Monday, April 23, 2012

Kindness

My friend, Pesha, who lives 2 long blocks down and around the corner from me and who made aliyah with her Israeli husband and 2 boys about 3 years ago from FL, has started holding a Rosh Chodesh gathering for women at her house. She, herself, spoke once where she told how she got her Hebrew name when she was a baby. Truly an amazing story. On other occasions she has had other people speak to the group as she did last night.

Pesha had asked all of us in her invitation email to also bring along a story of a kindness that someone had done for us. She said that when we're speaking to each other on the phone or on FB as friends, we tend to do a LOT of complaining whether it be about the weather, our husbands, our kids, about how mcuh we miss America, how messy our houses are and how we never seem to catch up, etc.

And this is the story I shared which happened very recently.

It was about 2 days after Passover. Normally we set the alarm for 6 am but don't really have to get the kids up and get everyone moving until 6:45. This way we have 45 minutes to ourselves to talk, listen to the English news on the radio at 6:30, etc. Well, the alarm went off at 6 am on this particular morning and when it did, I was so tired I just burst into tears.

DH took a very (for him) novel approach. He got up, left the bedroom, closed the door behind him, went to get the kids up and ready for school and left me alone in a quiet bedroom for those 45 minutes before I had to get up and get showered. I couldn't exactly go back to sleep but at least I could stay in bed and didn't have to move. When I came out, expecting to have to deal with the kids, everything was done. Kids dressed, sandwiches made. He'd done everything from A to Z. All I had to do was get myself ready.

That was a WOW moment for me because it was so uncharacteristic of him, shall we say. And it was very very appreciated. Space and time to myself is something I value almost more than anything else and that's what he was giving me. So.....big thank you to him!

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Pesach Pics

The view from my office on a very rare, foggy morning recently.
Killing time waiting for the movie to start.
Is that a teen pose or what?
BAD picture of me.....
In Toys R Us......
Outside the mall where the movie was, they have all these life-size statues of real and fictional animals.......


Mr. T Rex








Monday afternoon we went to the Passover festival on the Carlebach moshav. LOVE this setting!
Face painting....


Families picnicing, visiting, listening to the live bands......
They had people there selling their crafts on tables under the trees - pottery, jewelry, clothing, aromatherapy oils.....
Stage where one band after another performed....




Hair braiding and decorating with beads, flowers......right up Y's alley!



Soul food
The road out of the moshav - doesn't it just make you want to slow down and MOSEY?
Chava's Farm - tractor ride

Petting corner - chick.
Guinea pig




Duck

Mr. Camel
Mr. Donkey
Getting ready to ride the donkey.





Mr. Bull



HOT!
One of several picnic areas.

One of two or three NICE and HUGE parks near us. This one is about a 3 minute drive away.