Where to begin?

Well last weekend Sarah and I went to the Brooklyn Botanical Garden for the Japanese Festival. Most of the gardens were at their peaks and it was beautiful. In addition to the standard attractions at the garden there was a Bonsai exhibit in the greenhouse, a samurai show, the festival tents served sushi and sake, and we even got our pictures taken with giant sushi pillows. I know I have mentioned the Brooklyn Botanical Garden in several posts. It is one of my favorite places. It is a great place to go think and reflect but it is equally as fun to share the experience with friends.

After the gardens closed, Sarah and I headed to Park Slope for tasty Mexican food at Santa Fe. Park Slope is this great neighborhood filled with brownstones, townhouses, unique boutiques, affordable restaurants, and independent coffeehouses.

Wednesday Esther and I saw A Catered Affair on Broadway. The show was very sweet and we got autographs from Harvey Fierstein (whom I heart), Tom Wopat, and Faith Prince.

My juniors had their fashion show on Thursday. The show was great fun but the best part was the awards. These students work so hard and really give up a lot of the social time that most college students would have. It was wonderful to see the excitement on their faces when they found out they would be receiving scholarships, fabric money, or exclusive summer internships.

Thursday night I met up with my friends Dave, Joey, and Will who were in town. We went down to Irving Place near Union Square and had dinner with Esther and Michael at Pete’s Tavern. Afterwards we hung out at Sushi Samba.

Friday another friend, Luke came into town. After I got out of work Dave, Joey, Will, Luke and I went to the Time Warner Building (which is sort of like a mall…but prettier). They went off to the theater and I went uptown to meet Esther and Michael at Shul. After service we went to Dock’s for tasty seafood. I then met up with the guys at one of my favorites, Bar Centrale.

Saturday I took the guys to SoHo, the West Village (where we had awesome pizza in the park), and then the guys introduced me to Café Grumpy’s in Chelsea where we had really awesome coffee. The guys went to another show and I went to see Smart People at the movie theater. It was okay but its not one of those films I feel compelled to see a second time. I then met the guys at Don’t Tell Mama’s which is a Cabaret in the theater district. They encourage people in the audience to perform. Yours truly made her Broadway debut singing Wouldn’t It Be Loverly. It may very well have been my final performance as well J

Sunday Luke and I went for a walk and then headed up to the Upper West Side. We had hot dogs at Grey’s Papaya and picked up cupcakes at Buttercup Bake Shop. That evening I met up with all the guys to see Spring Awakening. It was my second time seeing it and it reinforced that it is my favorite show of all time. I just love it! It was great to share the experience with friends who appreciated it. We then all had dinner at Angus McIdoe’s. I think my favorite part of this jam packed weekend was just getting to spend time with friends whom I don't get to see that often They are incredibly fun and also dear to me.

Monday I had my third one-on-one meeting with my Rabbi, Esther. We talked about where I am in the process and she told me that she feels I am ready for conversion. I have to write an essay for the assembly of three rabbis who will review it and then ask me questions about why I am choosing to convert. It is funny of my sisters and first cousins; I am the only one whose name is not of Hebrew Origins. (Paula is a Latin name). So I had to choose a Hebrew name which I will use during my conversion and during any formal ceremonies in the future.

I actually put a lot of thought into my Hebrew name. Most women who convert choose Sarah or Ruth since they both converted to Judaism. But in Judaism traditionally you don’t choose names of living relatives. I have a sister Sarah and a cousin Ruth, so I wanted to choose a different name. The name I chose is Judith.