I live in Jerusalem--and would love to see you, but I know how packed these trips can be!! If you get the chance to come to St. George's Cathedral here, hit me up! ❤️ So, in March, it will be on the edge of hot and cool. It is a great time to come. The evenings will be cool, and the days will be bright and sunny--you may encounter rain, but I wouldn't take a raincoat to be kept with you at all times. You won't need a scarf at all if you have a skirt that comes just below the knees and an open shirt you can throw on to cover your elbows. Headscarves are not required anywhere. But scarves are pretty and you can wrap one around your waist if it's long enough and then wear pants or capris if you are more comfortable in those. You only need one pair of shoes, but two is good in case one breaks. I love Teva sandals because they go with skirts and you can wear them anywhere, and they are grippy on the bottom. The stone walkways here (in JTown and on the Mt of Olives, in particular) can get slick. Also if you are visiting Sepphoris (near Nazareth) or other archeological sites (Masada, Herodium, etc) then you will need a shoe or sandal that doesn't slip easily. Trainers are fine. There is no way you aren't going to look like a tourist, so embrace it. A cross-body bag is easiest. Make it very small, and just take your passport everywhere, and your water bottle. Only one of you needs to carry a day pack, honestly. The tour company will feed you plenty (of course, with your situation, you will want food for yourself). The beef here is different--hamburgers don't taste like hamburgers, to me, anyway. Expect lots of hummus, pita, "salads" (pickled veggies, tiny cucumbers, shredded cabbage mixed with...IDK, but it's bland and gross), schwarma meat, falafal, and chicken, and fish when you go to Galilee (St. Peter's fish is just tilapia, but it's pretty good). Don't expect tacos, or any Mexican fast food type stuff. They do Italian pretty well. Train for your trip by walking lots of hills. LOTS of hills. Ask me anything!! And if you do come see me, I'm happy to take you to the Old City, or you can do laundry in my apartment if you have a couple of hours! lol

Is it a paper application? I would staple a resume behind it. They might tear it off, but they also might give it a glance before they trash it. Go ahead and get those other recommendations. Do one of the lesser evil folks, and then some glowing ones.

"The LORD Himself goes before you; He will be with you. He will never leave you or forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged." When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. I will pray these verses over you and your son. ❤️ I am sorry it is so very hard, and I know what it is to beg God for safety for my child.

My child woke before dawn and bundled in his big green coat made his way in the still cold down to the empty sand Called me, saying "I can't send you anything this year" (this painful year of loss and realization) "so I got up to give you the sunrise" Turned his phone to face the water as the soft lip of the sun began to kiss the edge of Day You see, I've been living in the hush between twilight and sunrise without a moon and all the stars, faded My child woke before Dawn to bring me Light Such a gift

lol yep

Loathe is not a strong enough word to describe my feels about glass topped stoves.

You lived in NoVA? I'm sorry we never met.

And don't think being just in the house is enough supervision (imo). Being alone in a main room still invites ...idk..."behaviors." Solution? Pop in with snacks or to retrieve something or just come in and sit. 😉😁

She is going to try to change it. It is Eid on the day they leave so that is even more reason to change it, as it will be an absolute zoo in Jerusalem.

Dd wanted to come see us in May at the same time as my mil and my husband's sister and brother-in-law. It would have been so fun and dd would be helpful, too, in traveling. Yesterday, my husband told me he had talked (or maybe it was an email) with his mom (whom I adore, just so you know), and that she was getting antsy about buying tickets. So I messaged dd yesterday and we talked about some dates, and hadn't quite decided 1but at least had a ballpark, and I get an email from mil that she booked tickets for the last week of May and first week of June. Totally too late for dd to be here, since dd has to work this summer and can't start a job and then take off for 10 days or whatever. (She gets out of college like the 3rd of May and is then traveling elsewhere til the 11th, so we were thinking of having her here in the middle of May til the 24th.) I'm just frustrated and feel mil jumped the gun and couldn't just be patient for 1 stinkin day while we coordinated everything. And I think she would have, if my husband had told her a little more, which he probably didn't, because he NEVER tells details of plans in progress--like, why tell our thoughts when the plans are not complete...whereas I am, share the thought process so we can all get to consensus. UGH. I am so sad that dd can't be here when they are. It would have been a ton better. PLEASE DON"T QUOTE

Another vote for leaving the soup in the pot and ladling it into bowls there. We used to eat in the dining room, but now we have a table in our kitchen and eat there, and it is literally two steps from the pot on the stove to the table. We put plates under bowls. Dd thinks that is a waste of dishes.

I hope mine make that choice, too. I just have to get back home 'cause they won't choose to live here!

You might want to alarm the surface of the water also.

I think you are very blessed and it is wonderful that you have fostered such close ties to your family. I will say one thing, though--I don't think the advice you were given is bad. I think we have to allow our kids the choice to leave home, fly far, and live their own lives, and do so without guilt put on them, even subtly. It is very hard for us mama hen types to let our kids go. As long as they know they CAN go far, I think it is GREAT for them to make a choice to stay nearby. I also think an option to consider is to let the kids really feel free to live anywhere, even overseas, and maintain ties by either moving ourselves close enough to visit frequently or just stay in touch via vid and text/calls. But there is something so precious in presence.❤

I would very much expect to enjoy such a lovely event celebrating a joyful covenant made by two people in love! I don't understand it not being something to enjoy. Are you micromanaging? Do you need to be in control? Are you over-worried about perfection? Do you dislike the spouse or think the marriage a mistake? Hate crowds, even if they are composed of people you love enough to celebrate a most important and happy event? I don't get it at all.