This past Shabbos was my first in our new home. I say "my" first Shabbos because my husband is currently in Baltimore working, until after tax sesason / Pesach.
Wow. Wow. Wow. Here I am lighting my candles, looking out to the hills, realizing that for over two years I have been dreaming of this moment.
Friday was spent cooking, of course. It was really fun - using my new oven, preparing Shabbos food, looking forward to guests, etc. On Friday morning I had even ventured out to the local grocery to find last minute stuff - I needed matches, of all things, and had a hard time finding them in the big supermarket. Found them! Also bought a Jerusalem Post weekend edition, and I was able to purchase bottles of soda and candle oil.
Why, you may ask, am I saying that I was able to purchase bottles of soda? Because our elevator is now working! Yes, folks, after more than three weeks in this apartment the elevator is now working - such good timing since everyone has already moved in.
So bringing heavy bottles of soda is now easy peasy since we have an elevator. I'm sure you are all starting to plan a celebration for us.
I fill the candlestick thingies with candle oil and enjoy looking at my set table and lighting-ready candles all day. You can tell that this is not going to end well, can't you?
I go to light the candles and use my newfound matches and I light the wick and.....fizzzzzzzzle.
I try it again. Fizzzzzzle. Oh, that's depressing. Apparently I bought the wrong oil. But it SAYS oil for candles on it! How can that be wrong?
Thank goodness my Shabbos guest brought me a bag of tea lights! She saved the day!
So anyway....Shabbos was beautiful. Waking up Shabbos morning, looking out at the hills, sitting on the mirpeset, reading the paper, amazing.
And the neighborhood, which is usually busy with traffic, was full of families walking to and from shul, kids running around, etc. I still cannot beleive that after all of the planning - it is real. I keep saying that, don't I.
Today was my first foray into the famous supermarket Rami Levi. One thing I can say for them is that even though I didn't have a "club" card, I was not pressured to get one. Automatic ten ponts for Rami Levi.
I also, with trepidation akin to erev Yom Kippur, went to Office Depot to return a phone. You see, when I purchased the phone, the cashier printed out this long complicated special receipt, gave me a very serious look, and said, "Hold onto this, do NOT lose it."
After trying out the phone I decided I didn't want it. I went to look for the receipt and, um, I could not find it. Remembering the stern cashier, I feared for my very life. So I did what I usually do when soemthing is scary - I decided to procrastinate. I put the phone back in the bag and that bag sat on my desk for about 8 days staring at me, daring me to take it back to the store and return it.
Finally today I decided to do it. I walked in and said to the young guy behind the cash register that I wanted to return it. I decided to be tough and not mention the lack of a receipt. I mean why put ideas in his head? So he took the phone and started to credit it to my charge card and I was feeling pretty smug. Then he had a question so he had to ask Someone Who Knows Stuff. Well, you can forget it now. I was never getting a refund on my credit card. Of course the Someone asked me for my receipt and I said I don't have it. He gave me a very stern look and said, "We cannot help you." OK, I thought, I'm going to try something else - "How about giving me store credit for it?"
"OK!" they said, we can do that. So three people got together to figure this out after which I walked out with something with Hebrew on it that may or may not be a store credit receipt. We'll find out next time I go there and try to use it. Either way, they have my phone and I have.....something.
Tomorrow my challenge of the day will be getting gas using self-serve. I think it's time I do that here. Apparently you have to punch in your identity number and your license tag number. Wish me luck!
Wow. Wow. Wow. Here I am lighting my candles, looking out to the hills, realizing that for over two years I have been dreaming of this moment.
Friday was spent cooking, of course. It was really fun - using my new oven, preparing Shabbos food, looking forward to guests, etc. On Friday morning I had even ventured out to the local grocery to find last minute stuff - I needed matches, of all things, and had a hard time finding them in the big supermarket. Found them! Also bought a Jerusalem Post weekend edition, and I was able to purchase bottles of soda and candle oil.
Why, you may ask, am I saying that I was able to purchase bottles of soda? Because our elevator is now working! Yes, folks, after more than three weeks in this apartment the elevator is now working - such good timing since everyone has already moved in.
So bringing heavy bottles of soda is now easy peasy since we have an elevator. I'm sure you are all starting to plan a celebration for us.
I fill the candlestick thingies with candle oil and enjoy looking at my set table and lighting-ready candles all day. You can tell that this is not going to end well, can't you?
I go to light the candles and use my newfound matches and I light the wick and.....fizzzzzzzzle.
I try it again. Fizzzzzzle. Oh, that's depressing. Apparently I bought the wrong oil. But it SAYS oil for candles on it! How can that be wrong?
Thank goodness my Shabbos guest brought me a bag of tea lights! She saved the day!
So anyway....Shabbos was beautiful. Waking up Shabbos morning, looking out at the hills, sitting on the mirpeset, reading the paper, amazing.
And the neighborhood, which is usually busy with traffic, was full of families walking to and from shul, kids running around, etc. I still cannot beleive that after all of the planning - it is real. I keep saying that, don't I.
Today was my first foray into the famous supermarket Rami Levi. One thing I can say for them is that even though I didn't have a "club" card, I was not pressured to get one. Automatic ten ponts for Rami Levi.
I also, with trepidation akin to erev Yom Kippur, went to Office Depot to return a phone. You see, when I purchased the phone, the cashier printed out this long complicated special receipt, gave me a very serious look, and said, "Hold onto this, do NOT lose it."
After trying out the phone I decided I didn't want it. I went to look for the receipt and, um, I could not find it. Remembering the stern cashier, I feared for my very life. So I did what I usually do when soemthing is scary - I decided to procrastinate. I put the phone back in the bag and that bag sat on my desk for about 8 days staring at me, daring me to take it back to the store and return it.
Finally today I decided to do it. I walked in and said to the young guy behind the cash register that I wanted to return it. I decided to be tough and not mention the lack of a receipt. I mean why put ideas in his head? So he took the phone and started to credit it to my charge card and I was feeling pretty smug. Then he had a question so he had to ask Someone Who Knows Stuff. Well, you can forget it now. I was never getting a refund on my credit card. Of course the Someone asked me for my receipt and I said I don't have it. He gave me a very stern look and said, "We cannot help you." OK, I thought, I'm going to try something else - "How about giving me store credit for it?"
"OK!" they said, we can do that. So three people got together to figure this out after which I walked out with something with Hebrew on it that may or may not be a store credit receipt. We'll find out next time I go there and try to use it. Either way, they have my phone and I have.....something.
Tomorrow my challenge of the day will be getting gas using self-serve. I think it's time I do that here. Apparently you have to punch in your identity number and your license tag number. Wish me luck!
I love this post! There is truly nothing like lighting your Shabbat candles in Israel.
ReplyDeleteAnd you should get a Rami Levi card. Whatever it costs, you get that deducted from your first purchase and then that's how you get the sale prices. :)