Giveaway: My Birthday Gift... to you

My birthday is coming up. I'll be 30. Some of you readers are thinking "you're such a baby!" while others are pondering "isn't that old?" I'm neither old nor am I a baby... thankyouverymuch.

I decided that my new year resolution was to get people to like me more to take care of my health issues. I live in a fantastic country with sunshine 80% of the year and it gives me plenty of opportunities to get out and stay active. But I don't. Because I'm lazy. And I live on the Internet. No, not like Tron - I don't live IN it, just on it.

I kinda like spending money and April is going to be an expensive month for us. Why? Because it's my birthday month - DUH! So, in honor of my big 3-0 birthday and NOT completing all of the items on my 30 before 30 list (again, because I'm lazy) - we're doing a giveaway.

This giveaway is WORLDWIDE. Why? Because we live in Israel and it's my birthday. That's why! I'm a princess and what I say goes... on my birthday.


So, what will you be getting? A gift basket of stuff you can only find in Israel. So, for you, it's kind of a surprise but it's a gift basket of stuff that I like from the holy land.


What's in the gift basket? you ask...

• Water Based Hand Cream A Mineral Rich Water based Hand Cream with Sea of Life Minerals, Cucumber, Zucchini (squash) and Tomatoes extracts. For nourishing the skin and for a magic day. - it smells like Cabbage Patch dolls!!
• Dead Sea Mud
• Elite chocolate - like my favorite bar pictured below... the Egozi bar (hazelnut, nougat, and chocolate...drool...
• A Star of David or Cross Necklace from the holy land... depending on your religion (which I may have to ask of the winner)
• An assortment of dried fruit... we're known for it!

And a few surprises...

I really like our readers. You've been there for us through thick and thin and read all my b.s. so this is my gift to you for my birthday.

Don't you want my Egozi bar

Anyway, here's how to enter...

• Tell us what you know about Israel by leaving a comment on this giveaway listing - only comment once and leave your email address in the comment! (mandatory and must be done in the comment field)

For additional entries... (be sure to come back and fill out the form below each time you do one!)

• Be our FAN on Facebook and leave a relevant comment telling us why you want to win
• Follow us on twitter
• Retweet "@Hilly293 I want to win your birthday giveaway! http://ow.ly/4q3ir" once per day
• Blog about the contest (send us the URL in below form)
  

The contest ends on April 9th - 11:59pm EST.

Good luck!

What's It Like... having Hamas as your neighbor

There is something I need you to see. About a week ago, I wrote a post about what it's like to live in Israel - from my perspective. It was an honest view of how I live my life here in the holy land.

I need you, as my reader, to watch this video. It speaks the truth about what's going on in my country and how it's being portrayed on college campuses. When your kids go to college, they'll likely come in contact with lies. I need you to watch the entire video. We fight fiction with facts. We fight ignorance with truth.

I'll be honest, it's hard to ration with people who call Israel a genocidal state. As a grand-daughter of 4 HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS I am sickened that college students across the U.S. repeat such hatred.

I need you to watch the entire video... please:

Feel free to ask us questions about what's like to live with these guys as our neighbors.

Feel free to ask us questions about anything.

Please do not send hate mail - it'll just wind up on our blog for the world to see how anti-Semitic you are.

I'm Israeli. I'm a Jew. I'm proud to be both. I know what I'm up against, do you?

Giveaway Round-up

So, life has been INSANELY busy lately and neither of us has had time to write much. In light of that, we're giving you a treat today: a whole list of awesome sites that are doing giveaways!

Check the sites for their specifics...

Health, Beauty, Children, and Family is hosting a giveaway of a $50 gift card to Apothica! They sell all your favorite beauty brands so this is a GREAT deal! The giveaway ends March 30!

3 Garnets and 2 Sapphires is giving away women's performance active wear from ION Actif! Now that it's spring time, you have no excuse not to get out and play! The giveaway ends TODAY (3/28)!!

My friend Jen, from Journey to the Max, is giving away 3 gift cards from Niki's Pizza in DETROIT worth $20 each. This is open to Detroit peeps only BUT if you've never had Niki's pizza, you're missing out. (Don't tell Buddy's Pizza I said that...)

Finally, Laughing Lindsay is hosting a unique giveaway. In the spirit of spring renewal, she's giving away the Step by step belly dance workout DVD by Acacia. Her giveaway ends April 11.

Stay tuned tomorrow... we'll be talking about our big BIRTHDAY giveaway (in honor of me turning 30)!

Thankful Thursday: Work Edition

Yeah, you read that right. This week, I'm thankful to the work that I have. Not only am I grateful that I have a job, I'm also blessed to work with some of the most amazing people in the world. Every day, I come to work and I am entertained by one of my commenters: YehudahAwesome.

Not only do I get to work with great people, I work with some of the best bloggers. Some of them I've met through the Product Review Place, others came from Pitch It to Me!, and some I met on my own.

Thank you ALL for making my week great!

Stay tuned tomorrow, I'll be highlighting some AWESOME giveaways that you NEED to enter!

What's It Like... living in Israel

So, it's no surprise to most of you that we live in Israel. I got an interesting question from a reader: what made you decide to move [to Israel]? There are two stories here: mine and Craig's. Today, I'll tell you what living in Israel is like for me.

I moved to Israel on 06/06/06 - crazy, right? Since I was a kid in Jew school (I went to a Jewish private school for many years), it was drilled into my head that Israel is the promised land and it's my duty to live there. Granted, I grew up in Detroit so while the school had one agenda, my community had another.

The Jewish community in Detroit has worked tirelessly to create a safe-haven for Jews from around the world - including those who don't really want to live in Israel.

So, why did I do it? Partially ideological reasons. I'm a Zionist - I believe the State of Israel has a right to exist. Heeheehee, some people think Zionist is a dirty word. I also moved because it's the one place on earth I could be a Jew and not worry. I didn't have to explain to bosses WHY I was taking off for Jewish holidays. I didn't have to explain my level of observance to anyone. I didn't have to worry that I'd be swayed by some handsome guy who wasn't actually Jewish. I just didn't have to worry.

I felt at home in my own skin.

Visiting Israel and living IN Israel are two VERY different things. Life here is NOT easy. You could easily say "Hil, living ANYWHERE isn't easy!" You'd be right. But living in Israel is difficult. You have to adhere to Jewish law... which sounds like we're the Jewish Iran but in reality, we're more like the Jewish U.S. Not every restaurant is Kosher - legally, they don't have to be, but on Jewish holidays and the Sabbath, you'd be hard pressed to find a bus or train. We don't roll on Shabbos.

Getting married is another story. You have to prove your Jewish identity. According to Jewish law, your religion is passed down from your mother but when you try to get married, there's more to it. Not everyone is "accepted" as a Jew which means you can't get married. You CAN go to Cyprus or other places abroad and get a civil marriage. We did that. We also had a "religious" wedding in Israel. Two weddings... does that mean two anniversaries?

Anyway, life isn't SO tough. It's hard not being near my family but I have some FANTASTIC family members here in Israel. We have great friends, too.

In all, sometimes I feel like I'm living in paradise - with all the palm trees and cloudless days, it's easy to feel like that. Other times I feel like I could harm someone physically. In the U.S., you may need to wait a long time to see your doctor BUT you don't have to worry about someone cutting in front of you. When I go to the doctor, I usually get one or two people who say "can I go in before you? It'll only take a minute, I promise." The answer is usually "no." because it never takes a minute. Ever. There's also the random old lady who can't wait her turn at the bank and takes it upon herself to ask your banker questions while your banker is handling YOUR finances. That's kind of annoying.

In all, Israelis are a warm people. They're loud but it's never really malicious. When I first moved here, I was at the bank and some lady yelled at me to go and I turned around and said "I'm sorry, I don't speak Hebrew." She promptly asked "are you a new immigrant? Where are you from?" She gave me her number, said she had a son my age and invited me to Shabbat dinner. It was one of those only in Israel moments. I've had many of those moments since I came here nearly 5 years ago.

Those are the moments that make me a proud Israeli.

People travel for hours by plane to get here and visit Jerusalem, Haifa, Tel Aviv, the Dead Sea, Eilat, and the Golan Heights. I get to see them whenever I want! Last weekend we went to the Dead Sea. In a few weeks, we'll go to Eilat. We were in Jerusalem AND Tel Aviv two weeks ago and we'll go for lunch in the Golan Heights sometime this summer while everything's in bloom. As for Haifa, I've seen all there is to see but I long for the majestic views. Only in Israel.

So, what's it like living in Israel? It's amazing. There's no place like it on earth.

March Memories - Happy Birthday, Jodi

As a young kid, I always looked up to my sisters. They were both my heroes. When my Mom went back to school and joined the work force, my grandmothers freaked and thought I'd be mother-less. This was the early 1980's and it still wasn't "normal" for a Mother to have a career. My oldest sister, Jodi, stepped up when she needed to.

She was never really given credit for what she did - and it's credit she deserved. It was normal back then for older siblings to step up and act more adult-y... long before they had to. Aside from her normal chores, Jodi cooked dinner and always made sure to have dinner on the table when my parents came home.

I LOVED my sister's cooking as a kid. Before I stopped eating lamb, she used to make my favorite meal when I was being good - lamb and mashed potatoes.

I wasn't a hard kid to please with a meal like that. As I got older, Jodi moved on to doing her own thing. She had three of the most amazing children in this world (but I'm NOT biased... it's just a fact). When her world came crushing down, she picked up the pieces and put it back together again.

Today is her birthday and it's a BIG birthday. She's 10 years older than me in age but about 5 years younger than me in the way that she sees the world. It's a gift.

So, Jodi, Happy Birthday! May you get all that you deserve and achieve everything your heart desires.

Thankful Thursday - Teacher Edition

I've been blessed in my life to have had so many teachers in my family. My Uncle Marvin, for one, was instrumental in my education when it came to the subjects of politics, international relations, and government. He's partially responsible for my warped mind and my love for politics. Unfortunately, for him, I'm a Republican. His teaching only got so far... I kid. I kid.

My cousin, Judy (may she rest in peace), was also a phenomenal teacher who taught me about pressing myself and challenging my boundaries. She taught me not to go with the status quo and to go against the grain. My Aunt Linda (may she rest in peace) was also a phenomenal teacher who taught me to be me and like myself for it.

My cousin, Lindsay, is also a teacher. She teaches young high school students the importance of marketing and runs a very successful DECA program at a high school in Michigan. I'm incredibly proud of her because she revolutionized this school's marketing program and managed to make high school students interested in commerce. I don't think she takes the credit she deserves - but her school district is lucky to have her.

We've all been blessed to have had at least one teacher in all our years of schooling that made an impression on us. For me, it was Mr. Day - a history teacher who went the extra mile for me. These teachers don't get the credit they deserve and with each passing year, kids become tougher, parents threaten to sue more often - and we push our kids too hard to succeed. Teachers take the brunt of it all.

There's a problem in America. Teachers aren't getting paid what they rightfully deserve to be paid. Actors and singers make more money than g-d but the people who taught them in school make peanuts. Does that seem right to you? It doesn't to me. Districts are closing, schools are going under and America's kids are the ones dealing with the consequences. Money is budgeted properly and teachers are losing their jobs.

Sure, you don't go into teaching for the money but surely a teacher should be PAID for teaching YOUR children, don'tcha think?? They spend years and thousands of dollars on their education to teach OUR kids but many of them still have student loans until they are well into their 40's. That's not fair!

According to PayScale.com, the average High School teacher makes $43,000 a year. Some make more. Some make less. That doesn't count what they pay out for supplies. Sure, they get a menial tax break for it but it's not enough for the people who craft the young minds of the next generation.

Their unions aren't doing enough.

I learned, in business, that when you deal with the higher ups in unions, the only people getting a benefit from a deal ARE the higher ups... not the people they represent. Perhaps this is why I'm so against unions. You may not like what I just wrote but it stems from my personal dealings with them. Politics aside, something must be done. States are bankrupt, we're losing jobs...again, and classrooms are getting larger because schools are consolidating or closing. This means less personal teaching and more standardized teaching. It puts more pressure on the teacher - who spends countless hours grading papers OUTSIDE of school (plus their normal 8-9 hour work day... not counting parent-teacher conferences). More pressure. Less pay. And a fear that they may lose their job at any time.

That doesn't seem right, America.

To all the teachers out there - Thank You. Thank you for taking your time and effort to teach our young. From a former student - thank you for dealing with me.

What can we do to help today's teachers? Did you have a favorite teacher growing up?

March Memories - Happy Birthday, Joe

Today is my step-dad's birthday. I don't really think of Joe as my "step-dad" - he's more like my "other" dad. He came to my orchestra concerts and school plays (even video-taped them) and always told me I did a great job... even when I knew he was lying.

He's "grandpa Joe" to all the grandkids but I think our kids will call him "Saba" (grandfather in Hebrew).

Joe cried on my wedding day and walked me half-way down the aisle. He took a ton of pictures and tried his best to enjoy himself in a foreign land with people totally foreign to him.

One of my favorite memories involves Joe and the Detroit Tigers. When I was studying to be a hair stylist, Joe was always afraid that I was missing too much school. Around my 19th birthday, Comerica Park was opening and the Tigers were due to play their home opener. We had season tickets that year (and by "we", I mean "Joe") and, looking back on it now, I imagine that Joe probably wanted to sell those tickets. Instead, he took me to the game.

It was freezing.

AND raining.

But it was the best game and I'll never forget it.

My step-dad is the best, no one else can really compare. He helped raise me and, for that, I'm eternally grateful.

He's the coolest grandpa around - just ask his grandkids. He has a warm heart and treats Craig like a son (and not like an in-law).

Overall, he's just the best!

Happy Birthday, Joe!

Soy-tarded

A few years ago, after coming down with a nasty flare-up, I learned that one of my triggers is soy. I also learned that I'm actually allergic to soy and most of the soy products. Surprisingly, I can still have products like Bacos and soy sauce but don't put tofu or edamame near me - my stomach might just explode.

Yesterday, I was noshing on some delicious Quaker granola bars. I didn't think anything of it because I love those things and it's a good low-cal snack for me. About an hour or so later, my stomach started hurting and I thought "WTF, I barely ate anything!"

Then it hit me.

I read the box and it said "contains soy".

It was if g-d was playing a horrific joke on me. He took away another yummy food. Craig is now the proud owner of six granola bars. Me? I opted to bake. I put our oatmeal to good use and made the most amazing oatmeal breakfast bars compliments of Stolen Moment Cooking.

I am in LOVE, people!

I've tried SO MANY recipes for oatmeal breakfast bars and so many have failed. Like the one I made this past weekend. HORRIBLE. But these suckers? OMG, they're amazing.

I know, I'm gushing about food, again but it's hard being soy-tarded. Soy is in EVERYTHING! It took me so long to figure out that soy is one of my trigger foods and then to add insult to injury I realized I'm allergic to it! It's a cruel, cruel world.

Anyway, the breakfast bar recipe goes something like this... when halved:

• 2 cups dry oats (old-fashioned or quick cooking)
• 3/4 cups flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup canola oil (or 1 cup applesauce)
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup raisins (or other dried fruit)

This part is easy: dump it all in a big mixing bowl. Mix it. Grease a deep 9x9 pan and spread your mixture out. Put it in the oven, preheated to 350degrees for 20-25 min. Let it cool completely before eating.

I decided to cut mine before letting it cool. If you're going to do this, don't use a knife - use a pizza cutter. No joke, it was SO MUCH easier.

All in all, I barely spent anything to make something that would likely cost me 25shekels ($7) to buy.

Suck it, Mr. Grocery Baker.

A Few Pics...

My cousin from Australia is currently in town so we decided to do something very Israeli with him, we took him to the Elvis Diner....wait what....

Firstly yes there is actually an Elvis Diner in Israel and secondly that was our choice for a weekend outing.

All in all we had a really good time.

Pictures below:

Oh and how can I forget, I also took some pictures of my little one with my love:

Weekend of Sadness

If you haven't guessed by now, Craig and I live in Israel. Unfortunately, the tsunamis that affected the Pacific were not the only "bad news" (or acts of tragedy) this weekend. Very early Saturday morning, five members of a family were brutally murdered.

Murdered doesn't seem like the right word.

I'm going with slaughtered. That sounds more appropriate.

I won't go into the details - you can find them in your local news paper, but I will say this: three children were slaughtered in an act of terror. Their ages: 11, 4, and 4 months old.

To my friends that have children - imagine that one of them was your child. Imagine the horror of having your 4 month old child stabbed to death. Imagine your 4 year old being stabbed for the sake of religion.

Sure, this family lived in an area surrounded by Palestinian villages and cities. Sure, they also lived in the West Bank. You can label them "settlers" if you wish but, to me, they were fellow Israelis. Fellow humans.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented on the tragedy by saying, "I noticed that several states rushed to condemn Israel for building a house in some place are taking their time in condemning the murder of children."

Thankfully, I don't see slaughters like this on the news every day but it made me think. I'm sad today. I'm sad for the 3 surviving children who no longer have parents. I'm sad for my country - it will take millions of dollars to find the people (or person) who did this and then cost more to house them in jail.

I'm sad because these were my people. They were defenseless and sleeping when they were murdered. They never had a chance. They went to bed on Shabbat thinking that Shabbat is a time for reflection and rest but never had the chance to experience another Sabbath.

There are many things I cannot explain to you, my readers, in terms of feelings and why someone like me - who doesn't live in the West Bank - would be so sad at something like this in the news. If I were in the U.S., I probably wouldn't feel this way. But I live in Israel. It's a smaller country and you know someone who knows someone else who probably knew these people. Each tragedy like this hits home. I can't explain why. But here's what I can do:

Educate you.

We are people, just like you, who have the right to live peaceful lives. We've done what we can to live peaceful and, politics aside, some monster disrupted that peace. I'm not just sad. I'm angry. VERY angry. I'm angry that it's taking FOREVER for ONE Arab country to stand up and condemn this act. Bottom line: three children were brutally slain and the countries of the world say nothing.

Gnaw on that for a while.

Visualizing Pi

Source:http://www.onlineschooling.net

Japanese Bloodtyping

Source: Phlebotomy

Allergies...YAY

I was never an allergy sufferer as a child, nor was I allergic to anything at all. Though as I have grown older and especially over the last two years I have developed a dust allergy.

The worst of this being where we live.... IN A DESERT!!

So now when ever the wind blows, I sneeze and over the last few days the wind has been going mad and its been raining a lot which I actually thought might help but has actually made it worse.

Today its actually worse than its ever been. I am all congested up, sneezing non-stop, have a runny nose and it feels like there is so much pressure in my nasal cavity that my eyes are going to explode any minute.

Did I mention that I have a head-ache as well....

Anyways yay for the weekend just around the corner and for Hillary whose flare-up finally started to dissipate this morning.

Regards
The Husband

P.S: any one have thought yet on the iPad 2?

P.P.S: Sinufed does not seem to be helping....

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Update from the Wife: Ewwww... thanks for letting us know about your nasal cavity. GO TO THE ALLERGIST!

A Little Kindness is Appreciated

So, I've been a little down in the dumps lately. I struggle with depression and being sick with an auto-immune disease that is flaring (and making me feel like I'm on fire) isn't helping.

Since being sidelined with an IC flare up, I felt really alone - almost isolated - and it made me feel depressed. Over 50% of women with IC attempt suicide. Don't worry, I'm not among that statistic. I've just been feeling helpless and not may normal do-it-yourself kinda girl.

Today, however, I had a silver lining. I posted something for work on the Product Review Place. I LOVE this site, both as a professional and as a blogger. The bloggers are fantastic and the women who run the network are AMAZING! Sometimes, when people read pitches, they become skeptical. Some of them become mean - remember the lady who threatened to sue me? Well, today I got a nice surprise. Apparently, those that worked with me in the past LIKE ME!

I got such a nice reception to this posting that I felt the need to blog about it. The women on TPRP really made my day, today. You brightened my day and brought a little more life back into me.

Thank you!

This was an important lesson for me - sometimes things suck but the smallest act of kindness can mean the world to someone.

What's It Like... having a disease

I decided to start a series of posts called "What's It Like..." - mostly because I get a lot of questions from people that start with "what's it like..." and end with a sometimes random question.

The first post in this series stems from a conversation I had with an awesome blogger who has Lupus. We swapped disease and syndrome stories via email recently and she asked "what's it like having interstitial cystitis?" This post also stems from the fact that I'm having an IC flare-up today and have been for a few days.

In order for me to properly answer that question, I have to tell you what it is. Interstitial cystitis, otherwise known as IC or Painful Bladder Syndrome, is an auto immune disease that affects the bladder. I have a form that includes Hunner's Ulcers. IC is kind of hard to explain. The lining of your bladder becomes inflamed and it can cause frequent urination (sometimes every 10 minutes) and an intense amount of pain. Adding the ulcers in just makes it that much more fun.

Now that you kind of understand the disease, I'll tell you my story.

I was diagnosed with IC at age 22 and had my first real flare-up after the initial test. My dad took me for a cystoscopy (with hydrotension) at a local hospital. Talk about invasion of privacy! I had a fun conversation with my Dad that day - I was on all sorts of medication. After the procedure, my Bubba gave me chicken soup and I went back to my Mom's house to ... well, sleep. Drugs are fun.

A few days after the procedure, I noticed that I was in a lot of pain and it was getting hard to stand up (which sucked because I was a hairstylist and you spend 99% of your time standing). I went home and was knocked out of commission for two weeks.

My first follow-up appointment confirmed that I was having a flare up and my doctor was a dick. He wanted to prescribe a medicine where the side effects included vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, and hair loss. No thank you. I wasn't signing up for that.

I eventually found a great doctor, with the help of my brother, who taught me to manage my disease through food and exercise.

It was a long time before I had another flare up.

So, what does a flare up feel like? It feels like your insides are rebelling and want to come out. Seriously. The pain is intense. I've learned to work through the pain using heating pads, cold therapy, even meditation. Sometimes the pain is too much and it takes all of my energy just to walk to the bathroom.

I'm hell-bent on doing everything myself because I still can but it takes me a while to do it when I'm flaring.

A flare up, for me, feels like someone poured acid down my throat and into my bladder and the acid is seeping into fresh wounds. Sound painful? You have no idea.

Most of the time, my flare ups are caused by stress. My life is stressful, I can't help it. I work a lot, and I work hard but I'm my own worst enemy. I don't take care of myself the way I did when I was a hairdresser. I set expectations for myself that are very high and somewhat not normal. When I don't reach my goal, I fear that those around me will think less of me. It's hard enough being a woman in the work force but when you don't really speak the native language or understand the culture... the stress builds on.

Anyway, a small amount of the time, my flare ups are caused by food. I can usually feel those flare ups coming on and can try to stave them off (unlike with the stress induced where it's like BAM! You're not leaving the house!) but food induced flare ups also bring up something called secondary anorexia. In lay terms, it just means that I fear food is going to hurt me - I don't starve because I want to be skinny, I starve because I worry something in the food might poison me and make me feel worse than I already do.

IC also brings on a plethora of other disorders. Along with secondary anorexia, I also have anxiety issues, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue syndrome. Aren't I lucky? All this before the age of 30!

The worst thing you could possibly say to someone like me is "but you don't look sick!" It's as if the rest of the world expects me to walk around vomiting or with my arm dislocated just to look sick! I can function and often look just fine but the pain that lies inside my body is immeasurable and it's unlike any pain you've experienced. A friend of mine also has IC and had cancer - she equated her chemo treatments with what she experienced when she had IC flare ups.

That's how horrible it feels.

So, what's it like having IC? It's a pain in the ass. And often the gut.

The things I do...

During one of my posts, I mentioned that I was busy filming and editing an assignment for a school coarse in Final Cut.

Below is the video:

It was all filmed on my previously mentioned Fuji HS10. The camera has the ability to shoot in 1080p though I found that its 720p actually came out clearer and was thus used.

In other news the iPad 2 was launched this week and looks amazing; faster processor, faster graphics and 30% thinner. All that I can say is that I only slightly want one, but can not actually warrant getting one. One function that I am actually quite disappointed that will only be available on the iPad 2 and not on the first iPad is the ability to use and edit movies on iMovie.

P.S: I did not have a chance to thank the wife for jump-starting the Panther this morning. Thank-you my love!!

The Husband

March Memories - Happy Birthday, Mom

The first thing I want to tell you is TODAY IS MY MOM'S BIRTHDAY! I won't tell you how many years young she is BUT I will tell you that she looks very young.

My mom has always been awesome! She's always worried about me but never to the point where she stepped in to tell me I was doing something stupid. She let me sprout my wings and fly - no matter how much my flight pained her.

One of my favorite memories I have with my Mom is when she came with me to the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) for a high school field trip my French class was having. She was one of two parents that signed up to take the tour. She took a day off of work to be with us and it meant the world to me.

My Dad says I'm a carbon copy of her but I didn't see it until I looked at my wedding photos.

She's always been there for me, through thick and thin, and always supported me no matter what.

She taught me right from wrong. Taught me to give back to my community. She also taught me to fight for those that can't fight for themselves.

Sparky and Cecil love their Grandma (probably more than they love us).

I hope you have a fantastic birthday, Mom - and many, many more to come!

Holy Sh*t - Birthday Ideas

I know my 30 before 30 list only came out... um, yesterday but I can update it NOW! YAY!

Part of why I'm doing my 30 before 30 so late in the game is because a) I forgot about it; and b) I want to see what I'm capable of doing in such a short amount of time.

Today conquer 30 before 30, tomorrow THE WORLD!

1. Finish my bachelor's degree (ZOMG, it's almost done)
   
2. Go to the Dead Sea for a day and just veg out (next weekend...next weekend)
   
3. Finish my cookbook and do a DIY publish job
4. Run every day for 2 weeks in a row
5. Make a proper "Southern" Mac and Cheese
6. Cook a proper flank steak
7. Visit Europe - completed in 2010
8. Watch all 6 episodes of Star Wars in one day
9. Dye my hair blonde... like a real blonde.
10. Start a rainy-day/vacation fund
11. Learn to cook something like my aunt (she's WAAAY better at cooking than me)
12. Do YOGA every day for two weeks before work (maybe it'll become habit)
13. Train Sparky to walk WITH me, not in front of me
14. Read a good book that has nothing to do with history/war/government/politics (suggestions?)
15. Go to a local winery and get sloshed (sorry hubby... you're my DD)
16. Get married
17. Get pregnant
18. Go on a DayCation (thank you Cyprus!)
19. Eat at Segev restaurant
20. Get dressed up for Purim and DO something (I haven't done that since I was 10)
21. Learn to make pot stickers from scratch
22. Do 20 push ups consecutively
23. Make a week's worth of vegetarian main dishes
24. Start saving for a house
25. Start paying back my $10,000 student loan
26. Go one day without wearing ANY make up... and then go out
27. Go one week without wearing a black/brown/or neutral colored shirt/pants/skirt/sweater
28. Make 1 jar of pickles by myself
29. Move to Israel - completed in 2006
30. Become comfortable in my own skin.

Aside from my updated list, I've been thinking A LOT lately about, well, me. I have no real wants, no real needs - and this is making it SUPER difficult for Craig to pick out a birthday gift for me.

I've always wanted a vintage airline bag... like these:

Another idea that popped into my mind was a gift certificate for a massage/manicure/pedicure. I haven't had any of the above in a LONG time. Yet, it's not necessarily a personal gift... not nearly as personal as the popcorn of the month club. I'm not sure if we can get it to Israel but I'd love to try it out.

When you Google "30th birthday gift idea" you get a lot of results... most of them are crap. They give the typical jewelry/bath soap/body lotion idea. They're great and I do love ALL 3 of those things but, in truth, I don't really need any of them. I have A TON of lotion.

I found that FredFlare.com has some unique items like these:
Alas, I'll have to wait until April 10, 2011 to see what's in store for this year's Hillapalooza. Money is always accepted... except from close friends and my husband (because that's just dirty).

Do you have any other genius ideas for my birthday gift?

30 before 30...

In just over a month, I turn 30 years old. You're probably thinking "uh, Hillary, isn't it a little late to start your 30 before 30 list??" The answer is no. I'm a little time crunched but no, it's not too late - especially since I actually started this list at age 25 and I can automatically cross off a few things.

So, here's my list of things I want to do BEFORE I turn 30 (on April 10... gifts accepted):

1. Finish my bachelor's degree
2. Go to the Dead Sea for a day and just veg out
3. Finish my cookbook and do a DIY publish job
4. Run every day for 2 weeks in a row
5. Make a proper "Southern" Mac and Cheese
6. Cook a proper flank steak
7. Visit Europe - completed in 2010
8. Watch all 6 episodes of Star Wars in one day
9. Dye my hair blonde... like a real blonde.
10. Start a rainy-day/vacation fund
11. Learn to cook something like my aunt (she's WAAAY better at cooking than me)
12. Do YOGA every day for two weeks before work (maybe it'll become habit)
13. Train Sparky to walk WITH me, not in front of me
14. Read a good book that has nothing to do with history/war/government/politics (suggestions?)
15. Go to a local winery and get sloshed (sorry hubby... you're my DD)
16. Get married
17. Get pregnant
18. Go on a DayCation (thank you Cyprus!)
19. Eat at Segev restaurant
20. Get dressed up for Purim and DO something (I haven't done that since I was 10)
21. Learn to make pot stickers from scratch
22. Do 20 push ups consecutively
23. Make a week's worth of vegetarian main dishes
24. Start saving for a house
25. Start paying back my $10,000 student loan
26. Go one day without wearing ANY make up... and then go out
27. Go one week without wearing a black/brown/or neutral colored shirt/pants/skirt/sweater
28. Make 1 jar of pickles by myself
29. Move to Israel - completed in 2006
30. Become comfortable in my own skin.

March Memories - Wordless Wednesday Edition

Today's post is dedicated to my Papa. He passed away on March 2, 2008 and, although he's gone, he's not forgotten.

This isn't much of a Wordless Wednesday since there are words here but there are no words to describe how much I miss Papa.

NO SPEND MONTH - the END

OK, I know that I am HORRIBLE at giving updates BUT Craig and I met our goal AND had money left over.

The lesson I learned: if we're boring people, we can live on 1,100 shekels a month.

I wanted to try the NO SPEND MONTH again for March but the State of Israel just raised their gas prices (again), which means 1,100 shekels would NOT be enough for us to live on ... unless all we wanted to eat was rice and we never planned on going anywhere.

The upside: We saved money.

The downside: we deprived ourselves a little.

Here are my new goals:
- Put 400 shekels ($110) away each month for our "Vacation Fun Fund" - we're going to the US this summer for my cousin Dave's wedding and we're gonna need some fun money. By my calculation, we should have at least $660 saved up by August... since we already started putting money away.

- Start paying back my student loans. Sure, I don't need to pay them back until March 2012 but I'd like to get a head start on it now.

- Start putting away between 500 to 1000 shekels ($138 to $275) a month for savings. Right now, I have 600 shekels ($165) taken out of my salary each month for savings. I want to start a private savings that will yield bigger returns.

So, those are my financial goals. Think I missed anything?