Make new friends

So, last night Amanada and I were supposed to go get beers. I arrived at Hubbly Bubbly a little bit before she did. I noticed that the clientele was a little...young. Not in the "I'm 30 and these 21 year olds look so young" way, more in the "my 13 year old brother Connor would fit right in here" way. It was tween central. Then Amanda walked in and said "why is everyone 12?" Then she went up and asked if they serve beer (I'm sticking with this girl). And they said no. They probably could have been rude and said "look around, you American idiot!" So then we were stuck with what to do. We could go to Shanghai and have beer there, but it seems weird to go to a Chinese place and just have beer. So we decided to just go back to my place and sit out on the deck. It was so much fun! I miss my girls so much and it was really good for me to have some fun girl talk and relax. Amanda is great, she's funny and smart and reminds me a lot of home. We talked about Cairo, and boys, and what stores they are rumored to have at the big mall in Heliopolis (so far the word on the street is Banana Republic, H&M, and Sephora!) This was after we got done talking about politics, literature, and avant garde cinema, of course : ) I guess I knew I would make friends here, but that's really hard to think about when you're still saying good bye to your old ones. Not that you guys are old! But I didn't want to think about all the new people I would meet, or how cool they would be. I know that's bratty of me, but it's true. But now I see that this place isn't so bad, and there are lots of great strangers that could be friends.

The Shipment is Here!!!!!

It's here! It's here! It came around 2:00 this afternoon. All 19 boxes arrived (relatively) safe and sound. The boxes were pretty messed up and couple of Ira's books were damaged, but other than that everything was fine. I have to say, it was a little less exciting than I thought it would be. I don't know what I thought I packed! haha I really should have packed more, oh well. So now that it's here, what am I most excited to have??? Here's the top 10 list...

10. shoes, the ones I have here are getting really dusty and gross

9. candles

8. clothes, I was really getting sick of the stuff I've been wearing for a month now

7. spices, especially chili powder

6. the wedding picture proofs

5. razors

4. Sex and the City DVDs

3. yoga books

2. My cookbooks, especially the Giada DeLaurentis ones

1. My quilt!

So now we have figure out where everything goes. Or agree on where everything goes! And then we have to figure out what we still need. We were kind of waiting for the shipment before we went on the Carrfour trip to get the iron, vacuum cleaner, etc. We have to take a break right now though because we have to get ready for the garden party at the Provost's house this evening. Pictures to follow!

I have too much stuff...

I just don't know how this place is going to be packed up by saturday. We don't leave until monday, but we're moving all the stuff to my dad's and the storage unit on saturday. Joy. I'm less concerned about what I'm taking at this point and more concerned with how I'm going to pack all of my crap that I'm leaving behind. Especially the clothes...I'm doing my best to give things away or at least let friends borrow things until I get back. It's not even making a dent! Every time I think I'm making some headway, the pile just seems to grow. Sigh.
Just a quick baby update...she/he's a kidney bean this week. We had our first baby appointment this morning and have our first ultrasound tomorrow morning. They took a ton of blood from me today and I feel really wiped out, as if I didn't already!
And the best news this week...Heather and I are going to Doylestown tomorrow, yay! Domani Star, here we come. I can't wait to chow down on some pasta.

The Honeymooners

Well, I've been MIA because we just went on our much belated honeymoon! A week in Kauai, what could be better. Two weeks in Kauai!!! haha It was simply heaven. We hiked, kayaked, snorkeled, swam, ate, shopped, walked, played cards like dorks and just had a great time. The island is fabulous, I insist that everyone start saving their pennies and go there right away. Unless, you're saving your pennies to come visit me in Egypt and in that case you should ignore what I just said. You know who you are! Now it's back to reality...we leave in less than a month and time is a tickin. We have to have an inventory of everything we're shipping and it has to be ready by Monday. Yikes! When I pack to move I'm a real throw-it-in-a-box-and-figure-it-out-later kind of girl, so this is going to be interesting. My mom is having a going away party for us on Saturday so that will be fun I'm sure. I know this time is going to FLY. It already is...

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!

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...