Israel Day 10

Woke up at 6:15 to finish packing and eat breakfast. At 8:30 we had a closing group activity. Everyone was an emotional wreck! It was a beautiful closing though. At 12ish we packed up our stuff on the bus and left for the airport. We said quick goodbyes and then pretty much stood in line for a few hrs. We boarded the plane at 3:30 pm and I proceeded to sleep for about 10 hrs. We landed at 8:30 pm and I went to the NY hotel room to meet my mom :)

Overall...AMAZING experience. I love Israel, I love my new friends, and I love life :)

To view my pictures...click on these links!
Israel 1
Israel 2
Israel 3
Israel 4
Israel 5
Israel 6
Israel 7
Israel 8

Sorry but this was the only way I could do it! Click open in new window if you don't wanna stray from this page! ENJOY!!!

Penny
P.S. Stay posted for school happening! I start Monday July 14th :)

Israel Day 9

I woke up at 6:30 and ate breakfast in the tents. We were supposed to go on a hike after that, but because of the heat wave, plans changed. We left and went to David Ben Gurion's grave. It was a beautiful landscape. Then we drove to Jerusalem to Ben Yehuda Street to go shopping. I didn't do too much damage but enough :) I loved the stuff I bought though. Then we went to the Kotel (Western Wall) one more time before we headed home. It was one of the most special moments of my trip for many reasons. From there we went to Har Hertzel which is the cemetary for all of the soldiers and famous leadings of Israel including Golda Meir and Theodore Hertzel. I was a mess there. Just couldn't stop crying. We then went to the hotel room and I showered (best shower ever since i was SO dirty!!!) We left around 8:30 to go to one of our Israeli friend's school bar where they had a party for us. They served us food and we bought drinks. We stayed til around 12. Then we came back and I was super exhausted. But I didn't have a roommate that night so I got lucky. Went to bed around 2ish.

Israel Day 8

I woke up at 3 am for what was about to be an AMAZING day!!! We grabbed a mini breakfast and coffee and left the hotel by 4:15. At 5 am I was climbing Mount Masada! I made it to the top in 35 min and I was one of the first in my group to get to the top. It was by far the most amazing experience I have had since my Bat Mitzvah! I got to the top and called my parents just crying from what I had just accomplished! We spent from 6 am to 9:30 on the top watching the sunrise, taking pictures and learning history of Israel! Best EVER! Then we ate breakfast at the bottom of the hill which was one of the worst breakfasts I had ever had! We changed into our bathing suits at that point because we were going to the dead sea!! Another amazing (and stinging) experience! First I floated for a little while and then mudded myself up! It was SOOO hot being covered in mud! Then i cleaned off and at 12:30 we went to grab a quick lunch. After that we drove to the bedoin tents to drop off our stuff! Then we took a camel ride! This day just kept getting better!!! The camel ride hurt a bit...but was fun nonetheless! After we sat and learned about Bedoin Lifestyles. So cool! Then I fell asleep (or tried to) for an hr and 30 min before 7:30 dinner. Dinner was pretty cool. Then i took a MUCH needed shower and went to the group bonfire for a little bit. A 10 pm I was exhausted and Josh and I crashed in the tent!

Israel Day 7

Woke up at 6 am and got dressed and went outside a bit early to take pictures and the gorgeous scenery around! At 7:15 we loaded the bus, ate breakfast, and then at 8:45 we headed off to hike the cliff of Arbel. We hiked a downhill climb which was pretty steep. After we got lucky because we had free time and did a water hike! This was REALLY a water hike because the water was up to our necks! We had to wear our bathing suits! There were two water tunnels which was super cool. However the water was so dirty! It was a pretty amazing experience though! Then we went to a little town to eat lunch and once again I had schwarma. We then hopped on the bus and went to a youth hostel where we talked to young israelis. I have to say...it was pretty lame. They didn't care that we were there. Then we drove to the hotel and got there right as they were finishing dinner service so we ate quickly. After that we had to shower quickly and pack a small back for the next few days! At 10:30 we dropped our luggage off and had a mini mtg to prepare for the big day tomorrow! At 11 pm I went to bed. My roommates were Melinda and Alison!

Israel Day 6

Late wake up day!!! It was Shabbat so they let us sleep til 10:30! We met for coffee and a mini breakfast. At 11 we talked about the Parsha and Torah portion for the week. Then at 11:30 we took a break for an hr. Then lunch was at 12:30. After lunch we had a huge break to do nothing til 3:30. I helped some people with their speeches for the B'not Mitzvah ceremony in the evening. It was nice and i loved helping them. I also wrote in my journal and took some penny time! At 3:30 we got into three groups and talked about judaism like keeping kosher and marrying jewish. We chatted til 5:30. It was a good discussion! We had a 30 min break and then at 6 we went to a really cool cemetary which according to Shahar it's a different type because Jewish cemetaries are usually not pretty but this one was. At 7:30 we had an hr to get ready for the B'not Mitzvah/Jewish naming ceremony. 4 people were B'not Mitzvah'ed and 2 got a hebrew name. It was really fun to watch my friends up there! Then we had a night out in the town of Tiberias. Josh and I had our first date :) It was so beautiful, the food was unreal, and the night couldn't have been more perfect! We got home and I went to bed around 1am.

Israel Day 5

Woke up at 6, got dressed, met by the bus at 7:15 to drop off luggage. We had breakfast and then we went on our first hike!!! We hiked the Jiboon water mountain- in the Golan Heights. It was a little less than 2 miles but to most of us it felt like forever! Right after the hike (i was the first to the top!!!) there was an ice cream truck. Brilliant man! We then got on the bus and drove to a town called Katrina. We ate lunch there. It was a small town and the only one in Golan Heights. There I had a great greek salad. From then we got back on the bus where we drove to the lookout point/bunker/border of Israel and Siberia. Being so close was a little scary but so amazing! McDonalds owns one of the fields we were looking at just to grow potatoes for the french fries!!! Then we hopped back on the bus and drove to the hotel where we were staying for 2 nights. We got to pick our roommates. There was only one double and Kate and I snagged it! We then had an hr to shower before Shabbat services. The girls split off from the guys and we went to light candles. The boys were prepping for what was next. We then met back with the boys where they were on their knees waiting for us. Each boy had to chose a girl. Josh obviously came up and grabbed me. I was so confused but they were just supposed to talk to us for 5 min. We took a great picture that night :) Then we all met at the garden to say Shabbat prayers. Then we split into three groups. 1) orthodox service 2) secular service and 3) Judaism 101. Josh and I went to the Orthodox service but it had just ended so we went to Judaism 101 where I actually learned a lot from Shosh! Then we went to Shabbat dinner where we said all of the prayers and had one of the better meals. At 10:30 we had a group activity which finished by 12. I spent some more time with Josh and then went to bed at 3:30 am!

Israel Day 4

Woke up at 7 am, got ready, and dropped off my luggage before breakfast. We departed at 9 am and drove to Independence Hall where we learned about David Ben Gurion. This was where he declared Israel a State. It was very moving. We then got the lucky fortune of going to the beach from 11:30 til 1:30. I layed out for an hr and then went to get lunch! I managed to get picked up at the beach 3 times...two of them Israelis! But nasty ones :) Then we took a 2 hr drive to Tsfat. We arrived a little late but it was ok. We heard an artist speak about the Kabballah. It was the highlight of my trip! I bought a beautiful painting and then 2 necklaces in the town after. Then we took the bus to the hotel and at dinner at 8:30. After dinner we had a little free time so I showered. At 11 pm we had another ice breaking session and my partner was Clay. I went to bed around 1 am. My roommmates were Sarah and Karen!

Israel Day 3

Woke up at 6:45 and got dressed. Went outside a bit again before breakfast. We took off at 9:30 for our first excursion. We stopped first to take a group picture and a beautiful look out point. Then to Yad Hashem which is the Holocaust Museum. It choked me up a bit and was very touching. We then listened to a Holocaust survivor. It was nice to hear but I was so hot that I was falling asleep. We then left to go to Tel Aviv! We got there around 2:30 and I met up with Dina and Dori (friends from other places who live there!!) I was treated to a wonderful lunch of more schwarma and then a freshly squeezed juice with mango, orange, passion fruit and pineapple. It was delish! And it was so good to see my friends!!! We only spent an hr there but it was a great hr. Then we went to Yitzhak Rabin square where the prime minister was murdered. From there we went to the Tel Aviv Beach and walked the water from Old Tel Aviv (Jaffa) to New Tel Aviv. Then we got back on the bus to go to our hotel in Batyam. We ate a crappy dinner at 8 pm and then got dressed for a 10 pm departure to the bar across the street on the beach. We spent 2 hrs there and came back to the hotel. I talked to Josh til about 2ish and went to bed at 2:30. My roommates were Melinda and Lindsay!

Israel Day 2

Woke up at 7 am, showered, and then wandered a bit around the hotel. It was beautiful. We all, as a group, had to wait for Kate who missed the flight completely and had to come in today. Then we met as a group and played a game about getting to know you. We had to throw a shoe in the middle and people had to grab a shoe and then question the person whose shoe it was. Then we shared. At 11 am we got on the bus to go to Jerusalem. We first went to this gorgeous look out place where we learned some history, had a sip of wine, and wrote our personal goals for the trip which were then sealed! Then we went to lunch where I ate schwarma on a plate. It was delicious. Josh and I walked over to the bakery which was one of the coolest places I'd ever seen. Then the group went to the old city/western wall. This was one of the most moving experiences I have had to date. I gave tzedaka and the woman wished me luck and said g-d was sending me a good husband! I also wrote a note and put it in the wall and prayed. Then we came back to the hotel and played more getting to know you games. Then dinner was at 7:30. At 9:30 we met and discussed the holocaust. Most people hung out after that but I was so exhausted so I went home to shower and got in bed by 11. Roommates were again Kathy and Blake!

Israel Day 1

Well...where do i start. Blogging about Israel is NOTHING compared to the time i had, the people i met, and experiences I experienced. But read on and enjoy the photos!!

My flight originally was supposed to take off at 5:30. It got delayed til 6:40 and then 7. We left the house at 5 and arrived at 5:20. My parents dropped me off and I went to check in. It wasn't until then that I learned that my flight to JFK was canceled!!!! I freaked out and called my parents. They weren't far so they came back. Luckily in line I met 5 others who were on my flight and were going to Israel with me! So...with 3 jewish moms complaining, Delta got us on flights. Some to Newark, some to Laguardia. And we all met up at JFK. and even more lucky was that our Israel flight got delayed as well! We scored ;) After almost two hrs of arguing to get on a flight, we all left for NY! Me, Lara and Brian took the flight to Laguardia and arrived at 11:30. We met up with Karen and then took a taxi to JFK. We met up with the group around 1 am. The flight to Israel was delayed from 2:20 to 5:40 and we didn't even take off til 6:30 am! It was a long night...but i got to meet a bunch of people in my group! When I got on the plane I crashed for about 7 hrs. Then I had 3 hrs left in which I read a little of my magazine, ate dinner, and proceeded to fall asleep again :) We arrived in Israel and 12 am Tues morn- so technically we missed a whole day! We got out of the airport, changed money, and got our phones. We went directly to the hotel where we had a brief orientation and then went to bed at 3 am. That began my week of no sleeping! My roommates were Kathy and Blake!

Moto

I can't say much because when I first walked in, I had to sign an agreement not to say anything...but i will tell you I had an amazing 2 days of work!

A little background. The kitchen is below the restaurant and there are these famous red stairs to get up to the restaurant. If there were 80 covers a night (80 people fri, 80 people sat) and there is a minimum of the 5 course meal, if not 10 course or 20 calculate that to figure out how many times I ran up and down those stairs to run food!!!! HOLY MOLY! I am not exaggerating when I say I was in bed ALL day sunday because I couldn't move. I was in so much pain! But it was worth it.

I learned some things and got to taste GREAT amazing food. I met some great people. But overall, i just feel like i advanced my career in a good direction. I was happy that I did these two days and proud of myself for sticking through with it. I would love to work there if the hours weren't so insane! 12 (noon) to 1 or 2 am depending on the day! A 70 hr work week...plus school would NEVER work. But they know me know and I did well according to the chef. It was a blast!

More to come on the job front!!!

Arizona

I know this a long time in the making! I apologize for all the people who wanted to see these photos!

They are from hiking-by myself and with my dad (make sure you check out the pics of him...they are hilarious!)-, out the night before the wedding and then Wedding Day of Jamie and Morgan Hodges.

Enjoy! I'll post more when I get back from Israel/NY! Kisses

my friend Jaimee

So my friend Jaimee got engaged a little bit ago and she so nicely asked me to be a bridesmaid...so i accepted! With her cute little package that asked me the question (hahaha) i got a book entitled "how to be a bridesmaid". I have been reading it religiously. I have learned a LOT of stuff. So when her and her fiancee Joe moved back to the city I offered to help them move into their new pad! I had to start my bridesmaid duties early! And included in those duties are taking pictures of the couple throughout their entire engagement...so thats where the slideshow comes in! Enjoy!!! (my arms were KILLING me the day after the move! But it was fun!)

Bank Lane Bistro

So the first week I got home, my friend Bob and I went to Bank Lane Bistro in Lincolnshire. He used to work there and the chef happened to have graduated from my HS. I took pictures of the food and I wanted to post them...but i never got around to it. Now I have time. So enjoy the beauty! We did the 9 courses and it was GREAT and a lot of fun seeing Bob!

Thesis

So i can finally post a blog about my thesis...IT'S DONE! Yes...i've been working on it since november of 2007 and I am finally done. It should be in France. If anyone is interested in reading it please email me and I will send it to you. Although it was about 2 pages short and not the best quality, I learned a lot about myself, the topic and it was the best experience I've had with schooling! I am proud to have finished this! I hope i get my diploma and that I get to go to Paris in October to receive it. Thanx for bearing with me through my struggles...but it's OVER now :) YIPPEE!! Off to celebrate.

Table 52

Have you heard of Art Smith? Oprah's Chef. Well, for Jen's (my favorite person in chitown!) bday I took her to Table 52, Art Smith's restaurant. It's southern home cooking! It was AMAZING! I mean you can just see in the pictures. I surprised her and she had no clue...but she had expressed the want to go there. So it killed two birds with one stone...her b-day and me getting to try this new famous restaurant!

Enjoy!

Rising Stars!

Sorry again for the time off. I have a few posts I want to post though....so you'll get a handful of them :) Anyway, I went to this tasting on May 19th for Rising Star Chefs. It was AMAZING! Not only did I get some interviews, possible jobs, and some Stages...but i tasted some of the best food in chicago from the best chefs!


Here is my slideshow of the evening! I wish I had taken pictures of me :) but instead you have pictures of the beautiful dishes that the chefs made!!! (i did the best i could...but i think i left some pictures out! I was way too excited to be taking pictures! hahaha)

Click here! to get the list of chefs, restaurants and dishes that they prepared along with some great recipes! I wish you all could have experienced what i did :)

LONG overdue

I am sorry I have been so slow to post. I, however, feel a little more adjusted now. I've seen most of my friends, I have a job working at Moe's Southwest Grill (on the corner of Willow and Waukegan- come visit or email me for more details)...temporary...helping out my cousin, and I have gone to see all of my Dr's. Overall things are great. I'm a happy camper. I still miss Paris, but I know being home is good for me! So far I've seen two shows and I'm going to another one Thursday night...so i'm LOVING the fact that i get to see more theatre! School is still up in the air...but I'll keep you posted and I do have an expected start date of Aug 18th. My thesis is pretty much done. It will be signed, sealed and delivered by next week. If you want to read it, let me know! I've been cooking EVERY night (except for the nights I go out...which haven't been many) Mom and dad appreciate that....but NOT the whole food grocery bills!!! Other than that, here is a picture from mother's day with my family that I went to lunch with!









Btw- I have a new website that is my professional website (it's on my new business cards!!). it's still under construction but stay tuned and I also promise I will be blogging more often now that I have my life under control! www.pennyshack.net

Shoot me an email and tell me how you are all doing and if you read this thing anymore. should i keep it up?!? i may start doing restaurant reviews...what do you think!?

Back home again in...

Illinois (not indiana...u know the song?!?!) anyway, I haven't forgotten about my blog readers....i just needed a few days to adjust! And although I am not PERFECTLY adjusted...i am better! My flight home was sad. Manuel took me to the airport and it was very sad leaving him. I got on the plane and bawled my eyes out. I was sitting next to some 21 yr old who lived in the marais and just got married to his 40 yr old boyfriend in paris. He was going to school out there. How sad. Anyway, I cried for a good part of the way home. The flight was under 9 hrs and we got home early. I stayed up the entire time! When i got to the airport I started bawling again cause I knew it was for real! I had to go through customs because I brought food home. Oh well. I saw mom and dad and it was surreal. Anyway, I knew I had to deal with what was at hand for me at that moment. That night I went to bed around 7:30...i stayed up as late as I could (woke up at 5 am paris time...7:30 pm US time was 2:30 am Paris time!).

The past few days I have been running errands and trying to take some time out for myself to get readjusted. I keep hearing things on the radio or seeing signs about Paris or Greece/Turkey (my cruise) which just makes me sad. Every once in a while I will break out in a crying spell...and then realize well, i'm kinda here for a while so suck it up! The coffee sux, I miss my roommate, my friends, and just life in Paris. I know this is a good change for me though. I am looking forward to what's next. I have been making dinner for mom and dad and I'm going to start baking next week for my friends who's shows i'm going to see.

In the meantime, stay tuned because I will be blogging...just not as often! Thanx to all who read my adventures while I was in paris! I promise i will have a life after paris ;) A bientot for now!

Au revoir Paris :(

Just a short blog. I am waiting for Manuel to pick me up before we go to the airport. Just saying one last online goodbye while i am still in Paris. I have too much reflecting to do that I can't even begin in the 10 min that I have left. Just know that I am a better person for living my life in Paris for a year and a half. I look forward to what's in store for me. I know it can only get better from here. I'm so very fortunate for these opportunities and I have to take them when they come. Stay tuned for US adventures...this is A Bientot Paris....I will be back :)