No Permanent Vacation

Permanent Vacation - JerusalemAerosmith has a song and album called Permanent Vacation. I never heard the song but liked a couple songs off the album, particularly Angel. However, it’s the title of the album, Permanent Vacation, which intrigues me.

In August, my family and I took a nearly two-week vacation to Israel. The trip was part of the celebration of BR’s Bar Mitzvah. As you can imagine, such a trip took a good deal of planning. Thanks Mrs. MMK – yes she did the mass majority of the planning.

Anyway, as excited as I was for the trip, I had a nagging feeling that it was too short. After all, while Israel is a small country, there were many things to see. How could we hope to see all of the country, or even a lot of it, in such a short time?

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The Rain Ends Somewhere

“My teacher told us a story,” BR recalled as we pulled up the house after a day at camp.

“Uh huh,” Mrs. MMK and I nodded from the front seat.

“It was raining in her front yard but not in her back yard.”

“Cool. Well, the rain has to end somewhere, right?” I said.

He agreed.

“It’s just we don’t get to see the rain line very often. When we’re in the middle of it, we don’t rarely see the end. But somewhere is an end.”

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Youthful Enthusiasm: It’s Tomorrow Today

Youthful Enthusiasm: It's Tomorrow Today* This is an edited version of a post that appeared on memyselfandkids.com back in the summer of 2011. It’s my contribution to Throwback Thursday.

Dye your hair, rid yourself of wrinkles, enhance your energy etc.

All you have to do is turn on the television, scan your phone, flip on your computer, or open a newspaper/magazine to see/read some sort of advertisement whose stated goal is to make you look or feel younger.

We live in a culture where there is a drive to be young. While I wish I had a full head of hair, when I wonder what it would be like to be younger again, it has nothing to do with the physical.

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13 Years in the Making

Bar Mitzvah Video: Through The YearsAt many bar/bat mitzvah celebrations, there is a video of the child through the years. There is a stop in the action, and a video is projected, and everyone stares.

The bar mitzvah video includes the baby pictures, family pictures, and  friend pictures. There are the aww pictures, vacation pictures, and being silly pictures.

For some reason, BR did not want Mrs. MMK and I to share a video of him with the 130 or so invited guests to his Bar Mitzvah.

Can’t imagine why not. You?

Anyway, while he wasn’t comfortable with us projecting the video for all to see, he did say it was okay to share it on my blog. Thanks Mrs. MMK for those negotiating skills.

And yes, I did mention his bar mitzvah in a previous post. This part of the celebration was for family, friends, and neighbors.

But really, do you need another reason to have a party?

By the way, both picture and music selection and arrangement were by Mrs. MMK. She’s got skills.

Pardon me while I enjoy the retrospective. Feel free to join me. Here it is:  the bar mitzvah video

I hope you like it. But please, remember, don’t embarrass BR. I’ll never hear the end of it!