Anna

We ended up doing Pesach with Orit and Aharon. It's not a bad thing - just very, very long. Why is it so long?

Well, it's my nephew Elad. See, he likes to make long drashot (loosely translated - sermons) on every tiny little point in the haggadah. He has them planned.

I love Elad to death, but...yeah. Seders with Michal (Eyal's cousin) and Nahum go shorter, not because they cut anything out, but because they cut way down on drashot. The ones that Nahum makes are short, to the point, and full of dad jokes. It's entertaining. Elad is deadly earnest.

That aside, I generally like doing Pesach with Orit and Aharon. My father-in-law is there, and he's a soothing presence. Orit is a warm, welcoming hostess. Aharon has a truly generous heart. Sima, Aharon's sister, is there, and she is my icon - smart, funny, warm-hearted, and kind. Ilana, Aharon's mother is there, and she's delightfully salty and gives zero fucks. Nati, Orit's youngest, is always entertaining. And the singing is gorgeous - Iraqi Jewish melodies sung by Aharon and Elad, who both have haunting tenor voices.

The food can't be beat, either. Pesach schnitzel, bakhsh (Bukhari style rice with herbs and meat), tahdig (another rice dish), matzoh ball soup, grilled salmon...yup, Orit knows how to put on a spread.

Still, we cut out at midnight - and no, the seder wasn't over, just the meal. But Eyal was exhausted, and we had an hour and a half to drive.

Eyal was proud of me. I was given a part to read, and read it well. Sima praised my singing. My nieces all showered my outfit and makeup with compliments ("Pink is your color!"). But I think I summed it up when I said this at the seder:

"ב"ה אנחנו יכולים כאן ביחד"

"Baruch HaShem we can be here together."

That's something everyone agreed on.

חג פסח שמח

Chag Sameach!

1. Game night! Much fun and laughter. There was pizza (good pizza, which is not easy to find). There were plenty of drinks, most non-alcoholic, though there was beer for those who wanted it (and no one overdid it). And there was Munchkin. There were five of us: Peter and Regev (Eyal's coworkers), Esti (Regev's girlfriend), and Eyal and I. Only Peter and I had previously played Munchkin, but everyone got into it quickly. We agreed at the end of the evening that yes, it would happen again. Yay!

2. Chanukah is currently ongoing. It's pretty low-key in Israel. We don't do presents, just traditional food (latkes, sufganiyot, and dairy foods - the latter a Sephardic custom I've adopted since moving to Israel). Candles, of course. And songs. But that's it. We had planned to go to Tel Aviv last Thursday night and do Chanukah with Alon, Sarah, and the boys. However, Sarah texted me that afternoon to let me know that the boys were sick, so it would be better if we stayed home. Sad face.

3. This week is Eyal's birthday week. Tomorrow night: a comedy show in Tel Aviv and dinner at a Chinese restaurant. Wednesday is his actual birthday. He has to go into the office, but I'll be sending him in with his birthday cake. Saturday night we'll head up to Modi'in for the family party at Orit's.

4. A week from tomorrow I have my cardiologist appointment. And the day after, I start my teacher training. Goodbye, social life.

Prepping for family gatherings - largely holidays, but also birthday parties and other such occasions - is hard work.

Let me clarify. If Eyal and I are merely dropping by for a visit with my father-in-law, then it is not hard work. I will dress and groom myself neatly and with care, but I can forego makeup and other such accoutrements. However, family gatherings are a different beast. Women at family gatherings are expected to look elegant. The expectation: make-up, jewelry, perfume, and a dress or skirt outfit or pantsuit with appropriate shoes.

Yeah. I did do a decent job for Sukkot this time. I'll detail all that at the end of this post, under a cut, for those who get bored with such things.

The ride up to Modi'in was smooth. And the holiday? A lovely one. Sukkot, by the way, is when we build temporary booths, decorate them, and eat in them. There's also the theme of the wheat harvest. And shaking a bundle of branches and a citron. I would go into the meaning, but I'm not the greatest at explaining. Here are some links:

Sukkot Resources from Aish

Sukkot Resources from Chabad

We ate in the sukkah, and as usual there was more than enough to feed an army: asado, meatballs, schnitzel, rice, challah, and homemade pavlova for dessert. Om nom nom. After eating we drank mint tea, as is the custom.

We welcomed Avraham Avinu as the first guest of the holiday (yep, the Abraham of the Bible).

And we talked. Harel is about to start basic training as a combat soldier. Ta'el turns fourteen soon. Elinor told me how much she still loves the Sephora products we got her. Nati worked off his energy by kicking a soccer ball around the yard after dinner, but made sure to come over and hug me and Eyal more than once. He's a sweet boy, a truly gentle soul. My father-in-law looked much better. Orit was the ultimate hostess. We might celebrate our birthdays together - they're really close.

We lingered fairly late, but when Nati began to yawn and droop, we took the hint, said our goodbyes and hugged everyone, and set off.

Now I'm in my pajamas. And for those interested, the beauty details are below.

( Takes a lot of money to look this cheap )