The New Year is upon us!

L'shanah Tovah! (Means a good year - taken from a longer Hebrew phrase that basically means "May you be inscribed in the book of life for another year"). We had wonderful holidays this year! The Rosh Hashanah service, in part because of the beautiful songs and rich traditions, has become my favorite service of the year. The Rabbi wears white, the choir members (one of the few times we have a choir in shul) wear white, the hazzan (the main reader) wears white...it is such a fresh feeling and so special to see the sanctuary in the shul transformed. We ate very well (if I do say so myself) both nights of Rosh Hashanah...I even made a honey cake from scratch. Honey cake is the traditional desser to have during Rosh Hashanah. Ethan LOVED hearing the shofar blown during services. It was so much fun watching his face light up when he heard the blasts.

Yom Kippur was also quite meaningful and cleansing. This was not my first year fasting, but it is the first time I was able to understand and experience the spiritual significance of fasting. How peaceful it was to have a day without distractions, to have an opportunity to focus and think and pray and have quiet moments of introspection without worrying about the day-to-day trials, tasks, chores, etc.

Here are a some links if you'd like to read more about the holidays:
Rosh Hashanah
http://www.jewishfamily.com/jc_a.php?text=/jc/holidays/holiday_overview.txt
Yom Kippur
http://www.jewishfamily.com/jc_a.php?text=/jc/holidays/yom_kippur/rules_yk.txt

On a lighter note, when we walked to our car after services on Monday (we had parked on the street), Ethan heard a car coming and pushed Adam and I onto the sidewalk and said, "Get over there, guys! There's a car coming!" It was oh soooo cute!!!

On Saturday and Sunday we visited the North Georgia State Fair. Ethan just loved all the rides. He adored the pony and must have ridden the fire truck and ambulance about 8 times. He especially enjoyed sharing his seat with another child - which makes me so happy. Some little kids got annoyed when they had to share their seat, but Ethan cozied right up to whatever kid wound up sitting next to him.