Pssst...

The kids on a photo shoot inside our container.

I'm still here. Surprise. I did not intend to take a month off the blog. In fact I think I only took a week off after the baby was born. That will give you some idea as to just how hideously busy we have been in the last month. Let me explain.

No, too much. Let me sum up.

1. Mr. Rosen flies to Israel to interview for a job in Jerusalem.
2. Mr. Rosen takes the job.
3. I find a house outside Jerusalem on the Israeli version of Craigslist and Mr. Rosen goes to see it
4. Mr. Rosen loves the house and rents it for November 20.
5. Mr. Rosen starts work December 1.
6. We are moving to Israel for real.
7. We need to pack everything and ship it to Israel.
8. We need a to do a lot of shit.
9. We panic.
10. We make a spreadsheet. Color coded.
11. We get the baby an American passport.
12. Our son turns seven. We skip the birthday party and camp out in his cousins backyard instead.
13. We hire a shipper.
14. Mr. Rosen gives notice.
15. I spend two weeks running around between IKEA, Cost Plus, Target, West Elm, Crate and Barrel, TJ Max, Bed Bath and Beyond, REI, Best Buy and Costco to fill up our container with America.
16. I lose my wallet (in one of the above places).
17. We starting sorting, shifting, purging, packing.
18. We start seeing friends to say goodbyes.
19. The shipper drops a 20 foot container in front of our house.
20. I cancel all my credit cards.
21. We think all of our stuff will fit in it.
22. Movers come to fill the container.
23. After it's half full we fear we have too much stuff. 
24. We realize the movers packed all the kids toys and a bunch of crap we don't need while our furniture is mostly still on the driveway. 
25. We buy more space in someone else's container to avoid getting a divorce.
26. Our stuff is gone.
27. Feeling guilty I organize a bowling party for my son on his Hebrew date birthday. 
28. More goodbye gatherings.
29. Someone emails to tell me he found my drivers license on Highway 85 north while he was taking pictures of garbage and mangled car plastic for an art installation he's working on.
30. I sleep train the baby.
31. I develop mastitis - the kind with vomiting, fever and a giant red boob. 
32. Mr. Rosen runs out at 2am to get me antibiotics and narcotics.
33. I cancel our magazines and forward our mail.
34. What's left of our stuff goes on Craigslist.
35. Mr. Rosen transfers half our money to Israel.
36. I pick up our medical and dental records.
37. We get the baby an Israeli passport.

That brings us to today. We are leaving the Bay Area on November 1st with our kids and whatever fits in two suitcases each. Before then we have to sell our car, get rid of remaining items and go trick or treating. And say goodbye to everyone we love. We'll be at Grandma's house for a week which may involve a trip to Disneyland and then we fly to New York where we'll be for another week. And then on November 15 we fly one way to the holy land. God help us.