There is just something about Israel that makes me want to blog.
Brent and I arrived here Sat. around 4:00 p.m. I cried tears of joy and homecoming when we landed. I cried in the Taxi as we drove through familiar streets. I cried as we walked to our favorite restaurant to eat dinner.
I know, it sounds like I am just an emotional, blubbering idiot. Maybe I am. But I'm OK with that because I love this place and will be a blubbering idiot for this place.
I really love just about everything about this place. Brent and I went to a sidewalk cafe near the beach and just enjoyed being in Tel Aviv this morning. As I sat there relishing the moment, I realized I even loved the noises of this city. Crazy, huh? What really made me laugh, internally so that people didn't think I was some kind of lunatic, was that I realized I even loved the sound of the traffic, the buses, the honking. It adds to the feeling of familiarity. Call me a weirdo.
Today, our first full day here, has been spent with a dear friend we met in our Hebrew Language school during our 7 months living in the Land. Kate and her 7 1/2 month old son, Edan (pronounced "Ee-dahn") met us for a falafel at Brent's favorite place. Edan was born about 2 weeks before we came back to the U.S. He has grown so much and has been SO FUN to be around. I'm actually writing this post from Kate and her husband Adi's apartment. We are getting ready to go pick up Brent and go to dinner together! It has just been a great day of reconnecting and catching up and I feel really blessed to be able to come to my "other home" for a couple of weeks!
I feel I am rambling and must stop. Besides, it's time to go get Brent and go eat!
Maybe I'll feel inspired again in the next two weeks and will find a computer I can blog from!
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
My Birthday
Today is my birthday. I was officially born around 9:00 PM. So, I'm finally 24 (wink, wink).
I had a good day. My hubs got me some beautiful white cala lilies....my favorite! And a sweet deal at a spa! It includes a massage, facial, mani or pedi and a haircut with wash and style! Isn't he so sweet! We also got to go out to dinner tonight at Salt Grass. OH MY WORD! That place is so good if you have a hankerin' for some delicious steak! I don't eat steak all that often so I take any opportunity I can get! Tonight was just one of those opportunities!
Now, a little story about my sweet and funny husband.
When we got back home to the U.S. of A. I was going through some stuff putting my house back together. See, I'm a bit of a pack-rat and I keep lots o' stuff. I'm also very sentimental and this only compounds the pack-rat problem, as some might call it. Point being that I have kept every card that Brent has given me. So, I was going through them and reminiscing and came across one of the birthday cards he had gotten me. It was a humorous card and I chuckled as I'm sure I did the year he gave it to me. I came across another envelope with his handwriting, opened it up and pulled out, would you believe, THE EXACT SAME CARD! He had gotten me the same card two different years and didn't even know it!! I was appalled over this and for many reasons. First being that I had not noticed this on the particular birthday that I had received a duplicate card. Second, that my husband would be so careless as to get me the same card two years in a row! Third, that when I told him of this little mishap he just laughed. And fourth, HE GOT ME THE SAME CARD THIS YEAR!!! OK, as you have probably figured out, he did that on purpose, at least the third time. He was looking at cards and wouldn't you know, there was that infamous card staring him down, calling his name and begging him to buy it yet again! So he did. I would like to add in here that he was sweet enough to actually buy me two cards this year, the repeat and a new, sweet one that made my heart melt. I love that guy.
I had a good day. My hubs got me some beautiful white cala lilies....my favorite! And a sweet deal at a spa! It includes a massage, facial, mani or pedi and a haircut with wash and style! Isn't he so sweet! We also got to go out to dinner tonight at Salt Grass. OH MY WORD! That place is so good if you have a hankerin' for some delicious steak! I don't eat steak all that often so I take any opportunity I can get! Tonight was just one of those opportunities!
Now, a little story about my sweet and funny husband.
When we got back home to the U.S. of A. I was going through some stuff putting my house back together. See, I'm a bit of a pack-rat and I keep lots o' stuff. I'm also very sentimental and this only compounds the pack-rat problem, as some might call it. Point being that I have kept every card that Brent has given me. So, I was going through them and reminiscing and came across one of the birthday cards he had gotten me. It was a humorous card and I chuckled as I'm sure I did the year he gave it to me. I came across another envelope with his handwriting, opened it up and pulled out, would you believe, THE EXACT SAME CARD! He had gotten me the same card two different years and didn't even know it!! I was appalled over this and for many reasons. First being that I had not noticed this on the particular birthday that I had received a duplicate card. Second, that my husband would be so careless as to get me the same card two years in a row! Third, that when I told him of this little mishap he just laughed. And fourth, HE GOT ME THE SAME CARD THIS YEAR!!! OK, as you have probably figured out, he did that on purpose, at least the third time. He was looking at cards and wouldn't you know, there was that infamous card staring him down, calling his name and begging him to buy it yet again! So he did. I would like to add in here that he was sweet enough to actually buy me two cards this year, the repeat and a new, sweet one that made my heart melt. I love that guy.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Well Friends,
I think I'm back in the world wide web.
We have internet that actually works!!!!
And............
I have joined facebook.
Hopefully I can get back into the swing of blogging.
I have started a new job. I have joined the 40-hour-a-week society. It's really for the birds. But my new job pays really good! Don't worry, I'm not teaching grammar!! :)
Well, I have some really old events that I want to blog about and I have pictures and everything so look for that to come.
See you on the web.
I think I'm back in the world wide web.
We have internet that actually works!!!!
And............
I have joined facebook.
Hopefully I can get back into the swing of blogging.
I have started a new job. I have joined the 40-hour-a-week society. It's really for the birds. But my new job pays really good! Don't worry, I'm not teaching grammar!! :)
Well, I have some really old events that I want to blog about and I have pictures and everything so look for that to come.
See you on the web.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
M.I.A.
I know, I know. I have been TERRIBLE about blogging since we got home.
I could roll out a massively long list of lame excuses, because I've got them. However, I value any of you who may still be randomly checking this blog too much to do that.
I will just say, I'm sorry. I really do want to blog. I even have pictures. I just have some sorry excuses too.
With that said... I hope to get back to the blog world at some point. I'm in the process of trying to get a full time job and my house the way I want and need it. All of this will help me get back on the blogging bandwagon.
Until then....don't completely give up on me.
I have a great fondness for any of you who may still be hopeful enough to check this sad blog every once in a blue moon! (When exactly is there a "blue moon" anyway? Anyone?)
I could roll out a massively long list of lame excuses, because I've got them. However, I value any of you who may still be randomly checking this blog too much to do that.
I will just say, I'm sorry. I really do want to blog. I even have pictures. I just have some sorry excuses too.
With that said... I hope to get back to the blog world at some point. I'm in the process of trying to get a full time job and my house the way I want and need it. All of this will help me get back on the blogging bandwagon.
Until then....don't completely give up on me.
I have a great fondness for any of you who may still be hopeful enough to check this sad blog every once in a blue moon! (When exactly is there a "blue moon" anyway? Anyone?)
Friday, May 2, 2008
Time Zone
When I began this blog we were living in Tel Aviv, Israel.
When I set up the blog I set the time zone to Israel time.
I forgot to change it.
So, for those wondering if I posted that last post at 2:00 in the morning....NO WAY! I'm not that crazy! It would have been about 6:00 p.m. here in the U.S. of A.
Well, I think I fixed that little mix up. Shew. That was a potential disaster averted!
When I set up the blog I set the time zone to Israel time.
I forgot to change it.
So, for those wondering if I posted that last post at 2:00 in the morning....NO WAY! I'm not that crazy! It would have been about 6:00 p.m. here in the U.S. of A.
Well, I think I fixed that little mix up. Shew. That was a potential disaster averted!
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
No Way In
You want to know what's frustrating? Not being able to get into your house after being on the road for 16 hours.
When Brent and I arrived to our home, well after midnight last Friday night, we were unable to get it. No, we hadn't locked ourselves out. Our house locked us out. Well, not really but it sounded funny.
You see, ever since we returned from Israel, our glass door/screen door (though it has not screen and is only glass. hmmm) has been sticking. When you turn the handle on any door, the sticky-outy-thing that keeps it closed, withdraws, thus allowing you to open the door. (Do you love my technical terms, cuz I do!) On our glass door the sticky-outy-thing was sticking before we left. When we arrived back home in the middle of the night it was completely broken. You could turn that handle till the cows came home and it was not opening up!
"Why didn't you just go in through the garage door?"
Well, people, it's like this. We live in the hood! And our house is old. There is no entrance from the garage to the house. Yep. I have to go outside to get into the garage where the washer and dryer are. At least we have a washer and dryer though, eh? (No, I'm not Canadian.)
Why didn't you go int he back door?"
Come on people! We look that screen door too! (And yes, that one actually has a screen.)
OK, let me describe the scene for you.
12:13a.m. (not really. I don't know what the exact time was but I like details!)
I have slept the last hour or two and am groggy and grumpy and just want to unload the truck and crawl into my big, soft, king size bed.
Brent has been driving since 6:30a.m. and is exhausted.
Brent has gotten the big stuff out of the back of the truck and is at the front door.
I'm unloading all of my bajillion little things that have been strewn all over the back seat. I hear the Brent jiggling the handle on the door. Then I hear him trying to yank the door open. Then I think he's going to pull the door off it's hinges while shattering the glass and become concerned.
He yells "The glass door is locked!". I say "No it's not. That's impossible." (Unless of course we have leprechauns or elves living in our house who wanted to play a trick on us. They do that sort of thing, you know.) Brent says through gritted teeth "Yes it is." and begins yanking on the door with all his might. I run to the porch to stop him from totally destroying the door.
We then proceed to get screw drivers out to try and pry it open and even consider taking the door off but that would be a really bad idea. I get two screwdrivers in my hands and try to get the sticky-outy-thing pushed back into the door so we can get it open and I almost had it, about 13 times and lost it. Brent sees that it is hopeless and we are too tired and grumpy to be sensible and says "You're done. Call your Mom and Dad."
So, we call the folks and spend the night at their house.
Next day, Dad and Brent get the door open. How? Dad used the screwdrivers and did what I tried to do the night before. Way to go Dad.
Now we have no handle whatsoever on our glass door because I was not about to let my house lock me out again.
When Brent and I arrived to our home, well after midnight last Friday night, we were unable to get it. No, we hadn't locked ourselves out. Our house locked us out. Well, not really but it sounded funny.
You see, ever since we returned from Israel, our glass door/screen door (though it has not screen and is only glass. hmmm) has been sticking. When you turn the handle on any door, the sticky-outy-thing that keeps it closed, withdraws, thus allowing you to open the door. (Do you love my technical terms, cuz I do!) On our glass door the sticky-outy-thing was sticking before we left. When we arrived back home in the middle of the night it was completely broken. You could turn that handle till the cows came home and it was not opening up!
"Why didn't you just go in through the garage door?"
Well, people, it's like this. We live in the hood! And our house is old. There is no entrance from the garage to the house. Yep. I have to go outside to get into the garage where the washer and dryer are. At least we have a washer and dryer though, eh? (No, I'm not Canadian.)
Why didn't you go int he back door?"
Come on people! We look that screen door too! (And yes, that one actually has a screen.)
OK, let me describe the scene for you.
12:13a.m. (not really. I don't know what the exact time was but I like details!)
I have slept the last hour or two and am groggy and grumpy and just want to unload the truck and crawl into my big, soft, king size bed.
Brent has been driving since 6:30a.m. and is exhausted.
Brent has gotten the big stuff out of the back of the truck and is at the front door.
I'm unloading all of my bajillion little things that have been strewn all over the back seat. I hear the Brent jiggling the handle on the door. Then I hear him trying to yank the door open. Then I think he's going to pull the door off it's hinges while shattering the glass and become concerned.
He yells "The glass door is locked!". I say "No it's not. That's impossible." (Unless of course we have leprechauns or elves living in our house who wanted to play a trick on us. They do that sort of thing, you know.) Brent says through gritted teeth "Yes it is." and begins yanking on the door with all his might. I run to the porch to stop him from totally destroying the door.
We then proceed to get screw drivers out to try and pry it open and even consider taking the door off but that would be a really bad idea. I get two screwdrivers in my hands and try to get the sticky-outy-thing pushed back into the door so we can get it open and I almost had it, about 13 times and lost it. Brent sees that it is hopeless and we are too tired and grumpy to be sensible and says "You're done. Call your Mom and Dad."
So, we call the folks and spend the night at their house.
Next day, Dad and Brent get the door open. How? Dad used the screwdrivers and did what I tried to do the night before. Way to go Dad.
Now we have no handle whatsoever on our glass door because I was not about to let my house lock me out again.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Stats
8 Days
8 States
Over 2000 miles
That just about sums up our trip last week.
Not really, though, because we had so much fun and got to visit with so many sweet people and friends.
We also reviewed some of our Hebrew verbs on the road home and Brent had me laughing so hard at his attempts to pronounce the word for "to celebrate" that I thought we were going to need to have my seat cleaned and dried, if you get my drift.
I must say that I am very glad to be home again. D.J., our little dog, was glad we were home too!
Thank you, Lord, for a safe and blessed trip!
8 States
Over 2000 miles
That just about sums up our trip last week.
Not really, though, because we had so much fun and got to visit with so many sweet people and friends.
We also reviewed some of our Hebrew verbs on the road home and Brent had me laughing so hard at his attempts to pronounce the word for "to celebrate" that I thought we were going to need to have my seat cleaned and dried, if you get my drift.
I must say that I am very glad to be home again. D.J., our little dog, was glad we were home too!
Thank you, Lord, for a safe and blessed trip!
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Can't sit still
We have only been home about four weeks and we are on the road again! We just can't sit still.
Brent and I left last Friday morning at 5:15 a.m., yep, A.M. to head to Lexington, Kentucky. Friday we traveled as far as Nashville, Tennessee. We stopped there and stayed the night and had dinner with friends. Brent knows Michael and Amy from when he was a youth minister in Liberty, Indiana. Michael and Amy walked into Brent's office one afternoon fifteen years ago and said, "Marry us!" Brent asked, "OK, when?" Michael, dressed in a bright yellow t-shirt and shorts said, "Right now!" and handed Brent the marriage license. Let me just add in here that Michael was and still is in the Marines and he talks like a drill Sargent...all the time! Brent asked all the proper questions, even talked to Amy alone for a minute to make sure this was what she wanted to do and then took them and Michael's Dad to the newly remodeled basement of the church and performed the ceremony to join them as man and wife. They now have two beautiful daughters and live in a beautiful home in Nashville. It was a really sweet reunion and we are looking forward to keeping in touch with them.
Sat. we got up and traveled the last several hours to Lexington, Kentucky. Let me just say that Lexington, Kentucky is one beautiful place. This is the perfect time to be traveling in that part of the country because the dogwoods are blooming and MAN ALIVE are they gorgeous!! I'm serious, people! They are amazing. Actually, everything is blooming! You don't have to look any farther than God's creation to get the perfect color palette for decorating any room. I got a few ideas on this trip and I'm ready to get home and redecorate!! (Yeah, Brent's real happy about that too! The man hates to paint.)
"Why did you go to Kentucky, Tonya?"
Oh, I'm so glad you asked!
We went to Kentucky because Brent's college roommate, Mark, preaches at a church there and invited us out so Brent could throw down the Word!, or preach :) Sunday morning then we lead a Passover Seder Sunday night for the church.
As usual, Brent did and amazing job. I'm telling you, the man is GIFTED! I love to hear my hubs preach. Man, can he preach. He's just so anointed and gifted and wonderful. I love him. However, I don't want you to lose your lunch so I'll stop gushing.
I will say that after being in Kentucky, I want to move there. It is so pretty. The rolling hills covered with lush, thick, soft green grass and the amazing trees. Oh my! It is a truly beautiful area. Don't worry, Mom and Dad! We cannot afford to live in Lexington. Those people are rich! And I mean filthy RICH! (I would love to show you pictures but I forgot the camera. Yep, I'm a doof!)
Then Monday we spent a little more time with Mark and his wife Kathy and traveled on to Richmond, Indiana where we stayed the last two nights with our friends the Retz'.
We spent most of the day yesterday, however, in Liberty, Indiana where Brent was a youth minister, football coach, probation officer and preacher. We had lunch with Chris B. who was in Brent's youth group. After that we spent the afternoon gabbing with Bill and Betty, two of the sweetest people I have ever met. All of my grandparents have already gone to be with Jesus and so I have adopted them as my grandparents. They don't know it yet, so let's keep that between us for now.
Today we traveled to Indianapolis, only about an hour. We are planning a tour for a church in the area and Brent and I will speak with those interested in the tour tonight. Right now I am sitting in the church's coffee shop area typing this to you. It is a beautiful, new, huge church and we are loving seeing how the body of Messiah is growing.
The next couple of nights we will stay with Brent's sister LeighAnn and husband J.R. and kids Zac and Shanna. Then we head home.
This may have been one of my more boring posts but just felt the need to connect with my readers, at least what's left of you. I think Kim is the only one still checking in. Thanks Kim! I appreciate your loyalty. You're a peach!
Brent and I left last Friday morning at 5:15 a.m., yep, A.M. to head to Lexington, Kentucky. Friday we traveled as far as Nashville, Tennessee. We stopped there and stayed the night and had dinner with friends. Brent knows Michael and Amy from when he was a youth minister in Liberty, Indiana. Michael and Amy walked into Brent's office one afternoon fifteen years ago and said, "Marry us!" Brent asked, "OK, when?" Michael, dressed in a bright yellow t-shirt and shorts said, "Right now!" and handed Brent the marriage license. Let me just add in here that Michael was and still is in the Marines and he talks like a drill Sargent...all the time! Brent asked all the proper questions, even talked to Amy alone for a minute to make sure this was what she wanted to do and then took them and Michael's Dad to the newly remodeled basement of the church and performed the ceremony to join them as man and wife. They now have two beautiful daughters and live in a beautiful home in Nashville. It was a really sweet reunion and we are looking forward to keeping in touch with them.
Sat. we got up and traveled the last several hours to Lexington, Kentucky. Let me just say that Lexington, Kentucky is one beautiful place. This is the perfect time to be traveling in that part of the country because the dogwoods are blooming and MAN ALIVE are they gorgeous!! I'm serious, people! They are amazing. Actually, everything is blooming! You don't have to look any farther than God's creation to get the perfect color palette for decorating any room. I got a few ideas on this trip and I'm ready to get home and redecorate!! (Yeah, Brent's real happy about that too! The man hates to paint.)
"Why did you go to Kentucky, Tonya?"
Oh, I'm so glad you asked!
We went to Kentucky because Brent's college roommate, Mark, preaches at a church there and invited us out so Brent could throw down the Word!, or preach :) Sunday morning then we lead a Passover Seder Sunday night for the church.
As usual, Brent did and amazing job. I'm telling you, the man is GIFTED! I love to hear my hubs preach. Man, can he preach. He's just so anointed and gifted and wonderful. I love him. However, I don't want you to lose your lunch so I'll stop gushing.
I will say that after being in Kentucky, I want to move there. It is so pretty. The rolling hills covered with lush, thick, soft green grass and the amazing trees. Oh my! It is a truly beautiful area. Don't worry, Mom and Dad! We cannot afford to live in Lexington. Those people are rich! And I mean filthy RICH! (I would love to show you pictures but I forgot the camera. Yep, I'm a doof!)
Then Monday we spent a little more time with Mark and his wife Kathy and traveled on to Richmond, Indiana where we stayed the last two nights with our friends the Retz'.
We spent most of the day yesterday, however, in Liberty, Indiana where Brent was a youth minister, football coach, probation officer and preacher. We had lunch with Chris B. who was in Brent's youth group. After that we spent the afternoon gabbing with Bill and Betty, two of the sweetest people I have ever met. All of my grandparents have already gone to be with Jesus and so I have adopted them as my grandparents. They don't know it yet, so let's keep that between us for now.
Today we traveled to Indianapolis, only about an hour. We are planning a tour for a church in the area and Brent and I will speak with those interested in the tour tonight. Right now I am sitting in the church's coffee shop area typing this to you. It is a beautiful, new, huge church and we are loving seeing how the body of Messiah is growing.
The next couple of nights we will stay with Brent's sister LeighAnn and husband J.R. and kids Zac and Shanna. Then we head home.
This may have been one of my more boring posts but just felt the need to connect with my readers, at least what's left of you. I think Kim is the only one still checking in. Thanks Kim! I appreciate your loyalty. You're a peach!
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Water and Oil
Apparently, living in the United States and blogging don't really go well together for me. It's like water and oil. You know how water and oil don't mix. You know?
Man Alive!!!!
I'm really sorry people.
I want to blog but here are my sad excuses. (At least I'm calling them what they are, right?)
#1. Our internet is not working correctly yet.
#2. Don't know what to blog about cuz I'm still a little sad about being away from Israel.
#3. Well, shouldn't #1 and #2 be good enough? Come on!
Oh and just so you know, Brent and I are leaving town again for about 11 days so don't have any expectations of a new blog during that time. But then, if I do get time, and an internet connection, and do get a blog out there you will be pleasantly surprised.
I miss all of you and really do want to get back in to the blog swing soon. But I'm just warning you that it will probably be the beginning of May before that happens. A one month sabbatical seems about right.
OK, see you all you soon. And thanks for continuing to read this somewhat-pathetic-for-now-blog.
Man Alive!!!!
I'm really sorry people.
I want to blog but here are my sad excuses. (At least I'm calling them what they are, right?)
#1. Our internet is not working correctly yet.
#2. Don't know what to blog about cuz I'm still a little sad about being away from Israel.
#3. Well, shouldn't #1 and #2 be good enough? Come on!
Oh and just so you know, Brent and I are leaving town again for about 11 days so don't have any expectations of a new blog during that time. But then, if I do get time, and an internet connection, and do get a blog out there you will be pleasantly surprised.
I miss all of you and really do want to get back in to the blog swing soon. But I'm just warning you that it will probably be the beginning of May before that happens. A one month sabbatical seems about right.
OK, see you all you soon. And thanks for continuing to read this somewhat-pathetic-for-now-blog.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Still here
Hey Ya'll!
Man Alive. It's hard to get back into a rhythm again. We have been trying to get our house put back together because we packed a lot of it up to rent it to some friends while we were gone. So, it's like moving in all over again. Then I got sick starting Friday night and have been down for the count since then. My sweet husband called the Doctor on Monday morning to get me in because I was coughing all night long and he got worried (as well as really annoyed!) So, now I'm on some antibiotics and trying to not push it too hard.
We also have not had internet until about an hour ago, hence my silence. I just don't want you, my devoted readers, to get the wrong idea....THIS BLOG IS CONTINUING!!!!
But for now, I must go. Just wanted you all to know we are still alive and kicking!
Man Alive. It's hard to get back into a rhythm again. We have been trying to get our house put back together because we packed a lot of it up to rent it to some friends while we were gone. So, it's like moving in all over again. Then I got sick starting Friday night and have been down for the count since then. My sweet husband called the Doctor on Monday morning to get me in because I was coughing all night long and he got worried (as well as really annoyed!) So, now I'm on some antibiotics and trying to not push it too hard.
We also have not had internet until about an hour ago, hence my silence. I just don't want you, my devoted readers, to get the wrong idea....THIS BLOG IS CONTINUING!!!!
But for now, I must go. Just wanted you all to know we are still alive and kicking!
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Back in the USA
Well, we arrived back to our USA home yesterday around 5:00 p.m.
The journey was emotional, LONG, exhausting and somewhat frustrating.
Jet lag is a real drag.....feeling really fuzzy in the head.
This is the end of this post.
More to come.
Will tell story of flight home adventure.
fading...............
goodnight.
The journey was emotional, LONG, exhausting and somewhat frustrating.
Jet lag is a real drag.....feeling really fuzzy in the head.
This is the end of this post.
More to come.
Will tell story of flight home adventure.
fading...............
goodnight.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Our Last Day....For Now
Today is our last day in Israel (for this trip). It is a very bittersweet day for me and I have already shed several tears. I know there will be more because I feel them wanting to start up again as I write this post.But, I am working hard at keeping a thankful and grateful attitude so as to not get too sad about having to leave this place that holds my heart so tightly.
Here's the bottom line. Brent and I are called to this land and this people. The Lord has allowed us seven months here to begin establishing roots. Yesterday at congregation, they prayed over us and spoke encouragement into our lives. It was said that it is a great privilege and honor to be invited to this land and grow the deep roots that we have grown. I believe that God has done this in us for a purpose and for this I am so thankful.
I do not know when we will be back. But I know we will return. God knows when He will invite us to come to His chosen portion of earth again. In this I rest. In this I find encouragement. In this there is hope for both Brent and I.
It has been an absolute honor to live in Israel and learn the language and live among God's chosen people. I cannot, in words, express to you what is in my heart. Only God can define it because He alone placed this love and passion and desire in us. I praise Him for His faithfulness and His goodness. I thank Him for calling us into His service in this place among His chosen people. (Uh oh, the water works have started again.) I am grateful to Him for holding us so tightly in His hands and leading us on a path of service to Him and for Him. 
So, now The Avery Adventure continues and so will this blog. WOW, I just heard a HUGE sigh of relief from all you readers! I know, I know. You haven't been able to sleep for fear that this enthralling blog might end when we return to the U.S.! No worries. Being and Avery is ALWAYS and adventure!!!
See you in the USA!!
Next Adventure: Jetlag! UGH! :)
Friday, March 28, 2008
To my dear readers
Dear Wonderful Readers,
(all 5 of you)
I feel the need to apologize. I have neglected you. I have forsaken you. I have ignored you.
BUT
I have NOT forgotten you.
Our schedule has been jam packed for the last week. Not only are we preparing to come back to the USA, we have also had friends living with us for the past two weeks. Amanda, her 13 month old daughter Ariella and Alexis have been staying with us while their husbands Shay and Seth, respectively, have been hiking in the Negev desert. It has been so fun and entertaining to have them with us. Amanda and Alexis are very precious friends to us. Ariella is a joy and delight to be around and makes me long and look forward to motherhood.
All this to say, with packing, cleaning, meeting with friends to say goodbye, show the apartment to potential renters, cleaning some more, packing some more, volunteering at a soup kitchen, playing with Ariella and cleaning some more, well, life has been busy.
However, I want you all to know that my thoughts have been with you. I even tried to get a post up last night but I was trying to upload a 114 MB video and four hours later it was not finished so I left it going all night only to find that in the morning there had been and "error" and it did not finish and I cried and wailed and threw a tantrum....um.....where was I going? Uh. Oh, I have been thinking of you and wanting to get a post up but time has been my enemy.
"Why do you have time now, Tonya?" you ask.
Well, Shay and Seth and the other 5 guys are done hiking in the horrifically hot Negev desert. Shay and Seth along with Daniel and Ben returned to Tel Aviv early this evening. Andrew, Chase and Dan went to Jerusalem for the night. Shay and Seth had wives waiting eagerly for them and Daniel and Ben have wives out there somewhere waiting eagerly for them. Any wonderful single ladies out there? OK, I'm not really into match making, well, maybe a little. BUT THAT IS NOT THE POINT!!! MAN ALIVE STAY FOCUSED!!
Sorry, I'm back. OK, so to rap up this lovely diatribe, our house is empty again. Well, not empty cuz we are here but it's just me and Brent and I had time to write a post. GAG! I better go now before you all think I've lost my marbles.
WORD!
(all 5 of you)
I feel the need to apologize. I have neglected you. I have forsaken you. I have ignored you.
BUT
I have NOT forgotten you.
Our schedule has been jam packed for the last week. Not only are we preparing to come back to the USA, we have also had friends living with us for the past two weeks. Amanda, her 13 month old daughter Ariella and Alexis have been staying with us while their husbands Shay and Seth, respectively, have been hiking in the Negev desert. It has been so fun and entertaining to have them with us. Amanda and Alexis are very precious friends to us. Ariella is a joy and delight to be around and makes me long and look forward to motherhood.
All this to say, with packing, cleaning, meeting with friends to say goodbye, show the apartment to potential renters, cleaning some more, packing some more, volunteering at a soup kitchen, playing with Ariella and cleaning some more, well, life has been busy.
However, I want you all to know that my thoughts have been with you. I even tried to get a post up last night but I was trying to upload a 114 MB video and four hours later it was not finished so I left it going all night only to find that in the morning there had been and "error" and it did not finish and I cried and wailed and threw a tantrum....um.....where was I going? Uh. Oh, I have been thinking of you and wanting to get a post up but time has been my enemy.
"Why do you have time now, Tonya?" you ask.
Well, Shay and Seth and the other 5 guys are done hiking in the horrifically hot Negev desert. Shay and Seth along with Daniel and Ben returned to Tel Aviv early this evening. Andrew, Chase and Dan went to Jerusalem for the night. Shay and Seth had wives waiting eagerly for them and Daniel and Ben have wives out there somewhere waiting eagerly for them. Any wonderful single ladies out there? OK, I'm not really into match making, well, maybe a little. BUT THAT IS NOT THE POINT!!! MAN ALIVE STAY FOCUSED!!
Sorry, I'm back. OK, so to rap up this lovely diatribe, our house is empty again. Well, not empty cuz we are here but it's just me and Brent and I had time to write a post. GAG! I better go now before you all think I've lost my marbles.
WORD!
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
5 More Days in the Holy Land
OK, so I think I'm doing pretty good not boring you with the count down to the end of our time in Israel. I mean, come on, I've only done one post about it....I think. :)
So, just a little update....We only have 5 more days in the Holy Land.
Brent and I are busy saying goodbyes, packing and eating our favorite things one last time. It's an emotional roller coaster for this crazy, emotional female who gets very attached to places and items. For instance, I could tell you about every nick-knack I have in my home in the States, such as where it's from, who gave it to me and for what reason. Another example, I collect teacups and saucers and teapots and I can tell you where I got each one, who gave me which ones, when I got them, etc. All this to say, I have even gotten attached to our apartment in Tel Aviv. It will be sad to leave it because I'm pretty sure I will never live in this apartment again. (We will have to find something a bit cheaper when we come back for any extended period of time!)
So, it's emotional and sad.
However, to try to keep my mind in the positive mode, here are some things I look forward to in the U.S. of A.
So, just a little update....We only have 5 more days in the Holy Land.
Brent and I are busy saying goodbyes, packing and eating our favorite things one last time. It's an emotional roller coaster for this crazy, emotional female who gets very attached to places and items. For instance, I could tell you about every nick-knack I have in my home in the States, such as where it's from, who gave it to me and for what reason. Another example, I collect teacups and saucers and teapots and I can tell you where I got each one, who gave me which ones, when I got them, etc. All this to say, I have even gotten attached to our apartment in Tel Aviv. It will be sad to leave it because I'm pretty sure I will never live in this apartment again. (We will have to find something a bit cheaper when we come back for any extended period of time!)
So, it's emotional and sad.
However, to try to keep my mind in the positive mode, here are some things I look forward to in the U.S. of A.
- Seeing our family and hugging their necks.
- Seeing our dog, D.J.
- Seeing friends.
- Being in our home with our recliners!
- Driving my Honda CRV
- Mexican food. Lots and lots and lots of Mexican food!
- Shopping at Target and Wal-Mart.
- Knowing exactly what I'm buying in the grocery store.
- Understanding all of the signs I see.
- Knowing how to get around outside of a one or two mile radius! (And that's generous!)
- Did I say Mexican food yet???? :)
By the way, I know I have some standing dates with some of you to eat Mexican food and I expect those to be kept, OK? :)
Oh, and I'm not promising this will be the last count down post, so please don't hold your breath.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
The Negev Desert
I'm sitting here in the Negev Desert enjoying the heat of the day. I must admit I feel pretty cool being able to say that.
So, our friends from home are here in Israel and the guys are hiking part of the Israel National Trail. They are hiking the desert part which I think is a bit crazy! But, hey, it only got up to 105 degrees yesterday. Good thing they came in March and not July!!!
Brent, Amanda (Shay's wife), Ariella (Shay and Amanda's 13 month old daughter), Alexis (Seth's wife) and I drove down from Tel Aviv yesterday. We got a flat tire on the way. Yep, in the middle of the desert. Thankfully the tire blew out really close to a gas station. However, we could not drive into the gas station because the tire literally blew out! Brent immediately got to work while the girls walked to the gas station. I stayed behind to be of assistance. I didn't really do anything except give moral support. Brent's so strong he broke the tool that jacks up the car. Some people came along and helped and we got the tire changed and made it to the place we all stayed last night. We called the rental place and they brought us a different van because the spare was not in such good shape and we did not want to drive back through the desert on it.
Today, we have just been enjoying the Sabbath and staying in the shade. We will head back to Tel Aviv in about an hour.
So until I post again, here are just a few photos from Daniel's camera.
So, when do you want to come hike in the Negev desert?
So, our friends from home are here in Israel and the guys are hiking part of the Israel National Trail. They are hiking the desert part which I think is a bit crazy! But, hey, it only got up to 105 degrees yesterday. Good thing they came in March and not July!!!
Brent, Amanda (Shay's wife), Ariella (Shay and Amanda's 13 month old daughter), Alexis (Seth's wife) and I drove down from Tel Aviv yesterday. We got a flat tire on the way. Yep, in the middle of the desert. Thankfully the tire blew out really close to a gas station. However, we could not drive into the gas station because the tire literally blew out! Brent immediately got to work while the girls walked to the gas station. I stayed behind to be of assistance. I didn't really do anything except give moral support. Brent's so strong he broke the tool that jacks up the car. Some people came along and helped and we got the tire changed and made it to the place we all stayed last night. We called the rental place and they brought us a different van because the spare was not in such good shape and we did not want to drive back through the desert on it.
Today, we have just been enjoying the Sabbath and staying in the shade. We will head back to Tel Aviv in about an hour.
So until I post again, here are just a few photos from Daniel's camera.
So, when do you want to come hike in the Negev desert?Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Bar Mitzvah, The Party, Part I
So, I know this Bar Mitzvah series has been stretched out over a very long period of time. I apologize for that. But I have had so many other things to blog about.
But today is your lucky day because I have nothing else to blog about and I want to finish what I started (partly because I'm a bit not so good at that and partly because you deserve to know the details of this fabulous event).
OK, so after the Bar Mitzvah was over we all went to a restaurant for the party afterwards! The restaurant is called Darnah. It is a Moroccan restaurant and it was SO COOL!
Here is the entrance to the restaurant.
This is the view just inside the door. 
This is a little seating area in the bar area. How cool is this? I would totally love to decorate a vacation home in this style. I could so see this on my back porch!
One of the dining rooms. Thought the arch doorway was cool.
Again, just a cool nook. I would like to have something like this in my Moroccan vacation home kitchen.
This dining room had bench seats all the way around and more cool nooks.
This place is so cool that, if you can believe this, this is the refrigerator.
Again, cool arches and love the colors.
Loved the pretty windows.
Even the bathroom doors were beautiful.
And this is the room that we were in. This dining room seats around 85 people and it was packed!!!
I got to sit on one of the couches along the wall. Brent got to sit in one of the funky chairs.
And finally, this was the beautiful place setting in front of each person at the party!! 
More to come, hopefully soon!
But today is your lucky day because I have nothing else to blog about and I want to finish what I started (partly because I'm a bit not so good at that and partly because you deserve to know the details of this fabulous event).
OK, so after the Bar Mitzvah was over we all went to a restaurant for the party afterwards! The restaurant is called Darnah. It is a Moroccan restaurant and it was SO COOL!
Here is the entrance to the restaurant.
This is the view just inside the door. This is a little seating area in the bar area. How cool is this? I would totally love to decorate a vacation home in this style. I could so see this on my back porch!
One of the dining rooms. Thought the arch doorway was cool.
Again, just a cool nook. I would like to have something like this in my Moroccan vacation home kitchen.
This dining room had bench seats all the way around and more cool nooks.
This place is so cool that, if you can believe this, this is the refrigerator.
Again, cool arches and love the colors.
Loved the pretty windows.
Even the bathroom doors were beautiful.
And this is the room that we were in. This dining room seats around 85 people and it was packed!!! 
I got to sit on one of the couches along the wall. Brent got to sit in one of the funky chairs.
And finally, this was the beautiful place setting in front of each person at the party!! More to come, hopefully soon!Tuesday, March 18, 2008
The Final Countdown
Well, friends, the real countdown has begun. Why have I not brought this up before now? Because our friends from home are here. What? What does that have to do with the countdown? And what countdown are you talking about? Who are you, lady?
OK, let me break it down.
We arrive back in the states on March 31. I knew this to be a reality but until March 31 comes along, I like to live in a fantasy world and think that I am not leaving this land that I love so dearly. Well, the problem with that is, once our friends arrived in Tel Aviv, I knew that we only had two more weeks because we fly home with them. So, they arrived yesterday. We leave in two weeks. The countdown has begun. I'm sad. I don't want to leave. I don't like change. But my Momma always said, there's only one thing in life you can count on, there will be change! Or something like that. Anyway. Two more weeks.
That's all folks.
Sorry this is a bit whinny and pathetic. Oh, and it's not that I don't want to see family and friends, I really do. I just want them all to be here. OK, enough of the cry baby act. I'm out.
OK, let me break it down.
We arrive back in the states on March 31. I knew this to be a reality but until March 31 comes along, I like to live in a fantasy world and think that I am not leaving this land that I love so dearly. Well, the problem with that is, once our friends arrived in Tel Aviv, I knew that we only had two more weeks because we fly home with them. So, they arrived yesterday. We leave in two weeks. The countdown has begun. I'm sad. I don't want to leave. I don't like change. But my Momma always said, there's only one thing in life you can count on, there will be change! Or something like that. Anyway. Two more weeks.
That's all folks.
Sorry this is a bit whinny and pathetic. Oh, and it's not that I don't want to see family and friends, I really do. I just want them all to be here. OK, enough of the cry baby act. I'm out.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
291
By my count, we learned 291 verbs in Ulpan. OK, let's do some math.
1 infinitive form
4 present tense forms
9 past tense forms
8 future tense forms
22
22 x 291 = 6,402
That's a lot of words, friends! And that is only VERBS!! That doesn't include nouns and pronouns and adjectives and adverbs and whatever other types of words there are. (Grammar was never my strongest subject....math was!)
Anyway, that's the final count. 291. 6,402. Yep. That's a lot of words. A LOT of words. Yep. OK, then. Lot 'o' words. uh huh.
That's all I got folks. Peace out.
Weird mood today....can you tell?
1 infinitive form
4 present tense forms
9 past tense forms
8 future tense forms
22
22 x 291 = 6,402
That's a lot of words, friends! And that is only VERBS!! That doesn't include nouns and pronouns and adjectives and adverbs and whatever other types of words there are. (Grammar was never my strongest subject....math was!)
Anyway, that's the final count. 291. 6,402. Yep. That's a lot of words. A LOT of words. Yep. OK, then. Lot 'o' words. uh huh.
That's all I got folks. Peace out.
Weird mood today....can you tell?
Friday, March 14, 2008
The Pomella
Have you ever heard of or had a Pomella? I had not before coming to Israel. The Pomella is a citrus fruit. It's a big, green citrus fruit that has a very interesting and scrumptious taste. It's a little like a sweet grapefruit. Not exactly the same taste but traces of the grapefruit taste.
In this picture you can see the size comparison with a normal size apple and orange. It's pretty big. It's even bigger than a grapefruit but I didn't have a grapefruit on hand so the apple and orange had to do. Isn't it a nice color combination though? Mom, will you paint this for me?
The tricky thing about the Pomella is that it has a very thick peel which is usually rather difficult to get off. The white part of the peel is really spongy too.
This picture shows you the comparison of the Pomella peel to the orange peel.
When it's all said and done, the Pomella peel stacks pretty high and the orange, well, the orange not so high.
Once you get the peel off and get down to the fruit, the Pomella slices aren't really that much bigger than the orange slice. However, the individual pulps are about 3-5 times bigger than the individual orange pulps and there are a lot more slices. I tried to take a picture of the pulps but they all came out blurry and looking like worms or some icky bug or larvae.
With the Pomella, I personally don't eat the skin or whatever you call the stuff that holds all the pulps in. I know, my terminology is astounding and brilliant. I have no idea what the proper titles are for all the parts of citrus fruit. Give me a break, I'm still recovering from learning Hebrew. Back to the Pomella. I peel each individual slice and this picture shows what it looks before you peel and after. Oh, and the reason I don't eat the skin is that it's pretty thick and tough.
Once you painstakingly peel each individual slice you have a bowl full of Pomella deliciousness. It really is a lot of tasty, juicy fruit. Not the gum, Juicy Fruit. Pomella, the juicy fruit. It's juicy not chewy.
And finally, here is the comparison of a peeled orange and a peeled Pomella. Brent and I had a yummy snack when I got done taking all of the pictures.
Have you ever heard of or had a Pomella? Did you like it? Come visit me in Israel and we can share one!!!
In this picture you can see the size comparison with a normal size apple and orange. It's pretty big. It's even bigger than a grapefruit but I didn't have a grapefruit on hand so the apple and orange had to do. Isn't it a nice color combination though? Mom, will you paint this for me?
The tricky thing about the Pomella is that it has a very thick peel which is usually rather difficult to get off. The white part of the peel is really spongy too.
This picture shows you the comparison of the Pomella peel to the orange peel.
When it's all said and done, the Pomella peel stacks pretty high and the orange, well, the orange not so high.
Once you get the peel off and get down to the fruit, the Pomella slices aren't really that much bigger than the orange slice. However, the individual pulps are about 3-5 times bigger than the individual orange pulps and there are a lot more slices. I tried to take a picture of the pulps but they all came out blurry and looking like worms or some icky bug or larvae.
With the Pomella, I personally don't eat the skin or whatever you call the stuff that holds all the pulps in. I know, my terminology is astounding and brilliant. I have no idea what the proper titles are for all the parts of citrus fruit. Give me a break, I'm still recovering from learning Hebrew. Back to the Pomella. I peel each individual slice and this picture shows what it looks before you peel and after. Oh, and the reason I don't eat the skin is that it's pretty thick and tough.
Once you painstakingly peel each individual slice you have a bowl full of Pomella deliciousness. It really is a lot of tasty, juicy fruit. Not the gum, Juicy Fruit. Pomella, the juicy fruit. It's juicy not chewy.Have you ever heard of or had a Pomella? Did you like it? Come visit me in Israel and we can share one!!!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Cafes a plenty
I have talked about Israeli's love of coffee and the multiple cafes that exist in this country. Here are some of the main ones:
This one is very near our Ulpan (Hebrew language school). A lot of students would go here during our mid-morning break to pump some caffeine into their sluggish and overwhelmed brains. They have great hot chocolate and mochas!
I have never been to Cup 'O' Joe. I should do that before we come home.
Aroma started out being my favorite. Brent and I were in an Aroma a few years ago visiting our friend Adi. It was located in the central bus station in Jerusalem. That's not really relevant but the point is, I looked at the Hebrew word as you see below in white letters, and read it. It was the first Hebrew word I read without any help. They too have fantastic hot chocolate and every drink is served with a little chocolate candy. Oh, so good.
If you have been keeping up with this blog for a while you should recognize the name of this one. The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and I became good friends toward the end of our Ulpan course. I would go here every afternoon to study in a comfy brown leather chair, listen to my iPod (usually Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis or Waterdeep, who I am totally obsessed with right now) and drink a chai tea latte.
OK, Boutique Central is not exactly a cafe but they do sell coffee. In fact they have a great deal, a drink and a pastry for 14 shekels. Not shabby. And their pastries are ridiculously delicious. They also have the cards that you can have punched for each time you purchase this great deal and to be honest, I have no idea what you get if you get all ten punches. Maybe I should read that card, or at least try....it's all in Hebrew.
Cafeneto is another I have not visited. It's always got a good crowd but it's not so much in my daily path. It's the opposite direction of where we go most of the time. Um, and someone made a mistake on this sign....though I did this all the time with one of the Hebrew letters that looks like a backwards "c".
Cafe Hillel is another one I have never been to but it's also popular in this country. It's not the greatest picture because I had to take it from across a large and busy intersection. This cafe is actually diagonal from Cafeneto, so again, not in my usual path.
Well, I stopped what I was doing here and took our now working again camera (thank you Lord) to take a picture of one more major cafe in Israel called Cafe Cafe. However, when I got in position to take the picture and turned the camera on, the battery was dead. UGH!!! I will take the picture on another day and get back to you.
This one is very near our Ulpan (Hebrew language school). A lot of students would go here during our mid-morning break to pump some caffeine into their sluggish and overwhelmed brains. They have great hot chocolate and mochas!
I have never been to Cup 'O' Joe. I should do that before we come home.
Aroma started out being my favorite. Brent and I were in an Aroma a few years ago visiting our friend Adi. It was located in the central bus station in Jerusalem. That's not really relevant but the point is, I looked at the Hebrew word as you see below in white letters, and read it. It was the first Hebrew word I read without any help. They too have fantastic hot chocolate and every drink is served with a little chocolate candy. Oh, so good.
If you have been keeping up with this blog for a while you should recognize the name of this one. The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and I became good friends toward the end of our Ulpan course. I would go here every afternoon to study in a comfy brown leather chair, listen to my iPod (usually Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis or Waterdeep, who I am totally obsessed with right now) and drink a chai tea latte. 
OK, Boutique Central is not exactly a cafe but they do sell coffee. In fact they have a great deal, a drink and a pastry for 14 shekels. Not shabby. And their pastries are ridiculously delicious. They also have the cards that you can have punched for each time you purchase this great deal and to be honest, I have no idea what you get if you get all ten punches. Maybe I should read that card, or at least try....it's all in Hebrew.
Cafeneto is another I have not visited. It's always got a good crowd but it's not so much in my daily path. It's the opposite direction of where we go most of the time. Um, and someone made a mistake on this sign....though I did this all the time with one of the Hebrew letters that looks like a backwards "c". 
Cafe Hillel is another one I have never been to but it's also popular in this country. It's not the greatest picture because I had to take it from across a large and busy intersection. This cafe is actually diagonal from Cafeneto, so again, not in my usual path.
Well, I stopped what I was doing here and took our now working again camera (thank you Lord) to take a picture of one more major cafe in Israel called Cafe Cafe. However, when I got in position to take the picture and turned the camera on, the battery was dead. UGH!!! I will take the picture on another day and get back to you. I have to say that from the outside some of these look more appealing to me than others. What do you think? I realize this is totally superficial but....go for it anyway.
Least outwardly appealing for me is Cafe Hillel. This Aroma doesn't rank much higher in outward appearance either. Most outwardly appealing? Actually? Cup 'O' Joe, and I've never been there! Oh, the irony!
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Scooter Love
I would LOVE to have a scooter. Though, I'm not sure I want to drive one in Israel. They drive pretty crazy here. I'm good with driving a car in Israel and have done so a couple of times, but a scooter is so...exposed! Not sure I want to risk my life in this manner.
Anyway, I have taken pictures of three different scooters with three different styles. I like all of them for different reasons.
This first one is classic! I love the look, and the color. I can totally see me on this one. Wind blowing through my brown locks, Brent on the back. HA! HA! :) I would have have some big white sunglasses to go with this one. I would wear my checkered capri pants and a wide white head band in my hear. (Ok, I don't really have checkered capri pants...that would not be pretty on me!)
Then there's this one. Sleak and silver. I would have a sleak and silver helmet and black leather jacket to go with this one. Oh and some slammin' silver sunglasses. I would also wear some kickin' tall black leather boots on this sweet ride.
This is the girly pink look. I love pink. It even has some white flowers on the back that you can see if you look hard enough. I would have a pink helmet with white flowers to match. I see me wearing a cute, long, flowy pink skirt with this one. Pink sunglasses too.
So, what do you think? Which one do you think is more my style? Which one is more your style? Would you drive a scooter where you live? Just curious about all of you.
Oh and for those lurkers who are reading and not commenting.....STOP IT!! I want to know who is sharing this adventure with us. It's really easy to leave a comment. If you dont' have a google account just use the anonymous one and make sure to put your name in the comment so I know who you are. Thanks, dear readers!
Anyway, I have taken pictures of three different scooters with three different styles. I like all of them for different reasons.
This first one is classic! I love the look, and the color. I can totally see me on this one. Wind blowing through my brown locks, Brent on the back. HA! HA! :) I would have have some big white sunglasses to go with this one. I would wear my checkered capri pants and a wide white head band in my hear. (Ok, I don't really have checkered capri pants...that would not be pretty on me!)
Then there's this one. Sleak and silver. I would have a sleak and silver helmet and black leather jacket to go with this one. Oh and some slammin' silver sunglasses. I would also wear some kickin' tall black leather boots on this sweet ride.
This is the girly pink look. I love pink. It even has some white flowers on the back that you can see if you look hard enough. I would have a pink helmet with white flowers to match. I see me wearing a cute, long, flowy pink skirt with this one. Pink sunglasses too.So, what do you think? Which one do you think is more my style? Which one is more your style? Would you drive a scooter where you live? Just curious about all of you.Oh and for those lurkers who are reading and not commenting.....STOP IT!! I want to know who is sharing this adventure with us. It's really easy to leave a comment. If you dont' have a google account just use the anonymous one and make sure to put your name in the comment so I know who you are. Thanks, dear readers!
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Bar Mitzvah, Part II
Here are some more pictures from the Bar Mitzvah we attended last week. The young man's name is Itamar (pronounced Ee-tah-mar). He is the brother of an Israeli friend of ours, Leor.
This first picture is of Leor and Brent standing in front of the Western Wall.
In this picture Itamar is preparing to lay tefillin. This is related to Deuteronomy. 6 where the sons of Israel are told to bind the Word of God on the arms and foreheads.
It's bound on the left arm because it's closest to the heart. In Rabbinic tradition this is called the mark of God.
This is me watching from behind the dividing wall. I'm the one on the right.
In this photo Itamar is reading from the Torah.
In this picture Itamar is praying at the Western Wall. You can see all the notes/prayers people have left in the wall.
Here is the proud father hugging his son who is now a young man.
The next post about the Bar Mitzvah will be about the party afterwards. And people, it was a PAR-TAY!!!!
This first picture is of Leor and Brent standing in front of the Western Wall.
In this picture Itamar is preparing to lay tefillin. This is related to Deuteronomy. 6 where the sons of Israel are told to bind the Word of God on the arms and foreheads.It's bound on the left arm because it's closest to the heart. In Rabbinic tradition this is called the mark of God.
This is me watching from behind the dividing wall. I'm the one on the right.
In this photo Itamar is reading from the Torah.
In this picture Itamar is praying at the Western Wall. You can see all the notes/prayers people have left in the wall. 
Here is the proud father hugging his son who is now a young man.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Four Years ago Today
Four years ago today Brent asked me to marry him!He took me downtown to the Botanical Gardens, got on one knee, and popped the question. I was completely surprised.
It was also on this occasion that he told me he loved me for the first time. I was so happy. I had been wanting to tell him for so long, but we all know you have to wait for the guy to say it first.
When I reminded him of this anniversary of sorts, he assured me that if he had do it all over again he would indeed ask me to marry him again! Whew! Although, he added that the next time he would require a pre-nup. He's SO funny!
Friday, March 7, 2008
The Peace of Jerusalem?
Shalom Friends,
Well we knew that it would happen eventually and now it has. Hamas has struck again, this time in Jerusalem killing 8 young yeshiva students. A palestinian gunmen burst into the yeshiva where the students were praying and studying the Torah. While we knew it was only a matter of time it doesn't make it any easier.
As I write this I simply want to ask you to do two things. First is to simply pray for the families of those killed in the shooting and also for the 35 plus people who were injured. These families need the comforting ministry of the Holy Spirit.
The second thing I want you to do is to remember what the scripture says about the last days. One of the realities that we know we will have to face is when good is called evil and evil is called good. As I watch the way in which the United Nation has responded to Israel's operations in Gaza I can only conclude that those days are upon us. The world seems bent on condemning Israel for defending itself from the daily barrage of kassam rockets fired into Israel. What is hardly mentioned in the media is that these rockets are being fired from the very area that Israel painfully left a couple of years ago foolishly believing that leaving Gaza would bring peace.
The reality is that no amount of land vacated by the Israeli's will ever bring peace. The radical Islamist terror groups have only one goal and it has nothing to do with land. It has to do with the total destruction of Israel as a people and a nation. As I watched the disgusting celebrations in the streets of Gaza following the murder of the yeshiva students I couldn't help but think of
Ezekiel 25:6 "For thus says the LORD God, 'Because you have clapped your hands and stamped your feet and rejoiced with all the scorn of your soul against the land of Israel, therefore behold, I have stretched out My hand against you and I will give you for spoil to the nations. And I will cut you off from the peoples and make you perish from the lands; I will destroy you. Thus you will know that I am the LORD."
There is a place in the Passover Seder where we remove a drop of wine from the cup of Instruction to help us remember that we are celebrating the miraculous salvation of God. We remove the drop of wine to remind us that it is a joy mixed with a touch of sorrow that it came with such a heavy price. How much better it would have been for the Egyptians to repent and obey the Word of the LORD. However the scripture is quite clear, God will not be mocked and you cannot assalt the apple of His eye and get away with it. My point is that I do not rejoice in the coming destruction of Gaza but rest assured it will come as it will for all the enemies of the LORD.
These days remind us of the great need for all humanity to know the truth of Yeshua the Messiah, yes even the Arabs of Gaza and the westbank. While there is yet time let us all be about the work of declaring the truth.
Shalom from Tel Aviv,
Brent R Avery
Well we knew that it would happen eventually and now it has. Hamas has struck again, this time in Jerusalem killing 8 young yeshiva students. A palestinian gunmen burst into the yeshiva where the students were praying and studying the Torah. While we knew it was only a matter of time it doesn't make it any easier.
As I write this I simply want to ask you to do two things. First is to simply pray for the families of those killed in the shooting and also for the 35 plus people who were injured. These families need the comforting ministry of the Holy Spirit.
The second thing I want you to do is to remember what the scripture says about the last days. One of the realities that we know we will have to face is when good is called evil and evil is called good. As I watch the way in which the United Nation has responded to Israel's operations in Gaza I can only conclude that those days are upon us. The world seems bent on condemning Israel for defending itself from the daily barrage of kassam rockets fired into Israel. What is hardly mentioned in the media is that these rockets are being fired from the very area that Israel painfully left a couple of years ago foolishly believing that leaving Gaza would bring peace.
The reality is that no amount of land vacated by the Israeli's will ever bring peace. The radical Islamist terror groups have only one goal and it has nothing to do with land. It has to do with the total destruction of Israel as a people and a nation. As I watched the disgusting celebrations in the streets of Gaza following the murder of the yeshiva students I couldn't help but think of
Ezekiel 25:6 "For thus says the LORD God, 'Because you have clapped your hands and stamped your feet and rejoiced with all the scorn of your soul against the land of Israel, therefore behold, I have stretched out My hand against you and I will give you for spoil to the nations. And I will cut you off from the peoples and make you perish from the lands; I will destroy you. Thus you will know that I am the LORD."
There is a place in the Passover Seder where we remove a drop of wine from the cup of Instruction to help us remember that we are celebrating the miraculous salvation of God. We remove the drop of wine to remind us that it is a joy mixed with a touch of sorrow that it came with such a heavy price. How much better it would have been for the Egyptians to repent and obey the Word of the LORD. However the scripture is quite clear, God will not be mocked and you cannot assalt the apple of His eye and get away with it. My point is that I do not rejoice in the coming destruction of Gaza but rest assured it will come as it will for all the enemies of the LORD.
These days remind us of the great need for all humanity to know the truth of Yeshua the Messiah, yes even the Arabs of Gaza and the westbank. While there is yet time let us all be about the work of declaring the truth.
Shalom from Tel Aviv,
Brent R Avery
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Bar Mitzvah, Part I
Monday and Thursday are busy days at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. It is on these two days that boys perform the ceremony of the Bar Mitzvah. At the age of 13, according to Jewish tradition, a boy becomes a "Bar Mitzvah", a son of the commandment. At this point he becomes a man and binds himself to the keeping of the Torah. It is a rite of passage for all religious boys. Many secular Israeli boys also choose to participate in this ceremony.
From my vantage point, behind a wall, this is what I saw.
This is a really big deal for every young boy. Their families surround them and celebrate with them. There is even a man doing a professional video in the above picture.
When this young man entered the Western Wall plaza, his family came in playing drums, singing and dancing.
Again you see a professional video being made. The men in the family surround the boy to witness his reading of the Torah.
This Bar Mitzvah was going on just to the right of me. It is sweet to see the Father's and Grandfather's proudly watching their sons/grandsons prepare for and perform the ceremony.
These were the women of the family of the boy in the above picture. They were also watching proudly and with great excitement.
There were also women lined along the wall to the left of me watching the festivities.
You can see in this picture all of the Bar Mitzvah's going on. Also notice the women lined up along the wall. They are standing on chairs in order to see their loved one. When each young man finished his ceremony you would see candy flying through the air and hear women singing. At times, the men would grab hands and dance in a circle singing a song in celebration. It is really a touching experience for both the young man, his family and on-lookers such as myself.
More to come in the following days!! I even have some video!
From my vantage point, behind a wall, this is what I saw.
This is a really big deal for every young boy. Their families surround them and celebrate with them. There is even a man doing a professional video in the above picture.
When this young man entered the Western Wall plaza, his family came in playing drums, singing and dancing.
Again you see a professional video being made. The men in the family surround the boy to witness his reading of the Torah.
This Bar Mitzvah was going on just to the right of me. It is sweet to see the Father's and Grandfather's proudly watching their sons/grandsons prepare for and perform the ceremony.
These were the women of the family of the boy in the above picture. They were also watching proudly and with great excitement.There were also women lined along the wall to the left of me watching the festivities.
You can see in this picture all of the Bar Mitzvah's going on. Also notice the women lined up along the wall. They are standing on chairs in order to see their loved one. When each young man finished his ceremony you would see candy flying through the air and hear women singing. At times, the men would grab hands and dance in a circle singing a song in celebration. It is really a touching experience for both the young man, his family and on-lookers such as myself.More to come in the following days!! I even have some video!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
