So, it's November in Montana and I'm still hanging out here with my family. I haven't written since June before leaving Israel so I need to catch you all up...
To begin with, packing and preparing to leave Israel was hectic. Saying 'bye for now' to all my friends was especially hard but it was hard to leave my friends in the US as well. I know I'll survive, but I'll cry a lot. Traveling to the US was quite challenging with a toddler, an infant, two car seats and loads of luggage. I don't want to repeat that trip anytime soon. The customer service in airports and on the flights was horrible. The flight attendants just stood by and watched in irritation as "A" and I struggled to fit car seats into the plane seats while juggling two babies and our carry on bags. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought they were there to 'attend' to the passengers. Not the case I guess.
We boarded in Tel Aviv, changed flights in Turkey and arrived in Chicago. In the meantime, my dad drove all the way from Missoula MT to pick us up in Chicago and drive us all the way back to Missoula. This made for a LONG journey but was far less expensive by a couple thousand. We made a stop in Rochester MN where "A" had an interview at Mayo Clinic. We arrived in Missoula very tired. The poor kids had spent the last five days strapped in car seats both on airplane and in car. "A" remained for a few days and then headed off to travel the country for a couple more interviews before making his return to Israel where he is currently located. It has been a long and difficult time for the kids and I being apart from him. Moriyah is always asking for her Aba. She tells me to open the door so that he can come in :o( It's so sad. We spent the High Holy Days sitting alone in the trailer where we are staying. It was a depressing time. We managed to make it to the local Reform kehila to hear the shofar on Rosh Hashana. Katif's first birthday came and went without his Aba here to celebrate it with us. Although I'm loving the time spent with my family here, the loneliness of being in galut is as hard as I anticipated. It is quite humorous at times as I walk around in my frum attire and see the stares I get from the locals. They can't quite place me...am I Mormon? Pentecostal? Quaker? An over-the-top hippie? I am definitely an oddity asking where to find kosher meat or wine in the local markets. One deli worker led me to the Hebrew National hot dogs for the kosher meat and I did manage to find a kosher Israeli wine in a market that caters to those who only eat organic. I had another laughable moment when entering Costco with my sister. I was not aware of the membership card checking process at the entrance and I promptly opened my purse and handed it to the person for security check as we do at the entrance to public establishments in Israel. As you can imagine, the look the person gave me was priceless. The "what the heck is this person doing?" look. My sister and I cracked up laughing and walked away. I was a little embarrassed. I also had an incident with my hair cover when going to visit my younger cousin in a local jail house (DUI...naughty boy). It seems that hats or scarves are not allowed. I explained the religious reasons and they looked at me as if I were from another planet. They finally agreed to 'google' the rules of tzniut (modest dress) and gave me passage with my hat on. These are things that are taken for granted in Israel. I knew I wouldn't fit in here but I underestimated to what extent.
So, I'm hanging out in my dad's RV with my two little ones. There is just enough room for us and it has been lovely to have privacy.
We breathe clean mountain air everyday and our view is spectacular. I truly am on vacation with the exception of "A's" absence.
My parents, sister and brother-n-law have been generous in helping to provide for our needs while we are here since we are in transition without much money. My brother and sister-n-law gave "A" and I their minivan which needed some mechanical work done. I have invested quite a bit in getting it in good running order and am so pleased with the results. On the other side of the planet, "A" had to finish packing up our apartment upon his return. He moved out and into his parent's where they were kind enough to make space for him. He has stayed busy writing his thesis and doing more experiments in addition to playing music in the evenings. Without his wife and kids there to pressure him to be home, he has managed to play music most nights of the week and has been making some really good contacts.
The kids have grown so much in the last few months. Moriyah has really blossomed into such a sweet little girl who most of the time wants to please her Ima. Her English vocabulary has grown leaps and bounds but her Hebrew is rarely used now. I speak to her in Hebrew and she understand but responds in English. We'll really need to re-enforce it when "A" gets here.
Katif was scooting all over on his stomach when we arrived in August. By September he was crawling on all fours. By October he was pulling up and is now cruising furniture. He hasn't taken his first independent step yet.
In the time we've been here, we've had to take a couple trips to the clinic. First Katif got an ear infection after he had a cold. Later Moriyah got an infection on her finger. They both had to take antibiotics which I hate giving them. They did the trick though.
I have been here three months now and haven't hooked up with a single friend yet. My car wasn't road worthy until just 1.5 weeks ago. Just as I finally get my car out of the mechanic shop the weather turns. I'm anxious to get out and catch up with my old friends though. Most of them have kids and so Moriyah and Katif will enjoy having kids to play with. They have been so bored and lonely also with no one to play with. Moriyah's and Katif's older cousins tired of them after the first month here and really don't make the time to play with them unless strongly persuaded by their mother. It breaks my heart to hear Moriyah ask for her friends from back home. She tells me she wants to get on the airplane again and go see them. She also says the same about her Aba and grandparents back in Israel. Her pleas echo what I'm feeling on the inside. It'll take a bit more time to adjust I guess.
Work followed me to Montana so I'm not 'really' on vacation. I still have my freelance clients and working for them keeps me busy at night when the kids are fast asleep.
Apart from the trials of being back in the US, it has truly been a blessing to have this time with my parents and watching the bonds form between them and my little ones. This is what I have longed for the last few years and Hashem has graciously gifted us with this time. I am making the most of it since it is uncertain that I will have many more opportunities like this after heading to Phoenix.
Hopefully this post catches you all up. Be sure to check out my albums found at a link at the top of the right column.
A lot has happened since my last posting in August and so I will attempt to catch you all up. First, A's position that brought us to Phoenix came to an abrupt end in early September. On the same day that we received this news, A came across an ad on Craigslist seeking a biology teacher at a Jewish religious girls high school in our neighborhood. He promptly responded to the ad, interviewed with the head Rabbis and was teaching the following week. Although the position was for only one hour per day it was really a blessing. A has enjoyed teaching so much and it was a nice break from research. Of course he began looking for another full time research position right away as this is our objective for being in the US. The challenge would be to find a position in Phoenix as we were not interested in leaving the area. This limited the chances of finding employment at all. So, B"H, A went on several interviews and received a couple great offers. A began working at his new job last week. The lab and conditions are terrific. We are truly thankful.
Moriyah started preschool. She attends three mornings per week and loves it. We only put her in to enhance her Jewish learning (it is a Jewish preschool) and for her to make some friends. She has really missed her friends back home in Israel and has really suffered from boredom since we got to Phoenix. We are loving the songs, stories and projects she comes home with. She learns the parasha every week in addition to learning about whatever holiday season we are in. Her projects and songs all correspond to what she is learning in the class. She is also learning brachot and when to say them (soon she'll be teaching us!). Aleph Bet and Alphabet are also part of her learning.
We enjoyed a special High Holy Day season. I waddled myself to and from the synagogue (a 1.2 mile trek each way) numerous times in temps exceeding 100 F for Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur and Sukkot services. I'm so glad I did as it turned out to be the most meaningful and spiritually fulfilling time.
Katif turned 2! He got a scooter for his birthday since he and Moriyah were always fighting over hers. His birthday theme was Mickey Mouse.
Yagil Refael (pronounced ya GEEL with a hard 'G' and emphasis on last syllable) was born! After a short and very intense labor, Yagil arrived at 7 lbs 13 oz. (just over 3 kilo). The name Yagil means 'he will rejoice' and was given to Ari in a dream over a year ago. The middle name Refael recognizes Hashem as our healer and was inspired by His healing miracles in the lives of family members on both sides. 
On his eighth day we celebrated his brit milah. It was a lovely ceremony at our synagogue with many from our community in attendance. Sadly, none of our family were able to make it since they are all in Montana or Israel. During the first two weeks after Yagil's arrival, we were blessed daily with hot meals prepared by various women in our community. We have never ate so well!
Moriyah turned 4! I can hardly believe that my firstborn is 4 already. She received her first bicycle with training wheels and her birthday theme was Disney Princess. She loves all things princess these days and truly behaves like a princess herself.
