We're in Florida!

We've been here six days now, and here is my summary:

- The trip was long and arduous, and without my dad there for help (plus a very kind seatmate who took Xander’s “team” while we played magnetic checkers), it would have been… not so good.

- The house is beautiful. But when I first walked in, it was so overwhelming with boxes in every conceivable corner that I lost it and started crying. Thankfully after five hard day’s work (we took Shabbat off), we’re about 90% done unpacking. We just need to finish putting the frames up on the walls, and Jonathan has some work to do in his office.

- The move itself had some issues, and some stuff broke, but all is working out.  Our neighbors have three boys almost our age (6 weeks, 5, and 7 years old), so our kids have made friends.  That's been fantastic.

- The pool is amazing.

-  Florida also, at first glance, looks a lot like Long Beach. It’s full of blue skies, palm trees, wide streets with tons of cars, and every chain restaurant on the planet. The things I was warned about are already true: it was 99 degrees today and ridiculously humid.   Xander's caught a gecko with his bare hands.  And people everywhere from IHOP to Starbucks to Lowe’s to Publix (the grocery store) have called me “baby,” “ma’am,” and "sweetheart."

- My father is an engineer and can fix anything.  He has been invaluable, has put together so much IKEA furniture, and has made every little thing work when Jonathan and I were frustrated.  All hail Abba!

- TBO is lovely.  I've met so many people already and it's wonderful.  Here was a Facebook post of the new front door from a congregant. She titled it simply “New Beginnings.”

And THAT, my friends, ends this chapter of our lives.  From now on, please follow us at our new blog, http://www.lovingsincoralsprings.blogspot.com.

A last night in Long Beach to remember

Sorry for the lack of blogging, our wireless network wasn’t up until yesterday. (And yes, it was killing Jonathan.)

Suffice it to say: we’re here! Before I get into describing Florida, though, I want to focus on my last night in Long Beach, where I had the honor of participating in Mom’s retirement service. It was beautiful, I thought, with people speaking from all different corners of her life, including a whole bunch of teens sharing their favorite memory of her.

First I read a lovely piece written by my grandmother:

My beloved Daughter Janet, 

From an early age, even pre-kindergarten, you were a perceptive child, full of compassion and capable of sincere empathy. Your depth of understanding and tolerance meshed well with your strong sense of Jewish identity. It was only natural that you would turn to teaching. 

The forty-four years you devoted to teaching at Temple Israel, our spiritual home, were a blessing for you and for the families with whom you interacted. There are now generatiions of your students who were enriched by the learning, encouragement and inspiration they received from you. 

I cannot be there tonight in person when you are being honored for your service, but all my thoughts are with you, and I don’t apologize for feeling pride in the accomplishments of your illustrious career. I wish you good fortune in all your future endeavors. 

With love and hugs, your Mother


Then I read what I wrote:

I was never actually a student in any of my mother’s classes. To my chagrin, she actually did her very best to avoid me; she would shift herself around in grades so that she would never teach my year, because she was afraid of treating me differently somehow. What I don’t think she realized is that she already was my teacher, and has been all my life. 

Some of my earliest memories are accompanying my mother to religious school teacher’s meetings on Sundays and nabbing a bagel and cream cheese, learning about the importance of sharing, and being a part of a community. When I was twelve years old and practicing liturgy with her in the car for my Bat Mitzvah, I remember being amazed, and really really jealous, that she could be merging into the fast lane on the 405 and still correct my pronunciation of a prayer. “Once you truly learn it,” she told me, “you’ll know it forever, and you can join any Jewish community in the world and feel like you belong.” On Wednesday nights, I would wait for her to finish teaching the 8th grade class, and I would finish my homework in the old library across from the kitchen, and every week, she would encourage me to check out another book, and on the ride home in the car, she would ask me what I learned. Mom would make me care packages every summer when I traveled to Israel as a kid, infusing memories of arriving in my second homeland with love and care and sweetness. 

As a teenager I would very often hear the tune of the Ve’ahavta or the Sim Shalom filtering through my bedroom wall at home, and then hear crying, and then hear soothing sounds. And I’d realize that a Bar or Bat Mitzvah student had broken down in her arms yet again, and that what she said was only a small part of her pastoral care; what mattered most was how she listened. When I followed in her footsteps as an adult and came back to teach Torah Center myself, she and Andi would ask about me my lesson plan every single Wednesday without fail, and would invariably help me to improve it even more. She would give examples of her own classroom techniques, and helped me to see that what students remembered most was not the content of a lesson, but the ability to infuse it with a love of Judaism, and a sense of community and responsibility to the larger world. Everything my mother teaches enhances a child’s rootedness and grounding in Jewish culture, but at the same time encourages them to ask questions, so they feel safe to spread their wings and develop their own identity. 

Mom, you have been teaching here at Temple Israel for 44 years. I’m 34, and owe so much of who I am, and pretty much my entire career path, to you. I am honored to be your daughter, and I wish you the best of luck, and all my love, as you begin this new phase of your life. You may no longer be teaching at Torah Center, but you still are, and always will be, a teacher of Torah.

Random pics and hangin' with the fam

"Welcome to Long Beach," from Mom's phone

They didn't have Avenger's Crocs in Ari's size, which was his first choice, so he got bright blue with insertable button-like Marvel characters.

Xander and his Batman Crocs, pre-haircut.

Earning mom brownie points, climbing up in the McDonald's play structure.  Connor and I (he climbed up himself!) are in the very top window.

C going down the slide.

Our view upon arriving back at Mom's after McDonald's: kitty cats and toys. :)

Ari was up at 7am yesterday and immediately got dressed "for Sabba and Doda Odelia," as my dad and sister came over today.  I didn't have the heart to tell him that they wouldn't be here til after lunch.  He is so hard lately, to be honest.  Everything is a fight.  I'm glad we're rejoining Jonathan soon so he'll feel more complete, and maybe have better behavior.  (But seeing as we'll be a new land, probably not).  I'm definitely ready to not be a single parent anymore, that's for sure.

Other things of note from the day:

- Xander ran out of origami paper

- Ari declared himself a "puzzle expert"

- I can make a very pretty snack plate of grapes, strawberries, carrots, and cheddar cheese

- Connor cannot stay clean while eating a strawberry if his life depended upon it

- My father brought over a ton of Israeli chocolate and everyone loved it

- Ice pops as found on Sid the Science Kid are actually pretty good: stick a popsicle stick in a banana slice, put in a Dixie cup, fill up with pineapple juice, and freeze.  Making applesauce was much harder: peel apple, add cinnamon, microwave, and mush.  "Mushing" isn't as easy as it sounds.

- Katella Deli still has the best eclairs in the world

- The evening ended with the feeling of adulthood, not parenthood.  Mom stayed with sleeping kids while I went out with Odelia and my dad  to Olive Garden (my sister's pick, not mine, for once!).  We split an amazing meal of a mushroom ravioli and stuffed chicken marsala.  I love having the same taste as someone else.  

Would you believe, we didn't take one picture today?!  Travesty.

Another day

1)  Jonathan's total route, fait accompli:

2) The Arby's on Palo Verde and Spring St has now been turned into a drive-through Starbucks.  Goddess be praised.

3) Yesterday we found a stylist who can cut curly hair without chopping it off, hooray!  Unfortunately we probably won't see her again for a year or two til we come back.  Pity.

4) We visited HUC-LA today to meet all of Mom's coworkers.  I enjoyed talking with the people; I think the kids' favorite part were the Red Vines in her office. :)

An end to the road trip, and an extension of the SoCal trip

Jonathan's update:

"I'm here!"

He's very happy to be done driving.



Mom's update:

Xanderism: After I read the big boys a couple quick stories before bed last night, Xander wanted to go to sleep. Ari, not so much. So after a little bickering, I made some comment to which Ari responds, "I hate Xander!" And Xander turns to his little brother and very calmly says to him, "No you don't, Ari. You love me."


My update:

Because the movers are going to arrive three days later than we had anticipated, I changed our flights to Saturday.  So I get to go to Mom's service on Friday night!  This required an emergency Target run in order to get something to wear, as all I had packed was jeans and t-shirts. I rocked the house and got lots on sale to wear at work, using up all my gift cards and still only being gone 2 hours.

The kids and I spent an easy day at home, playing, then Barbara and Cristina came over to visit, followed by haircuts, Big Stick popsicles for snack, and more playing: fuse beads, puzzles, Duplo, origami, etc.  Bedtime was much easier tonight.

Cristina took some wonderful photos of their visit, below.  It should be noted that this was specifically a pajama visit: they came early in the morning and told me to stay casual and not change, so I didn't.  I've known these women since before I can remember, so it's deeply ingrained in me to listen to them... plus, it really helped not having to argue with the kids to get dressed. :)

Barbara explaining her cane, holding the origami penguin Xander made her.

Xander's origami. I can't recall all of them, but the orange is a penguin, the green is the back of the piano, light green is a pelican, I forget what the blues are... but he also does frogs, houses, swans, "fancy boxes," and lots more.  We got him this Easy Origami book as a travel gift, and then Antonio brought him a packet of paper, and he's spent quite a lot of time on it.

Connor trying on Mom's glasses.

Telling Ari his fortune, using a Xander-folded fortune-teller that I had written up.  I remember them from my own childhood, it feels a little strange to be the parent this time round.

"Hi Cristina.  If I wait very patiently and coo at you, will you please give me your phone?  I'm really good at pressing buttons."

Panorama of my mother's house.

'

Mom built the outdoor enclosure for Simcha.  It became my kidlet's enclosure today, as last night she assured them that it could hold their weight.  I had been saying no, you can't go out there, but today it was a whole new world, one that was all about being outdoors and building Duplo.

Climbing up.

As high as the kitty cats.

Back in the house, there was more bonding.

Splash parks and the Deep South

My update:

Going back to the scene of the phone crime, the Long Beach Towne Center, to play in the splash park and the jungle gym with Martina, Aya, and Sydney.

Joy.

Playing "bad guy," where you kick the water every time it shoots up.  I stopped taking pictures when Martina and her family showed up, as it got hectic.

Then yummy pizza for lunch (cheese for kids, Greek for me), cake and fruit courtesy of Martina, home and naps for two youngest and origami for the oldest.  Then Antonio came over and we hung out, talked, and because he is a nice nice friend, he went to the mall with me to get the kids Crocs: Avengers for Ari, Batman for Xander, Minions for Connor.  Red Robin for dinner, and a horrific ordeal getting them to go to bed.



Jonathan's updates from Facebook:

I'm in New Orleans! First stop was the cemetery. Due to the high water table the dead can't be buried below ground so everyone has to be entombed in mausoleum or similar type thing. This means that there are incredible monuments to the dead. I wonder if this is why the dead and death (and conversely life and partying) play such a big part in the culture here?

They seemed to go on forever.

This is what I always think of when I imagine a mausoleum.  They build the foundation about a foot off the ground to make sure that the water can't get to the tomb.  I was amazed by the variety of tombs: some of the art is really beautiful.  Others are odd, or grand, or poor-looking, or even fancy enough to rival national monuments.  

This one had outlines of windows made out of the stone.

Best meal ever:

They have a breakfast made just for me! 

The Big Easy!

Here I am on Bourbon St.  Just look at the color!

Beads hung everywhere.  Signal lights, trees, and of course, street signs.

An alley full of art galleries and crafts.

My buddy Jason enjoying his meal.

Now THAT is presentation!

Drove through Mississippi and Alabama, and I'm in Florida! Just crossed the state line. Still got a long way to go to reach home though.  We'll stay in Tallahassee tonight.

Phones, kids and the trip from Texas to Louisiana

My update:

Ah, the phone saga.  So after it fell in the fountain, it worked on and off.  Or so I thought.  When I brought it into the Sprint store, they quick-charged it, reset it to default, and lo and behold I had 5 voicemails and 6 texts.  And then it blacked out.  Long story short, the motherboard has corrosion, and I am now the proud owner of a new phone.

Other fun things of the day: took Xander out to play in a splash park and then have pizza while the other two boys napped, and he loved it.

All smiles before he ran around like crazy.

Karate chopping the water with a new friend.  (Note: these are the only photos of the last two days, as it was the first place I went with new phone in hand.)

Other fun things: had coffee with Debra.  Saw Antonio for an hour and he taught Xander some new origami tricks.  Poor Ari had a serious night-time meltdown and I finally said the exact right thing at the exact right time: "Honey, no matter where we live, in Sacramento or Long Beach or Florida, I'll still be your mommy and I'll always love you and be with you."  And he smiled, stopped crying, and rolled right over and went to sleep.  Melted my heart a little.



Jonathan's updates from Facebook:

(Yesterday) So I drove from one end of Texas to the other today and on into Louisiana. Here are some highlights from today's trip:

 As I was driving towards our hotel I came across this, a drive through daiquiri shop. You drive up, buy a cup of alcohol like it's a soda, then drive off. I'm sure this in no way contributes to drunk driving. 

 A very fancy Exxon bush where I got gas in Louisiana. 

 Texas hotels seem very proud to be Texan. 

 This gets the award for "Best use of dead space in a hotel."  

(The next morning)

So I realized one day in that my electric shaver charge cord didn't make it into my suitcase and is likely in a box inside a moving truck. Yesterday it was gasping for power so I'm likely to be a bit scruffy when I get to Florida. Ug, so much for first impressions. 

We stopped for lunch at a local fast food rib place. It was actually pretty good! 

 This place is pretty tasty! That sign....yeah....I'm in the South for sure. 

 I really don't have words for this but felt compelled to share. My wife is going to give me hell for it too. :)

My travel through Texas and Louisiana has been slowed due to severe weather. This is pushing my timetable out another day. I hadn't taken in account the summer storms common in the South. It seems so strange from my West Coast perspective. 

 I finally got to Louisiana and was greeted with a real bayou that you can see approaching in this picture. So cool! The problem I ran into was that the weather went from this sunny shot to.... 

 ....this in minutes. On again, off again. Often I would drive into a curtain of water that was so thick I couldn't see the car in front of me, just the lights. Most of this leg of the drive was done at 25 to 45 MPH. I will see if I can post a video later.