We are coming

Im not sure what everyone heard but for a short time Gabi and I were not coming. We lost our live in basement dweller and since the state requires minors to have supervision i had a few days of coordinating. So after many many phone calls I was able to hire 9 people to work for me for 7 days. I have charts and graphs and a list of to dos that would scare the most organized person. So with G-d help we will be present at this wonderful, long awaited simcha. Im so happy!
Aviva- if its not to late, our plans changed and we would love to be a part of your sheva brachos.

So, cant wait to see everyone.

5-2

looks like the lions are 5-2 and in 1st in the division they want to make up for their neighbors

israel

2 days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the day after

on wednesday morning at 10:30 devorah and i are going to har hazaysim to say hi to her father and grandfather olav hashalom, if anyone would like to volunteer to do a great mitzvah by watching our children for the hour or so it takes that would be much appreciated. we would take the children but it would be inappropriate and we would need probably another guard with gun and more flak jackets.
cant wait to jump on that plane. devo said the flight to NY and back was great with ahron only bothering the person directly in front of him and not the other two people
see ya soon

Sheva Brachot/s

A bit of a follow up to Shu's Q... Are any of you intersted in joining us for Sheva Brachos other then the Wednesday night siblings party? Thursday we're in Nof Ayalon at Shlomo's really sweet cousins, Sat. night is my friends in Jlem, Sunday Shlomo's friends are making us one, & Monday are joint parent people's friends in Jlem... Let me know!

week 2

Do we have plans for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday post wedding?

Woohoo!!

Four days people!!!!!!!

sarra's apartment

sar this is mainly to you. do you really have 2 turtles 1 dog and a cat? or was it a joke? you have till 11 to answer

tinoks bris

devorah is b'ezrat hashem going to Lakewood for the bris on sunday, he will be leaving me with all my girls motzei shabbos and coming back monday early AM. we got the ticket using worldperk miles and hopefully she will be happy with her seat on the plane, when i went to look at one for her there was only one available in the back of the plane middle seat. i'm hoping they'll give her a better seat if i dont choose that one. anyway alls well, have a good shabbos

Jonah's getting ready

Jonah is getting ready for our trip, he said his first sentence to us B'ivrit - Ani Rotzeh Ugiyah Bveakasha - Of course after that we had to give it to him. Then he counted from Achad- tesha

hey ya'll
im in school...
just a coupel things- k first of all, whoever is supposed to bring my dress, PLEASE DONT FORGET!!!!!
:)
second of all, i jsut finished my college essay and im really psyched about it so thats cool...
thats really it lol im really really really bored and i have nothing esle to do!
k gotta go...love u guys!

northern itinerary

Thanks to the hard work of my dear wife, we now have a northern itinerary for the upcoming pre-nuptial celebration.

Our current itinerary is:

• Thursday - Welcome to Maalot - no real plans.
  
• Friday morning - Nature walk in nachal Kziv. The walk is easy and should be enjoyable by all ages. It is more backpack friendly then stroller friendly, but a 4x4 stroller can do it with no problem.
  
• Shabbos - regular shabbos activities
  
• Saturday night - Beach walk from Rosh hanikra to Nahariya. There is a road next to the beach where you can put a stroller. There is no need to be nervous about the children, they will have fun.
  
• Sunday -
  morning - Agamon hahula - bike riding, bird watching, golf cart driving... http://agamon-hula.co.il its in hebrew but you can see pictures of what they have.
  afternoon - tzfat. Exact plan has not been finalized yet
  
• Monday - Kfar Tavor - Marzipan museum, Winery, John Deere Land, bee farm with honey and beeswax, silk farm.
  
• Tuesday - Heading down to Jerusalem for the wedding.
  

The itinerary is subject to change based on weather and non-Divine factors.

Are We There Yet?

Two weeks and counting :)
Gonna be quite the party...
Ya'll packed yet?

mazal tov !!!!!! and...

REAN BEAN AND YONISH HAD A BABY BOY MOTZEI SHABBOS!!!!!!!!!!!
and they are both currently in hospitals and tehillim would be a nice thing...nothing to worry about just usual stuff, but more serious
we named the baby tinok after our own child before he had a name so his name is tinok ben rena and rena is bas(bat)rochel leah
Mazal Tov

FYI - As per recent discussion with Sarra

For the record, I meant all of MY siblings, not anyone else's. If you are not a Zacks and are interested in participating financially in our Sheva Brachot, it is purely voluntary. Seriously.

For everyone who IS a Zacks, it is mandatory. Seriously.

Hope this clears up the confusion. Looking forward to seeing all of you soon and finally meeting all of you Horwitzes in person! :)

Family Portrait

Once upon a time, in a land far far away (for many of you), back when there were only 8 grandkids (I believe), there was a Grandchildren/Cousins portrait taken. It's very cute, hanging up in Bubbie and Zaide's house. All those kids with cute little denim and white outfits, half of them crying hysterically. And yes, I have heard the horror stories of trying to get that picture taken.
Can you guess where I am going with this?
How does everyone feel about another Grandkids/Cousins picture? Seeing as there are now 15 kiddies (ok, Oldest - maybe you aren't a Kiddie...maybe...at least not a little one). And seeing as we are coming up on a "reunion" (?) that may not happen again for awhile. I think it's that time again!!!
But we probably don't need to go to a portrait studio (do they even have those in Israel?) From what I hear, Simmy's backyard is nice. And we do have a major par-tay coming up too.
So the question is clothing. We can attempt a pre-Shabbas picture (But things may be a little craaaazy) with everyone dressed in their Sabbath best. And we can remember to take a picture at the wedding this time (since we didn't at the last 2) assuming everyone is awake at the same time! Or maybe we can also try a casual picture (More like the one from long ago). Should we plan a color scheme? Stick with denim and white? Doesn't matter?
Any thoughts?

Shilo's Story or Thank God for Seatbelts

I knew it was going to be a bad day. I haven't been around much more then half a year, but I still knew. Mommy was going to school all day, so no good milk for me. Just Daddy trying to force bananas down my throat. I hate bananas! First Daddy tried to feed me pumped milk. who wants that? I need the real thing! Then he went on to bananas. doesn't he know how bad they taste? After that, the day got better. Daddy took me to visit Mommy for lunch, and then he made me zucchini. Zucchini is the best! He mixed in with some carrots and chicken, which are good, but nothing is like zucchini. Later Daddy and I went out to visit Auntie Sarra and look for jobs. I didn't find any. Neither did Daddy or Sarra. We went home, and then we were all going to go out shopping. I was in my stroller, strapped in, waiting by the steps. Mommy stopped to lock the door and Daddy turned to get the key from Mommy. I leaned forward to get my toy from my tray. Suddenly, my stroller moved forward! the front wheels went down one step, and then it flipped over. I was so shocked I couldn't even cry. Luckily, there are only four steps in front of my home, so the stroller only flipped over once and it was already on the ground. Daddy ran and flipped me back over and Mommy grabbed me and ran back in the house. Blood was everywhere. I was over my shock at this point and screaming like a crazy man. Mommy and Daddy started wiping off the blood and discovered it was coming from my mouth. Then Mommy and Daddy ran out of the house, and we took a cab to the emergency room. It felt like forever. I found out later that the cab driver didn't take any money from Daddy. I thought that was very sweet of him. Inside the emergency room, Mommy and Daddy didn't have any ID for me, but due to do Daddy's sweet talking, or maybe the blood gushing from my mouth, they let us in. The doctor used gauze to clean out my mouth, checked the rest of my body, wrote me a prescription, and we left. I looked at Daddy's shirt, it looked like he was a shoichet! I was still in a lot of pain, so I dozed off.
I'm still in pain but I'm getting well drugged and sleeping a lot. I also have a very fat lip. Hopefully, I wont remember this even happened by next week.
Shabbat Shalom,
Shilo Tchelet

Cement trumps Cardboard

Guess what! Ok I'll tell you :) Shlomo and I have an apartment!! It's fully furnished with a cat, a dog and two turtles! Now you have a place to visit us :) As it started raining today in Israel I am quite happy we won't be living in fridgerator boxes in the park - although I think that would make a lovely summer home :) See ya'll soon!

hey ya'll
so not much is going on with me really...im head of Ads for yearbook...hey all of you should buy ads! we need money :)
we're taking senior pictures on monday, and theres lotsa girly hoopla going on with that...everyones getting their hair and makeup done but i dont think i will.
seminaries are also starting to come on monday and talk to us about themselves and try and convicne us to go to their school. if anyone has any idea about where i should apply to, lemme know...
oh! i did the coolest thing EVER! i applied for a job at CVS!
....they havent gotten back to me yet. its been 2 days.
when i went in there today, Kevin- the guy behind the counter- told me that it took him 2 weeks to get his answer, so im not giving up yet. this is my dream.
what else...
so theres this 8th grader who has attached herself to me, and im spending a lot of time talking to her about her issues, which are pretty funny but also really annoying. shes cute thought.

ok i ran out of things to say. life is good, im excited for israel and the rest of my life :)

XOXO

Im finally here!!

Shalom and Hello to all. It only took me two years how to figure out how to get on this blog, lets just hope I dont forget after I log off. I hope you dont get points off for mispelling-
Quick update on the Grossbard clan
We are all busy selling cars and washing wigs (not at the same time or by the same person.)
Kids are busy in school doing,you know, kid things.
we had a mazal Tov last year I had a baby boy, weighing in at ___, named Koby, living in our house. (Linda now I know how you must have felt about me at times :) )He lives in the basement with whatever else lives down there that I havent been able to squash.
It pretty amazing having such an older kid around without raising him. No one has a baby and then start making shidduchim calls. Maybe they should and there would be few less single girls (but probably more divorces).
Im excited to be here on the blog and I hope I can join in and fill all of you on my excellent adventures. Like cooking, cleaning, diaper changing...
I do miss all you Israelites. I look forward to seeing you in the promised land!

Sheva Brachot

To all siblings and Milaine and Gabi -

Please join us for an evening of Bar-B-Que-ing and general HOOPLA at the home of R and V Zacks - you know the address - or you can ask us over the phone.

The party will take place at 6PM, on Wednesday, November 7, A.K.A. 27 Cheshvan. Children are invited (with a smile), BYODVD, if you are interested.

Anyone wishing to help with the set-up and clean-up, please call V. We will buy meat, breads, some Salatim, and paper goods. We will also be making some Salatim. Any financial assistance will be welcomed and appreciated.

Golda and I would like to remind you that we have been paying for things the longest without asking too much of the rest you who were learning, in college, in high school, and yes, even in elementary and preschool at the time. And now we live in Israel. Enough said. Thank you for your support.

:-)

Jetlag

It is almost 3AM. Shilo finally went to sleep. Shany and I aren't at all tired. We slept today from around 6AM til almost 3PM. We walked to the Kotel tonight, and then took the bus home. It took over an hour on the bus. Here is my letter I might send to them one day.

Dear Egged Customer Service,
I am writing in regard to an incident that occured Thursday night, October 11, around midnight. My wife, my infant child, and I waited for the 1 bus to arrive. After a long wait, it finally came and we boarded. The driver took the bus around the circle towards the exit but we were blocked by a car to the side of us who's back was sticking out to far. after ten minutes of sitting there, the driver of the car in front of us got out and got into a yelling match with our driver. This took abotu fifteen minutes. Then we finally pulled out, presumably on our way towards our destination. But the driver then stopped on the side of the road, turned off the bus, and left. He did not bother to explain why. another 1 bus came by but refused to take any of us, although we had all already paid for the bus and were not going anywhere. We waited and waited, and yet another 1 bus came and again refused to stop for us. Meanwhile, my infant child needed to nurse, but my wife was unable to feed him on the bus. Finally, the driver came back, and with no explanation, started driving. Because of this very long delay, we were unable to transfer to another bus, and instead had to walk home with our suffering child.
How do you plan on compensating us for ruining what should have been a wonderful trip to the Kotel?

Sincerely,
Me

Tragedy strikes...

or Simcha, depending on which side you're on.

This morning, like many mornings before it, I watched SportsCenter and then went about my day. Sometime during the afternoon Nat called and told me that the cable wasn't working on either TV.
But out cable internet was working is working fine.

For those who don't know our cable story - we pay an outrageous amount of money for high speed internet, and because Comcast probably felt so bad about ripping us off, they threw in free cable. Using that justification we never didn't leave Comcast.

It also means that we can't call up and complain that our cable isn't working.

Stay tuned......

my foot

it was the night of young sarra's lchayim it was a night of joy a night of happiness, when suddenly without any warning... i twisted my ankle and stress fractured a bone in my foot. raratatatatat father i love you ratatatatamother mother i love you ratatatat hashem i love youuuuuuuuuuuuuu,
i have a soft cast on it and i am b'h able to walk on it, and drive with it although driving does bother it a little, but im ok
thanks for your concerns.

Sar and Shlomo's Par-tay!!

We want pictures!! We want pictures!!

Adventure Report

We started off our adventure managing to sit next to each other...despite Michael's best attempts to keep us in different sections of the plane...V - maybe it was Michael who reported on you guys... :) Our flight was very very very long with NO good movies...I watched 3 in protest...We did play Tetris...and although we could not officially play against each other Shlomo killed me every game we played... We landed at Newerk at 6 AM and Shlomo's aunt was at the airport waiting for us... Then came party #1 of our weeklong partython vacation... I enjoyed meeting all of Shlomo's relatives in the NY area. Then we got to spend some quality time with my new nephews... oh, and their parents :) {welcome to the loop Yossie}. Off to BKLYN we went so Shlomo could meet some of my nutjob friends. And as they didn't quite scare him away we continued this morning on to Leg Two - The Boston Trip. Currently we are chillin' in Boston at my new cousin's place, and we're about to leave for the ice cream run at JP Licks.

Reason number 421 you shouldn't ask me to help

During dinner on Friday night Ari's mom asked me or Nat of we could we bring the soup to teh basement before we go to sleep (we were sleeping in the basement)
A few hours later it was time for bed, I went downstairs, got under the covers and realized that I didn't bring down the soup. So I went back up, took the pot off the blech and put in the fridge. Then I went back up, because Zip was still up, so we decided to chill.
A few minutes later Ari's mom walked into teh kitchen, and said "Where did the cholent go?"
I said, uhhhhh, was it on the blech?"
"Yes" was the reply
"Well...I'm pretty sure I put it in the fridge"

Oddly enough, this was pretty funny, me and Zip were laughing, then I went down and told Nat what happened, and we shared a laugh, at my mistake. I apologized multiple times, and Mrs Ari Mom told me not to worry there is enough food.

I went back downstairs, got back under the covers and felt bad that teh cholent was going to waste when I inspiration hit, I went back upstairs, and asked if we could have Friday night cholent. The idea was approved and we had some really good cholent.

In the morning Ari's mom put the potatoes and meat back on the blech, and so we were able to salvage that for lunch.