T minus two years ...

We've been stalking the postman for the last month eagerly awaiting the arrival of The Letter. What letter? The letter that lets us know the date of Eldest Daughter's Bat Mitzvah.

The 24 of us with children to be Bar or Bat Mitzvah'd two years from now sat through a long meeting at the synagogue on how dates are assigned and what else was required of our offspring other than four years of Hebrew and Religious School. We consulted our calendars and friends and family for schedule conflicts, and meticulously filled out the form requesting our first, second and third choice of dates.

And then we waited. And waited. And waited. I began checking my email hourly, thinking The Letter might be electronic.

I drove Eldest Daughter to Hebrew today and discovered that everyone else had received their dates weeks ago. Before the Rabbi left on an extended vacation. We were still in the dark. Finally the Religious School Administrator emerged from a classroom and I cornered her. Sure enough, The Letter got lost in the mail. Or the Rabbi snubbed us but I really doubt it was that, the cousin-thing and all.

Eldest Daughter is ecstatic. She has the date she wanted: February 5, 2011, the day after her 13th birthday.

Now my mission begins in earnest: to convince her that an educational family vacation to the location of her choice is much more desirable than a four-hour party. Wish me luck!