We Duane...

as in Duane Morris. (a 100 yr old firm... just like our 100 yr old house, the 100 yr anniversary of the Titanic, and 100 yr old Dewey... there are some things that are cosmic...)

This is the answer to my previous post, Dewey or Don't We?   There is still lots of attention in press (see one of yesterday's articles here), but the bottom line is that Dewey & LeBoeuf is over.

When one doors closes. you need to open another one...

As I said in the previous post, Jocelyn and I have a very intense and special history with Dewey & LeBoeuf.  We shared an emotional, professional and personal "arc" with the firm and more importantly, its people.

I usually write about what we do (me and the kids), what we eat (me and the kids) and crafts that we make (me and the kids).  Today I want to share with you something that Jocelyn wrote.  Below is her departure memo to those of her colleagues still left at Dewey & LeBoeuf.

***

From:    Bramble, Jocelyn
To:        Undisclosed Recipients
Date:     Tuesday, May 15, 2012 3:24 PM
Re:        Good Bye

Today is my last day at Dewey & LeBoeuf.  I leave with tears in my eyes, intense and often conflicting emotions, but with a single, desperate hope: that everyone lands safely.

I cannot say that my time at D&L was perfect.  Long before the recent "excitement" (as one of my former partners likes to describe it), I questioned whether D&L was still the right place for me.  Today, I am a stronger, tougher and more nimble lawyer because I stayed.  More importantly, I am a better person because of the many lessons I have learned with, from and because of my colleagues—at all levels—of D&L.   Nor will I ever for forget how much fun we often managed to have along the way.

My parents raised me to believe that "pressure on coal makes diamond or dust."  Having worked shoulder to shoulder with so many people at D&L, I have no doubt as to the ultimate effects the pressure of the last few months will have on us. 

Later this week, I will join the Washington DC office of Duane Morris.  

Godspeed to all and please keep in touch.
Jocelyn

Jocelyn C Bramble
Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP
1101 New York Avenue, N.W., Suite 1100
Washington, D.C. 20005
Direct: +1 202 346 8104
General: +1 202 986 8000
Fax: +1 202 956 3260
jbramble@dl.com
www.dl.com

***

Today, I also want to write about how proud I am of Jocelyn.  The past few weeks and months have not been easy for us.  When your career and professional livelihood is threatened it hurts in many ways.  Confidence can get shattered.  Optimism can get lost.  Security seems out of reach.  Add to that buying and moving into a new house.  Add to that some other minor but significant crises (stuff that just happens) combined with the everyday struggles of a family with two small children under age 3 and you could have a recipe for depression and disaster. 

I (we) get it.  We are thankfully healthy. We are very lucky.  Unlike many others who have faced job losses or are facing them now, we have many resources and extremely large support network.  But it is still hard.

What I want to say is that I am proud of Jocelyn.  She acted gracefully under extreme pressure.  She acted with enormous class often when others did not.  She was a true professional at work even when she may have been sad or heartbroken at home.  Life is full of big storms and rocky roads, and I know I picked the right person with whom to travel through the storms and down the roads. 

I am also terribly excited for her.  Before her awaits a fantastically open door of her own making (the best kind) and a world of new and wonderful opportunities that she deserves.  However, it is all a little bit strange.  For even though I had stopped working at the firm over 4 years ago, it was as if I still had this direct line to the working world.  Her colleagues were my old colleagues.  Her office was my old office.  Even some her cases and clients were my old cases and clients.  This is now over.  She is going with a small group of former Dewey attorneys, none that I have ever worked with to a completely new firm, Duane Morris.  This is her adventure.  I will no longer know every IT guy, receptionist, associate, partner or legal assistant when she tells me the story of her day.  It will be different.

But different to me, also means the possibility of amazing.  There was plenty that needed changing about the old place and many of the issues were just plain "tired" - she needed a new place to go.  So that she could grow, learn, lead and be fabulous without all of the old baggage.

Thank you Jocelyn for being a wonderful partner to me as my spouse.  You are also an amazing law firm partner and Duane Morris is so very lucky to get you.  I am sure that the recent "pressure" has just perfected the diamond that I know that you are.

I also recently explained that Jocelyn made partner at Dewey & Lebouef in January and this was supposed to be her celebratory time of accomplishment, excitement and new beginnings.  Well, Joc, you did get lots of "excitement" and now you have a real and new beginning - go you!

We have a favorite book in our house for life's watershed moments (or just when you want something really good to read after breakfast).  And some of our favorite lines are below:

You have brains in your head
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.

...

be your name Buxbaum or Bixby [or BRAMBLE] or Bray
or Mordechai Ali Van Allen O'Shea,
you're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So . . . get on your way!

(From the second and the last page of "Oh, The Places You'll Go" by Dr. Seuss with a little editorial in the [ ] )
 
So Mama, this blog post is for you.  From me, Jonah & Vera (we had a meeting about it this afternoon).  We love you and we are so very proud of you!  Now when can we schedule our field trip to visit your new offices?  Jonah says he has a lot of work to do (he needs to make some money - his words) and Vera has some conference calls she needs to make!

Ending on Easter, Egghausted and Exhaling...

It is very very very late... but I promised a post every day and we need to end our holiday celebration on a high note so here we go!  We woke up in Brooklyn this morning for Easter Sunday and put on our Easter best.  Jocelyn's dad is the priest at the Episcopalian church and we go every year to 9am morning services.  This morning was sunny and beautiful.  As always, we sat in the first row, reserved for the family of the priest.  The kids made it through 90 minutes of the 120 minute services.  Jonah and Vera sang their own words to many of the songs.  Vera was happy happy happy until she wasn't and then she was just tired.  Jonah was good but then just needed to get out and run.  They did better than some of adults that I know.  After church, there was plenty of running around with their cousins and friends in the front yard.  We also wished many of the neighbors a Happy Passover-as the church is right in the middle of Crown Heights-a religious Jewish neighborhood.  Some of our good friends from Manhattan also stopped by for the festivities and brought some yummy homemade "kosher for Passover" chocolate clusters for dessert-well done!  There was the mandatory egg hunt contest and the giving of Easter baskets.  And of course a full Sunday Easter dinner was served.  Lots of hugs, kisses, drinks, food, friends, family and just plain old good happiness and celebrations was had by all!  Nothing can beat that!  Jonah and Vera loved every minute they got to hang with their Grandma and Grandpa and all of their relations.  Around 6pm we put on our PJs, packed up the car and started on our way home to Washington, D.C.  We made a few wrong turns along the way, hit some traffic and after almost 7 hours, we got home safe and sound.  All in all, a pretty fantastic three days of adventuring and celebrating...  pretty much a perfectly kaleidoscoped holiday weekend!  Thank you powers that be for giving us each other, such a good time and keeping us safe!    Check out some of Sunday's silliness below:

all dressed up and ready to go... up the stairs?

all dressed up and ready to play cars!

mama and Jonah!

post church fun in the sun!

tulips!

grass!

you say there is going to be an egg hunt...

not sure I want to play...

all right gonna give it a try- there is one!

forget the egg hunt... I found the basket full of eggs!

a little blurry, but the only photo of the two of them...

Jake and Vera!  Best Buddies

Aaron and Jonah!  Cousins... boys with balls!

Having Easter Sunday - literally- with a little Passover on the side (black hat style!)

Sunday Easter dinner includes Matzah in the middle of the table!  Thank you Uncle Jerry!



The happy family!



as the day ends, the Easter Bunny makes an appearance in her bunny feetie pajamas

Jonah is so happy!  a basket full of treats and a balloon!  whoop whoop!

The last photo of the day: Vera chillin' with Uncle Jerry waiting to go home!  Priceless!

Pesach with the Matriarchs!

Tonight's post is dedicated to my grandmother, Beulah Madeline Kaplan - our true Matriarch.  She turned 95 this year in March. She is my only living grandmother and is "GG" to my children.  The GG stands for Great Grandmother and years ago when she had her first great grandchild she came up with that name.  We celebrated her birthday today at our second seder at my parent's house with my brother and his family.  Five of GG's great grandchildren were there and all of my parent's grandchildren.  This is a wonderful thing. 

GG and I have always been very close.  I am told that when I was about 2 or 3 (the same age as my son, Jonah today) I had memorized her phone number and would call her when I wanted to run away from home.  When I was five, I supposedly took the NYC number 44 public bus from Queens to the Bronx to visit her by myself... and sat behind the bus driver and she was waiting for me at her stop?!?!  Anyway, for as long as I can remember GG has been one of my best friends.  She took me on NYC adventures when I was very young: shopping at the big Macy's in Manhattan, to see the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall, to listen to the piano at some big bank in Manhattan, and to eat at fancy restaurants with big deli sandwiches and big cream cakes in the windows!  She taught me how to type on an old typewriter.  She wrote me letters.  She bought be presents.  We made chopped liver in her kitchen and filet of sole with homemade french fries... I can still remember exactly how it all smelled in her little kitchen in the Bronx.  She met my grandfather when she was 16 and they we were this awesome couple the entire time I knew them.  When my grandfather died years ago, everyone was worried about grandma.  What would she do without him - he did it all: paid the bills, drove the car and made all the decisions-they were old school and they were in love!   I remember sitting with her after that and telling her,"grandma, promise me you will be ok and if you need anything, you will call me.  I will be here for you.  I need you to be here for me,  I need you to be here to tell me all the stories, there are so many stories you need to tell me."  And she did it.  I taught her how to balance her check book.  She had her own credit card,  And although, she did not learn how to drive, she did learn how to take buses to everywhere she needed to go and she was doing great!  We talked almost every day. I spent many of my vacations (from college, law school and later just from work) with her in Florida (she is snow bird), adventuring together.  Then at some point it was clear she was beginning to go down the Alzheimer's path.  Even then, she pushed through on her own.  Until she couldn't.

For a significant time now, my mom and dad have been taking care of GG because she can not be alone.  They spend their time between NY and Florida.  They are amazing caregivers and I am lucky to have such a wonderful family.  GG is lucky to have such an amazing daughter and son-in-law. 

Five years ago I married my partner, Jocelyn, in a fantastic ceremony and party in downtown Manhattan.  We got engaged the year before over Chanukah and went to  spend New Year's Eve with my grandmother that year.  I had not told anyone that Jocelyn and I were dating until we were engaged, so everyone was shocked and very curious when they heard the news-especially since Jocelyn was the first woman I had ever dated.  When we showed up in Florida and we told my grandmother, she looked at me and said, "oh so they are doing that now?  that's nice honey.  Wow, let me see the ring!  I love the ring - can I try it on?"  My grandmother LOVES jewelry!!!  She is also an amazing woman.  A year or so later, she walked down the aisle and danced at my wedding and she looked absolutely gorgeous!

GG and Jonah have had lots of fun together and Jonah loves his GG.  This makes my heart warm.  Vera knows GG too and GG just wants to "eat her up" this too makes me happy beyond explanation.

I hope one day that I have grandchildren who love and respect me as I do GG.  And if I can have some great grandchildren too, that would be the icing on the cake.  

When I was in 7th or 8th grade I entered a French poem contest (I was taking French at the time).  My grandmother always told me stories how she had a grandmother who only spoke French and her mother would leave her with her and they couldn't really communicate.  I thought that was funny and interesting and decided to write a poem in French about a grandmother and granddaughter.  I think it was a good poem.  I remember I wrote it about my grandma (GG) and me.  I ended up winning Honorable Mention in the national competition.  When I get back home I am going to try and find the poem and post it.  Even when I was in middle school, I knew I was very lucky to have a grandma like her.

Today was a very full and wacky day with Nana, Pop and GG and my brother's family.  The pictures below give you a glimpse of how the day went.  The kids had a blast-which I guess is the point.  GG hasn't been feeling so well lately,  She is very tired and has a terrible cough.  She spent most the day resting.  She isn't the same GG she was even 5 years ago at my wedding.  But I watched her today.  And there were these awesome moments when her eyes twinkled and she let us see a little glow.  These moments happened when she was looking at one of her great grandchildren.  In one moment, Jonah went to her while she was resting in her chair and said very loudly, "happy birthday GG, I love you so much!" and she beamed him a smile and said I love you too so much! and tussled his hair and he hugged her.  In another moment, she was playing peak-a-boo with Vera for a few seconds when Vera was in her high chair and both were laughing in delight.  In my head, I "kaleidoscoped" these images into others and they were all beautiful, fleeting and eternal.  My children know their GG and love her, just as I do.

She always sent me cards for everything and always addressed them "to my dearest darling heather" - well I hope she knows that she will always be "our dearest darling GG"  and so much more.

This is GG! 95 and Fabulous! 

GG and Nana!  2 strong and wonderful matriarchs!  I hope I can be as great as them when I grow up!

GG with her brood of great grandchildren!

ceremonial lunch time matzah brie!

eating of said matzah brie

ceremonial and religiously mandated lego time between pop and Logan!

the ceremonial egg hunt arranged by uncle mike and auntie stacey (pre hunt)

post hunt with eggs!

ceremonial passover craft project!  only Rayna and Jonah wanted to do it!

matzah, glue and felt!

yes , it really is!!!!

MATZAH BOB SQUARE PANTS!!!  (credit to someone on the web for this idea but I can't remember the link)

Forget Matzah Bob Square Pants... I got one of Nana's bears (and there are plenty around here!)

and I got a matzah bib!



seder time!  ask those 4 questions!



we have all the answers at this end of the table... just ask us!

I won the egg game!  I am the egg head!

looking for the afikomen!

and it is found!

what we get after the afikoman!  money!!!

cousins!!!

treats!

treats are the best at Nana's house!

These two are planning something for next year's seder... watch out!

Perfectly Passover

Today we spent pre-Passover and the first seder with some of our best friends in the world and met some new great passover buddies as well!  My kids love my bestest friend's kids... seriously, my almost three year old Jonah will tell you he "LOVES" all three of them - doesn't matter that they are 13, 11 and 8...   I am so happy about this.  So we were at their house early this morning and spent the day "carrying on" in every way.  It was plain fantastic.  I met "A" in 1990 on a plane going to Israel to spend my year abroad at the Hebrew University and tonight was evidence that we were supposed to sit next together on that plane!  Thank you A and family for one of the best Passover seders!  We will always remember it and the food was delish.  We used my "Heather Haggadah" and I led the wacky crazy extremely participatory seder.  A and her family did all the hard labor, cooking, setting up, etc.  I usually do that, so I know how hard it is.  Again thank you!  The guests were fun and totally into it!  From the grandmas, moms, dad, unlces, aunts, cousins, kids and even Uncle Greggy everyone seemed to have a good time and I had a blast!  We are back at the hotel and exhausted.  Here are a few choice pictures to show you how great our day was!

pre passover seder tv and snacks!

pre seder getting our wiggles out in a real car!  awesome!

interesting passover craft:  eye dying!  there is an egg on the seder plate, and we always start the seder by eating an egg.. that is right after we play the EGG GAME (the same egg served as theplace card)!  and crown the egg head!!!  so let's color those babies up and add face stickers for good measure!

not so bad for a bunch of wandering jews!

getting rid of the last bit chamatz!  Searched for it!  and then disposed of it!  go Team Kids!

Team Kids side to the table

rest of us... there were 19 of us in total!  whoop whoop!

what a gorgeous seder plate-with pretty nifty glass cups!

the four questions using finger puppets!

the plagues!  hail and lice are pretty good friends!

Vera building a pyramid! 

mama and Jonah playing the egg game!

Ms Egg and Mr. Matzah... she knows what is coming tomorrow morning... Matzah Brie... he is drunk and thinks he is getting lucky tonight... oh well!

searching for the afikoman!

ending with chad gadya and a dollar for everyone who tried to find the afikoman

CHAG SAMEACH
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!