IKEA איקאה

Hi, I'm kinda back, and we'll see where this stint takes us.

Today we decided we have nothing better to do, so let's drive to IKEA! After all the boys got home, ate lunch, dawdled for a bit (as is the Bauer minhag (custom)) we piled into the car and drove the hour plus to go up to Netanya. B"H it was a nice uneventful ride, with RM falling asleep, and I only had to pull over once (albeit it was to put up a sun blocker for RM)!

We then promptly dropped any of the children off at the play area (not that we cv"s wanted to get rid of them, it was for their sake, and the sake of the store that we did it). So we strolled around for our alotted hour with RM & TC. IT was actually kind of nice strolling around looking at stuff that was just not for us. We looked at tables and chairs (which we so desperatly need).

So, the highlight of going to Ikea was going to the food court there. Now I've been to Ikea in the states before, and thier food court has never been particularly enticing, I mean their Swedish meatballs look good, but growing up with my background, I'm used to not eating out in furniture stores, so it never did it for me. However, now that we can eat out in our favorite furniture store, it was a whole new world. We decided to eat dinner there, and we were actually impressed, we all enjoyed the food, and if it weren't for the fact it takes over an hour to get there, we'd probably go there just to have dinner again!

Anyway, after finishing up dinner, we headed back with a few tired and cranky children, but B"H no one threw up (Yay)! Although, RM did pull himself up behind me in the car and tell me that he had to through up, in between snickers of slight laughter. I then told him he really didn't need to so I think that was able to sway him, and keep the ride home peaceful and smelling nice.

B"H there will be more to come...

Ashdod

This morning we decided we'd try to free our belongings from the evil clutches of the shipping company. So I got in my car and drove out to Ashdod. It was a nice and quiet drive. I got to see the beutiful tracts of farm land, some looking very green and pretty, while others were brown and dryed out due to their owners keeping shmittah. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera on me, and we could've shared the moment.
Meeting up with the shipper was an OK experience. I did find out one interesting fact (which is related to my rent as I'll explain later). People in this country seem to base a lot of things on the dollar - even though now it's becoming a bit less due to the steep drop in the dollar. But that isn't my point. Even though the dollar ahs dropped, people still like to link the dollar to some past imaginary rate. My shipper had a "Congestion charge" (which just means that the port workers really want to strike, but legally aren't allowed to, so they just work slow) which they converted to me in shekels at the 4.0 rate - which hasn't been since Dec 17, 2007. So I asked them, can I pay in dollars, I have dollars, why not use them where I can acctually save myself something. But alas, they said
"Haha you silly American, you think you can try to save yourself a mere 70 shekel (which btw is now worth about $21) just because you come here and wave your funny looking green money around here. I laugh at you. Ha!"

Anyway, the rest was unevenful, just going through customs with all of my junk in a 20' crate that as they go through each item, my stomach twitches as I think, how in the world will I find a place for that? Can it fit in the elevater so they don't have to shlep it up the stairs? Will it fit in the stairwell? Can that even fit in the apartment?
Oy vey. Well, there's nothing I can do about it now, but if anyone in RBS A' is looking for some furtniture, they might ant to hang out around my apartment when they deliver the goods, as you might find a good deal on some furniture that just won't make it.

On my way over there I realized I was passing my Kibbutz Yavneh where my Mom's cousin lives. And as it happened I had something to deliver to them, and I even had it with me, so I figure, "Ah, hashgacha protis!". However I was let down as the kibbutzniks tried in vein to find my cousins and I had to left empty handed.

And that was my morning. I even got back before noon!