Crunch Time

My schedule this week is absolutely insane. I will be in the City four times! Which is a lot, especially if you no longer have a job to go to in the City.

The picture will be explained a bit later, but take a good look at the bride so you'll understand in a few.

Shabbos was very relaxing, exactly what I needed: sleep, food, more sleep. I went to bed on Friday night at my usual hour and then Mom woke me at 7:15 so I could go with her to the Haskama minyan. I ended up meeting her there a bit later, but managed to make it in time for Torah reading. I know, I'm impressed with myself too. The rest of the day was just spent eating and napping. Unfortunately, I napped a bit too long and so I didn't sleep well on Saturday night, which usually isn't a problem except that I...

Sunday
...woke up at 6:15 on Sunday morning so that we could go to two cemetarys. First, we went all the way out to Elmont to visit the graves of my Grandparents. I haven't been to the cemetary since they erected my Grandfather's stone and it was difficult to be there, especially since we were such great roommates not such a long time ago. We all said some tehillim and I put the invitation down so that they knew I was inviting them to the wedding. Afterwards, we went to visit my Great Grandparents grave to say some tehillim there too.

Next, it was back to Queens to visit the grave of my Grandfather who passed away last year. I pretty much lost it by then, crying through the Tehillim, as I was in Israel for his first Yahrzeit and it has been an extremely emotional year. It was very sad to see the stone and to think about the fact that my Grandfather's won't be there to bless me at the Badeken P"G in 13 days. Whenever I used to think about my wedding, years before Buggy was even in my life, I would always think about the Badeken and how much I wanted my Grandfather's to bless me. If anyone reading this will be at the Badeken, and sees me crying, you'll understand that the reason is because my Grandfather's aren't there to bless me and I am very thankful that my Father will P"G be there to bless me.

After the cemetaries, we came back to the house for breakfast and then I ran over to meet with Rabbi Shonfeld. It was a nice meeting, with advice dispensed about marriage, the wedding and living in Israel. I appreciated that he met with me and was just sorry that Buggy couldn't be there to take part in the meeting. I then went over to my Grandmother's apartment to pick up my latest packages and see what she's wearing to the wedding. I think she's going to be very happy and sad at the same time, and it was just nice to sit and talk to her a bit.

I brought the packages home and took my iPod to the other side of Main Street, where I got my watches fixed. I want to wear the watch Buggy's parents bought me at the wedding but it's too big, so the watch guy took out a link and now I'll be able to wear it. By the time I got back to the house, I was hot and sweaty and had only an hour before my dentist appointment! Phew, all this running around is really wearing me out. Fortunately, the check up went well and I finally was able to do some relaxing. It was getting late though, so I just edited the wedding program and updating the gift list and went to bed.

Monday - today was a really crazy day. I had some post-wedding drama with Buggy and his family that sort of set the tone of my day, and I was pretty upset when I got on the train to go into the City. I got to Soho a bit early so I went to JCrew to return a bathing suit and then spent 3 hours with Rob, my absolute FAVORITE stylist. We dyed my hair back to the chocolate brown I love and then had the trial for my wedding. So, the above photo it what I was GOING to do and instead, well, I made the decision NOT to wear a headpiece. It's just NOT me. I think my Mom is very disappointed, that it's very untraditional and not weddingesque for the bride to go without a headpiece. When we tried it on, it made me look like I was trying too hard to be a princess. Again, it just wasn't me. So, I'm going to P"G be a bride without a headpiece. I'm pretty happy with that decision and don't think anyone will feel like I don't look like a bride.

After the 3 hour appointment, I went to Mac to pick up some foundation and then headed over to the other Mac (as in Apple) for my Genius Bar appointment. Poor Paul, I think he didn't know what hit him when the whirlwind that I've become got to his area of the bar. I made him teach me how to properly use Backup, run a systems check to make sure my hard drive is good, give me some new products, check on my Procare membership, delete some old systems and upgrades and teach me how to manage my iTunes. He was exhausted when we were done but I was thrilled - I finally got what I needed from the Apple men! Afterwards, I ran to the subway and made it back to Queens within the hour - a bonus to riding the trains during rush hour. The scent of body odor overpowering me on the subway - the non-bonus of riding the subway at rush hour.

I thought I would be able to relax tonight, but I decided that I want to get a Fall in addition to my Shaytel. I want the option to know have to wear a full Shaytel and just be able to put on a fall with some hair showing, should I choose that route. I had been trying to track down this woman in Queens for the past few days, but she wasn't calling me back, so I called Aunt Amy and got the number of her Shaytelmacher.

It was the best thing I did all day.

Mrs. Schwartz is a Holocaust survivor from Hungary who watched the Nazi's murder her little sister in front of her. She came to America without her parents (although they did survive the War and followed a year later) and taught herself how to sew in order to put her surviving sister through Bais Yaakov. She got married before her parents got to the US and spent her life as a Shaytelmacher in Kew Gardens. Her husband passed away 9 years ago and so she sold the house, bought a smaller one in Kew Gardens Hills, and 46 years later is still a Shaytel macher. She is in the business with her daugheter and daughter-in-law.

I spent 2 hours this evening with her, listening to her story and watching as she sewed the cap on my fall smaller so it could fit my head. I could tell that she needed the company, and I needed some perspective. It was a perfect shidduch, and the best $750 I've spent in a while. I decided this is my wedding present to myself. I'm just thankful that she was able to fit me in and did me such a favor so that I will be able to go back to Israel with a fall and a Shaytel.

Tomorrow is going to be another busy day. First, a Noon fitting at Kleinfeld's and then an evening dentist appointment. I'm hoping to bring the program over to the printers after the dentist, and am going to burn a CD now and then try to get some sleep.

Erev Tov!