Have a nice day

Well, hey! Welcome to the US. The trip over went much better than expected, though the trip to the airport was rather dicey, given that some poor soul opted to take his own life on the railroad tracks shortly before we planned to catch our train to the airport. We arrived later than planned, but still had more than enough time at the airport, even managing to do some shopping and drink a large coffee before the flight. Miraculously, the little one fell asleep shortly after we left the house, waking up only once we were more than halfway to Brussels. Five hours in the airport in Brussels passed surprisingly quickly, as we ran around, jumped and played, watched the planes, ate breakfast and generally ran ourselves ragged. The little one fell asleep as we were checking in for the flight to the US and slept for the next five hours. We even managed to get the bulkhead, and when the seatbelt sign was turned off, we laid him gently on the floor in front of us. It was brilliant! Far better than anything I had envisioned, and as neither flight was full, we managed to swing three seats instead of just the two that we'd paid for. We didn't get much sleep, and our first night was nothing short of hell, given how exhausted we were. We had dinner with relatives, though I don't recall anything that we spoke about, and I didn't actually make it past the first course, stepping away from the table to pass out in a bedroom.

Exhaustion and jetlag are now behind us, and we are running to and fro, doing everything from visiting with friends to spending time at various outdoor fairs and amusement parks, and so on. The little one is having a blast, playing with other children, receiving lots of presents from pretty much everyone and getting to know his grandparents. He has charmed the pants off of everyone he meets, smiling devilishly and blowing kisses to all. The shopping has also begun, and in less than two hours at Marshalls, I managed to find one pair of trousers and seven shirts (five of which are black, though quite honestly, I'm not too sure how that happened). JC Penny wasn't as successful - only four items out of 21 tried on. Still, there's lots of clothing to be had out there, and many more shops yet to conquer.

It's been interesting to come home again, and more than just a bit strange. It's an odd feeling to return to your childhood hometown as an adult, but to a different house (the parents downsized several months ago), to see all of the accessories of one's youth, but in a different location. Everything is so familiar, yet I still feel like a tourist, and can appreciate the beauty of the area in which I grew as never before. There's so much greenery - spacious, rolling lawns, and wide open spaces. The road that runs parallel to the river is breathtaking, and the mountains that overlook the highways are simply magnificent. I think I can finally understand why my parents chose to live in this area.

As much as I love Israel, I have to say that it's very nice to be away. It's nice not to listen to the news every hour. It feels strange to walk into a shopping mall and not have your bag checked by a security guard. Life here is relaxing and easy, and we have quickly gotten used to the little things, like parking your car in your own garage (attached to the house, of course, and opened with an automatic garage door opener), good roads, and an overall "softness" that is simply lacking in Israeli society. The problems are different here, and it feels good to deal with something else for a while. It feels good to spend time with dear friends and their children, it feels good not to be on edge all the time.

Okay, looking back over this post, I can see that I'm not in top form. It's late and I'm tired, and I've got some phone calls to make. I promise that I'll try to make the next post more interesting, more witty, more everything.

As they say in these parts, "Have a nice day!"