2011 and counting

My daughter noted in her blog post today that it was 2 months, 2 weeks and 2 days until her wedding. When I read that it made me think - gee, it's probably been 3 months, 3 weeks and 3 days since my last blog post.....better get with the program....

I admit it, I've just been plain lazy. It is a recurring theme in my techno-life. I get on a roll and accomplish all this stuff, and then I have what seems to be a forced-induced relapse and recede back to lazy-land for awhile. Ah well, whatever.

Even though it's been a few months - I have to say here that I had an absolutely fabulous time in Israel. From start to finish, it was downright perfect! The only thing that could have made it better would be that I could have stayed for longer. But other than that - spending time with Sam and Ari, meeting and falling head over heels in love with their dog Jack - was the best part of my trip, even though we spent 3 fantastic days and nights in Cairo (who knew that just a few weeks later Cairo - and Egypt, would be changed forever).

Highlights of my trip:

(1) witnessing a very heated exchange at the meat counter in the local market between the butchers and a customer who was beyond annoyed at the length of time to wait for service and who was convinced that the butchers were unfairly serving people who were behind her in line, first. I was incredibly bemused by the whole thing, because, it was all in Hebrew and I understood very few words, but the meaning was quite clear!!!

(2) taking Jack for daily walks around the neighborhood, while Sam and Ari were at work.

(3) seeing the pyramids in Cairo - staying at the divine Sofitel Hotel on the River Nile - seeing King Tut's gold mask at the Egyptian Museum

(4) hanging out with Sam and Ari - I miss Sam so much and it was such a gift to be able to spend some good quality time with her - just doing mundane things - cooking, grocery shopping, watching our fav shows online, going for walks with Jack, etc. Getting to know Ari better, and meeting his family - one thing I really enjoy is talking with Ari about all things Israel and the Middle East - I appreciate hearing points of view from a native. Of course, Sam has taught me a lot, so between the two of them, I've gained a deeper understanding of the history and politics of the region.


Okay, on to the holidays - returning home from Israel on the 13th left little time for Christmas preparation - thankfully, my folks decided to come spend the holiday with me in Roseville, rather than me go to Carmel. That was a huge timesaver for me - it allowed me to spend more time with them instead of 2 days on the road - and I got to cook for them in my own kitchen! Everyone was tired, so we stayed in and spent the time quietly. My mom, especially, was totally exhausted from her recent work commitments, so it was nice to see her be able to relax, far from the phones and kit boxes needing replenishment - at my house, there was nothing for her to do other than eat, sleep, watch some movies, read magazines and enjoy a few bottles of good wine with me! I think she really appreciated the time away.

Work has been pretty steadily busy - always something on my desk that needs immediate attention - and with 5 employees to manage - I always seem to be one step away from disaster - or being behind!! But I seem to have finally found my groove, in a word, and the days just fly by for the most part.

I've been maintaining a very diligent exercise schedule since September - actually - I've been walking 10-15 miles a week pretty regularly for about 9 months now - but in September I added extra cardio and strength training work - for the first month I did a program for 30 days in a row - lost 6 pounds and firmed up quite a bit - and now I maintain that work 3-4 days per week. I've lost a few more pounds which brings me within about 8 pounds of my goal weight. I'm keeping to a mostly vegan diet - so I'm not sure what more I can do in terms of improving my overall health from the eating perspective.

3 weeks ago I moved - again!!! As part of my overall life-downsizing goals, I reduced my monthly housing rent by a whopping $500 per month - yay me! But in so doing, I also reduced my home size from 1800 square feet to 900, 4 beds/2 baths to 2 beds/1 bath, 2-car garage to no garage. I do have a basement, but access is a tad challenging. I moved from cookie-cutter housing development neighborhood to Old Town Roseville, and my new home is one of those 80+ year old bungalow type homes, with a nice covered front porch and a 2 block walk to town. I hear the trains day and night, and the hustle bustle of traffic, but I really love it! I think the move was a wise one, in all ways. I finally got the rest of my stuff put away this weekend, so now the house is "guest-worthy." It's a tight fit in the bedrooms, with narrow walk-around challenges, and I'm not big on having Summer's litter box on the floor next to my toilet in my one bathroom, but hey, it is what it is.

Molly continues to defy all odds and is doing well at her doggy day care, as well as at home. She had some gastric issues last month, but she rallied and has returned to her daily schedule. She seems to enjoy the new house - especially hanging out on the front porch or lawn on the weekends and watching the people go by. Summer is very interested in the new house - she meows at the front door screen to have me let her out onto the porch - and she really enjoys sitting on my bed during the mornings looking out my window at the world. The older she gets the more "normal" cat she acts - she's so much more loving and calm than ever before. Such a funny bunny.

Well, that's it - I'm caught up. This week I've got to do my wedding job - mail the invitations out. Sam wants them in the mail 8 weeks before the wedding - so I've still got some time, but if you know Sam, you know that she's asking me nearly every day - "so Mom, how's those invitations coming" Ha ha!!! A chip off the old block.

Here's a few pics from my trip to Israel - I did post a bunch on my kodak gallery site - but here's a couple of my favs. The last one is a pic of my new house.

Greetings from Israel

I arrived in Israel last Friday afternoon after a very pleasant 15 hour flight from Los Angeles. I lucked out on my flight by being one of only two people on the ginormous 777 that scored a row of seats all to myself, which translated into "I get to lie down across the row and sleep!!" for the bulk of that long flight. YAY!!! That, coupled with very nice service and quiet and polite passengers, made my flight much more enjoyable than I had anticipated. I arrived in Tel Aviv feeling rested and thus was able to stay alive and coherent enough through most of the rest of the day and evening.

Nothing warms a mother's heart more than to see her smiling child with arms outstretched as she spots you walking through the customs door at the airport. It's as if the whole world stops for a moment in time - freezes - while the two of you hug, and all seems right and well again. I think that if everyone could and would hug someone they love, every day, we might have a happier and dare I say, safer world. Who doesn't like a nice hug?

It was so nice to see Ari, too. He's going to be my son-in-law soon - May 22, 2011 to be exact. I could not have asked for a nicer, sweeter, smarter, more personable young man than Ari to be the one Sam chose to love and marry. I give a big thumbs up to this match!

On Saturday we drove to Binyamina, where Ari's parents live. It was great to meet them and we enjoyed a delicious lunch and a visit to a beautiful garden/park after. Since Sam is working part time, I hang out in the mornings with Jack, their dog, and I amuse myself until she comes home in the early afternoon. On Sunday, we went to the local market. Yesterday we drove the short distance to the beach for awhile. Last night we picked up Ari after work and went to the gym to work out. I liked that, since it had been several days since I had had a chance to exercise. Since starting a serious workout routine in late September, I have toned up, and thinned Dow, losing 10 pounds in the process. Slacking off too much will only reverse my progress, so the visit to the gym was a welcome thing.

Today, when Sam gets home, we are going to make pasta from scratch. I brought her a pasta roller and cutter set to use with her kitchen aid mixer so we're going to test them out!

Later this week, the three of us, sans Jack, are heading down to Cairo for 3 days. Ari and I have never been, but Sam has. We have made arrangements to have a tour guide, driver and an Egyptologist to show us the highlights of the area, including the pyramids, the Egyptian museum, Memphis, egypt's oldest capital, Sakkara, the city of the dead with the famous step pyramid Djosser, a day trip to Alexandria to see the catacombs, amphitheater and the library. On our last day we will visit the citadel of Salah El Din, the Mohamed Ally Mosque, old Cairo,several churches and finish the day off with a visit to Khan El Khalili which is the oldest bazaar in Cairo. I am very excited to go!

Shalom.

My Girl's Getting Married

Sam's engaged!!!! My little munchkin. College graduate. Self-supporting adult. Dog owner. Cook. Blogger. Engaged.

I'm really happy about it. I absolutely adore Ari, my soon-to-be son-in-law. And of course, Sam loves him and he loves her - they make a really good couple. Ari will make a good husband and a great father. He is respectful, optimistic, practical, smart, hard-working. And he has a killer smile and fun-loving nature.

In just a few short weeks, I'll be in Israel. I fly on Thanksgiving and arrive in Israel the day after. A long-ago planned trip - and now there will be even more to celebrate! I'm looking forward to seeing them both.

And I'm looking forward to some time away from work. It's been a busy year - fairly unrelenting - and I'm tired and ready for a break.

Rainy Sunday - Is Winter Peeking In?

This weekend has been awesome. It began raining Friday night and hasn't really let up much since then. Yesterday, as part of my routine housecleaning chores, I washed the sheets from the bed, but this time, when I made the bed up again, I added a newly purchased, soft as whipped cream fleece blanket, to the bed. It was one of those spur of the moment, don't really need it, purchases from Costco a few weeks back. I slept better last night than I have in months. The slider to the patio was open, and I lay in bed all snuggled warmly under my clean sheets and soft blankie, with my down comforter on top, cat purring next to me, Molly on the floor below, snoring softly. The sound of the rain hitting the patio, the wind chimes tinkling from the light winds made it all just PERFECT.

I also did some cooking, something I usually do most weekends. I don't eat out much, and I almost always take my lunch from home to work. I save lots of money this way. Money which goes to my traveling budget!!! Anyway, Sam had posted a picture of some garlic confit that her cousin had made for her, and my mouth had started watering the moment I saw it. I dug around in my veggie bin and found but one head of garlic, but that was all I needed to try some confit of my own. There's not much more to say about that. It was easy, and the house smelled divine, with garlic simmering in olive oil, bay leaves and peppercorns. I also made a big batch of quinoa with vegetables, and a big pitcher of fruit smoothie - rasberries, orange juice, fresh plums.

Well, now I'm ready for a snack and a nap.

Shredded

I am at Day 11 of Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred exercise program. You all know Jillian, right? The maniacal but soft-hearted trainer on Biggest Loser? Anyway, she has this DVD called 30 Day Shred and it's all about doing 20 minutes of intensive cardio/strength exercises every day to grow stronger, leaner and more fit.

The DVD has 3 levels - and you start with Level 1 and work your way up (hopefully) to Level 3 at about day 20. Today was day 11 - and my first day on Level 2.

One would think that kickin up some exercise for a mere 20 minutes a day would be a piece of cake. WRONG-O!!!! This workout video will kick your butt in more ways than one!! I have never dripped so much sweat in my life - and I thought I was in decent shape!! Again, WRONG-O.

Anyway, I've noticed an improvement in my stamina since day 1. I'm a bit stronger. Day 1 I could barely do 5 pushups. Day 11 I'm doing 20 with little sweat. Go me. I've lost a whopping 2 pounds in 10 days!!! It's not so much the pounds I'm looking to lose - it's the being in better shape that I'm after, goal-wise. I think I'll get there.

No Hoarding Allowed

Every time I watch an episode of Hoarders, I have this massive compulsion (yeah, don't go there...) to go find something in my house and throw it away.

Tonight is no different. 10 minutes into the show and I'm in the kitchen during a commercial break, tossing out 1/2 my plastic ware that's stuffed on the bottom rack of my dishwasher (no, I don't use my dishwasher for washing dishes - due to the lack of enough cabinet space in my kitchen, I store plastic and glass ware in there instead). I mean, I've lived here for 10 months now and I rarely use any of the plastic stuff. I almost exclusively use the glassware instead - I don't like putting plastic in the microwave to heat up my leftovers for lunch at work - so why not just get rid of that crapola?

Go me.

October already?

Excuse me, but what the heck happened to September???? It flew by so fast, I can't hardly remember it. Wow.

Well, some minor news. Molly started her first day at her new day care place today. About midway through the day, I got a picture message on my cell from the owner of the day care. There Molly was, my cutie patootie sitting in the sun on the grass by the fence, her trademark big smile on her face. How sweet!!

At the end of the day, when I went to pick Molly up, she was in great spirits, tail wagging, full of Molly kisses, just happy and content. Can't ask for better than that!!! Right now, she's "retired" for the evening - she's had her dinner, and has plotzed herself down on her pillow bed next to my bed - and she's snoring away.