I don't think you can get much closer to perfect!!

My two favorite boys and my two favorite Packers fans!!! (Almost twins!!) 

Ode to Paula

This is my beautiful mom working on some ceramic project. (I like how she is looking over the top of her glasses.) 

My mom is ridiculously awesome. As noted previously in this blog she was awarded Indiana's Art Teacher of the Year! Now...after many years of applying for the Lilly Endowment, my mom WON!!!!!!!! She applied to go to the Galapagos Islands, off of Ecuador to take pictures of the endangered species and to showcase them in the school. She is going to show how one can use photography to draw awareness and save (animal) life. My mom has been obsessed with the Galapagos since before I can remember. She would tell me about the crazy (cool) birds that live there and about Darwin's studies.  My mom is not a science person, so it was pretty interesting to hear her go on and on about something so "academic" since she is such an "artsy" person.    

Not only am I proud of her for achieving her goal and dream, but I am proud of her for never giving up.  The Lilly Endowment told her no for many years, but she kept applying. My mom always told me if I wanted something badly enough, people will help you. You can always find help to achieve your goals, there is no reason you have to achieve them alone. 

She is my hero and role model. Way to go, Mom! You are one of a kind.  

Chili

Roi came yesterday to Haifa because he finished all the exams and he had a weekend break. (And he did great on the exams! Thank goodness!! =) It was a beautiful weekend, really sunny and warm! We throw the football around and we read to pages of Bridget Jone's Diary in Hebrew.  It is still funny, but Roi would read ahead and laugh! And I didn't think that was very fair!!! ;-) But it's great practice and I like to read something entertaining. 

Then, I made CHILI!!! with chicken! I was scared because I didn't actually know what I was doing, but it worked out great and tasted delicious!! Roi loved it too, which was really important because he doesn't love really hot spices like I do! 

Today we went to the gym. I walked/ran for 60 minutes and then did weights for almost another hour. Then we went to the pool and jacuzzi and sauna, but it was so hot I stayed for 3 minutes at the most before I had to leave.  

I have lost 4 kilos since I started going to the gym.  I was to lose 6 more kilos.  It's a good and realistic goal for me! Good thing I only go to Max Brenner on very special occasions! 

Roi Update!

Last time I wrote was before Roi's trip to the embassy! Everything went very well and they said they would send the visa in a week to 10 days, which is AWESOME! and which means Roi will be in America in August!!

After the embassy, I surprised Roi by taking him to Max Brenner. You can check out the chocolaty website if you don't know what it is.  But really, going there is a really fun experience, you can smell the chocolate before you even get inside! Needless to say, we had a wonderfully delightful chocolaty time...here are a few pictures to prove it!  

Waffles with ice cream and toffee bananas on the side! The little vat on the side is also extra chocolate in case you don't already have enough! 

Roi would rather be eating than posing for this picture! 

After all the chocolate, Roi was very grateful for my surprise! 

Been busy...I guess

The Super Bowl was great, obviously, because the Packers won. =) Also, because Roi came to Haifa to watch the game with me! We had dinner and fruit salad and watched the game in my room. It was fun.

Then I was in Beer Sheva to referee a game.

There was a big fight in the game, it was pretty exciting. I didn't try to break it up, I just watched. Sometimes I think the players forget that they are playing football.......in.....Israel.......

Anyway, then it was back to Haifa for Ulpan. Really, the Ulpan is going to end too soon and I feel like I'm not close to where I should, need, or want to be in the language...we'll see if I ever get there.

Today is Valentine's Day! I hope everyone had a love filled day! I will see my Valentine on Wednesday for an interview at the embassy so he can come to America in August!! Keep your fingers crossed everything goes well! 

Go Packers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am excited!!!!!!!!!! 

Snow in the Midwest!

My dad sent me a really funny email that he wrote about the snow and I want to share it! I hope he won't be mad because my dad is a great writer, but he doesn't always share his talent as much as he should! I love my dad!!

Enjoy:

"I am sure you know that I hate being sick.  Just like you, there is too much to do to waste being sick.  My nose is running a marathon.  My chest is rumbling like a freight train through down town Chesterton.   My cough is dry and raspy. I am slathered and lathered up  tonight  with Vick's Vapor Rub!!!! (a romantic smell if there ever was one) My back is like two pieces of sandpaper grinding against each other. My blood pressure is higher than the  John Hancock Building (I refuse to say Willis Tower) .  My right thumb hurts every time I hit the space  key.  Luckily, my pal-inter facetious is ok.  When Paula got home tonight I managed to make a piece of salmon for dinner.  Then I slept from 6:00 to 10:00 tonight  until  Paula was going to bed and I woke up and wanted to write to you.  

We are supposed to get a record snowfall over the next 3 days.  It may be bigger than the 1967 storm when I was a young.  Then, we missed an entire week of school. (NO!!!!!!  I DON'T WANT ANY MORE SNOW DAYS THIS YEAR)   It has started already to snow tonight and is not expected to reach it's peak until tomorrow night (Tuesday) with 60 mile an hour winds and 30 inches of snow. Drifts are expected to be over 8 feet in some places.  We may get 3 inches of snow  per hour  tomorrow night (Tuesday). Isn't that just the most wonderful news you have had in a long time?  The guy at the gas station, when I bought gas for the snow blower, said that he has never seen it so busy (so isn't this good for the economy?) He was griping about selling so much. DUH!!!!!  Gas is going up because of the unrest in Egypt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Don't get me started on that.

My friend Chris and I had to fix a leak in the pipes  in the garage last Friday. Fortunately it was just a bad gasket in the shut off valve. We also replace two hoses while we were working in the sink.  But, now the  line to my hot water line to my bathroom  is frozen because of this storm.  I had to put the  heater in the garage tonight in hope to hope to thaw it. Oh, whoa is me!!!   What else can go wrong?


But,






still,







The Green Bay Packers  are in the Super Bowl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"