Coolinary

I have had such a fun afternoon in the kitchen! It's really exciting being able to use all these great gifts people got us. So, the aforementioned picture will show two of my favorite kitchen gifts. First, this amazing and small but durable hand mixer which I used to make Blondies. It took no time at all and was really amazing to use; made me wonder how come I've never had one before.

Second, this block of knives are not only fashionable, they are sharp! I never got the chicken shears I wanted off of my registry, and I was faced with a huge piece of chicken breast and nothing to cut it with. So, I decided to try one of the smaller knives and it cut through the half frozen chicken like it was butter! Of course, I got so excited with the knife that I got clumsy and cut myself, but it was worth it. Now, we have really, really good knives to cook with and that is so important!

The oven, on the other hand, is a different matter. It's a Sauter and it doesn't speak my language. I'm not sure how to convert the F to C on this machine, so I've just been following the manuel as best as possible. Which means, I overcooked the chicken and might have just undercooked the blondies. Good thing it's just me and Buggy for Shabbos lunch, I wouldn't want to poison anyone!

We got an early morning wake up call today, which was good, and we got our day going relatively early. We first went into town to pick up my engagement ring, which needed to be redipped in iridium because the white gold was turning yellow. I was happy to get my ring back, I felt a bit naked without it this entire week! Then, we stopped into English Bakery on Jaffa to get chalot for Shabbos. We compromise since I like sweet and Buggy likes salty, and we got one of each. The sweet one looked like it was lacquered so I have no idea how much I'll be eating of it tomorrow, but we'll see.

Next, it was on to Steimatzky so that Buggy could pick up a new book to read during our honeymoon. Since I'm next in line for the Harry Potter, Buggy was definitely anxious to find a book to keep him company while I read my book. I hope we'll be able to get the R&R we need next week!

We then tried to go to the bank but it was closed, they really close early on Fridays so I guess I shouldn't have been so surprised. We walked back to the car and drove to a Makolet so I could pick up some spices. I noticed yesterday that I was really low on black pepper and I saw some chocolate chips so we decided to pick up a package for blondies.

Then, on our way home, we swung by Peh-air, which is an amazing bakery on Emek! They make such great Challot, but since we already have the English Cake ones, I decided to pass and wait for another Shabbos. We couldn't find a cake made only with oil (Buggy can't have margarine) so that was even more resolve for me to bake when I got home!

And then, there I was, all alone in the new kitchen with an entire meal to prepare. I tackled things one at a time, first making the Quinoa and then roasting the shwarma spiced cauliflower. I pan fried the baby eggplants and marinated the chicken. After that, it was just a quick throwing together for the blondies and I was finished.

Now, all I have to do it break down all of the boxes littering the living room floor before Shabbos. We're eating out tonight, and I'm looking forward to the post-dinner walk home. It should be very refreshing!

Shabbat Shalom to all!

The Registry, the Bank and the Wardrobe

Buggy and I are on a very bad schedule in that we stay up really, really late at night and don't get out of bed until way past Noon. This morning, my folks called from the States to say hello and we were both in bed! Buggy was even asleep! When I mentioned that to Mom, she was shocked and stated "but it's like 2:00 p.m. over there!" Fortunately, it was only really 12:00 but I woke up Buggy and we got on with our day.

And was it a packed one! We discovered the Baka post office, which is quaint and quite hidden on Derech Beit Lechem off of Yehuda. I bought enough postage to mail an elephant overseas, so I'm all set to go and write my thank you notes. After the post office, Buggy and I went to check on our Israel registry. We got a LOT of gifts off of that registry too, and more keep on coming! I was overwhelmed with all the stuff, and not sure what we still need, so I took the cards and brought them back with me so I could record who gave us what gift.

We stopped by the fruit and vegetable store on Derech Beit Lechem and bought some stuff for Shabbos. I had to make sure I had some good lychee in the house, it's soo good in this country! With a few hours to spare, we went back with our stuff to the apartment where Buggy started working on his new toy (a Maio) and I went to work preparing for the bank.

People, banking in this country is a miserable experience. It was even worse because we got ourselves a teller who was ready for her weekend and not looking forward to dealing with a newlywed couple who has over 200 checks! Well, with both dollar and shekel checks, we spent 2 1/2 hours with her inputting everything in the bank.

And then they robbed us blind on commission! I told them to take it out of our shekel account and it was more than 800 shekel! Do you belive that? I should have just gone to the ATM in the States and put all the checks into an account, it would have been much cheaper.

To treat ourselves after that ordeal, we went down to Kent and changed $20. Then, we went back to the frozen yogurt store and got chocolate/vanilla small cup swirls. We then went down to Yoel Solomon to exchange a gift. Unfortunately, just as the gift was not my taste, so was everything else in the store. Hopefully, we'll have a good friend's birthday or something so I can at least get a nice piece of jewelry for a friend. Either way, we have 6 months credit at the store.

When we got home, it was really late and I was surprised that sundown was already close to 7:30. Buggy said that it's now Autumn in Jerusalem, but I have to say that it's really hot so I have no idea what he's talking about!

So, we're going on our honeymoon on Sunday and the house is a complete mess. But, we were tired from the day so we both collapsed in front of the TV and I started putting pictures into an album. And then, Buggy asked me where his swimsuit was and I spent the next 3 hours unpacking all of our boxes!

And, you'll never guess where I found his swim trunks..yup, the LAST box I unpacked.

So, here is our closet. We have one in the whole apartment...Ignore the spots, it's from the camera and not the wood...



This is Buggy's hanging closet...


And this one is mine....



And this one is mine...


And, this one is basically mine but I left Buggy 2 shelves...


And I still have some more unpacking to do! I have three boxes left though, which is great, and then 2 boxes of books and school papers. Those will have to wait until we get some sort of breakfront/book shelf for the living room.

Anyway, Buggy is pretty exhausted and although he is almost finished with Harry Potter, is ready to go to bed. So, I guess I have to sign off cause the light from my laptop is a little annoying...

Till tomorrow!

Hooter Hiders

This invention is called the Hooter Hider, for women who want to breast feed in public. Buggy and I are going into business for ourselves, and we hope to become the #1 importer of The Hooter Hider for Israeli women nationwide.

So, where should I begin? Today was a bit boring, we ran some errands and when I say errands I mean that we returned some presents. What we thought was the cheapest gift imaginable, turned out to be the most expensive because it was designed by a local artist. Well, just because some artist drew on it doesn't make it pretty. So, while the shopkeeper looked at me in disgust and disapproval, I returned it and exchanged the gift for a similar one to our liking. And, with the left over money, I was able to get Buggy a kitel and a Shabbos washing cup.

Afterwards, we got ready for yet another family function. This time, the Bat Mitzvah of Buggy's first cousin. Once again, my post-wedding diet was off and with my wig firmly in place (it looked nice y'all) we left for the Bat Mitzvah. It was beautiful and the location was fantastic, at a hall right outside of the Old City walls. And, for the first time since the wedding, I was thrilled to finally be sitting on the couples table!

You see, when you're single (and not every single is like this, but there was a point in time where I definitely was like this) when you really just want off the singles table and onto the couples table. It just seems like a lot of fun there, and Buggy and I both felt this way the past couple of years. So here we are, our first famly function as a legally bound couple, and sure enough we are on the young couples table.

Finally, I thought, we're here. This is the place we've been waiting to come to. We sit down with our plates, get comfortable, and prepare to join the conversation. And then, we tuned into the conversation, and realized that the couples at our table were talking about the one topic we can't contibute to...

Children.

And breastfeeding

And teething

And pooping

And toilet training

Do you see where I'm going with this?

Well, after a while listening to the conversation, I turned to Buggy and whispered my observation in his ears. He laughed and agreed with me completely.

The grass is always greener. And, as soon as you get yourself into one meadow, you're ready to move along to the other meadow cause that's where the rest of the cows have gone..

I told Buggy we will always be behind the eight ball. But, and he gently reminded me, I won't be alone. And we will be behind the eight ball together.

Oh, and we're still on New York time. It's 1:40 a.m. and we're both wide awake. No idea what time we're going to sleep tonight, but we have a lot to do tomorrow so I hope we don't sleep too late.

Meanwhile, would love to hear from anyone else who married later in life and found themselves in a similar situation. How did you feel the first time this happened to you?

The Clean Up

The media always talks about the great "clean up" after a hurricane/tornado other natural disaster. I am definitely not comparing my recent marriage to a natural disaster, but my lord the clean up that needs to be done this week is massive. My folks left last night, they refused to let us drive them to the airport, and my Mom warned Buggy that I would need some ice cream to get me through the night. She was right, and he was prepared, and so I got through the sadness with some Ben and Jerry's. It didn't take me long though to perk up, Buggy and I were finally alone!

I am hoping to get some quiet time tomorrow when Buggy goes to work so I can really update this blog accurately and responsibly, but wanted to just get some quick thoughts online.

Laundry - never thought I'd say this but I miss the laundromats in Tel Aviv. Can you believe that one cycle in Israel takes 2 hours and 35 minutes??!! It took me 7 hours yesterday to do two little loads of laundry!

Nidah - is really, really, really difficult. Enough said.

Presents - we got some really amazing and generous gifts. And then, there were a handful that we got that made me realize that there are people out there who must really hate us. Fortunately, none of those people were at the wedding! Whee!

Anyway, there's a lot more to write and I can't wait till tomorrow!

And now, the beginning

We're married! We're wiped, Buggy is already sleeping, and I just wanted to quickly upload this picture my friend Fruma took at the wedding. It's great, we had such a great time, I'm completely running on adrenaline. We got back to Israel tonight and went straight to Sheva Brachot in Beit Shemesh. I smelled something awful and was wearing a tracksuit, but it was a lot of fun seeing Buggy's family. With the help of his Dad, brother and brother-in-law, we got all the suitcases into our apartment and then I spent an hour going through to make sure that nothing shattered. From what I could tell so far, the stuff is A-OK! Thankfully, the Rosenthal China Sushi Set for Two is in tact! Woohoo, can't wait!

OK - I really should get some sleep, it's almost 3:00 a.m.! Will blog more later!

Wedding Eve

It's 11:30 p.m. on my wedding eve and somehow, and lord knows I have NO idea how this happened, but I'm the only one awake in the house and it's because I have to wait for the dryer to finish. I wish I could make this stuff up people, especially since I maybe have 2 items in the entire load, but I'm dead serious. One minute, we were "preparing the staging area" which means that we brought all necessary items for tomorrow into the living room and labeled them appropriately. There will be "two waves" going to the hall tomorrow. My Mom and I will be in the "first wave" which means we'll be driving to the hall with the two gowns (my gown is packed with a person's worth of tissue paper) and my brother will follow behind in his car with the boxes of benchers, kiddie bags and our mini suitcases.

My house is running on army time right now, and Dad HolyLandHipster is Major while Mom HolyLandHipster is the General. Me, I'm just going along for the ride. So, here I am, just chilling out and waiting for the kids laundry to be done. And, my sister is anal about shrinkage (that's what she has to deal with since my nephew is 6 months and 21 pounds!) so the dryer is on the LOWEST SETTING POSSIBLE and my Mom threw in some bath towels too. So basically, the reason I won't be sleeping this evening is because the dryer is NEVER GOING TO FINISH!

If only the pair of socks I need for the wedding tomorrow wasn't in the dryer, I would just say screw it and head off to bed. No matter what, I want to be in bed and asleep by 1:00, cause the kids have been waking up at like 6:00 and crying for hours! I can't wait for the wedding to be over so I can get to the hotel and get some sleep!! Its been a long week with a 2 and 6 month old in the house; we're all reall wiped.

So, Friday was actually a lot of fun, I only cried once when my Dad started yelling about the weather. My brother-in-law didn't make it to New York for Shabbos, the tornado watch closed down the airport so he was stuck in Cleveland. That was upsetting, we all could have used an extra set of hands on Friday.

Mom and I spent the morning pampering with manicure/pedicures and then blow outs. Afterwards, we ran some food errands at SuperSol and then came back and tried to tackle the downstairs and clean up. The house was a wreck and Shabbos was coming! We cleaned up and I managed to steal a few minutes upstairs to just deal with what I needed to deal with. Buggy sent me 2 dozen long-stemmed red roses for Shabbos and my friends Debra, Shulamit and Marnina sent a gorgeous little bouquet of flowers. It was really nice going into Shabbos surrounded by flowers.

My nephew's cries woke me this morning about an hour before I wanted to be up, and so I decided to help my Mom take care of the kids. We got my niece dressed and made it in time for the end of the Haskamah minyan where my Dad was making a Kiddush in honor of the wedding. We told my niece it was her birthday and she was really happy to see the "birthday" cake. She didn't want any, so my Mom, Grandmother and I all took her upstairs to daven with the main minyan. She was happy when we managed to get her a lollipop from the Shul candyman. The Rabbi said some nice words about me and my family during his speech, a lot of people said Mazal Tov, and then we went home for lunch. I managed to catch about 3 hours sleep this afternoon and then got up to prepare for the Shabbos Kallah.

It was a bit hectic getting ready and I only cried for a bit when I couldn't find the serving spoon for the fruit. I was still really tired and needed help just getting everything ready. Also, my stomach is one big knot at this point and the nerves were really getting to me. Fortunately, Shulamit, Marnina and Debra really helped calm me down. I was so happy they came by and we had a really nice Shalosh Seudot.

And then, before I knew it, Shabbos was over and we were full on getting ready mode. Mom and I sat down and put the table numbers in all the place cards and then I packed up for the wedding and for Israel too! It's insane that I'm leaving so quickly, I could really use a few more days here in New York to tie up some loose ends, but that's just not going to happen.

I've been listening to this mix that I made and I'm so happy I made it, the music is really perfect and relaxing. I keep saying that I'll be relaxed as soon as I know that Buggy is at the hall tomorrow, and I really hope I'm not just fooling myself. Meanwhile, as I scramble here with tons of wedding stuff to do, guess what Buggy is doing?

He's at the freaking movies!!!!

Can you believe it? I don't whether or not to be happy that he's entertained or upset because I have all this work to do and he's off enjoying himself at the movies. I would love to be at the movies right now, too! Hmmm, in retrospect, I think talking should have been added to the things not to do before the wedding. It's one thing to not see him, but maybe I shouldn't have been speaking to him either. That way, I would be sitting here right now annoyed that he's at the movies because I just wouldn't have known. I would have been blissfully ignorant and just assumed that he was relaxing back at the hotel and getting ready for tomorrow.

Anyway - I hope all these nerves will let me sleep! OK, I'm off to check on the dryer!

Im Yirtzeh Hashem By You? You! umm, you?!?

OK, so this is an important blog and I just hope some of my friends out there are reading and will be kind enough to weigh in on this subject. This is very new to me and I just want to make sure I'm not doing anything to hurt anyone's feelings.

So, for the past 30 years I've been a single gal. For more than a decade of those years, I was a single gal at loads of friends weddings. And, at almost every single wedding, the bride would turn to me at some point - sometimes on the dance floor, other times during the Badeken, once even in the elevator after the wedding - and said those few words: Im Yirtzeh Hashem By You.... And, each time, I smiled politely and said Amen or Thank you but went home feeling like crap and usually ended up breaking my pre-wedding slim down with a pint of Ben & Jerry's.

But now, here I am thankfull on the other side of this scenario, and I'm the one who is bearing the bride brand. And here's the thing, when I think about my single friends, I truly FEEL inside how much I wish this for them. I want each and every one of them to feel the way I feel right now. To experience all the things I'm experiencing. And not just the wedding, but the relationship. I want all my friends to find their soulmates and start building lives together as couples. And, I'm not trying to be cheesy or emotional or anything, but when I look at my friends I really want to bless them with this wonderful occurance. But, the question I pose to you (dear, dear readers!) is - what's the best way to do this?

I don't want my friends to think I'm being fake or condescending, because that's terrible. I don't want them to feel bad about themselves by basically throwing it in their faces that they don't have what I have, but gosh I really wish it will happen for them. I don't want to make them feel the way I felt many, many, many times in my life. Yet, I want them to know that I truly am thinking about them, and will P"G be praying for them before the Chupah.

So, how do I do that in a way that will make my friends feel good about themselves and not like they want to dive into a vast of Coldstone Creamery Cake ice cream and not come up for air until the sugar high helps them forget that they're single? (and again, this blog is for those friends who don't WANT to be single, not the friends who love it and have no interest in dating).

I guess this is where my heads at these past few days. Today was another busy day but fortunately, the last one trekking into the City. I went to Saks this morning and hit all my counters: Jo Malone, Bobbi Brown, Mac and Kiehl's. One by one, I crossed things off the list. Then, I grabbed a cab uptown to Bed Bath and Beyond and went shopping and bought stuff of my registry using store credit and gift cards I got from Melissa and Hannah at the shower on Sunday. I got some great stuff for our apartment, but the bags were super heavy. So, I took a cab to see Josine and had an hour facial with microdermabrasion (highly recommend, it makes the skin look so much younger and glowing!), and my usual waxes. Then, I stood on 80th and Broadway with all my bags and begged cab after cab to take me home to Queens. But, no one would do it because their shift was up.

It was not fun! I finally hailed a cab and got home in decent time. And then tonight has been the usual evening - playing with the kids, eating a quick dinner, opening up new packages, writing thank you notes, laundry and other wedding errands.

The count is close and I can't wait!

The Unknown

I was up really early this morning with the kids and just can't fall back asleep. So, rather than fight it, I figured I would at least quickly update the blog and then get ready for the busy day ahead.

Yesterday, Buggy and I obtained our marriage license. We had been warned that it was going to be a long, painful process and so I packed snacks for us. Celery sticks for me, and a sugar-free pudding, half a whole wheat bagel and some pistachio nuts for Buggy. We threw 2 Poland Spring water bottles into a bag and went off to get "hitched". Well, it was much quicker than I thought and even with some typical government stupidity (not standing on one line until you fill out the form on the other side of the line, etc.), we watched the woman input the information, paid with a $35 money order and walked out with the coveted piece of paper. B"H we have it, because the Rabbi cannot marry us otherwise.

That was one BIG thing off of my list, and something that needed to be done because Buggy and I are going to part ways this afternoon and won't be seeing each other again until the wedding. For those who don't know, the custom in Orthodox Jewish weddings is that the bride and groom not see each other the week before the wedding. Since I haven't seen Buggy for 2 weeks, and we needed to go together for the marriage license, the full week isn't possible for us. But, 5 days will still heighten the anticipation for the wedding.

It's so nice for Buggy to be here, I can't even say how happy just being able to look at him when talking to him has made me. Unfortunately, Buggy brought an ear infection with him from Israel, but we were able to find a nice local Dr. who saw him right away yesterday and gave him the necessary perscription. Fortunately, he will no longer be contagious by the wedding. Unfortunately, that means Buggy is in quarantine while he's in the house. Dad HolyLandHipster doesn't want to take ANY chances so he spent a number of hours resting by himself yesterday. He was pretty happy though - there was a Star Trek Enterprise marathon on the SciFi Channel!

So, last night before I went to bed, the magnitute of what's happened on Sunday really hit me and I am having a hard time wrapping my mind around this. Welcome to the contemplation of the unknown. For me, marriage is this VAST unknown. It's not something you can observe in other people's lives because, well, every marriage is different. And, to be honest, marriage is a really scary thing. Not in the way that I would ever be one of those Runway Brides or anything, but scary in that I have no idea really what to expect.

I've been single for 30 years, moved out of my parents home when I was 21, so I've basically been taking care of myself for almost a decade. That means I ate what I ate, when I wanted to eat it. I slept when I slept and when I wanted to go to sleep. I did my laundry when I felt like it. I went out after Midnight to meet friends when I wanted to. I traveled where ever I wanted to go. You get my drift. But now, I'm no longer just me. I'm me and someone else. My friend Hannah mentioned coming for Shabbos P"G during Succot when she's in Israel. Well, I automatically said "of course" because, well, of course I would love for her to come for Shabbos. And then later, when I was telling one of my married friends about my day and I mentioned this, she said that "she hoped I said I would check with Buggy first and then get back to her".

People, that just did not occur to me. I will have to always check with Buggy first from now on before I make commitments. That is going to take a heck of a lot of adjusting to, but I hope I'll get better about it in time.

Some of my friends want to know if I'm freaking out. Nope is the honest answer. I am really excited about the wedding, nervous about the flight back to Israel with all of my stuff and anxious that I'm going to be really tired during Sheva Brachot.

As for the fear of the unknown, I am actually adopting the same attitude I had at this time last year when I was about to move to Tel Aviv for a 2 year commitment. When I had no family, and no friends in a Country where my language skills are sub par and the culture is extremely different.

Yeah, it's definitely really hard when you over think things and get over whelmed, but if you just concentrate on one aspect at a time. For me, it's knowing that when I have a bout of insomnia, I will no longer be alone with the television as my companion, that is helping me through this incredibly amazing yet scary life adjustment.

And the best part of this - Buggy is going through the same feelings right now - so it's great that we're both in this thing together.

Today is going to be busy with wedding errands - picking up the gown, going out to the hall and florist, getting my sister's gown pressed and picking up the wedding programs. I will probably drop fairly early, but that's okay, I could use the sleep.

Bridal Shower

Today, as my friends in Israel sat down to take the Moed Aleph on the Philosophy final, I was getting ready for my bridal shower. The shower was absolutely perfect. No bridal bingo, no "he said, she said" game, just a few friends and family, some great gifts, and a beautiful spread.

My friend Eta has an absolutely gorgeous house out in the Five Towns. With my friend Shulamit, the two of them planning this soiree. Since a lot of my friends attending the wedding had a wedding in the afternoon, we called the shower for 11:00 a.m. The morning started off bright and early, and since Shabbat was Buggy's Aufruf and I was soo excited to hear about it that I stayed up really late to call him, I was really tired when Mom woke me at 8:30. Her and my Dad had been up for hours, doing laundry, cleaning the house, paying bills, and getting ready for the girls to arrive.

At 9:30, they drove up from the airport with my sister and the two kids. It was sooo nice to see them! I haven't seen them since Pesach and kids can change so much in just a few months. Then, they left to pick up my other sister from the airport and I drove to Forest Hills to get my friend Julie from the train.

At this point, time was ticking down fast and I was really late. So, after I picked up Julie I drove over to get my Grandmother and we were off. You'd like my Grandmother hadn't seen me in months, the way she dominated the entire conversation both there and back, but it made me think just how lonely she must be without my Grandfather. She doesn't have people to talk to anymore, so it must be so hard. Fortunately, Julie was really understanding and we managed to catch up a bit in fits and spirts.

I got there late, and before my folks, and my Aunt and cousin Tova were there, my friends from the Upper West Side: Fruma, Hannah, Melissa and Elana and then Rachel drove up right behind me. The house looked great and the table was beautiful. Eta made a fantastic eggplant parmesan that must have added at least 10 pounds because it was incredible. I never knew the secret was breading and deep frying the eggplant first! Good thing my friends all brought me recipes, and Eta bought be a great recipe box that's really cute! I can't wait to pack it and bring everything back to Israel.

My parents finally came and then Aunt Amy's daughter-in-law and her 3 Grandchildren came and the party was really in full effect. After chatting with friends and eating in the dining room, people realized time was flying and they had to get going. So, we were off to open gifts and I got some really, really great presents! Everyone got me something terrific, so I can't single out one thing I liked more than anything else, and then it was time for the hat. Eta made me a great little paper hat with a train and then we all posed for pictures.

A fun, classic shower!

I stayed a bit to help Eta clean up while my parents zoomed out of there to get my sister back to the airport to catch her flight. I hadn't even realized my Dad picked up most of the gifts and put them in his van! I bid adeiu to all my friends, told them how much I couldn't wait to see them next Sunday, and then was off back to Queens. I really appreciated all the people who came, and all the hard word done my Shulamit and Eta meant the world. This is one shower I will never forget!

After I dropped my Grandmother and Julie off, I got home and helped my sister with the kids. I had to run some errands and was in and out of the car a lot and then came back and cleaned up the gifts and recorded everything for Thank You cards. I have to be up really late tonight because I want to surprised Buggy! He is in the air folks, touch down in a few, and I am going to the airport to pick him up.

I told him I was sending a car service for him and that he should look for the man with the "Buggy" sign, but it's going to be me! I spent some time last night coloring fun signs for him and in a few minutes I'm going to take a shower and get ready to go.

I cannot wait for him to get him cause tomorrow is going to be a super busy day! We have to go get our marriage license and that will probably take FOREVER at City Hall!

Woohoo! By this time tomorrow, hopefull, we will be civially marriage according to the State of New York.

Awesome!

A walk down memory lane...

The past two days have been such a blur, and it's almost 11:00 p.m. EST as I sit down to update the blog. I don't think I'll be able to get much sleep tonight, I'm on a really nice high from a really great day.

Wednesday - I decided that it was going to be all about me, and whatever I wanted to do. Well, it was partly about me and partly about what Mom left me to do, but it didn't require much movement. I did about 2 hours worth of errands in the morning, incuding buying white shoe polish for my 10 year old sneakers that I will now be wearing P"G to the wedding. The sneaks are soo yellow and dirty, that Shulamit suggested I get some shoe polish and try to fix it. Very good choice! It worked, although from up close it still isn't 100%, but definitely good enough to wear underneath my gown!

I then went to buy my nieces socks to wear at the wedding, as my sisters couldn't find frilly little socks. I picked up two pairs so they have a choice. Then, I had to pick up and drop off some family cleaning and, since I was on the other side of Main Street, I went to Supersol to pick up some vegetables for the house. I also did a big time protein run and picked up a package of hamburgers, which I made later that night on the grill pan (not as good as on the outdoor BBQ but adequate).

Anyway, I got back to the house and made my vendor phone calls to the photographer and florist and the band, and then, I shut it all off. The computer. The cell phone. Everything.

And I popped in Almost Famous and lost myself in the movie for 2 1/2 hours. Wonderful. Exactly what I needed to recharge my batteries. Just me and Kate Hudson and Billy Crudup and Patrick Fugit. I was hoping to also watch Dazed and Confused which is, by far, one of my absolute all time favorite movies. But, at that point, I was too uptight about the terrible weather (tornado's in Brooklyn people!!!) and my Mom being stuck in the subways that I watched two straight hours of news. With all the TV watching, it's no wonder I couldn't fall asleep. And so, when I can't sleep, I did what I've become accustomed to doing. I called Buggy in Israel and woke him up.

He's cute and funny when I wake him up, but not once has he ever gotten angry. He tried to help me get some sleep but it didn't help, so I let him go back to bed. I love him for always being there for me - no matter how tired he is - and I can't wait to just be able to poke him when I can't sleep at night! Hehehe, I know HE'S not looking forward to that part of it all!

Thursday - I feel like I ran a marathon! I had to jump out of bed and call Israel before it was too late in the day, as I wanted to order a flower arrangement for Buggy's parents since it is his Aufruf!

OMG - Buggy is having his Aufruf this weekend. That it surreal! I think he feels the same way about it because, when we chatted, he was just watching his family pack "sweets" (in the US, we call them Aufruf candy bags) to throw at him after he finishes the Haftorah. I really sad that I won't be at his Aufruf, but I'm looking forward to getting the update from my friends who are coming in to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv for the weekend so they can attend the Aufruf. Anyway, after I ordered the flowers for his folks in Israel, I got a call that my fall was ready.

That was quick! And they asked me to come pick it up around 2:30 p.m.

Hmm, that didn't leave me much time to do the errands on my list but I told them I would try to work around it. I then quickly jumped into the shower and ran to Main Street to drop off some stuff at Jerry Meyer's Studio, and then went to Amazing Savings to get some more kiddie stuff. I got home, dropped the stuff off and picked up the car keys so I could go out to Bay Terrace to do some shopping. I have literally nothing to wear to the Sheva Brachot and I was very fortunate to find some great outfits at Anne Taylor Loft! I also went to Gap and that made me super happy - here's why..

So, wedding lent has been really nice to me and I've lost a few pounds. But, I don't really put much stock into weight loss until I get to the Gap and look at their jeans. That was my benchmark. So, I took four pairs of jeans into the dressing room - 2 pairs the size I was hoping to be and 2 pairs the size I've been for quite some time. Well, when I successfully fit into the size I was hoping to be jeans - and this is without lying on the floor and sucking in in order to zip the jeans!! - I almost squeeled with delight. Finally, I am an officially an entire dress size smaller. Which means that, from 2002, I have lost 4 dress sizes! Oprah Winfrey fatgirl's slim show - here I come!!

Feeling great and with a spring in my step, I stopped off at Claire's to get a small stud for my upper ear lobe. With the Mikvah B"H a few days away, I wanted something easier to put in and out of my ear. I got a really tiny pair for $20 and then continued on the shopping plaza and right into Yankee Candle and their fall scents are in! I LOVE Yankee Candle, have raved about them for years, and I absolutely adore the Fall. Since there isn't much of a fall in Israel, I decided to buy myself some good ol' East Coast fall in a candle in the scents of spiced pumpkin and cranberry chutney. If you like warm, homey scents that make you feel like brewing up a glass of hot apple cider (they have that candle too!) I recommend picking up some tea lights and enjoying!

Well, after that I popped into Victoria's Secret for well, for none of your business. Hehehe - don't worry - it was nothing exciting.

And that didn't leave me much time to get back to pick up my fall so I called to tell them I was running late and then asked to make sure that the fall was washed and blown straight before I picked it up. Meanwhile, since my Grandmother called at 9:00 a.m. to tell me that there were a bunch of packages in her house, I drove straight to her apartment to pick them up. It was a lot and they were pretty heavy! I shleped all my packages home and then went to work unpacking boxes. Friday is boxes garbage pick up and the living room was a MESS! I spent 2 hours breaking down boxes and unpacking gifts and writing down information for thank you notes. It was hot, messy work, and then I managed to quickly eat something and rush out to pick up my fall.


Which, is absolutely beautiful and I think what I will B"H be wearing to my first Sheva Brachot! I decided to wear it in the house when Mom got home to see what she thought. And, would you believe it, but Mom didn't even realize I was wearing a wig! That's how great it was! She was very happy with it and I decided to leave it on when Chante got here to do my make up for the wedding. It was such a great trial and we had a good time! I really like what she did, was very happy with my lip decision (understated - as opposed to bright red and bold) and then I asked her to tone it down a bit before I ran out to Fruma's party.

It was hot in the subways and there I was, wearing way too much make up for Fruma's 30th birthday party, but so excited to be seeing my friends again. And, when I walked into the room, I was just thrilled to see everyone! Rachel, Elana, Ilana, Cousin Neil, Daniel and his girlfriend Daniela, Fruma (obviously), Hannah, Cara, Adina, Carrie, Natalie, Grubey, the Toczes, Liora, the list goes on. It was overwhelming at first, I just wanted to hug everyone cause I was soo happy to see them, and then I felt bad because I felt like I wasn't able to give my attention to one person. It's hard, all I wanted to do was really talk to them. Cousin Neil was great to see, and since he is an avid blog reader, we didn't have to do that much catching up (well, and because we chatted the other night for a while). Anyway, I had soo much fun! Sitting there made me really realize how much I miss my NY friends. It was sad when I left, especially saying goodbye to the friends who won't be coming to the wedding, and it was moments like tonight that made me so happy that I'm getting married in NY. My wedding wouldn't be the same without all these people around. I mean, they've meant so much to me for so long, and have been there for me for the 4 1/2 years while living on the UWS.

After I said my goodbyes at the JCC, I walked down 76th from Amsterdam towards Columbus. I saw a Fresh Direct guy waiting to be buzzed in at an apartment and it made me smile. I used to order from Fresh Direct all the time, and it was just such a New York moment. It made the sadness of missing Manhattan almost tangible. And then, directly in front of me, I saw this young couple hugging and kissing on the sidewalk. And that's when I realized just how much I miss Buggy and I thought, for a second, how wonderful it could have been if Buggy and I could get married and live on the Upper West Side. I continued past the couple and ended up in front of Dive 75, my favorite all time speakeasy's. I resisted the urge to go in and check on my Hoeegaarden (they've got this in Israel too!) or the tank of shitting fish. I guess, that era has really past, and now it's time for me to finally be with my soulmate. And, who knows, maybe one day one of you readers will stumble upon us hugging and kissing on one of the side streets of Jerusalem. And I hope seeing how much we love each other will make that person smile.

And with that thought in my mind, I hailed a cab, and headed back to Queens.

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!

Playing chicken with the Cops

This morning, I played chicken with the NYPD. It was a perfect end to a hectic week. I'll start with today before I recap how busy this week has been. I woke up at my usual time, got dressed, took my "to do" list for the day and headed out to Main Street to get my errands done. First, it was food shopping at SuperSol and I was able to get a parking spot near the entrance (not an easy feat at 10:00 a.m. on Friday!). After quickly picking up the vegetables and fruit for Shabbos, I came back to the house and unloaded my goods. I then got back into the car and drove to the other side of Main Street to pick up my cleaning. Unfortunately, my Mom's cleaning wasn't available but I was able to pick mine up. I had been looking forward all week to my Friday morning Starbucks and so I drove out to Fresh Meadows to get my venti iced decaf with heavy cream. As I was driving towards Fresh Meadows on 73rd Street, I saw two cars approach the Stop sign and only one stopped. The second one drove through with the first car and the next thing I know, this NYPD car with sirens and lights flashing, starts chasing the second car. And, they started chasing the car in my lane!!! For a minute, I really thought that the cop car was going to slam right into me, but fortunately the game of chicken was short lived and the big white van pulled over.

Monday - it's a complete blur but I managed to get to Main Street and finish making the bags for the kids. I did a lot of other things too, lots of errands, but I just can't remember it now. I do remember falling into bed into a dead like sleep at 11:00 p.m. that night.

Tuesday - was the big morning fitting, which was a bit hectic and upsetting because I wasn't so excited at the fitting. But then I went to pick up my shaytel and I was thrilled because it's beautiful! Buggy is very anti-shaytel but I'm excited about wearing it to Sheva Brachot!

Wednesday - was another local day worth or errands, which was good because I had a lot to do. I also went to the Post office to mail a battery to Buggy and mail all of our Thank You notes. In the evening, I had my first 2 hour Kallah class and it was fantastic! I really liked my Kallah teacher and look forward to a great relationship with her moving forward.

Thursday - because I was so unhappy with my fitting, I was able to get another appointment fo5 6:00 p.m. at Kleinfeld's and this time I brought Mom along. Prior to the fitting, I had my last Kallah class with my teacher and this 2 hour lesson was just as great! I'm much calmer now about Taharat Hamispacha but boy do I have a lot to do before the wedding! Anyway, I raced into the City and to Lord and Taylor to return the shoes I bought on Sunday because they just didn't work with the dress. I ended up getting a pair of shoes at Kleinfeld's, which will hopefully stay on my feet during the wedding! From a height perspective though, they're perfect! Anyway, this fitting went better as Mom was able to tell them what she thought needed to be done. I left feeling more relaxed and, as usual for the week, passed out by 11:30 p.m.!

Today - after my exciting experience with the Cops, I picked up my coffee and came back to the house to relax. I relaxed a tiny bit and then laced up my sneaks and headed to Main Street to do more errands. I picked up 2 copies of the Tenaim for the wedding, so that my Mom and mother-in-law will be able to break the plate before the Badeken. Afterwards, I went to Main Sweet to sent my Kallah teacher a good-Shabbos and thank-you basket of chocolates. I then stopped into Lilac and ordered the flowers to the Sheva Brachot, paid for them in full, and walked back home happy that I got so much accomplished.

I'm sad that I didn't get a chance to go to the UWS this weekend, I was really looking forward to spending Shabbos with Marns and co. And, cancelling my bachelorette party was very upsetting to me but I'm feeling so overwhelmed and exhausted I probably wouldn't have enjoyed myself too much anyway.

OK, I'm off to finish some more pre-Shabbos e-mails and errands. 2 weeks to go! I can't WAIT!

Back to the Big Apple

It's true, I'm back in the good ol' USA and I'm already so tired that I wish I could just close the door to my bedroom and sleep for a week! Since I haven't blogged for almost an entire week, I'm going to try to back track and remember the highlights of last week.

Tuesday - Tisha B'Av day was much better once Buggy came over towards the afternoon. I was stressing over my final on Thursday afternoon and all the things I needed to buy/do before leaving Israel after Shabbos. Buggy suggested that, even though it was a fast, we go to the Mall and at least buy all the things on my list. It was the smartest thing he could have recommended we do, as after 3 hours of running all of my errands at the mall (and food shopping at Mega), I was thrilled to have all my pre-flight errands taken care of. We drove back to the apartment and waited for the fast to end. I made us a small break fast and then Buggy and I went out for his sister's birthday. Poor girl, I can empathize about having a birthday on a big fast day. Mine can sometimes fall out on Yom Kippur!

Wednesday - I woke up in the morning in a complete panic about the strike, it was nail biting nerves for me. I absolutely HAD to get back to the States! Ever single day in the States is planned for and, if I even miss one day, I'll be in trouble for the wedding. So, I called Buggy's travel agent and she was able to get me on the 10:40 a.m. flight out of Ben Gurion on Thursday morning. She thought that if they would end up closing the airport, that they would just move up my flight to 7ish and I would get out. I spoke to the folks and they decided it was worth the money and so I booked the last ticket. That left me with a final that I wouldn't be able to get to, and so I had to call Professor Harvey and plead my case. The man was absolutely wonderfully understanding and told me to get in touch after the wedding so we could figure something out. I was so thankful and spent the rest of the day packing and getting ready for the morning flight. Buggy was working all day and so I decided to cook most of the food I had planned on making him for Shabbos. I made him a carrot cake and macaroni and meat for dinner. A few hours before dinner, I got a text message that my flight was moved up and that I had to be in the airport 5 HOURS beforehand! That meant being in the airport at 2:00 a.m.! Buggy agreed that it was ridiculous to go to sleep and then get up and go, so we decided to leave the apartment at midnight and I would just try to sleep in the airport.

Thursday - Midnight on Thursday morning and I had my last crying jag on Buggy's shoulder. I didn't want to leave him for the next 3 weeks, but it means that we're getting married and will P"G be together forever, and all of the emotions that have been pent up inside of me just flooded out. Buggy was wonderful, as usual, and told me to just let go and let out the emotions. It was tiring! Afterwards, we left and got stuck on the #1 to Tel Aviv. Fortunately, I still arrived with PLENTY Of time before the flight. I don't think I've seen so many people in the airport at one time. And Duty Free was hopping! People were flinging things all over the place and running for gates, it was pretty insane. And, my 7:15 flight was delayed almost 2 hours. I was wiped out at that point, and freezing from all the AC blasting over night, that I grabbed a large cup of tea and just waited at my gate to board. Finally, around 8ish, they started boarding the plane. I joined the line and when it was my turn, my boarding pass was rejected. They asked me to step to the side and my heart started pounding. I asked what was going on and they said they had to check. I had to get on this PLANE! What was going on? The woman behind the computer suddenly ripped up my ticket and I thought I was going to throw up. And then, she said one beautiful word:

upgrade

Miraculously, I was upgraded to business class. I was so relieved to be getting on the plane, I don't think the magnitute of what was happening hit until I walked into the business class area. The leg room! The extension on the seat recliners! The really nice stewardesses and stewards walking around with glasses (yes, GLASSES!) of water! I was so exhausted that I just put my stuff overhead and sat in the seat, opened my blanket and buckled my seat belt. I was asleep within minutes, barely remember takeoff, and slept straight through breakfast. I slept for 3 hours before finally getting up to see what was going on around me. Folks, if you ever have the money to fly to or from Israel on business class ticket, I highly recommend it. It was an absolutely pleasurable flight. I hope that one day, P"G, I will be able to afford to fly business class to and from Israel. Touching down at JFK was bittersweet, it was really nice to be home but overwhelming with wedding plans really coming to the forefront. I can no longer avoid everything that needed to be done! I got back to Queens after sitting on the Van Wyck for an hour and immediately went to work! My bed was under a mountain of boxes and I had to open them all before I could get any sleep that night! Buggy and I got some really great wedding gifts, and I'm already hard at work with the thank you cards! I'm hoping to get as many written before the wedding as I possibly can! I stayed up until Midnight and called Buggy in Israel to wake him up. As soon as he was coherent enough to get out of bed, I crashed and went to sleep.

Friday
Jetlag and excitement caused me to get up at 6:00 a.m.! That's insane in terms of time of morning, but I had a ton to do so I got out of bed. I ended up running a lot of errands on Friday, first going to SuperSol on Main Street to do some food shopping before Shabbos. I don't know if it was the sugar free 60 calorie Jello pudding snacks or that they actually BAG my groceries for me, but it was nice to be shopping again the America. From there, I went to Fresh Meadows to pick up some coffee and hit the CVS. I bought my brother this funniest card ever - it was a musical expressions card from The 40-Year-Old-Virgin and it was great! It was the reenactment of the waxing scene - classic! Afterwards, I drove over to see my Grandmother and pick up some more packages. We chatted for a bit and then I came back home to get working on my list! I had a list 3 pages long of things to do. And, while I was making the calls, I decided to try on the wedding shoes I ordered months ago.

They didn't fit. All three pairs! I freaked out a bit because my fitting is slated for Tuesday and you needed your shoes for that fitting, so I decided that I had to go into the City on Sunday to find wedding shoes.

The pressure is ON!

My parents made early shabbos and I was actually grateful for the break from my phone and computer. I fell asleep on the couch after dinner and somehow managed to make my way upstairs around 11:00 p.m. I slept like a rock until 9:30 the next morning when my AC went off with the Shabbos clock.

Shabbos
Very quiet. Didn't do any sleeping but read a million magazines. Realized that Cameran Diaz looks like a muppet after third issue of InStyle and wished that I had Jessica Biel's body. I think I'm going to have to take up some Pilates when I get back to Israel! I spent Saturday night at my computer, listening to musical selections so I can choose who is walking down the aisle at the wedding to which tune, while writing personalized thank-you notes. I woke Gaby up at 12:00 and then spent 2 hours looking through baby pictures for the wedding video. I was a cute kid until puberty and then, boy, did hormones not do me good. I selected what I needed and then went to bed, Sunday was going to be one hell of a day.

Sunday
The alarm went off at 8:00 and I sprung out of bed, ready to get going on the full list of items we had to do. Mom waited while I ate a quick breakfast and it was back to SuperSol to replenish some of the food we ate of the weekend. After we did the household errands, we hit the second half of Main for the rest. We went to Paper Palace and picked up plates, tableclothes and utensils for the Sheva Brachot. We then went to Lilac to talk about flower centerpieces for Sheva Brachot and they were in the midst of preparing for a wedding that afternoon. He requested that I come back later in the week and I took his card to call for an appointment. Next, we went into Town to get shoe laces for the bathroom baskets of drugs that we are putting into each bathroom at the Hall. I have to make sure to pick up any outstanding items but I think, with the stuff that I already ordered from Drugstore.com we should be set. We moved on to Main Sweet where I inquired about gift baskets for our out-of-town guests staying at the hotel the Shabbos before the wedding. The price was pretty reasonable and now I have to wait for him to create the sample so I can approve and hopefully, place an order before the wedding.

That's when the thunder started to go and we abandoned going to Amazing Savings for the rest of the kiddies bags and I headed back home to get ready to go into the City. I managed to avoid the really heavy rain and got a bus fairly quickly into Forrest Hills. I got to Lord & Taylor without much of an issue and thankfully, was able to buy both wedding sandals and sneakers! Elated that I got that off my plate, I waited for Melissa to join me and we had a really nice reunion shopping through the department store. I went with her back to the Upper West Side where I hung out with my brother for a bit before hunger started tearing away at my stomach. I called Cousin Neil and apologized that I wouldn't be able to wait until after his nap to hang out, and caught the subway back home. While waiting to transfer at 59th Street, there was this homeless man singing to a Karoake mix and as I got off of the subway onto the platform, he started singing my wedding song. It sent chills through me - which was really a tremendous feat given how stinking HOT it is in the subways of New York - and I felt like it was a sign that taking things one day at a time is going to payoff with a wonderful wedding (B"H!!!). I managed to make it home in good time and Dad was waiting for me at the subway stop to drive me home. With Jessica Biel's body in mind, I managed to keep to the diet and only ate a light dinner. I had the munchies though, and so I made my way through an entire stalk of celery. It was really yummy!

And now, I'm finally able to just sit down and update the blog. Dad just gave me a bit of a pep talk because some things aren't going as planned, and it was good to hear. At the end of the day, Buggy and I will IM"G be getting married, and nothing else really matters. That being said, until I know that he is on American soil, I'm gonna be a bit anxious. It's going to be a long 20 days until Chupah!

Tomorrow, I'm staying local so I can run some errands like finishing up the kids bags that we're making for all the youngsters coming to the wedding. I also want to try to get a pedicure and finish up with the thank you notes. I need to start figuring out how I'm going to pack everything to bring back to Israel and - at some point - I'm going to take a break with a big bag of vegees and watch Top Chef.

I hope everyone is enjoying the summer!

Ignorance is Bliss

It's Tisha B'av morning and I'm still in bed. Buggy won't be around much today, he's going to be in shul, classes, with his Father going to holy places in Jerusalem, and chances are he won't come around until end of fast. It's a good thing, I'm absolutely miserable. Before last night, I was anxious about my exam on Thursday but excited about the wedding.

And then, in the car on the way to Eicha, Buggy was listening to the news and we heard about a pending strike of the Histadrut. They are threatening to close the airports as part of the strike. And that means I will be stranded here in Israel. Three weeks before the wedding. When every single hour that I'm supposed to be back in the States has been carefully planned so that I'm ready for the wedding.

I've already started crying. Forget concentrating on the exam this week. I'm trying but it's really not easy memorizing Rambam's proofs of Creation and proofs for the existence of God (in case you're wondering, Rambam doesn't give us a definitive answer for the proof of creation but does for the existence of God). All I want to do is curl up into a ball and cry, cry, cry. Cry about the fact that I won't be able to get on a plane on Saturday night. Cry about the fact that I won't make it to my fitting at Kleinfeld's and so I won't have a gown that actually fits my body at the wedding. Cry because lord knows how long this is going to take and that means that I might have to get married here, in Israel, without any of my friends or family around.

This is even worse that my worst nightmare because it was something I just never, ever, thought about. I told Buggy I'm going to swin to Cyprus if I have to, I would cross the boarder into Egypt to get on a plane at this point! If there is a strike and it lasts for a significant amount of time, well, I will miss my bachelorette party, my wedding shower, my hair appointments (I need my highlights done before the wedding!), my make up trial, getting a marriage license!

All the things I have to think about is overwhelming. I think I'm just going to turn over, and try to go back to sleep. I'm going to spend the day in bed, crying. And hopefully, at some point, I'll realize there is nothing crying will do about my situation and so I'm just going to have to suck it up, study for my exam, and put the fate of my wedding in the Lord's hands.

Have an easy fast.

Shabbos Yerushalayim

TGIF! I am really, really looking forward to Shabbos! It's still extremely surreal that I now live in Jerusalem, but I have to say that I'm getting used to the temperature differences. When I left the apartment this morning, it was hot but pleasant. There was no stickiness, no humidity, so sweat bead starting to drip down my back. Just beautiful.

Yesterday was another busy day of trying to get organized and going to Supermarkets. While we were at the SuperSol Deal in Talpiot, Itai called to ask permission to show the apartment this weekend. I told him he could show the place all day on Friday but could not show it on Shabbos. Regardless of my physical presence, there's just no showing the apartment on Shabbos. It's Shabbos. Period.

Well, he got all huffy with me and said that it was in my best interested to be accommodating to him and his Aunt regarding the apartment.

And folks, that's when I lost it, and after all these months of biting my tongue I couldn't stay mute any longer. I went OFF on him for using the word "accommodating". I've been nothing BUT accommodating when I had the leak in my apartment, and the sinks both exploded and ruined all my stuff, and let's not forget the river of shit that I had to clean up! For the first time, he completely backed down. And while he didn't apologize to me, he did stammer, and that made me feel great. I'm no longer his punching bag! Good luck to whoever ends up moving in though, I hope it's someone that can stand up to him.

Well, Buggy was very proud of me, even though I made a bit of a scene at the supermarket. He was happy I finally stood up to the big bad bully! We went back to the apartment to put away our groceries and Buggy got to work. At 5:00 , we headed to Yad Vashem for a guided tour of the museaum. It was extremely powerful and the new museaum is absolutely incredible. We took more than 2 hours to go through it and it still wasn't enough time. The end of the museaum is basically a view of the hills of Jerusalem from the other side of the mountain. When you start in the museaum, there is this video montage of the Jews of Europe, so that we can get a sense of who these people were. There is this one video of the children of Munkatch singing the Hatikvah. It made me tear, my Father's side of the family is from Munkatch. I wondered how many of those children were once my relatives.

We were starving when we got back but emotionally not hungry, so I cooked us a quick dinner and we ate. Afterwards, I was pretty wired and so I got to cooking for Shabbos. I made the muffins and I put together the corn salad. I left the bulk of cooking for today, because I knew that I would have all afternoon to cook.

And, for the first time since I moved into the apartment, I had no trouble falling asleep and slept straight until my alarm went off.

Buggy had a meeting and work this morning and so I went out for coffee and breakfast to Caffit with his cousin Rachel. She is a wonderful person and I really get along well with her, so it was nice to just be in Jerusalem and enjoy the morning. Afterwards, I walked back down Emek towards the apartment and stopped into this one Supermarket that has some American products. I was thrilled to see my pie shells, Hunts tomato sauce, lime juice and whole berry cranberry sauce. I didn't buy anything thought, because it was Friday and the line was insane. But, I made a mental note of what they had for future reference.

It was the first time I walked back to the apartment by myself and I really didn't know which way I was going, so I just continued on until I saw a small path from Emek. I continued on the path and eventually ended up in Baka. It's about a 25 minute walk from the apartment to Caffit, and it's such a nice day that I enjoyed every minute of it. Baka is a beautiful neighborhood, especially during the day, when you can really look and appreciate the architecture of the community.



Of course, as soon as I got into the aparment and changed into my "cooking gear" my phone rang about an flower delivery. I assumed Buggy got me some flowers and the delivery guy wasn't very patient so I ran downstairs in my skivvies. Whatever, I gave him a 5 shekel tip so it was all good. Anyway, the beautiful flowers (seen in the first photo) were from Buggy's parents and siblings, welcoming me to the first Shabbos in our new apartment. I was very touched.

And then, a few minutes later, another delivery guy came and this time I got a dozen red roses from my Beloved. They're perfect and will fit into Buggy's Grandmother's crystal vase which he brought over for us. When his Grandparents passed away, Buggy kept a few items from their home because they were special to him. He specifically kept this vase because he hoped to "one day" have a wife to give it to.

It's beautiful and I'm very appreciative of the forsight.

I still have to cut them into water, but I've been cooking and decided to take a quick break to blog. I made steaks, rice with portobello mushrooms and onions, edemame, purple cabbage salad, and a cauliflower kugel. All I have to do now is make the shwarma chicken and I'm done with cooking. As you can tell, I already set the table for Shabbos and it just looks beautiful. We're looking forward to this weekend!

We're planning on going to shul tonight, although I can't tell you right now which one, but it should be very nice. I'm waiting for Buggy to get back so he can set the Shabbos clocks and the treisim clocks.

Wishing everyone a Shabbat Shalom!

Crave of the Day is my Mother's baked ziti. It's the nine days but since I'm not combining protein and carbs, I can't have noodles with marinara sauce and cheese. Anyway, my Mom's baked ziti is heavenly! I don't know which part I like more, the sauce and the cheese or the sauce and the noodles. It's just basically all around yummy! Maybe one day I'll learn how to make it with low-fat cheese and whole wheat noodles.

The History of Eggplant

I have a history with eggplant. It's not a pleasant one at that. At my cousin David's Bar Mitzvah YEARS ago, his Aunt (from the other side) was helping me navigate the buffet table. It was late at night and I was tired, we were flying back to New York early the next morning, but the spread was fantastic and I was on the kiddie table. That meant, Mom and Dad didn't control what I was eating, so I went to TOWN! Anyway, back to the buffet table. So, the waitresses were serving up from hot plates and I saw something nice and cheesy/saucy looking. I asked the Aunt what it was, and she told me that it was pizza. Well, who doesn't want pizza? I got a big fat piece and brough it back to the table. Halfway through the pizza and I wasn't liking it. It tasted funny and I couldn't find the bread. My Cousin (I think it was Larry but can't remember for sure) turned to me and said that it wasn't pizza but eggplant parmesan.

YUCK!

I abandoned my plate and joined my Zaydie on line to the big make your own ice cream sundae buffett. The next morning, about and hour before we had to leave for the airport, I was ralphing BIG time. Dad wasn't happy with me, and I was soo sick. I lost count on how long it took me to empty my stomach, but vowed to never again touch eggplant.

And, until a few weeks ago, I stuck to the vow. But one night, Buggy and I were out at our favorite Italian restaurant, and I ordered the antipasti. Well, it came with grilled eggplant and I decided to finally get over my eggplant fears and dig in. It was surprisingly very, very good! So yesterday, when we saw these little baby eggplants at the fruits and vegetable store, I bought it and decided to make it today as our vegetable side dish.

Here's how I prepared it..



Yup, pan fried baby in some olive oil with a little salt and black pepper. Yumm! I'll be pairing mine with a nice piece of salmon, while Buggy will get his with salmon and some pasta with sauted portobello mushrooms and onions.

I've been spending a lot of time in the kitchen since we moved here. Cousin Neil was right when he mentioned that we eat out too much, and since we're both watching our weight, I decided to try to limit our eating out. I've been making 3 meals for us for the past 2 days and I'm already tired! How do people do this all the time? It was really easy feeding myself, I ate what I wanted when I wanted. But now, I'm feeding for two! It's a lot of fun though, I'm looking forward to getting some new recipes when I'm back in the States. I think I need to learn new ways to prepare some of my typical fare.

Last night, I didn't get much sleep again. This time, it's the alarm guys fault. He came and we set up some of the specific aspects to the system. One of the modes is a "night" mode and that means that we were able to alarm some areas of the apartment while not alarming the others. But, there I was, lying in bed and I had to go to the bathroom. It was 2:00 a.m. and I was soo nervous that I was going to set off the alarm. Finally, I couldn't lay there any longer, and I crept like a cat burglar to the bathroom. I did my business and then decided not to flush (sorry to be graphic, but the alarm is LOUD!). I repeated this two more times during the evening, so it's no wonder why my face has broken out and my eyes have big bags underneath. I'm dog tired peeps!

I flushed this morning and then told Buggy the story when he came over. He laughed and promised that things would get better once I'm used to the place. I'm just thrilled we've got an alarm! I had nothing in my apartment in Tel Aviv!

Today was a productive day. We spent the morning in town, going to various places to run some errands, and picking up some additional freezer items for the week. Tomorrow, we're going to have to get some meat and chicken for Shabbos. The men came to install the gate at the front of the building and they needed to hook into our juice to power their drill. So, my afternoon walk on Emek didn't happen. I had to sit and wait for the men to finish up. It was worth it, I think the gate is really a nice addition to the building.

Buggy just ran out to duplicate some new keys and I'm trying to figure out when to marinate the salmon and how much pasta to cook him. In the meantime, I think I'm going to have to go back to studying for next week's final.

Crave of the Day is Dunkin Donuts munchkins in all different flavors! I could use a nice big box of munchkins right about now! Hmmm, I wonder if I'll be able to pick some up on the way from the wedding hall to our hotel. Hahah, can you imagine what the Dunkin Donuts employees would think if I ran into the building in my gown?? They'll probably think I'm crazy but who knows, I might have THAT much of an urge!

Marking Territory

Buggy has marked his territory by moving his foosball table into the apartment. For now, we've left it in the living room but we're going to have to figure out where it will ultimately go. With no Machsan (storage room), we're going to have to improvise with the space we have.

We are both really, really tired. We haven't slept since Saturday night and it seems like we just keep getting less and less shut eye. The amount of stuff we did yesterday was insane, really, and I'm still shocked that I was able to get out of bed when the cable guys called this morning.

So, recap on what went down yesterday. After Mei Eden came and the contractor successfully moved the fridge into its spot, took the cabinet back to shave it down and left, Buggy finished his exam and came over. We had a list. We needed to go to the supermarket to pick up food! And, since it's the 9 days and we can't eat meat, I was trying to figure out how to be creative with dairy.

But first, Buggy's Mom wanted to come by and see how things were coming with the move. She came over and took a tour, walked around some of the boxes, and then offered to take us out to dinner. We happily accepted! We were both starving and realized that we should probably eat sooner rather than later. Then. Buggy's Mom asked me to pick out silver candlesticks, which she is buying me P"G as a wedding gift. This is what I selected, what do you think?



After Buggy's Mom left, the cabinet guy called about the handles for the bathroom cabinet. He needed to come in and install them but we were off to the supermarket. I told Buggy I wanted the handles more than I wanted food, so we told him to call us when he was near, and we left to try to get some food. On the way to the Supermarket, Buggy got a call from Fedex. His handheld computer broke a few days ago and the company was sending it back, so we now had to drive to his parents house to pick up the Fedex package. Well, we were so hungry and it was almost 4:00 that we went to Faza for a quick lunch. Buggy had the whole wheat pasta and I had a salad. Right before we were done, the cabinet guy called to say he was on his way, so we raced back to the apartment to let him in. It took him 10 minutes to literally drill in holes and add handles to the cabinets in the bathroom.

As soon as he left, Buggy had to rush out for an appointment, and I was left to clean up after the cabinet guy. You know, I'm happy to give people glasses of water when they come into the apartment to do work. Truly happy. But, when I then find the cup crushed and discarded on the bedroom floor, that just makes me angry. After Buggy's appointment, he went back to his apartment to move his computer, TV, and some other electronics. Since the computer desk is here and the cable guys came this morning, Buggy needed his whole set up ready for the cable guys to hook up.

That took almost 2 hours! It was heavy stuff, and Buggy and I coordinated watching over the car and bringing into the apartment his things. While I was waiting for Buggy, I started reading over my notes for next weeks Philosophy final. I'm up to Saadia Gaon and his introductin to the book Emunot V'Deot. I remember that Saadia came before Rambam and that he was writing his book to help people deal with the theologians of the time. I've got a long way to go before I'm ready for this test!

I couldn't read that much because I was so tired, so I looked out the window and waited for Buggy to come. While looking out the window, I noticed this strange man just hanging out outside. It looked like he was "casing the joint" as they say in the States and I got suspicious. Soon, two other men seemed to be doing the same, and now my suspicion was boardering on paranoia. When Buggy finally finished loading in the stuff, and we were now 30 minutes late to meet with parents for dinner, we locked up and left. I didn't like the way these two guys looked, so I asked Buggy to drive around the block and come around so I could see what was up. They were gone by the time we drove back but I'm definitely going to be keeping my "eye" on them.

And, to help me, Buggy gave me binoculars with a camera attached! I know, I know, I'm crazy but I just like to be on the safe side. And, I guess I'm a bit of a voyuer. Thank god Buggy already loves and agreed to marry me! Anyway, after a lovely dinner with his parents, we went back to their house to pick up some stuff and then drove to the Supersol by the Sheraton. It was the other supermarket we knew that was open at such a late hour and I stocked up!

We got:
soy yogurts (Buggy's), 5% cheese (Buggy's), Parmesan (me), goat cheese rounds (me), whole wheat pasta (me), regular pasta (Buggy), tomato sauce (me), marinara sauce (Buggy), 2 dozen eggs, tuna in olive oil (Buggy), tuna in water (me), edamame, kosher salt, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, light mayo (Buggy), regular mayo (me), bread, 3% cottage cheese (me), 5% yogurts (Buggy), pam spray, chocolate (Buggy), frozen cauliflower, frozen broccoli, lighbulb, lemon juice, tins, paper towel, toilet paper and little mini peaches.

Today, once Buggy gets back from his Dr.'s appointment, we're going to walk to Derech Beit Lechem and pick up some fruits and vegetables. I want to get cucumbers and tomatos for an Israeli salad, some garlic and cherries and maybe a nice mellon to have in the fridge. I would also love to pick up some frozen fish so I can make salmon and tuna for the week! We'll have to find another supermarket for that, I didn't like what I saw in the freezer section last night.

So, after the cable guys came bright and early this morning, and the electrician came back to fix some stuff, I sat down to cook breakfast. Poor Buggy, I called him once I heard from the cable guys and woke him out of a deep sleep and he raced over with his tefillin and toothbrush! He didn't even get washed up, he just jumped out of bed and got into his car and came right over. Is he great or what?

I decided to treat him and made him an omlet sandwhich for breakfast. After a relaxing time, with internet, phone, and TV now all B"H working, Buggy had to run out again to a meeting. And now, I have to go, because the cabinet guy is back to put up the new cabinet he shaved off to make room for my mamoth fridge!

Crave of the Day is a breakfast of french toast smothered in Aunt Jemima's syrup. When I'm exhausted, all I want is some breakfast comfort food. Chased with a big glass of hot chocolate, it's heaven!

Fridge Pics

Before....





After....




Now all they have to do is shave one part of the cabinet and put it back onto the wall. They're planning on coming back tomorrow and all should be fixed!

Yeah!

The great refridgerator challenge

You know how it's hard to sleep in a strange place? Well, that's basically how I felt last night. After Buggy and I had our final meat supper before the start of the 9 days, and figured out how to use the hot water in the apartment (it was actually quite comical!), and I watched two of my favorite Grey's Anatomy episodes, I just laid in bed and listened to the noises of the new apartment. To minimize the noises, I shut all the windows and also cut off all of the gorgeous breeze that you get in this apartment. I used the AC to cool the apartment down and, right before shutting the lights, I closed it off and opened the window in my bedroom. I could hear people walking and laughing outside, and also the creaks and some movement from our upstairs neighbors. It was a little weird, and also a bit scary (I have to admit) but I finally managed to get to sleep around 1:00 a.m.

The kids screaming and laughing next door woke me up at 7:00 a.m. The apartment is right next to a gan/kaytanah (summer day camp) and parents were dropping their kids off extra early! Oy, I'm not much of a morning person, but it was actually nice to hear kids. I'm sure that feeling won't last long!

I had to get up anyway and I shuffled from room to room, looking through bags and boxes, just to find all of the things I needed to get washed up and dressed this morning. Of course, I had to hop on the scale too, as is my morning ritual. Fortunately, even with all the crappy food I ate yesterday, the number didn't budge. That's a good thing for me!

Anyway, it was a good thing I got out of bed when I did because the Mei Eden guy came to deliver my machine and 3 waters at 9:15 this morning. He told me how much better it was to live in Jerusalem as opposed to Tel Aviv, and I just nodded my head, and he set everything up. At first, I had him put the 2 extra waters on the balcony, but he said it wasn't smart to keep them in the sun. In the morning, we don't have sun on the balcony but when it sets, that's when the sun really shines into this apartment. So, when he left, I moved the waters back into the apartment and I'm waiting for Buggy to finish his tests and come over so he can move the waters somewhere else. We'll find a place for them, somewhere.

And then, I sat down to the breakfast of champions in the new apartment. I had been saving this solid white tuna in water can for a special occassion and I opened it up and used some dijon mustard. With a big glass of diet coke with lemon, it was a fantastic breakfast! I can't wait for to get out to the fruit and vegetable store and start stocking up the place! I only have 2 cans of tuna left and I know Buggy is going to be hungry after his test.

The contractor and his worker showed up a few minutes ago and hence the great refridgerator challenge. For some reason, since my stolen wireless is very weak, I'm having problems uploading the photos of my fridge. But, it's MASSIVE. And, the space left for it is too small, as mentioned yesterday. Right now, they are shaving off the cabinets and raising them so that we can fit in the fridge. The contractor also noticed that all of the cable wires are outside of the wall, and he said it would be better to put them inside the wall. Hmmm, not sure what that means but will ask Buggy when he gets back.

Anyway, I love when Israeli worked show up and look at a job and then decide that they can do it on the spot. That's really, really great. I'd prefer to have that then someone who comes and tells me that it will take 2 weeks before they can do the job. This is teriffic. Plus, this way I can move the fridge out of the living room area and back into the corner where it belongs.

A couple of other people are supposed to come today to do some stuff in the apartment, which is why I'm just sitting here in my scrubs and a t-shirt and flip flops, chilling. I have some more unpacking to do but I'm too tired to even think about it. Maybe when Buggy gets back he'll help me sort some things out.

Will post pictures later when I get a better connection!

Crave of the Day is my Mom's baked ziti. With all the marinara sauce and two types of cheeses, it's really heaven. I promised Buggy I would make him my Mom's baked ziti, using 5% cheese of course, and he got really excited. With the 9 days upon us, we're going to be eating lots of pasta.