine’s Day, which received rave reviews from the young women in attendence. The luncheon featured three female speakers, each with a different perspective on “romance. ” She’s decided to repeat the event in 2009 with an unexpected twist… but I’m not allowed to give it away.

3. Spring Beach Trip
Frequency: annual
Started: Spring 2008
Details: this tradition might be the family favorite… get this: early in the year, before Passover starts all the spring holy days, instead of having a large Purim party like we ALWAYS do, we covertly left town and escaped to the beach. When the holiday arrived, instead of making a guest list, deciding on a menu, and cleaning the house, we were walking on the sand, lying in the sun… savoring a few days of complete peace and quiet. We justified our “desertion” as a well-deserved break from throwing parties all year long. So for Purim 2009, don’t expect to see us around. We’ll be at an undisclosed location… somewhere on the east coast.

4. A special addition to Pesach
Frequency: annual
Started: April 2008
Details: a new element was introduced to our seder this year… something heretofore never a part of our traditional meal… an innovative way to recall a familiar taste.

I know you’re dying of suspense.

We filled our seder table with bowls of wasabi peas…

(and then gleefully fed them to small children. :O ) It was a cool way to enjoy the distinctive horseradish flavor and we’re DEFINITELY having those again next time! 

5. EXCEL Reunion
Frequency: TBD, annual or biennial
Started: June 2008
Details: Team #1 from EXCEL 28 had our first reunion, at the DMC in Dallas TX… where it all started. We’re spread out all over the country, so it was fantastic to be back together again. Just thinking about EXCEL makes me feel like a stronger, more confident person. That place is not for the faint of heart. Seeing the other girls is like greeting distant relatives… as if we’re connected, on a “heart” level. <3

6. Nortonmania
Frequency: annual
Started: August 2008
Details: Although we aren’t (well, try not to be!) caught up in celebrity allure, it’s undeniable that as a family we appreciate movies. We could probably teach a course in film appreciation (starting with, what else, The Godfather, of course) based on what we’ve seen over the years. It wouldn’t be a comprehensive course because we’re not into horror films (too macabre) or slapstick physical comedies (too juvenile). But I digress… TANFF [The Annual Norton Film Festival] began as a tribute to one of our favorite actors, Edward Norton, by commemorating his birthday, and quickly developed from there into a week-long event filled with Norton trivia, quotes, and film commentary. Mark your calendars for TANFF 2009, beginning August 18.

7. ACES Bristol Trip
Frequency: annual
Started: December 2008
Details: for ten years, my sisters and I had a sleepover on Christmas Eve in our rec room. It was a big deal when we were little… that was the age when it’s actually 1) comfortable to sleep on the floor and 2) natural to wake up way too early in the morning. We loved this tradition… and it acquired Squicciarini lore over the years, rising in the hierarchy of family customs, attaining eminence and stature, until for us it was quite on par with, say, standing for the Hallelujah Chorus in Handel’s Messiah.

But…

This year, since we’re practically all “in our twenties” as my father indirectly referenced us the other day, (!) we found it was time to alter the accepted norm. As it turned out, we had the chance to spend a few days together by ourselves at a lovely home in Bristol VA, a serene retreat from the holiday bustle. Although we haven’t told the house owners yet, we plan to return there every December for the continuation of our new and improved ACES tradition.

Shouldn’t be a problem… grandparents are nice that way.

Pesach 2008

The end of last week saw us busily preparing for a special event on Saturday night – our annual Passover Seder. We cleaned the house, disposed of any foods with leaven (we usually fill a box and give it to the Monettes, our neighbors), and planned the logistics of seating and food.

G-d blessed us this year with fantastic and quite unexpected guests. We were privileged to host our beloved Aunt Lynn, the Gordon family of Rock Hill SC, and the extended Barnwell-Mirly family. Despite the fact that over half the guests met us for the first time when they arrived, it was an evening of great fellowship and unity of spirit!

We cannot express how wonderful it is to have Aunt Lynn around for these festivals, and to see her every month at our Shabbat service! She is more a part of our family than ever.

It was a pleasure to meet the Gordon family, and we like them very much! We saw in them a deep love for our Messiah, and a strong desire to live in accordance with the Scriptures. It is our hope to know them better over the next few months.

Perhaps the seder would not have been complete without dear Mr. Marcus Barnwell and his gracious wife Rebecca. They brought Mrs. Barnwell’s parents - her father is the former pastor of Resurrection Lutheran Church.

The seder service includes a retelling of the Exodus story; four cups which represent G-d’s promises made to the Israelite people; and traditional elements such as matzah, charoseth, and bitter herbs. Dinner, the famous apricot chicken and wild rice, was served midway through the ceremony. After the seder we cleared some space and finished out the night with a few festive Israeli dances.

When everyone left, we enjoyed one of our favorite parts of any party – the “debrief” afterward.  Debriefing is a time-honored tradition started by our father years ago, when we go over every aspect of the occasion to determine what changes need to be made in the future, and whether we were able to effectively minister to those present. It’s a relaxed time of sharing our individual perspectives and praising G-d for an opportunity to demonstrate hospitality. After the seder, we spent more than an hour talking about the evening!

We used the Squicciarini Family Haggadah v2.0 this year, and as usual the day after Pesach found us making corrections and adding new material to the haggadah. We have redesigned version 3 with a new cover and more streamlined commentary… and will also be adding a “Passover Preparer’s” (Women’s) guide for next year.

Note: our horseradish (one of the bitter herbs) was the spiciest in Squicciarini history. My mother’s secret recipe involves getting a piece of horseradish root and freshly grating it into the sauce. Crying as we remembered the bitterness of slavery in Egypt was no problem this year!