How far along:  33.5 weeks! 6 to go.
The baby is the size of:  A pineapple. A PINEAPPLE!

Maternity clothes:  Haha, oh yes. Even maternity jeans are getting a little uncomfortable. Loving stretchy pants and dresses.

Best moment this week:  I went on my first shopping spree for the babe yesterday. We'd been so spoiled with clothes and gifts that there was really no need to buy more, more, more. I'm trying to resist since those early days are so fleeting and they grow out of the itty-bitty stuff so fast. But the kid needed some tiny white onesies, and who am I to say no to Columbus Day sales?

Movement: We've moved on from flutters to full on martial arts jabs, punches, and rolls. The best way I can describe it is like those massage chairs at the nail salon -- only in the front, not the back -- and not controlled by the push of a button :)

Food cravings/aversions: My body must be telling me something because I've been craving so much dairy. Ice cream and lots of it, cottage cheese (took my first bite after probably 10 years and haven't stopped since!), and yogurt. Aversions = chicken. Blech. 

What I miss: Chardonnay.

Sleep:  Thanks to our new mattress, huge bed and pure exhaustion, I've been sleeping like a champ. Just wish there were more hours in the day for more of it.

What I'm looking forward to: Everything in the next few months. I can't believe we'll be meeting our lil dude soooo soon.
Symptoms:  A little back pain here and there, but only (ironically) when I'm relaxing on the couch. Other than that, a shrinking bladder and that's about it!

20 Week Update: It's a Boy!

How far along:  20.5 weeks
The baby is the size of:  A small cantaloupe (the length of a banana)!

Maternity clothes:  Yup, lovin' em! Still mixing up maternity pants and some regular ol' shirts. Just got a fun shipment from LOFT (thanks Mom and Dad for the birthday gift).

Best moment this week:  Well, my bike and I made it over the Golden Gate Bridge... so that's an accomplishment. Just took one little spill down a mini hill. Bike's fault, totally :) Robby and Joe were visiting from OC and spoiled the babe with some cute gifts. Makes it all feel so real to share this time with family!

Movement:  Feeling some flutters! I love it. Rumor has it it'll be full-on martial arts in a week or two. Can't wait for Todd to feel it too.

Food cravings/aversions:  Can't seem to get enough fruit. And ice cream... always ice cream, but trying to stick to the healthy stuff. Not loving meat but nothing new there...

What I miss: Margaritas after a long bike ride. Goat cheese. White wine. But I'm sure my hips don't miss any of it! 

Sleep:  I'm feeling pretty rested most of the time -- just tossing and turning trying to get comfortable throughout the night. Ended up the couch a few times.

What I'm looking forward to: We're more than half way there now, and I'm just really looking forward to meeting the lil' dude!
Symptoms:  Nothing really yet!

17 Week Update!

How far along:  17 weeks

The baby is the size of:  A turnip!

Maternity clothes:  Still wearing a mix of maternity and regular clothes. Maternity jeans are oh-so-much more comfortable than regular jeans.

Best moment this week:  Sharing the excitement of baby with so many friends and family (and friends who are like family!) at Dani and Kyle's wedding. It was one of the best days EVER!

Movement:  Maybe a flutter or two -- still not sure if it's nerves or movement, but I guess I'll know soon.

Food cravings/aversions:  Still loving ice cream and fruit all the time, but nothing new there. Not totally in to home-cooked chicken or fish, but when am I ever? 

What I miss:  Not much. Everyone wants to know how hard it is not to drink at an occasion like my sister's wedding, but I can't say I really wanted any alcohol. 

Sleep:  I want it all. the. time. This crazy jam-packed weekend really threw me for a loop. Can't seem to catch up so I'm realllly excited for the weekend.

What I'm looking forward to:  Todd starts a new job on Monday, and the week after that we'll find out if this little nugget is a he or a she ;)

Symptoms:  Nothing to complain about.

Look out world, Baby Degnan is coming!

I never thought I'd add "mom blogger" to my title, but I already feel like this pregnancy is flying by

and I want to remember all the little moments and the big ones. Overall, I feel extremely lucky and blessed with how we got here and how I'm feeling.

How far along:  14 weeks

The baby is the size of:  A lemon!

Maternity clothes:  I sported maternity jeans and a maternity tank for the first time this week! I've played around with the Beband a bit, and it's nice not having to button my regular jeans. Ouch.

Gender:  Your guess is as good as mine.

Best moment this week:  Picking up my dress for Dani and Kyle's wedding and seeing that it fits! Phew!

Movement:  None.

Food cravings/aversions:  I'm not sure if it's a legitimate craving or not since summer fruits have always been my weakness, but I can't get enough of strawberries, peaches, and delicious oranges! Yum! And that whole pickles and ice cream thing? It's real.  

What I miss:  Really, nothing. The warm nights make me crave a delicious cocktail or cold glass of white wine, but Todd has become a mocktail master and they (kinda) do the trick. Overall, the thought of alcohol has actually made my stomach churn anyway.

Sleep:  It's all good -- I've noticed a huge change since I hit the second trimester. I suddenly feel like a human and not a walking zombie.

What I'm looking forward to:  Seeing friends and family in Orange County in two weeks for the nuptials of a very special couple :)

Symptoms:  Nah. Feeling good!

2013: A Year in Review

Last year, we rang in the new year in Belize with the most colorful and awesome fireworks show on our little island in the middle of the Caribbean. Sure beats this year's end: horizontal on the bed/couch with maybe the worst flu I've ever had. As they say, man plans and God laughs.
But after a year full of tremendous adventure, countless blessings, and lots of fun, worse things could have happened. A look back at 2013:

January

We returned from an incredible trip to Belize and Guatemala just after we rang in the new year on
Caye Caulker. To date one of our favorite trips, and the most perfect way to start a year.

February

A short month packed with a whole lot of good. I started working with a new social media client, Justine. She's a phenomenal filmmaker and though it was a quick stint, I learned so much about how I work as a freelancer and finally felt like maybe, just maybe, I could do it one day. We headed home to Orange County to celebrate Danielle and Kyle's engagement, spent Valentine's Day at home with lobster and good wine, and welcomed good friends to San Francisco (Jessica and David).

March

The highlight this month was visiting Nicci in Portland. We packed so much fun and games into a few short days, and of course enjoyed every minute with my favorite gal pal. The Supreme Court took on gay marriage, and our little family launched another small campaign to find Dad a kidney in honor of World Kidney Day!

April

This month we celebrated the long-awaited end of grad school for Todd! We drove down the coast to Monterey for a quick getaway, checked out the aquarium, had an awesome dinner on the water, explored the local beaches, and enjoyed time away from papers and computers. We were also spoiled rotten with a trip to Napa with Thom and Diane to celebrate our 30th birthdays, belatedly. It was such a treat. Raffi visited us at the office, we enjoyed a delicious lunch at the amazing Twin Peaks one day, and tragedy struck at the Boston marathon. It was a crazy and emotional event, one that is forever etched in my mind.

May

We said goodbye to Kyle and Dani, who left San Francisco for good :( Todd finally convinced me to start Yiddish lessons with him, I got a quick visit in with Galit at the Ferry Building, and we traveled down south (once again!) for Kevin and Robin's wedding in Temecula.

June

One of my most memorable nights in San Francisco happened this month when the Supreme Court struck down Prop 8. We joined tens of thousands of people in the Castro for celebrations on the street, and I don't know if I've ever witnessed such camaraderie in one place before. We walked around for hours trying to find a place to eat and ended up a couple of miles away before we could get seated! It was a night I'll never forget. We also celebrated Father's Day in Orange County, and took a separate road trip down the coast to begin our adventure in Puerto Vallarta. The drive was invigorating, and an incredible reminder of how lucky we are to live in California. The scenery just blew my mind over and over again. Another highlight from the month was being given the opportunity to share our "Find Jeff a Kidney" campaign on Beth Kanter's blog, and educate readers about how social media is helping people find organs!

July

After a few days in Orange County to celebrate Mom's, Dad's, and my birthday (at Mastro's no less!), we enjoyed five blissful days in Puerto Vallarta for Kayla and Matt's wedding. Other fun summertime activities included a visit to Point Reyes (and Marin Sun Farms, where Todd bought goat for the first time - ew!), a Counting Crows concert at America's Cup with an old friend Becca, aaaaand that one time our work building was on lockdown thanks to a crazy killer on the loose.

August

August was a big month! Robby and Joe came to visit for a fun 48-hour adventure, we hosted Jen, Marsha, and Diane for an awesome weekend, Kerri and Lee got engaged (!) and we surprised them down in San Diego to celebrate. We also did an incredible hike along the Matt Davis trail in Marin, and swore to get in better shape after we limped around for three days following.

September
It's hard to believe we celebrated two years of living in San Francisco this month. We started the month still in Orange County at a Dave Matthews Band concert, hosted friends for Yom Kippur break fast, and I got to spend a few days at the Exact Target conference in Indianapolis. It was honor to hear Jim Collins and Condoleeza Rice speak there.

October
October brought the anticipated surprise visit to Connecticut to celebrate Grandpa Bernie's 90th

birthday. It was really a trip to remember. We also snuck in a couple days in New York to see friends and foliage, and got some really unique east coast experiences in -- like trips to family farms and a fun day of miniature golf with the whole Horowitz/Degnan/Lodge clan.

November
This month was all about family and celebration. We took a trip down to Orange County (notice a theme here?) to attend Todd's graduation ceremony, and then took the whole family out for an awesome meal to celebrate. We felt so proud being able to do that for everyone. We also hosted a huge bunch of college friends (and babies!) for a BBQ in Irvine which was such a blast. So great reconnecting with everyone in person. And then came the best week of the year, Thanksgiving at the cabin, where I promptly caught a bad cold and was mostly miserable, give or take a few games of Cards Against Humanity and Mexican Train :)

December
Aside from all the usual holiday merriment -- work parties, lights galore, and latkes, we spent most of the month counting down to a two week vacation at the end of the month! My dear coworker Molly left San Francisco for greener pastures, Shawn came to visit for over a week, and Todd and I spent an entire week curled up on the couch with bad flu. It certainly wasn't what we had planned for New Year's Eve and the start of a new year, but life goes on... looking forward to our biggest adventure yet, Thailand in 12 days!

A Love/Hate Relationship with Matt Davis

On Saturday, after a bit of a rough week on the homestead, we decided it was time to get the heck out of dodge and hit the sunny trails of Marin County for some sunshine, exercise and fresh air.
We had no idea what we were in for when we parked the car at the head of the Matt Davis trail but four hours later, we emerged. We were sweaty, exhausted, sore, and craving frozen yogurt. Ha! The views were beyond breathtaking and the time outside in incredible weather was the best thing ever, but 48 hours later we're still limping around like old farts.

we can see the light at the end of the tunnel!

adorable Stinson Beach!

eeee a snake!

California. Ain't nothing like it.

when nature calls...

Paleo Sometimes: Thai Summer Salad

I dabbled in the paleo "lifestyle" for a solid few months before the summer, but it wasn't until we returned from our trip to Puerto Vallarta in July that the hubby was sold on it too. He sat by the pool, sipping on cucumber margaritas, devouring lobster burritos and fries, and read The Paleo Diet for Athletes under a cabana for days. Oh, the irony of staying at a luxury, all-inclusive resort and planning a paleo lifestyle for when you return home to detox. But the book was a life-changer in so many ways.

We came back from the trip and got down to business buying fresh herbs, new spices, grass-fed meat and fish that could feed an army, farmer's market produce, coconut everything, and so much more. We've had so much fun trying new things (hello, okra! Chinese eggplant! Gray oyster mushrooms! GOAT!)

So for as long as I can make it last, I thought it'd be fun to start a "paleo sometimes" series. We're realistic about doing this thing, and about the fact that we live in one of the greatest cities ever for foodies like us. So for the sake of keeping our sanity, keeping cravings under control, and still enjoying the best of what the San Francisco restaurant scene has to offer, I'm calling our new diet paleo sometimes. We still eat out once or twice a week and allow ourselves a splurge here and there. Life's too short to say goodbye to french fries forever.

On tonight's menu was fish burgers, Chinese eggplant... and this easy, summery, deliciously made-up recipe that I didn't think to get a photo of until the leftovers were put away.

Thai Summer Salad
1/2 bag of Trader Joe's Broccoli Slaw
As much fresh mint, fresh cilantro, and parsley as you want.
Juice of one lime
1 teaspoon of melted coconut oil
A few pieces of chopped pickled ginger
1 can of bamboo shoots
1 cup of tomatoes

I used a mortar and pestle (because they're fun) to mix the mint, cilantro, parsley, lime juice, and ginger... and then just added the mixture to all the other ingredients. It was so flavorful, fresh, and super healthy!

When you don't know where to start, start with Thai red curry shrimp.

It's been almost a year since my words have graced the pages of this blog... eek.
So just to break the ice and get myself back on the bandwagon, I present to you...
Thai Red Curry Shrimp.
Coconut milk. Red curry paste. Cilantro. Basil. Mint. Mushrooms. Bok choy. Tomatoes. And on and on and on until you get a flavor that is just simply unreal! Add a little Instagram filter and it looks like it just flew right off the pages of Bon Appetit, does it not?

I'm back in action and ready to write. For today.

10 Things I Did This Week

1. I made a spontaneous decision on Saturday to pick up a copy of The Cinch Plan and give it a try.  I am one more meal away from surviving the insane "five day, five food" fast forward and beginning the real plan.  I feel great, but hungry... and if I eat one more spoonful of plain, nonfat yogurt I might hurl.  Oh, and don't be fooled.  It's four foods, not five.  Basil and cinnamon do not count as food.
2. Made some plans to see a few friends when we're in LA for Barri and Greg's wedding over Labor Day weekend.  I always look forward to these short, but friend-and-family-filled visits!
3.  On Saturday, we went for a great hike with friends in Palo Alto.  I love that the Bay Area has an endless number of incredible places to explore the outdoors.  It was a hot day (yes, we have summers here despite what everyone else loves to think), but we were fully prepared with ice cold water and delicious sandwiches from a new favorite local Palo Alto market.
4. I was having a little chat with Dani as I walked home from the bus to find this leaf just sitting there waiting to be instagrammed.  Wait, instagrammed is underline... does this mean it's not a real verb yet?  Ha. I was amazed that technology allowed me to take the picture, instagram it, and text it to her, all while we were having a conversation on the same phone.
5. We already started talking about plans for Thanksgiving this year.  It's crazy how time flies... we're coming up on a year of SF living next month!
6. Sent another Festival of Children Foundation newsletter off to the printer!  Rewarded myself with spinach and almonds... and basil.  Ugh.
7. We spent many hours on the couch pouring through Mad Men episodes on Netflix (says the girl who NEVER, EVER watches TV), and am still left dumbfounded by it all.  Still not sure if I actually like it or am just intrigued by the character development... and the fact that they're drunk at 7am.  Everyday.
8. Passed on two invitations from friends to go to happy hour this week because of #1 above.  Then made the decision to never put spinach before my social life ever again.
9. Made some good progress on work projects that have been brewing in my mind for a while now... feels so good to be creative and productive :)
10. Went to the gym four times in just as many days. Hollaaaa!  Thank you to the Glee, Rent, and Rascal Flatts stations on Pandora for getting me through it all.

10 Things I Did Last Week

I saw a series on an old friend's blog and was inspired to try it out, considering I continue to fail miserably at blogging.  It's an eternal debate in my head about oversharing and getting too personal, while longing for a place on the web (or anywhere for that matter) to document bits and pieces of my life.  But this I can do.

So here goes.

10 Things I Did Last Week:
1. Welcomed my best friend for a week-long visit on her way to Portland, her new hometown. :)  We had THE BEST time and it was an extremely special thing to spend so much quality time with someone I love so much!  We did San Francisco proud.
2.  I turned 30. Yowza!
3. I hosted about 14 friends for a really awesome birthday soiree.  I felt really blessed to fill our apartment with so many warm and friendly faces, so soon after moving to the city.  We went all out and made amazing appetizers, desserts and cocktails.  Having Nicci there to help (and a talented hubby!) made things possible in the short amount of time we had!  The only thing I failed to do was take pictures to document it all.  Boo.
4.  I opened more than 30 cards and 30 gifts from Todd... but what got me the most was how much time, thought and effort he put in to the whole presentation.  I'll never forget it!
5. Nicci and I hiked Cataract Falls in Marin County and it was BEAUTIFUL.  It was so serene and scenic... and the weather couldn't have been better.  It felt good to sweat out all the crap we'd been eating and drinking :)  We drove through the town of Fairfax to get to the trails, and I had visions of raising a little family there.

6.  On the 4th, we rented bikes and rode across the Golden Gate Bridge with Nicci's friends, Rachael and Joe.  It was a tradition Todd and I started when we were first dating and came up here to celebrate my birthday.  Never in a million years did I think we'd be living here, together, and doing the same thing four years later.  We had the most perfect day, including many stops for photos (and sangria) along the way, delicious burgers and fish tacos in Sausalito, and ended it with fireworks at Dolores Park.
7.  On Friday night, we finally tried Dosa with a few friends and it was delicious.  We ended the night at Zeitgeist, a San Francisco favorite (for the beer drinkers in my life, at least).
8.  I had my six month review at work, and it went really well.  I'm really happy here, and it was nice to hear some positive feedback for the work I've been doing.  Looking forward to growing and taking on more responsibility in the months ahead!
9. I made cheesecake for the first time, in the form of little cupcakes.  I covered them with red and blue berries (hello, patriotic) and they were delicious.  Cracked and all.
10. I booked a flight to OC and San Diego at the end of the month.  Can't wait to see my college pals for Barri's bachelorette party!

Sheesh

I'm averaging about a post a month these days.  Huzzah!  I love that I've spent the last three months convincing my full-time work, my clients, my friends and anyone who will listen that they need a blog, yet here mine sits.  Sad, lonely and stale...

Speaking of blogs, let's talk about the Internet for a hot minute.  This might be a little hard to read, but I think you get the picture.  We. Consume. So. Much.

Dear Valentine

Dear Valentine,

I hope we always have this much fun together.

I love you! XOXO

Sonoma State of Mind

About five minutes after I wrote the last blog post about new year's resolutions, I decided to act fast.  I stared at the page for 27 seconds before I decided to do something about #10 on the list.  Before we both knew it, two weekend getaways had been booked.  Hey, I take this resolution business seriously.

A couple Saturdays ago, we woke up on a beautiful San Francisco morning and headed less than an hour north to stunning Sonoma wine country.  We passed through miles of vineyards before landing at our first stop, Ravens Wood Winery. I love their slogan: unadulterated, unapologetic, unfussy, unwimpy.  The wine was delicious and we had fun chatting with the guy at the tasting bar about all things food and zinfandel.

We had a tasty lunch in "downtown" Sonoma which is an adorable old town square vibe with NO Starbucks in sight! Perfection.  Even more perfect were the two snack plates we picked out to fill our tummies and soak up the wine: fingerling potatoes served with an olive oil and herb infused goat cheese dipping sauce (hello favorite things) and fire roasted piquillo peppers filled with fresh chevre, chopped pistachios, honey, orange zest and a little EVOO for good measure.  Phew.  Heaven in a few bites.

That night, and the real reason for our trip, we paid a visit to Sur la Table, where we'd been given a gift certificate for a cooking class over a year ago (thanks Mom and Dad Degnan).  The class theme was "Moroccan Date Night" and it was amazing!  We created kitchen perfection in the form of olive and orange salad, saffron chicken, crispy flatbread and tasty Moroccan almond cookies.  I always enjoy cooking classes but the thing I love the most (besides cooking a gourmet meal and having all the dishes done for us!) is the simple reminder that food is a pretty incredible thing when done right.  Fresh herbs, unique spices, preserved lemons, and slow cooking make one helluva difference.

We finished off the night with a bottle of wine at our hotel and woke up the next morning to enjoy breakfast, coffee, and a leisurely drive home through Sausalito to enjoy the crystal-clear bay views.  All in all, a perfect way to spend 24 hours!

The following weekend we joined a group of friends in Lake Tahoe.  Neither of us had been before so it was a total treat, minus the no-snow factor.  I'll save that for another blog post :)

I Resolve.

I'm not one to faithfully make resolutions at the start of each year, but since my sister pointed out my lack of blogging lately, I thought I'd document 15 of the thoughts-turned-resolutions that have been percolating over the last couple of days.

In 2012, I resolve to...
1. Try one new recipe each week.
2. Bake more, even if that means I'm pawning the goods off at work so we don't eat them ourselves :)
3. Make the most of my evenings by working out in the morning as much as possible to get it out of the way.
4. Pick up the phone a little more often (not to check Facebook or Twitter, but to actually dial some numbers and have some old-fashioned conversation)
5. Say what's on my mind before it turns in to something way messier than it ever needed to be (been working on this one all my life it seems).
6. Intentionally carve out time in my day for the gym, rather than allow it to be an afterthought.
7. Continue enriching my skills by taking on personal projects for fun. Working on a little something right now actually...
8. Go to the movies more than twice. Ha!
9. Take advantage of the stunning outdoors in San Francisco, even when it rains.  Cuz that aint gonna change in 2012...
10. Book a few weekend getaways before our calendars fill up, rather than saying we never have time to go away.
11. Get my photos organized and (gasp!) even print a few for albums.
12. Blog more.  Stop shying away from it. Writing is better than worrying!
13. Make real plans for a beachy vacation; don't just daydream about it. :)
14. Get authentically involved in a local charity (not the one that pays my bills!)
15. Choose gratitude in the hard moments. Let go of what doesn't matter to make room for what does.

C is for Cookie

Next week is the first annual cookie bake-off at work and yours truly has offered to bake a bajillion cookies so that I don't have to be one of the "tasters" and eat my weight in sugar, flour and chocolate.  I need a little help deciding what to bake, so I'm taking a poll - cast your vote in the comments section and I might just send some your way ;)
Edited to add: yes, I said post your vote in the comments section... not Twitter, G-chat and texts.  That means no cookies for Jess, Hillary, and Julia :)

1.  Mom's mint brownies that look a little something like this (and always, always get eaten faster than you can say "miss piggy"):

2. White chocolate dipped cranberry cookies (another "Mom" special... can you see I have big shoes to fill?):

3. Chocolate pecan bars (a la guess who?):

4. "Over-the-top" Reese's Peanut Butter cookies (because nothing is better than chunks of PB cups inside a cookie)

(images via www.realmomkitchen.com and www.drinkwaterkitchen.com)

(i'm HUNGRY!)

Photo Dump

While I sit here developing carpel tunnel syndrome from being connected to my computer like an umbilical cord, I thought I'd give a little visual update of life in San Francisco over the last few weeks.

top row:

neighborhood flower shop

cold hands at work (pre-apartment heat)

first rosh hashanah in san francisco

middle row:

exploring the castro

shopping cart adventures at costco

todd's birthday beerfest

HOLY cow smell! 

bottom row:

fabulous lunch at zuni cafe (minus the clams that squirmed their way through my insides)

colorful san francisco

incredible live music at bridge school benefit

The Only Thing Constant is Change

I guess you could say that the past two months have been full of more changes than constants, so it's rather fitting that my blog has undergone a change of its own (How do you like it? Thank you, Danielle Moss!)

In the middle of August, I quit my job of nearly 7 years to relocate to San Francisco.  It was probably one of the biggest decisions I’ve ever made, because the job was more than just, well, a job.  I was doing what I loved to do under some challenging circumstances, but the point is that it was comfortable.  My parents lived 10 minutes down the road, I had friends all around, I was a newlywed, and life was good. Yes, there were moments of severe panic in the six weeks it took to finish things up at work, pack up our first home (and by home I mean two-bedroom rental) and begin the job search in a less-than-thriving economy.  Oh, there were moments. But slowly I began to realize that people - our parents, family and friends - were far more concerned about this change than we were, and all for good reason.  We were the ones making this conscious choice to leap in to the (unemployed) unknown.  We were the ones who had to make it happen for ourselves.  I was determined to turn all of that worrying energy in to positive energy. Afterall, life begins at the end of your comfort zone.

I’m writing this blog post while I sit in a bustling coffee shop on Chestnut Street.  All around me, there are business meetings taking place, freelancers doing “office” work, mommies (and some very pregnant mommies-to-be), and other people.  Ordinary people doing ordinary people things… like grabbing a mid-day cappuccino, catching up with friends and brainstorming big ideas.  The point is, I love this city life, and didn’t realize how much it makes my heart sing until I moved right on in and became one of these people.  After this, I’ll join two of my college friends for happy hour in celebration of it being Tuesday.  Because that’s what ordinary people do… they get together on a random Tuesday to celebrate life in between all the big stuff.

November is one of my favorite months of the year... so aside from my little blog, I think, pray and hope that other, bigger changes are ahead.  Changes that come in the form of employment. :)  For now, I'm enjoying this life and trying to relish in every minute of unemployed bliss.  I know that one day soon I'll regret all the fear, worry and anxiety that could so easily overcome me if I let it, so I'm doing my best to rise above it.   If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it.  Go out and get busy. -Dale Carnegie

I Just Spent 10 Minutes on www.someecards.com

Am Yisrael Chai

"Whoever destroys a soul, it is considered as if he destroyed an entire world. And whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world." -Talmud
In the wee hours of this morning, I woke up to go to the bathroom and before I snuck back in to bed, I couldn't help but open up my laptop to get an update on Gilad Shalit's homecoming.  Before we fell asleep, we were just moments away from receiving confirmation that Gilad was reunited with his family.  It was the most incredible feeling to go to bed not knowing what kind of news we would wake up to, but knowing in my heart that thousands of miles away in the Middle East, some sort of miracle was happening.
You see, I had heard and read it all.  Gilad was tortured.  Gilad was starved.  Gilad was brutally, verbally abused.  Gilad hadn't seen the sun in over five years.  Nobody knew what state he would be in physically, emotionally and mentally, when he crossed the border on to Israeli soil after so much time in captivity.  As the anticipation built after the news that he was to return home, so did the skepticism.  But he had become like a son to an entire nation who so desperately wanted to live to witness the end of his plight, and today history was made.


Welcome home, Gilad.  May you live a long, happy and healthy future...

image via www.jewishjournal.com 

Faith

san francisco, we're coming for you.