We went to an Israeli style Bat Mitzvah Sunday. This meant the birthday girl was 12 not 13; the ceremony happened at the Whidbey Island home of her great aunt instead of a synagogue; and the ceremony consisted of a short speech by the birthday girl on what it means to become an adult followed by testimonials by friends and family instead of leading the Saturday morning religious service and reading from the Torah. It was lovely.

The birthday girl is the daughter of a childhood friend. My friend married an Israeli, converted, moved to Israel, and after the divorce moved back. It's been a major cultural shift for the kids, and many people commented on how well A. was handling it. I actually didn't get to hear most of the comments because David insisted we spend the entire ceremony in the play house.

The play house was just one of the many luxuries this country home had to offer, starting with country. My kids just don't get to see large expanses of grass not in a park. They also had a bouncy swing and a porch swing. When they brought out the piñata, our joy was complete.

The best part, however, was it all took place on an island, meaning we got to take a ferry. There's something about the wind off the front bow, the swell of the waves, we all love ourselves a ferry boat ride.