Countdown

My engagement ring

As promised- here are the photos :)
The setting was made at a jewelry store called Salomon Jewellers.
And it's perfect!!!

Planning update

Engagement ring - check (we got it reset, and B picked it up yesterday- it's stunning!! I love it :) )
Place - check (Ein Yael)
Dress - check (I'm having it handmade for me, by Michal Taylor)
Jewelry - check (I'll be wearing things I already own)
Shoes - check (I just bought a new pair today, pic below!)
Makeup - check (I think- the plan is to go get it done by someone at MAC on the day of, by appointment)
DJ - check
Photographer - in the works...
More details to follow :)

There's a seamstress here in J that I went to see a couple of weeks ago, and she has some really nice stuff. I'm planning to go see her tomorrow with my friend H to decide whether I want her to make my dress. It would probably be something like this:

 Her website has a couple of other dresses as well. Her name is Michal Taylor, check her out!

Hair styles

I think this looks great- the little braid adds some nice detail, and still leaves a simple look.
I might do something along these lines myself :)

Date

So we signed on a place, which means we've set a date. Aug 19 it is, 2 days before my 28th birthday :)
We're going to get married at a place called Ein Yael, here in J. It's a very natural site, with a bit of an archeological edge to it. They set it up really beautifully, with little tea light candles in the crevices between the rocks and lovely coloured tablecloths on round tables outside under the stars, with old olive and other trees all around. I think we made a good choice :)

Now let the countdown begin!
Just  under 3 months to pull everything together :)
Next on the list is to find someone to marry us...

Wedding dress shopping- take 1

I saw this dress in TA today. without the flower on the neck it was rather flattering on me. Might be a bit too quirky tho...

Then there was this dress that I saw at a seamstress that a friend recommended.

It was quite flattering, and the lady was really nice.
I would probably want to change the neckline a little bit. And some delicate lace in place of the crystal band at the waist. It's expensive, but i'm leaving it as a possibility.

That's all for now!

ENGAGED!!!

Can you believe it?
B proposed on the rooftop of the Mamila Hotel, with a gorgeous view of the old city. And he made the cutest proposal video. All his close friends helped out. And the biggest surprise is that somehow noone let out the secret..
So here we go with wedding planning.
We need to find a place, and I need to figure out what to do about a dress. Lots to do.
Will update you soon!

Lush-ness

Oh, my Lush obsession... where do I begin?
I'm trying to put in another order from Lush UK. Yes, they do deliveries all over the world, even here. They have this magical face serum, and I'm all out. Thing is, I pay a fixed shipping rate for delivery up to 1 kg, so I like to take full advantage, and fill my 1 kg to the brim. It always takes me ages to put together an order, cuz I keep recalculating everything. I've been putting off this order for a long time...
The following items are on my list:

1. Full of grace serum bar
2. A million kisses lip tint
3. Cynthia sylvia stout shampoo
4. American creme conditioner
5. Jungle solid conditioner
6. H'Suan wen hua hair treatment
7. 25:43 perfume sampler
8. Smitten hand cream
   
9. Atomic toothy tabs
10. Sparkle toothy tabs

I know I'll love the serum- it's really great. It comes in little bar form, and you just melt it on to your face and massage it in. It feels greasy at first, and it smells a bit funny when you first apply, but it sinks in really well, leaving my face super soft and totally matte. And best of all- it's totally natural ingredients, all kinds of butters and oils, and contains not preservatives (doesn't need then because of its solid form). I love it!

The solid conditioner it great value. The scent is not my favourite. It's a bit grassy in my opinion. But it leaves my hair smelling fresh and clean, and lasts a really long time. And it's not that expensive- less than £3. I personally melt it with hot water into and empty 240mL pot. That makes it into a sort of paste, which I find is easier to use.

I got a sample of the atomic toothy tabs in my previous order. When we were on our little trip to Canada together, I took B to the Lush in Toronto- and he bought a pack of the Dirty toothy tabs. I thought they'd be good for his bag for כוננות. I tried them, and wasn't so impressed. But Atomic is a whole other story- they're lovely! They taste all spicy-cinnamon-y. Yummy! They leave my mouth feeling nice and fresh, and my teeth feel really clean. Perhaps even some whitening going on there... And they seem to be easier to chew up compared to Dirty.
I used my sample when I was on call overnight at the hospital. Super convenient- I just put a few in a tiny little tub, and don't have to carry around a whole tube of toothpaste. Now my sample is almost all gone- time to order my own!! Figured I'd give Sparkle a go while I'm at it.

All the rest of the items are a bit of a gamble, but I think they're a good shot.
Million kisses lip tint got great reviews. I've seen some swatches- they look promising. A red with pink undertones. And my chilli tingle lip tint from x-mas time is really growing on me. So I'm looking forward to trying another Lush lip tint!
Smitten supposedly smells like snowcake, which I got a sample of around x-mas. It's almondy-sweet. Wasn't sure I liked it so much, but it grew on me- and now snowcake is gone (maybe back next year...). Anyway, I prefer getting a cream to more soaps, cuz i'm trying to use up my soap stash. No need to buy more at the moment. Plus, creams always leave a more lasting scent, which is nice :)
I've sniffed both Cynthia sylvia stout shampoo and American cream conditioner in store, but never got up the nerve to buy them, so thought it was about time i gave them a real shot. Both have amazing reviews...
I've tried a different Lush hair treatment- Jasmine and henna. It was nice, made my hair soft and silky, but smelled really strongly of jasmine. To the point that it gave me a headache. The upside was that it covered up the smell of post-henna, which i really dislike (as does B). Smells like wet hay for several days :( But the colour and shine I get I totally worth it for a few days of smelliness. Haha! Anyway, this treatment I'm going to try smells warm and spicy- a bit like chai tea! I got to sniff it in the shop in Toronto. I hope it works as well at covering up the henna smell.
As for the perfume sampler- it's supposed to smell limey at first, and settle to a sweet almost vanilla scent. Sounds lovely, but I have to admit- I haven't had much good luck with perfumes, Lush or otherwise.

Haven't put in the order yet. Even on the website, which adds alot of weight for the shipping, I'm only up to 880g. So I need to decide what else I'm adding to the order to fill it out to the max.

I also decided to sell my Twilight perfume. And with the money, I bought Yuzu & Coco. It's supposed to be mandarin-coconutty-tropical goodness. I'm excited! I hope it lives up to expectations :)

I think that's all for now. I hope I make up my mind and put in my order soon. I'll be sure to update when it arrives!!

New year

Been a while, huh?
Well, I feel like i'm all grown up. Finished med school, started working, moved in with who i think i can now call my other half.

Things were a little rough at the beginning- moving in together and everything. But we seem to have figured a lot of things out. I feel really comfortable and secure- like i can really count on him. It's pretty amazing really. It's hard to imagine life without him. I can hardly remember what that was like. We go to sleep together, and wake up together, and say good bye as we each head out to work.

He's really trying to find his way right now- so sometimes it's a little hard. He's had 2 jobs. One was as a mortgage consultant- turned out to be way too much telemarketing/bad boss. Then decided he actually really wanted to pursue a career in the public sector-so he got a temporary job in the רשות לניירות ערך. He's liking it, but it's only for a few months. Then he needs to find another job. So he's been putting in tons of applications everywhere, going to all sorts of tests and interviews. These government jobs are a long process...

As for me, I'm growing my way to becoming a doctor. That too seems to be a long process, with its ups and downs. I often wish there were more ups, to be honest. But i'm making my way through intern year. By the end of the month i'll have finished the first half (5 months, really), and will soon be on my way to 6 months of peds. I'm hoping that's what i want to do with my life, so I should have a bit of a better time. It's been pretty rough going till now. But i seem to be surviving. Sometimes I wonder whether it was the right path to take, you know, but it leaves me a good amount of possibilities still, and I do like the security and respect that it gives me. I just wish I had a bit more confidence... Hopefully that will come with time. So they say...

I used to have a habit of doing New Year's resolutions. So I might as well continue the tradition :)

1. I've been riding my bike to work nearly everyday- that's about half an hour each way. Which is good for the heart and muscles, but i'd like to start supplementing with pilates twice a week. I have an audio class and mat and everything- just need to get my act together and start doing it. I think it will really help my posture, and maybe even release the stress and tension i seem to hold in my neck and shoulders.

2. I need to start studying a bit. I have Feb. off before i start my 6 months in peds- and i'd love to feel a bit more confident and knowledgeable when i get there.

3. I want to try to become a bit closer with my siblings. And my parents. My mom can be difficult sometimes, and B sometimes has a rough time with it. My dad is quiet, and sometimes it's hard to feel close to him. And the siblings, well, everyone's starting to have their own lives... it's hard to keep track. At the moment all 4 of them have some sort of relationship going on. Anywhere from just-met to engaged. It's sort of a cool new stage.

4. I've become slightly Lush obsessed. Not out of control in terms of spending or anything, just I can spend hours on the internet. It's a little crazy. And there are better uses for my time. The other thing is that I have a stash- and it's stuff that is best used fresh. No point it just sitting around not being used. So I've put a ban on buying any bath products (I feel bad taking alot of baths cuz our little country is rather short on water... so i don't end up using my bubble bars up). And no more soaps until i've used up the ones I have- including the shower gels. Anyway, point is- I want to finish up the stuff I have and really only buy things that I need. Like a sort of clear-out. I feel like it's should help me emotionally clearout as well...

5. I need to figure out how shabbat is going to work for me at B's parents' house. I want to enjoy being with them, and I do- but shabbat can make it really difficult. And I know it will never just magically resolve, but i need to start trying to work it out.

Ok, so i think this is all for now. 5 is probably a good start, right?
I'll let you know how it goes...

BIG News!!

I'm sorry I've been away so long :(
In the meantime, U became and officer, and then proposed to SE. Who would have expected that, right? It's amazing. Cuz I love SE, for one. And I'm just so happy that things have worked out for them. She's ecstatic about the whole thing! And I'm getting a wonderful sister (in law) out of the deal :)
I've also managed to finish med school. Graduation is in 3 days! Pretty incredible, huh?
And B and I are moving in together. Just started working on finding an apartment in J.
So that's the update. I'll tell more about the J decision another time I think.
All for now!

Handmade wedding dresses

So I found someone new! Yourfairytalewedding, on Etsy.
Her work is amazing. I know some might be worried about ordering a wedding dress without trying it on, but she has great feedback and her designs are great.
I found a favourite... photography by Craig Carpenter. If you're looking for a wedding photographer in NC, you might want to take a look :)


This bride also had a great hairstyle... perhaps a bit much for some people, but definitely something i'd consider :)

Onward

I passed the theory test--not a single mistake!!

BA and I are seriously considering moving in together. I found a great apartment that we're going to see in a couple of days. Here in b7. It's got 2 full bedrooms that go out to a huge balcony. And there's a pretty big livingroom/kitchen downstairs. Even a bit of land outside to have a mini garden :) Would be nice to feel like I have a place to call home. And I think living with BA would force us to figure out alot of things that have the potential to be problematic.

Anyway, we're thinking about it. It would be a pretty huge step. New territory for me. I think that's our direction though. So it's a good thing :)

Exciting!!

Been a while...

Things with BA are going really well.
You could pretty much say I'm over the moon about him. Even told him I loved him. Which is a first :)
I feel so much more comfortable with him, it's unbelievable. We've been spending alot of time together recently. He's been gone 2 and a half day and I already really miss him.
Also שבתות we spent together for a bit, 'cuz we were doing the slightly-long-distance thing. We only got to meet up on the weekend. But now I'm back in b7 doing volunteering and learning to drive.
Sex has improved dramatically. Maybe it's that I'm so much more comfortable and relaxed, maybe it's an emotional thing, or maybe something just changed. I dunno. But it's definitely better. And it really does have an impact on the relationship overall.

On friday night I had a talk with my parents. It was pretty intense. Much crying in serious headache during and after. Basically it was about our relationship. We also talked about how situations with significant others should be handled, and how while their approval is really important to me, it's ultimately my decision who I want to be with.
Overall, it was hard, but I think I'm glad we had the talk.

Anyway, off to study for the theory test... wish me luck!

Birthday!

He took me to Rhodes!!
The whole going up north was just a cover for the surprise trip. I only found out when we got to the airport :)
It was AMAZING! We had a great time. Lots of photos to prove it :) We rented a scooter and drove around the island. Lazed around on the beach. Explored the old city. It was a blast.

Update

So round two is going well.
He's great. The somewhat long distance thing is a bit of a bummer. But we manage to see each other a good amount. My elective here is pretty laid back-- I finish at a reasonable hour. And his schedule for the summer is pretty flexible. We spend most weekends together.
The sex has hugely improved. This weekend was a bit of a down, but I've managed to get to orgasm both during sex and separately. Still needs quite a bit of work, but I feel more comfortable with him than I ever have. And that seems to have improved things.
On wednesday he invited me to come with him to his friend's wedding. Next weekend, starting after to wedding, we're going up north together for a weekend, just the two of us. For my birthday. Can you believe I'm turning 26??

My ophthalmology elective is cool. I think I might want to be an ophthalmologist when I grow up :) It's really hard to get a residency spot... We just our Dean's letter sent out to proofread, and I must say--mine sounds damn impressive. They do a good job making us look good! So maybe there's a chance :) First I have to graduate and then do סטאז', so there's still time. We'll have to wait and see.

Trying it again

With BA.
Probably saw that coming, right?
I dunno what to tell you. Except that my heart jumped when i saw him, and we hugged and kissed for a very long time, and it just feels good...
So I'm giving it a try.
Not so sure what's going to happen when/if I go to NYC, or when time for my clerkship comes round. But currently the idea is to take things a week at a time. We'll see how that goes.
For now I better get ready for bed.
לילה טוב!!

Hila Gaon dresses

Cute, no? :)
Hila Gaon, an Israeli designer...

Countdown

One year of pre-clinical medical courses- CHECK
One year of study by systems- CHECK
One year of basic clinical rotations- CHECK
One month Pediatrics Sub-I- CHECK
Two months of electives in Jerusalem
One month of elective in NYC
IHM Clerkship
4 two-week selectives

Not that much more to go, huh?
CRAZY!!

BA

הבוקר הוא הקפיץ אותי לבית חולים אחרי עוד לילה נפלא שישנתי אצלו
התנשקנו במכונית לפני שיצאתי––אין לי מילים
כשאני איתו, אני שמחה. זה עושה לי טוב.

‫חוץ מבשיחות שאנחנו ישירות מדברים על העניין הזה של הדת‬––אז אני מתוסכלת לגמרי‬

‫ניסיתי אתמול לנסות להסביר לו משהו שכנראה היה לי פחות ברור לפני כן
הקטע הזה של המסורת מאוד חשוב לי‬
אבל תכלס, אני לא 'דתיה מאמינה' או מה שלא תרצי לקרוא לזה‬

‫בגלל זה אני מסתבכת‬

העניין הוא שאני לא עושה דברים מתוך אמונה
אני רוצה לעשות אותם כי אני מרגישה חלק ממסורת שהיא עתיקה וחשובה והרבה יותר גדולה מהחיים האישיים שלי‬

‫ולכן אני לא מוכנה לוותר על זה
זה קצת משנה את הדרך ההסתכלות שלי
אבל לא את התוצאה הסופית––שאני רוצה לשמור שבת וכו

הוא כל הזמן אומר שבגלל שהוא לא מאמין, אז זה מגוכך לו לעשות את כל הדברים האלה‬

אז ניסיתי להסביר שבשבילי זה לא עושה את זה פחות חשוב רק בגלל שזה לא בא מתוך אמונה
שזה עדיין משהו שאפשר (ולדעתי חשוב) להתחבר אליו‬
אז הוא אמר שכן, אולי אפשר, אבל שזה עושה את זה הרבה יותר קשה להתחבר לזה‬

‫ניסיתי להגיד שכן, ברור שזה קשה, שזה חלק מהסיבה שכל כך קשה לי‬

‫בקטע של–– אף אחד לא הבטיח שיהיה קל‬

‫אבל פשוט הרגשתי שאני לא מצליחה להעביר את מה שרציתי להגיד בצורה שהוא יבין‬

זה כמו להסביר איך נראה צבע אדום לעיוור

אולי אין לו את הרקע שצריך בשביל להבין
וזה נורא מתסכל אותי