"Our" house

Today was the big day! We woke up this morning and went to the bank to pick up the mortgage check. Of course like all other banking experiences this one was just as fun! We were told to come between 8:30 and 9 and the check would be ready. We got there about 8:45 to see our lawyer already there trying to get the woman at the bank to work faster. We actually had the check in hand at a little after 10. We drove the lawyer and went to the house where the owner was waiting. We gave him the check. He signed a paper saying he got the final payment and that was it. He left and we own the house. The real closing took place over Pesach but we don't own it until the final payment. So now we do! We are home owners! We drove the lawyer back to Modiin and Josh dropped off a final(?) form at the bank and we are pretty much done(a few other thing we need to do to get the paperwork done and our tax break etc.). We decided to go out to lunch to celebrate. We went to Burgers Bar which everyone has been telling us is much better than Burger King, so we had to try it. Of course they weren't open for another 15 minutes so we checked out the pet store a few doors down. The Burgers Bar was OK...it wasn't bad it just wasn't so overly exciting....it was a decent hamburger. The kids were a disaster there and wouldn't behave, so it was a fun celebration. Then we came home and did our usual get nothing accomplished in the afternoon. After dinner the kids had a bath and I did Danya's hair with the lice comb and then later I walked into Danya and Jordy's room and they were playing "lice comb shop". Danya had Jordy sitting in a chair while she combed his hair with a toy hairbrush. It was kind of funny!

Crazy Kids

This morning we finally made it over to our future house. We met with the renter(who we have talked to countless times but never actually met). He gave us a walk through and highlighted things that need to be fixed(not to many) and different tips regarding gardening, care and up keep. He also showed us the aronot(closet/cabinets) for sale. In Israel it is standard to not have built in closets but to have the space for them and then build cabinets that serve as dressers and hanging space. We did a bunch of measuring and took a lot of notes. By the time we were done there it was already lunch time! We headed back home and the kids had their favorite...pita sandwiches with bologna and turkey(no turkey for Jordy). After lunch I had to run some errands. Danya decided to stay home with Josh but I took Jordy with me. First we went to the city office in Hashmonaim. This is where you sign up to pay taxes, get your garbage cans for the city, pay for the security etc. We haven't been there yet as we don't own the house yet however I needed to sign my kids up for Chuggim (after school activities). This is necessary since school here is only until 1:30 and otherwise the parents would lose their minds. After that we stopped at the mail boxes where I was happy to see a full box with my junk mail that was forwarded from Chicago(a good sign...it means we are actually getting it). You'll never guess where I went next....that's right...THE BANK!!! The nice thing is that since I am there everyday the people there already know me and they smile and wave when I walk through the door. Today I was picking up my 2 free packs of checks, more on this in a minute, and our Visa/ATM cards. First they told me that I couldn't pick up Josh's card, he had to sign for it himself. Then they said they ordered him the wrong card so we will need to come back(surprise surprise) and since my card was mailed to them today I couldn't activate the ATM until tomorrow so I need to come back tomorrow to set the PIN(shocker). When we signed up they said we get 2 free packs of checks so I was thinking like in America where you get a whole box of checks. I was wrong...nothing here is free :) A pack of checks is a book of 20 checks, so I got a total of 40 checks. Anyhow, I will be back there tomorrow!!! After that Jordy and I strolled through that shopping center and we bought Danya sunglasses since she lost hers. Then we headed to Kiryat Sefer which we found yesterday, to go to the phone store to pick up our cell phone cases that they are giving us free(I lied...you do get a few things free) since they messed up royally on our phones. I got to the store and it was of course closed! A lot of stores here close between 2 and 4 for siesta. The grocery store was open so we stopped in since we needed pita. Of course they didn't have any, but they did have Doritos and cheese and a few other things we needed. Then we found a bakery that had pita and some cookies! Then we came home and that is when the day fell apart. Danya and Jordy would not behave at all! They took all their clothes and dumped them on the floor making a HUGE mess with them. Then they got their hands on the apple juice and spilled it all over the newly washed kitchen floor and they wouldn't stop laughing when we were trying to punish them. They were separated(which isn't easy to do in this small apartment) and we made them clean up. Once they were done cleaning Josh gave them dinner and we sent them to bed. I then went out to try out an aerobics class. There were only 3 people and since someone requested to change it to toning and nobody minded they did. Another good way to learn Hebrew....it didn't occur to me that I wouldn't understand the instructions! Luckily I was able to just follow what she was doing. The good news is it was a good class and I think I may register for a couple classes a week there. More bank visits tomorrow!!!

Hello Moto

Tuesday morning we had to wake up early(funny that this was early!) for a 8:30 meeting with our lawyer. We dragged the kids out to a cafe where we met him and had breakfast. We had a good meeting with him and then continued with him to go to the bank(I know....again?!?!?) to make sure the mortgage would be all set for Thursday when we are supposed to close on the house. After that we decided to stop at the Misrad HaPanim to get the address changed on our Teduat Zehut(identification card) since Nefesh BNefesh told us to put on our street address however it was really supposed to be our mailing address(we get our mail in a P.O. box here). We waited for about an hour and a half there to be seen. The funniest thing was that Israeli's have no patience so while you take a number and have to wait until your number is called everyone is trying to get taken before they get to their number. This causes everyone else to panic that they will have to wait even longer and the people become like a mob! The other thing is that people take a number, see they have a long wait and leave, causing a gap in the numbers. So when the woman calls # 117 and nobody comes she quickly keeps flipping until someone stops her...so if your # is within 5 of the one she is on you get up and get ready to sprint into the office so as not to miss your turn! All that fun was a waste though because when we finally pushed our way through and sat down they told us that since we don't live in Modiin we need to go to the offices in Jerusalem. Yup, that was MAJORLY annoying! Then we headed to Kiryat Sefer where we hadn't been yet. We had heard that everything there was cheap so we went to check it out. Funny about stores here...they usually have an odd assortment of items. For example we went into the first store and they had school supplies, judaica, paper goods and electronics! We bought the kids some clay to play with there as well as Jordy's first pair of Tzitit(which he really did not want so we told him that Daddy will wear them). We found a few other useful stores there. One of which was a computer store that sold Blue Tooth earpieces. It was the cheapest we had seen them so we bought one. Then we headed back where the kids played very nicely with their clay for a long time. At around 1:30 the delivery guy came with our new phones. Once I got them assembled and turned them on I realized I had a few problems. First of all the instructions were in Hebrew. Second the screens and menus were also all in Hebrew. So I pulled up the instructions in English on Motorola's website(we got the Razor phones) and tried to figure out what I was doing. Once I got halfway there it had already been several hours with the instructions, phone and dictionary(this is much better than ulpan!). I was so sick of doing it that I took a break. Later the kids had dinner and played more and then we tucked them into bed. Jordy was being so silly and giggly that we moved him onto the couch in the living room. When he fell asleep I moved him back and washed the floor for the first time with a squeegee. Amazing how much better it looks after it is clean! Then I went back to the phone and finally figured out how to adjust the ringer, volume and use picture caller ID. Then I realized that the voice mail was also in Hebrew! I called customer service and they fixed that for us. After all that I then figured out how to get the blue tooth working with our phones(another fun task with a dictionary). After that I had had enough and went to bed!

Grasshopper park

We headed out to both of our banks today. The first one was to get a form stamped and faxed so we could get cell phones. We seem to be having a saga with our cell phones. We had rented cell phones from a company that had a deal with Nefesh BNefesh before we left Chicago. Now that we are here it is cheaper to get regular cell phones and use their service. We were told(correctly) that you can't get cell phones here until you have opened a bank account. So once we opened our account on Wednesday I called the cell phone company to find out where a store near me was. The woman told me I didn't need to go to the store, she could do it for me over the phone. So she took all my information but when it was time to place the order there was an issue with the fact that we didn't have an Israeli credit card yet. So she was able to do it with our American credit card in the end and all was well. We scheduled to have the phones delivered Sunday(since we were going to the beach on Friday). Then a few hours later she called back to say she needed me to fax her a copy of my Israeli Identification card. Then on Thursday she called because the fax didn't go through. Then we got a call on Friday saying that they couldn't deliver it on Sunday since they had a lot of deliveries and we would get them on Monday. Then yesterday she called to say that we can't do it though the American credit card and I need to fill out a form at my bank for direct withdraw(which is done for EVERYTHING here). She did say that because she was inconveniencing us so much she would get us a special discount. So this morning we went to the bank and had the form filled out and faxed to the cell phone company authorizing them to take the payment from our account each month. So of course this afternoon the woman called that she never got the fax!!! Problem was the bank gave me the wrong phone number so it was such a hassle getting in touch with them and I really didn't want to go back!!! FINALLY she got in touch with the bank and got the form and I got a call from them saying the delivery was confirmed for tomorrow. Of course with no mention of our discount. I reminded them and they told us we would get a month of free text messaging on each phone for our troubles. We will see if we really get the phones tomorrow!!! Anyhow, that was bank #1. Bank #2 was for our mortgage. We were there last week on Thursday morning but the banker called us Thursday night saying she forgot to have us sign a form and then we needed to sign one more form in front of our lawyer. So we did that. Next we stopped at the school to authorize the payments ofr Jordys Gan(nursery). Danya will be in Kindergarten which is free but nursery you have to pay for. When we were there before our bank account was open we thought they said we would pay 700 shekel a month for 10 months(which we thought was cheap coming in at around $165/month). Josh came back to the car after he ran in laughing. He said we misunderstood...it was 70 shekel a month for 10 months totaling 700 shekel for the year...if any of you reading this in America were considering Aliyah this is the reason to do it!!! The JCC charges WAY more than that!!! After we had that laugh we headed home. Josh gave the kids lunch and while I still wasn't feeling great from my sunburn Lori had called that she was taking Yocheved to the grocery store and did I want to join them. I decided to go since I REALLY needed groceries. I did buy a lot and figured out how to fill out the form to get a discount card(I was proud that I was able to do that all by myself!). After the shopping I came home and decided to go see the doctor about the sunburn. She said it was a bad burn and gave me prescriptions for a few ointments to heal it and keep it from getting infected. The best part was I paid nothing! After a Israeli dinner of chicken in pita with humus and sliced cucumber we went to Modiin. Danya and Jordy have been begging us to take them to this park that has a giant grasshopper that the kids can play on and it has slides and is really cute. We always drive past it when we are in a hurry so we figured since I needed to go to a pharmacy Josh would take them to the park while I found a pharmacy. Turns out there was a pharmacy across the street. A funny story from the park...Jordy and Danya were at the top of a slide waiting to go down but there were kids just sitting on the bottom of the slide so we told them to say "slicha"(excuse me). Danya said it and Jordy kind of mispronounced it but the kids didn't move. Then they got impatient so they started yelling "Slicha" and then Jordy yelled really loud "Slicha! Move Now!". Josh and I were cracking up! The kids had a great time playing and didn't even put up a fight when we told them it was time to leave. After Danya's shower(the bath in this house is gross so they have been taking showers)we used the lice comb for the first time. I have gotten a lot of comments about the lice comb. It is more of a preventative measure...if you use it it will catch anything before it gets out of hand and this will prevent lice. So we used the lice comb and Danya didn't complain! She even loved that her hair was so soft!

Another BBQ

Sunday was one of our quieter days. We went to the post office in the morning to pay our 24 shekel(approx. $5.00) to sign up for Kupat Cholim(healthcare). Then we went to the office of the Kupah we chose to sign up. The way that healthcare works here, for those of you who don't know, is he medicine is socialized. There are 4 kupahs(which are similar to what a HMO is in America) however since they are controlled by the government they are all pretty much the same. The way you decide which one you want to join is by finding out which one has doctors in your area/what people in your neighborhood recommend(or whichever one gives you the nicest free pen at the Nefesh BNefesh fair). In our area there is only one doctor(there are a billion in Modiin but in Hashmonaim only one) so we choose the one she was with(a no brainer). When we finally figured out where to sign up they told us it takes 2 weeks to get us into the computer and we should come back then to get our cards and let them know which Dr. we want to use(side note...nobody mails anything here, they just make you keep coming back to their office). After that we stopped at a pizza place and then headed home. I had gotten a pretty bad sunburn at the beach on Friday(yup...I put sunscreen all over Danya and Jordy and forgot myself!) so I was kind of zapped so I decided to take a nap. You'll never guess what happened then. Nope, not chickens. Worse! Jackhammers!!! We decided we are living in the movie My Cousin Vinny! So after a useless nap we got in the car and headed to Beit Shemesh to cousins Dara and Jason's house. There we were joined by Sandy and Dori, Jason and Mira and Thea. We had a fantastic BBQ and a great time! The kids loved playing there and even played with the long lost cousins for a while. A funny thing that happened after we got home was that I was on the phone and Jordy was asking me for Chocolate milk so he finally gave up on waiting for me to get it so he took out the chocolate syrup and the bag of milk. I thought it was funny that he figured out that milk comes in a bag so I took a picture to share with you!

Video From The Beach

Life's a Beach

Friday morning we got to enjoy one of the joys of being Israeli. Since Friday is the national day off here(as opposed to Sunday in America) we joined the Turk family and headed to Hertziliah to the beach! The weather was beautiful, the beach was clean and not crowded and the water was warm to hot. The kids had a great time playing in the sand, finding sea shells and riding the major waves. We couldn't believe how fast the day flew by! Before we knew it we had to head home to get ready for Shabbos. Friday night we went to Neil and Bracha Rothners for dinner. We had a great time and I couldn't believe how much food our kids ate. On Shabbat we went to shul and met a bunch of people. After shul we went to the Kaplansky's with the Gerson's and David's sister and brother-in-law who are staying by them. There were 8 adults and 17 kids at the meal!!! We had a great time there and didn't leave until almost 4. Then Danya went to play with Tamar and Josh and I took Jordy to a bunch of parks(where we met more people) and then we stopped at the Reiffmans again. We stayed there until Shabbat was over and then Josh went to get Danya while I took Jordy home and gave him dinner and put him to bed.

Mishpacha Zaltzman?

After another wake up call from the chickens we fell back asleep and then slept too late again! This is getting to be a bad habit. Once we got up we were in a hurry to get to our 10am appointment at the mortgage bank. On the way there Josh called the Misrad Haklita(the ministry of absorption) to reschedule our appointment that was supposed to be at 11 since we knew we wouldn't get there on time. They told him we should call later and probably come later in the morning(most government offices in Israel are only open until noon or 1). The kids weren't exactly on their best behavior at the bank. It was a long wait while we signed a billion forms but they were nutso! Then we stopped at a bakery/restaurant in the same shopping center to get sandwiches for lunch. While we did Josh called the Misrad HaKlita again and they said we should still come since there was time. So we rushed into the car, pulled out the map and headed to Ramle(not to be confused with Ramala). Of course we took the wrong highway but still made it to Ramle and found the street we needed but for some reason as we were driving we noticed that the numbers would go up and then they would go down again and we couldn't find the building we needed. At this point it was pretty close to the time they closed and we really didn't want to have to come back again. So Josh called again and spent a while on the phone trying to figure out where we were and where they were n relation to us. We finally found it(we hadn't gone down the street far enough) and we ran through the building. When we buzzed the door the woman who opened it looked at us and said "Mishpachat Zaltzman?"(Saltzman Family?). Apparently they stayed open waiting for us(totally unheard of here in Israel) and everyone in the office knew who we were. As a woman walked past the woman's cubicle she stopped her to say this is mishpachat Zaltzman and the woman smilled. Not sure if they were laughing at us or not but as long as they saw us I didn't care. Those of you reading this may wonder what we needed to do at this office(Josh was wondering the same this as we were leaving...he asked me what we had just done there). Well when you make Aliyah one of this things you get from the government is money paid directly to your bank account based on your family size. The first payment they give you is in cash at the airport but after that you have to open your bank account and then get a form filled out with your bank details so your "sal klitah" can go direct deposit. They also give you a voucher so that you can take ulpan. Josh pointed out that had we show up on time we would have waited forever but since they were in a hurry to leave it took about 5 minutes and we were done. Then we noticed that there was a Kosher McDonald's in the shopping center but we had just eaten so oh well. Then we headed back home. We didn't get lost at all this time! Not long after we got home I went out to meet the Dr. on the yishuv. She called me earlier in the morning to see if I wanted to meet with her since I hadn't selected our health care plan. I will go into health care here another day but bottom line is they are similar to HMO's and you have to choose which one you want. There is only one Dr. on the yishuv so I was interested in meeting with her before I made a selection. After I met with her I stopped at the Makolet(store)to buy our first bag of milk(which we already finished...I think i need to buy a few a day!!!). Then I was on the way home and saw the Gerson's were home at their new house. So I stopped in for a minute to say hi and welcome them to the neighborhood! Then I went to a seminar about the after school activities. School is out around 1 so there are many activities you can sign up for(for a small fee). After that we took a ride into Modiin since the bank forgot to copy a form from us. Then we were going to go out to eat but the kids spotted a park and decided that they would rather play so we let them. After that we came home, had dinner and put the kids to bed. I am sorry there are no pictures today(although I did notice my purse was much lighter since I wasn't lugging around the camera) but in lieu of picture you can look at this artice that Josh is quoted in(don't mind that it is for the Christian broadcast network).

Hi Ho Silver

Remember the birds I was telling you about earlier in the week and last week? Well this morning it was so bad that Josh decided to go to the source since neither of us could sleep through the noise(we told our landlord about it the other day and he said he was going to talk to the owners). Well it turns out that it wasn't the birds in the cage that were making ALL the noise. There is a house being built behind ours and apparently there are chickens(!?!?!?) taking up residence there!!! Josh shooed them away but we think we will have a serious sleeping problem on our hands until we move! So once they finally quieted down we fell back asleep and then slept late. We went to the bank and opened our shekel account. Then we went for pizza and ice cream and since the kids were so well behaved we let them go on the rides in the shopping center. Then we came back so Josh could work. While he did that I ordered our permanent cell phones on the telephone(I called to find out where the store was and she said I can order it over the phone and they will deliver them for free). Then Danya, Jordy and I took a walk to the mail box and to the park. We stopped at the Neuman's house and found a few friends to go to the park with us. After that we headed back had dinner and headed to bed!

Cowabunga

I missed posting last night as I was way to tired to type and while I am still way too tired to type I am waiting for my dinner to heat up so I may as well!
Yesterday we went to the school to register Danya and Jordy for Gan. They are all set and ready to go. Then we stopped to pick up our key to our mailbox(mail doesn't get delivered to your house but rather to a P.O. box and you have to go to the front of the Yishuv and pick up your mail) and collect our mail. Then Bracha and Neil Rothner took us to a grocery store in Modiin to give us some advice about shopping here(he used to work for a grocery chain). The dairy section alone took about an hour, there are tons of cheeses here that I never heard of let alone know what to do with! Then when we got back we ate lunch and got ready to go out. Nocky Kleinman picked up me and the kids to take us to his Yishuv where there is a swimming pool. We picked up Ruanne on the way and headed to 2 hours of swimming fun! The kids had a blast! Jordy loved jumping in and yelling Cowabunga. Another thing he did was take a little orange bucket thing and fill it with water in the kiddie pool and carry it to the big pool to pour on Nocky. He did this so many times that Ruanne and I were sure the kiddie pool would be out of water! Danya really showed off her swimming skills and spent most of her time in the big pool where Nocky supervised her swimming with her face in the water. She was very proud! After we had to drag them out of the pool we went back to the Kleinmans where Josh was meeting us for a fantastic barbecue! We had so much to eat!!! A great day overall!!!
Today was yet another adventure(I think everyday here is). We loaded the kids up and DROVE into Jerusalem. Once we figured out where we were and where to park we went to lunch at a baguette place near Ben Yehudah. We stopped and bought Josh and Jordy Kippahs from the Kippah Man and then headed to an appointment for our mortgage where Danya and Jordy sat pretty well coloring. Then we did some shopping(including buying the necessary lice comb that I am told must be used on Danya each night to prevent lice...She is going to love that one!) and back to the car. The real purpose of our trip was we were going to the Nefesh B'Nefesh offices for a Aliyah fair and to get our Teduat Zehut(Israel ID cards). We got there and Josh took the kids outside where there was food and drink while I went from table to table getting all the information I needed. By the time we were done there it was getting late but Josh wanted to got to the Kotel for Mincha, so we drove over there. Problem was there was a TON of traffic and no parking so Josh left me with the car in traffic and he figured by the time I got to the entrance he would be done. Of course the second he got out of the car traffic picked up and I had to drive but had no clue where to go. I turned around in a little Arab village and right by the entrance found a parking spot on the road! So I took the kids and we met Josh at the kotel. I gave Danya some of the shaliach mitzvah money to give out to the ladies with the strings and Danya suddenly LOVED the Kotel...she thought it was a store where you buy a bracelet for a dollar! She got a whole collection of bracelets and then we battled our way in since Danya wanted to touch the wall. She was able to squirm in(I was not) and then we headed back. We made it home with only a few minor wrong turns. We all had a very busy day and are exhausted!!!

Burger King

Today we woke up and I took Danya to the Neuman's for a play date with Rachel. Of course when we got there Danya didn't want to stay so I had to convince her to stay. Of course she had a great time, don't know what the big deal was! After we picked her up we headed to Modiin to Burger King. Danya and Jordy were very excited by the balloon, crown and toy that came with the child meal. They officially love Burger King. Then we were going to stop at the computer store in the same shopping center but didn't realize that the store would be closed for siesta. So we headed to another shopping center where we found what we needed to get our Vonage going at the Office Depot. Then we went to the Ace Hardware to get the plugs for our phones and we were all set. Our Chicago number is up and running! We made a quick stop at the grocery store and then headed back home to plug in the phones and get back in touch with the world(or at least our families...it will be a slow process). Danya and Jordy are both going nutso today and are bouncing off the walls. As I write this it is 10:30 and they have been in bed for 2 hours singing at the top of their lungs and giggling. I think it is going to be a long night and an even longer morning!!!

Shabbos/Shabbat

Friday started out a little slow. I got up at around 8 but Danya, Jordy and Josh all slept past 10! Once we were up we went to the bakery, the makolet and the take out store. Then we headed into Shilat (a city between Hashmonaim and Modiin) to go to Home Center, which is an Israeli version of Home Depot. This place was hopping. A side note I would like to add here, up until now Josh had been doing all of the Israeli driving but I took over the wheel on Friday. Driving in Israel is a whole other experience! Forget the fact that I have no clue what the street signs mean or the red and white stripes on the curbs or the fact that I have no clue how fast I am going since it is all in kilometers, but the important thing I really need to learn is how to lean on the horn a little more!! We made it to the Home Center in one piece and we were amazed at all the stuff they sold there. A lot of stores here sell a little of everything. So the Home Center sells bedding, towels, housewares and then all the things you would expect they would have like tools, electric products etc. We were a little confused about what we needed to buy to get our Chicago number up and running so I called Lori and she said the first thing I needed to know was to never go there on a Friday! Good advice but a little too late! We finally found what we needed plus a few things we didn’t need! Then we went to a grocery store that I would never step foot into again! We got run over a few times trying to buy some bologna and pita for lunch. The kids ate lunch in the car and then I dropped Danya at the Kaplanskys for a play date with Daniella. Then we got home and were welcomed by a steady stream of cakes and cookies by people welcoming us to the neighborhood. Apparently an e-mail went out welcoming us to the community with our phone numbers and address. Our host family took us for a tour of the yishuv. When we got home we had an hour until the early shabbos we needed to make since the people we were going to for dinner start shabbos early. Josh left about 15 minutes after minyan started and I rushed to get ready. Then I went to light candles and realized I didn’t have any!!! I ventured out to my Israeli next-door neighbors and tried out my Hebrew and it apparently worked because I left their house with candles! I was pretty proud of myself! We were about to leave and Josh had already returned to pick us up (we were supposed to meet him at shul...Oops!). We went to a really nice family for dinner that had 6 boys all still living at home! Aside from us they had another family who made Aliyah from Pennsylvania. 2 of their kids were the same ages and genders as mine so they had a great time. Another thing the kids loved was their freedom on Shabbat (I am highly confused between the Shabbos and Shabbat thing but I am getting there). They close the Yishuv and aside from the security car and an ambulance if necessary there are no cars on the road and kids can run in the streets! This family lives across the street from a park so during dinner they all went to the park by themselves and they were so proud of themselves! After dinner we stopped in at David and Karen Reiffman’s house and were there until very late(good ‘ole jet lag!). We had a nice time talking to them and getting the run down on how things really work in Israel! Shabbat morning Josh went to shul(8:30 is Minyan!) and then I fell back asleep and woke up at 10 in a panic! I rushed to get dressed and got the kids dressed and dragged them out half asleep since we had to be at lunch at 11:30 and I wanted to get to shul so I could meet people. There was a Kiddush since there was a Bar Mitzvah so it was a bit crowded and I only met a couple people and the kids were crabby. Then we went to lunch at an Israeli family’s house who live very close to where we will be when we move into our new house. They were such nice people and the kids had a great time there especially since they had a dog, a toucan and a hamster!!! We stayed there past 3 and then went to the Kaplanskys for a visit. Not long after we got there Jon and Yocheved Neuman showed up and we pretty much spent the rest of the day with them at the park. We met a bunch of people but as Shabbat was almost over we headed home. The kids had dinner and went to bed.

Mmmm....Bamba

Thursday, our first full day here in Israel, was a fun day! After waking up at the crack of dawn from the birds that sit in a bird cage outside our bathroom window, Josh and I were up very early! Danya woke up at 6:45 and was ready to go. I gave her some breakfast and she watched a video on the DVD player we brought. She then played some games and started to get sleepy. After Josh came home from minyan she asked him to set up a computer game for her and he told her to lay down in bed while he got it ready….she was asleep in less than a minute. Jordy woke up around 9 in a happy mood! He wanted his new favorite food for breakfast…”Bumbah” which is Bamba just pronounced funny…yes; he is a full fledged Israeli now that he likes the national children’s snack of peanut butter puffs! We woke Danya around 10ish and everyone was dressed and ready to go when Lori called to say she was on her way to pick us up to take us to our rental car. Of course we were a few blocks away from our house when I realized that I forgot the printout of my confirmation so we had to turn around and go back. First we stopped in Modiin because Lori needed to go to the bank and she wanted us to get iced coffee where it is really good. She also got a sandwich for lunch but we found a pizza place and decided after we got our car we would come back. We then headed to Ben Gurion for our car. When we got there there was no office for the company that was renting me the car. Upon calling them they sad our reservation was canceled since we were a day late. Luckily I picked up that confirmation that showed today’s date…not yesterdays date. They said they wouldn’t charge us but that they didn’t have any cars available at the airport today so we would need to go to Tel Aviv! No Way! So Josh took our confirmation to all the other car rental offices to see if he could get a similar deal. He finally did! It may even be a better deal! Of course it makes me wonder why I spent weeks searching for a rental car and e-mailing all the car rental companies back and fourth forever to find the best deal but what can you do? We got into our tiny rental car and started driving! Josh was a little annoyed that the pickup was so bad and that the car was so junky. We of course noticed later that he was driving with the emergency brake on…oops! We went back to Pizza Domino (not to be confused with Dominos Pizza which isn’t kosher) and had lunch. Danya and Jordy had a good time running around outside. During lunch we read the menu in Hebrew…got to learn sometime! Then we went downstairs in this shopping center to the grocery store. This was also an adventure since each product was new to us. We had no clue what brand of things to buy or if the prices were reasonable! It took us forever to figure out which Fabric softener and detergent to buy! Danya and Jordy did think the milk in a bag was funny and wanted to buy it but the Gersons and Geldmans already had 2 half gallons of milk in our fridge so I told them when that runs out we buy some. Then we had to fill out a form to get our discount card at the store and that took some time, I left that up to Josh to do. We also had to bag our own groceries, something that you have to do in Israel and I am sure I will become a pro at! We loaded up the car and headed home. After unloading the groceries we realized we forgot to run 2 errands in Modiin so we headed back. First we needed to change money to pay our rent. That was a quick easy errand that I did while Josh waited in the car since Jordy was asleep. Then we needed to go to a computer/electronic store to get a wireless router so we can both be on our computers at once and we need to get a 220 adapter so we can plug in our Vonage telephone box. Of course when we were almost there we remembered we forgot to bring the box with us but it was too late to turn back so we went ahead. I navigated the streets of Modiin (since now we were going way into Modiin, not just to the first shopping center on the outskirts) and we got there with no problems. We went to a few computer stores and an electronics store. Of course we need to bring the box back so that will be another errand! As we were about to leave the center I got a call from the woman who was going to bring over dinner that she was going to come now. I told her we weren’t home now but since we were out we would be happy to pick it up. She made a HUGE dinner that will feed us for at least a week! After we picked it up we stopped at the bakery and Makolet (market) just so Josh could see it. Then we headed home for dinner. Not long after dinner we went to put the kids to bed and realized that Danya had gotten marker all over her bed sheet. Time to try out that Israel washing machine!!! It is a tiny machine with a barrel inside that you open and put clothes in and then you lock the barrel. The woman who rented the apartment to us taught me how to work it otherwise I would have never figured it out! I went to put the detergent in and realized that we bought 2 bottles of fabric softener rather than fabric softener and detergent! So Josh went to the makolet again! We got the laundry going and the kids to bed and finally collapsed ourselves!!!

Landing take 2

Video of Landing-part 1

Olim

On Tuesday morning we woke up and we had some cereal at the hotel breakfast. Then Josh took the kids to the hotel pool while I finished the packing (I hope this is the last time I pack for a LONG time!!!). Then we checked out and headed to the airport. Josh dropped off the luggage, the kids and me off at the terminal and went to return the rental car. We waited outside the airport as there was no way we could transport it ourselves (see the picture). When we got in Ari Shuchman who now works for Nefesh Bnefesh greeted us. He wanted to know why we were late (actually when he saw who was late he wasn’t surprised to see our names)! A few reporters interviewed us and one used our cart of luggage as a prop in her news segment (look for our purple suitcases and look for us in the CJN-Canadian Jewish News). We were the second to last people to check in. It took a while to go through security and get our bags checked. There was a ceremony at the luggage check but we didn’t hear it since we were going through security. The kids did get to eat cake there though. By the time we checked all our luggage through (all 10 pieces-they took our 2 wheeled carryons for no extra charge!) we were encouraged to the gate since the flight was already boarding. We stopped at the bathroom while we head our name being paged to the ElAl gate! We thought it was that we were late so we were running to the gate but found out it was because security wanted to verify about the security of the Play station they came across in our luggage. We finally boarded the plane and got settled in. Luckily the woman who was supposed to sit next to Josh switched seats to sit near her family in the back so we had an extra seat. The kids were really well behaved on the flight. The plane was an older one and there were no personal TV screens and the kids couldn’t see the movie but they did enjoy the Leapster L-Max that I got them and they watched Mary Poppins on DVD. They also thought it was funny that we ate dinner on the plane. During dinner we got to join in on Sheva Brachot as the couple a few rows behind us got married a few days ago. Then we tried to get our kids to go to sleep but that was a lost cause. There was also an announcement that the Misrad HaPanim processing that usually takes place on the plane wasn’t going to take place on the plane due to the war. So they were going to come around and get our signatures for a few things and get some other information but when we land we will need to do one more step. About 2-3 hours before we landed I got Jordy to lay down and fall asleep. A half hour before we landed Danya FINALLY fell asleep. We woke the kids to get off the plane and Danya was in a horribly crabby mood. She was screaming and crying for the rest of the morning! When we got off the plane there were photographers everywhere! We got our stroller and headed to the hangar for the welcome ceremony where we were greeted by our friends Ardie and Ivonne Geldman, Nocky Kleinman and Rabbi and Mrs. Shandalov (a special thanks to all of them for getting us SO early and schlepping to the airport and sitting in the heat and listening to Danya scream!!!). Since ours was the first of the 3 flights landing at the same time we had to wait for the other 2 flights. We had a lot of water and some food and the kids got balloons while we waited. Then the ceremony took a long time. There were a lot of speeches including Prime Minister Olmert who was booed by a few people. Then we had to get into busses to be bussed to the main airport to get our passports stamped and begin the paperwork! I don’t remember what time this process began at but our flight landed around 8am. I know one step I was the family representative and I went upstairs and stood in line for over an hour! Luckily there was a lot of food and drinks and a magician to keep the kids entertained! Once I finally got through that line (I think that was Misrad Klitah- Department of absorption) we had to wait in line for Misrad HaPanim(the one they were supposed to do on the plane) and that was about 1 ½ hours in line. After that we got our luggage and got in line for a cab. We got in the cab line at 2:30!!!! It was a LONG day!!!!!! We got to our rental apartment at almost 3. There was a cute poster on the door welcoming us made by the Gerson kids and our fridge was stocked thanks again to the Gersons and Geldmans!!! The kids had finally fallen asleep in the cab so we put them in the stroller and got a little settled. Lori came with the kids and woke them up and then Michelle Kaplansky stopped by to see what we needed. Danya, Daniella and Tamar were happy to be together! After everyone left Josh took the kids in the stroller for a walk to our house to see it. I made the beds and did everything I could to avoid sleeping. An hour later Josh and kids returned after having had a Popsicle. They loved the house! We were assigned an adopted family who will take care of us, help us settle in, answer questions, etc. So Vivi, the wife, stopped over with dinner and some information we needed. We ate dinner and then got the kids ready for bed but they didn’t want to sleep. I finally collapsed at around 8:30 but Josh said they were up until 9:45. That’s our trip!! We made it! We are Israeli’s and we have the Teduat Oleh to prove it (how crazy is that???). Enjoy the pictures!

Oh Canada

Well we made it! We are here in Canada! This morning was a little busy getting all the last minute packing and errands done but we did it. Both sets of parents drove us to the airport(they were necessary since we needed a lot of car space for all the luggage!). We said goodbye and then lugged out 8 checked pieces of luggage to the Air Canada counter for check in. A few were a couple pounds overweight and a few were a couple pounds underweight so they didn't charge us. After getting through security pretty quickly we were pleasantly surprised to see we were at the very first gate....that never happens! So we sat there for a while waiting for the plane. When we went to board they told us we were on a small plane and the 2 wheelie suitcases I packed as carry-ons were too big and we needed to check them...bringing our checked luggage total to 10. The flight was uneventful. They airplane had personal screens where you can select your show so the kids watched movies and were set most of the flight. Once in Canada we had to go through customs and then we found a lucky porter who was about to earn a big tip! He loaded our 10 bags and brought me and the kids to the street where Josh met us with the rental mini-van and believe it or not we all fit in there even with a double stroller and a bunch of backpacks! We got to the hotel and dumped our stuff and then headed to Benji and Rafi Merzel's house where we stayed for dinner. We all had a great time catching up and the kids hit it off great! We left there at 9pm and came back to the hotel. Now Jordy is asleep and Danya wont go to bed so she is watching Mary Poppins in bed. I am about to collapse! Enjoy the pictures and we will talk to you soon! BTW-to those of you who have been calling our Chicago cell phones....they are in roam so we are trying not to use them, so don't take it personally when we ignore the call!!!

We're heading out

It has been a busy weekend and I don't have time to write now as I need to get in all the last minute packing but I hope to write tonight in Canada. Here are some pictures from the weekend...they range from goodbyes to our cars, to goodbyes to our hair, to goodbyes to friends and family. If you need our Israel contact info. let me know and I will send it along. More later!!!

All Done!!!

Well as of about 4pm my lift was sealed! My day started at 6:45 when Josh told me to wake up. I so completely didn't want to but then after taking about 5 minutes to remember where I was and what I was doing there I got up. I quickly stopped to pick up Dunkin Dounuts for the workers(my thinking is the nicer I am to them the better they pack my stuff...good theory, right???) and headed home to shower, get dressed and get a couple things in order. At around 8:45 the crew showed up with their little truck which had our appliances on it. They immediately got to work wrapping the stuff I bought last night at Sam's and Bed, Bath and Beyond(they told me last night I would have a little space, so I decided to use it) as well as the couple items they missed yesterday. Then they waited for the big lift container to arrive....and waited and waited.....Apparently it got stuck in some major traffic. It was supposed to arrive around 9 and it got there close to 10:30ish. Then the loading began. They loaded and loaded and loaded. At one point the foreman pointed out to me that rather than getting me the regular 40 foot container that I was supposed to get they sent a 40 foot HIGH container so I now had even more space...Lots more space. So I quickly made a few calls. By 2:30 they were done with my stuff and we were just waiting on Myrna. Myrna came with Lori's stuff and then they built a wall behind my stuff so that everything wont jostle around in the container. Next they locked the container and showed me the seal they put on so I would know if someone else opened the container(ie. Customs). Then I filled out the insurance forms(hopefully I did that right!) and they were on their way! Now we just cool our heels until Monday!!!