winding down at work...

Today was the last day of the regular school year for the kids. I didn't mention before, but I work at a school for autistic children. It's called the Vista School and it's in Hershey, Pa. (Yes, we smell chocolate all day!) I work in a classroom with 9-10 year old non-verbal children. It's very difficult, I'm not going to sugarcoat it. I get bit, scratched, hit, kicked, you name it. But it is an amazing field to be a part of, I hope to continue this work in Egypt as well. Anyway, our kids actually go to school year-round but they do get a few 2 week breaks throughout the summer. So I have a limited schedule for the next week and then....we leave for Hawaii on our HONEYMOON! YAY! So, the point of this entry is that it's kind of weird to me that soon I'm not going to be working. I know at first it's going to be nice, especially having the kind of job that I have. But I don't know how I'm going to feel in the long run. I guess the shock of Cairo will be enough to get adjusted to and I won't miss working, but I think I will eventually. I know this is not something to be complaining about and most people would give anything to quit their job and move to Egypt, and in many ways I am one of them! But, I have to make sure that I find something fulfilling and something that I deem to be worthwhile. That could be volunteering, or working, or being a mom, I don't know yet. Stay tuned! haha But for now, I'm going to enjoy this time and be grateful. Have a good weekend!

cabins are a lifesaver...

Thank goodness we weren't tent camping!!! We got there late on friday and had some dinner (and beers and smores) on our lovely porch. Saturday we woke up and I did yoga while the girls read on the porch (we loved the porch). Then we went for a hike at Swallow Falls State Park. It's wonderful there, lots of waterfalls...and trees! We stopped back at the cabin for lunch and then made our way to the lake for some kayaking. We found lilypads and these really cool plants that looked like lotus flowers but were called "yellow pond lillies" they were amazing. It started to rain but we didn't care until they came out on jetskis and told us to come in...bummer. So we went back to the cabin and napped and read, yay! It poured all night, but it was fun to sit on the porch and watch it. Dinner was veggies, potatoes, corn, and chicken for the other girls. Fun games were played and more beer was consumed : ) and waaaay too many smores. Saturday we went to the beach for a little bit then headed home.

a wilderness adventure...

Tonight I leave for a weekend camping trip with my friends Heather and Michelle. I'm trying to spend as much time in the woods as possible, knowing that I won't get to see the canopy of trees for a while once we move to Cairo. I know they have trees. But they don't have TREES. I love looking at the light through the trees in the forest. Say what you will about America but our National Parks are amazing. There is nothing like spending the weekend in the woods with friends eating grilled food and smores and drinking beer. The hiking and swimming are great too : ) I love coming home and having all of my clothes smell like campfire. Sigh. This is a prime example of my "take it all in" mentality that I have for the summer. You know when a friend asks you to do something and you have to say no because you're afraid you're going to be tired for work the next day? Or because you have laundry to do? Well, I'm throwing caution and everything else to the wind and saying yes to just about anything this summer. And I couldn't be happier about it. I'll be sure to report back about the fun in the woods on Sunday.

The first goodbye...

So tonight I had to say goodbye to my favorite aunt. She is leaving for Cypress (she's amazing and getting her PhD in Art History and is going there for research) and won't be back before we depart for Cairo. Ira and I had dinner with her and her awesome husband John tonight. It was a lot of fun but as Aunt Barb and I were standing in the foyer of the restaurant it all felt very real for the first time. I didn't cry but I wanted to. Should I cry every time I want to? Or should I save it for the BIG goodbyes, if there are such things. Like my parents and best friends? I guess that's silly, but these are the weird things I think about!!!

My best friend Lauren (you'll hear a lot about her and our shananagins) and I had a lovely day lying by her parents pool yesterday. It was good to spend time with her just hanging out like we used to. She's having a really hard time with the thought of me leaving and it's been hard for us to talk about it. We have to decide what things we want to do before I leave. So far the list includes trying not to cry every time we see each other, going kayaking at Cunningham Falls State Park, eating dinner at Domani Star in Doylestown, and trying not to cry every time we see each other.

I don't want to suppress any feelings of sadness but I don't want to dwell on them either. Anyone have any brilliant advice?

The Sex and the City movie was awesome, and we snuck booze into the movie theater like we were 16 or something. Thanks Andi! Oh and Heather had to sit next to an old man and it creeped her out during the sex scenes, haha!

The countdown is on!

We leave in less than 2 months!



So, this is my blog. I'm not really the blogging type. I hate computers. I don't really like the internet. If it were up to me, we'd still be writing with fountian pens on that crinkly brown Constitution paper. Sigh. The point of this whole thing is to eventually keep my friends and family apprised of my life in Egypt. Why Egypt??? It all started about a year ago when I met the man of my dreams...



Ira and I fell for each other right away. We had a whirlwind romance of sorts and got married last month in the most soul-stirring ceremony you can imagine. He's an English professor and has taken a job teaching at the American University in Cairo. Cairo. In Egypt. In Africa. Not anywhere near my family or friends or Starbucks. Whoa. Ok. So, how does a girl who is addicted to lattes, Kate Spade, and the occasional cocktail feel about moving halfway around the world? She's scared out of her mind. Now, don't get me wrong, the whole moving with my new husband to a big city to have a big adventure thing is going to be awesome. The whole leaving everyone else I've ever loved and the town that I grew up in, not so awesome. So what do I do? I don't think I can jump in head first and pretend that I'm not scared, but I don't think I should let that fear take over either. I think I should jump in feet first...and maybe hold my nose...

Mostly, I afraid I'm not going to find a yoga studio that's right for me. This is going to be as important as finding the right doctor or church is for most people. I know I'm going to need that space to feel like I'm connected to something, before I have the chance to make some friends.

Now, what to pack? What to leave behind? Will the Sex and the City movie be everything we hope it will???

Until next time...