I think this is funny!

The person who knows how to laugh at himself will never cease to be amused. ~ Shirely MacLaine

Amir, his family, and I have always gotten a kick out of the English spelling used on signs in Israel.

So, Amir, taking pity on my sadness from having been abandoned ;-), sent me a few funny pictures from Israel.

At first, you might not notice the misspellings, but just check out what is supposed to be "Entrees", "Cheese", "Pickles" and "Fries" on a menu. Mmmmm. I'll have the assorted fires! It is funny!

And, how do you like the computer delivery service. Hysterical.

By the way, everyone I have ever met from Israel speaks better English than I do, and most speak English, Hebrew, and some other languages as well. My "educated" self only speaks English, and not very well at that!

However, when I was visiting my in-laws in September I did run to the drug store on my own, and needed some help finding something from one of the store clerks. The guy I chose (from Russia) to try and help me did not speak English, and was running around trying to find someone who did. He found the one Israeli girl who was not fluent in English.

The guy started yelling at her. From the little Hebrew I understand, it went something like this "You are Israeli! You should speak English! You need to help this girl! What is wrong with you!"

She looked at him like he was crazy and told him to go take some English classes himself.

I love the passion.

Kiki did talk to me today after a long drought. Amir called me on the speaker phone in the car on the way back from the beach and visiting friends, and Kiki started singing me a song.

It went something like this: "I love my Mommy! Oh, happy day! I love my Mommy! Oh, happy day!"

I sang back to her: "I love my Kiki! Oh, happy day! I love my Kiki! Oh, happy day!".

She issued some instructions on my not having the correct inflection for the song and perhaps not the right words, but before I could correct myself, Amir pulled the old "I'm driving into a parking deck" excuse and we were cut off ;-D.

On my side of the pond, I had a lovely dinner with two of my very close friends (thanks for entertaining me Susana and Allyson) and then had to go by Walmart at midnight to buy industrial strength fans because my A/C is broken upstairs. IT IS 96 DEGREES UP THERE! My bedroom sounds like it's going to take off...

Finally, something did get accomplished today, though not exactly by me. The latest investment property project is complete officially today. I'll put up some pictures in my next post.

1 Not So Very Eventful + Some So Very Beautiful Days

Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials. ~Lyn Yutang

I had big plans for today-things to accomplish, tasks to mark off the list. But, pretty much all I got done is dropping off my wrecked new truck at the repair shop and picking up the rental car (plus a little tiny bit of shopping).

The truck was damaged last week as Amir and I, involved in a lively conversation, backed out of a parking spot and into another car. OK, so I was driving, and, yes, the conversation was mostly a one-sided diatribe concerning his parental responsibilities while in Israel in the areas of vegetable supplies and pool safety.

You will see from the pictures that my lecture may have fallen on deaf ears (note absence of water wings and presence of ice creams ;-D), or perhaps he has temporary amnesia resulting from the accident.
In all seriousness, she could not be in better or more loving hands, and I only having trouble sleeping because I miss them so much.

No matter, they are having a BLAST!!!! Every morning I wake up to a wonderful summary of the days events and a ton of pictures. There are pool trips, beach trips, trips to the zoo, visits with every member of the family, cousins spending the night, Grandparents oohing and ahhing over my baby girl (which they gleefully share with me when we talk on the phone), and so on and so on!

Kiki is so busy, in fact, that she is not returning my phone calls ;-D. In consolation, though, Amir assures me she does miss her Mommy.

I must admit I'm terribly sad about not being there, but am thrilled that Kiki and Amir are having such a fabulous time. What more can you ask for for your family????

Check out Amir's blog for more details and videos- yes, guest writing on my blog was not enough, and so he has started his own, quite charming I must say, Abba blog!

Hopefully, tomorrow, contractors will finish their work, banks will follow up on offers made, and Mommy's will get to work organizing a house in desperate need of organization.

Until then...

P.S. Crystal, can't you just hear Kiki saying "cheeeeeeeeeeeessseee" in all these pictures :-D?

And, last but not least, HAPPY BIRTHDAY ITAY!!!

4 Year Anniversary

I love being married. It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life. ~Rita Rudner

Happy Anniversary Sweetheart! I love you!

Yes, today marks four years that Cynthia and I have been married. It really is amazing how time flies when you're having fun. We just talked about it the other night and we are both shocked that it's been that long. I know we have a long and happy future ahead of us and I am very excited about that.

Here's a picture from the honeymoon taken on the beach at sunset. We stayed at the beautiful Ritz Carlton in Naples, Florida and had an amazing time.

The Promised Cake

If the people have no bread, let them eat cake. ~Marie Antoinette

So I promised you all cake in the last post and here it is. Kiki and I spent hours creating this masterpiece (well, about 30 minutes) and it was absolutely delicious, if I do say so myself. It's a two layer chocolate cake with vanilla icing inside and out. I know, you're all salivating just thinking about it. So here's a picture, including all the birthday candles:


And yes, it was made from scratch, not a box. So that's another pat on the back.

Once again, Happy Birthday Cynthia !!!

And just because she loves Eddie Izzard so much I have to include a short "Cake or Death" video. Now this might be a little NSFW (Not Safe For Work) or NSFK (Not Safe For Kids), so think before you click. For those of you who don't know who Eddie Izzard is, you are really missing out on one of the funniest comedians around. Enjoy:

Happy Birthday Cynthia !!!

And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years. ~ Abraham Lincoln

My sweetheart is celebrating her birthday today and while she might not be too enthusiastic about aging, she has nothing to worry about. She still looks (and sometimes acts) like a teenager. I keep telling her to relax because she hasn't even reached the third-of-her-life mark yet. What is it with women and their age, anyway?

I love you sweetie. Happy Birthday!!!

So today Kiki and I embarked on the long road to birthday fun times. We had a bit of a hectic morning but we are catching up now. First thing's first, Cynthia's inner rockstar decided to come out, so we got Rock Band yesterday. For those of you who don't know, here's a little video of my little drummer girl:



Kiki tried as the drums as well and has true potential. She loves it and loves playing the guitar and singing. The Dekel Family Rock Band is going to rock your world at one point in the future. Mark my words.

I got Cynthia a combined Birthday+Anniversary present (that she more than hinted at but I had made and delivered). The 'Kiki' charm is for the birthday and our names are for our 4 year anniversary coming up in just four days! Neither of us can believe it's been that long and on the other hand that it's gone by so quickly. Where does the time go?



OK, that's it for now, but we're not done. Kiki and I are baking a birthday cake from scratch, so you'll just have to swing by again later to see how it came out.

Happy Birthday Sweetie!!!