The Night Before
Twas the night before Israel...oh wait. Scratch that!
It is the night before I embark on a 10-day trip to Israel and Chandler, a month long trip. It feels great to have him here with us the night before he leaves. He and Rob are at a movie - Transformers. While in Chicago some 1/2 a year ago, they saw part of the movie being filmed. So, to see it together is a real treat.
Me? I could not be more excited to be heading to Israel tomorrow. My heart has been longing for that place - that place that somehow and in some way has a hold over me. I know a lot of my Israeli friends tell me that they do not care much for Jerusalem, but I loved it there. I am feeling a lot of warm fuzzy feelings about spending the majority of our time there.
Another part of me is sick, though. Rob's sister is dying, and she has taken a turn for the worse as of a couple of days ago. I am really worried about leaving Rob. A few people have generously offered to help him with the kids if he needs it, but I just don't see him reaching out to accept it. I hope he is okay, and that his family and friends stay in close touch to gauge if he needs anything.
I am quite sure I over-packed even though I am secretly concerned that I under-packed. My kavanah for this trip is to be in the moment -- open, present, receptive. I want to hear the whispers of Israel, and commit them to my heart. I don't know when if ever I will be able to make it back again, and I am hyper-aware of that. Sometime, it is hard for me to just be. I am able to feel and connect and lose myself in the moment - it is just the it may take me a while to get there due to the analyzing or self-consciousness.
Last time I brought my point-and-shoot. This time, my good camera. I am going to try to channel my inner-Yossi and take some awesome photos. Wish me luck with that! I don't know quite how to be in the moment and be the photographer but I am sure going to try!
I don't know how many people know this, but Friday we traded in our white van for a fuel-efficient vehicle. Our car payment is $20 cheaper a month (woot!) and while the car seems like a matchbox in size, it feels wonderful to be driving an manual transmission again! It is a Mazdaspeed3, hatch-back, 6-speed manual. It is graphite liquid silver in color and has combo leather-cloth seats. This thing has 263 hp and is kind of sporty in appearance. The interior has red lighting at the dash. It is FAST. We received a great trade-in value for the van, an interest rate of 2.4%, and got this vehicle for a steal thanks to Rob's hard line negotiating.
To all of you...thanks for the well wishes. Please keep Rob in your prayers...and I will see you soon! I plan to blog this trip so check back here for updates. For now...Shalom!
It is the night before I embark on a 10-day trip to Israel and Chandler, a month long trip. It feels great to have him here with us the night before he leaves. He and Rob are at a movie - Transformers. While in Chicago some 1/2 a year ago, they saw part of the movie being filmed. So, to see it together is a real treat.
Me? I could not be more excited to be heading to Israel tomorrow. My heart has been longing for that place - that place that somehow and in some way has a hold over me. I know a lot of my Israeli friends tell me that they do not care much for Jerusalem, but I loved it there. I am feeling a lot of warm fuzzy feelings about spending the majority of our time there.
Another part of me is sick, though. Rob's sister is dying, and she has taken a turn for the worse as of a couple of days ago. I am really worried about leaving Rob. A few people have generously offered to help him with the kids if he needs it, but I just don't see him reaching out to accept it. I hope he is okay, and that his family and friends stay in close touch to gauge if he needs anything.
I am quite sure I over-packed even though I am secretly concerned that I under-packed. My kavanah for this trip is to be in the moment -- open, present, receptive. I want to hear the whispers of Israel, and commit them to my heart. I don't know when if ever I will be able to make it back again, and I am hyper-aware of that. Sometime, it is hard for me to just be. I am able to feel and connect and lose myself in the moment - it is just the it may take me a while to get there due to the analyzing or self-consciousness.
Last time I brought my point-and-shoot. This time, my good camera. I am going to try to channel my inner-Yossi and take some awesome photos. Wish me luck with that! I don't know quite how to be in the moment and be the photographer but I am sure going to try!
I don't know how many people know this, but Friday we traded in our white van for a fuel-efficient vehicle. Our car payment is $20 cheaper a month (woot!) and while the car seems like a matchbox in size, it feels wonderful to be driving an manual transmission again! It is a Mazdaspeed3, hatch-back, 6-speed manual. It is graphite liquid silver in color and has combo leather-cloth seats. This thing has 263 hp and is kind of sporty in appearance. The interior has red lighting at the dash. It is FAST. We received a great trade-in value for the van, an interest rate of 2.4%, and got this vehicle for a steal thanks to Rob's hard line negotiating.
To all of you...thanks for the well wishes. Please keep Rob in your prayers...and I will see you soon! I plan to blog this trip so check back here for updates. For now...Shalom!
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