Sophie is officially taller (without having to stretch her neck or stand on tip toes, etc...) than Linda! Her feet have been a full size bigger, as well, but that doesn't stop her from squeezing her feet into Linda's high heels and prance around!
It's been Mitzvah season for Sophie over the past few months, as many of her friends are being Bat Mitvah'd. It's exciting and becoming very real that Sophie's is only 4 months away!
She received her Torah portion to start studying in mid- March, along with the CD with the Cantor chanting it - all 3 Alliyahs. She was instructed to have the 1st Alliyah (the longest) learned (with vowels) by her first meeting with the Tutor on April 3rd. She studied/practiced religiously (pun intended!) every day and right from the start, she was a natural.
Yesterday was the day and the quote from the woman who tutors the kids for 8 weeks before the Cantor takes over was, "She blew me away!" I was so proud of Sophie and when we walked out to the car, I asked her if she was feeling pretty good about getting that glowing review. She said, "Yeah, it felt really good." So I said, that feeling you got when you finished reading and you heard the praise? Well, multiply that feeling times a hundred and that's how you're gonna feel at the end of your Bat Mitzvah service. She laughed and I could tell that it's becoming more and more real to her.
She continues to do well at school, but messed up on a few tests in Math & Science, so she received Honors (vs High Honors), as she had 2 B+'s. Still something to be proud of, but she was disappointed in herself and vowed to do better in the future.
After lots of investigating and comparing and over analyzing, we have made the major decisions for the Bat Mitzvah - the DJ's been booked, the event site and time determined & of course, Linda will be taking the formal pictures. We have a tentative theme and started talking about the d'var Torah that Sophie has to write pertaining to her portion. Things are moving along. Because her date is in August, she must have it all learned before she leaves for camp in June. She'll practice while she's away and will have 3 weeks when she returns home to practice in the Sanctuary. I have every confidence that she will make her and her family proud.
Linda started another freelance part-time job (that is pretty much full-time when all is said and done), taking pictures at 3 of the local hospitals. She takes pictures of newborn babies. They make cute subjects, until they are unhappy and then they become extremely challenging! But most of the time, they're cute and so far, so good!
She continues to look for other freelance opportunities, as well.
She had a Bat Mitzvah to shoot in January and some Corporate jobs in February, as well as daycare picture shoots in March. Over the next few months, she has 3 Bat Mitzvah's and some other Corporate, daycare & school shoots, so she remains very busy.
It's hard to believe that in May, it will be 2 years that she was laid off from her Corporate Marketing job.
My job continues to be busy and I am fortunate to have the best boss and co-workers anyone could ask for. I feel appreciated, challenged and afforded the opportunity to make my work days be how I want them to be. I work hard and for many hours, but it's worth it. In this time of high unemployment, I feel blessed that I have worked for the same company for 26 years.
The weather is finally getting warmer, but at night, it's still in the 20's -- only in New England! But spring is definitely in the air!
Recent Comments