So, I am now sitting here just moments after the packers have finished most of their work in our house. Besides the boxes WE packed (PBO's for those of you paying attention!), they packed dozens more today. Our house looks like a warehouse for a Big Box store but at least they will all be gone tomorrow!!
The crew showed up at EXACTLY 8:30am and got right to work. We did a walk-through so that they would know what IS shipping and what is not. (We did not want to be like one of our friends who ended up opening their lift to find that the movers had shipped one of their boxes of GARBAGE!)
In eager anticipation of this day, Andy was up and working by 3:15am and me, the slaggard, slept in until 5am. In any event, the day moved very fast as they packed, wrapped, inventoried and prepared most of the items to go on the container tomorrow. I must say that it was NOT as stressful as I had anticipated these past months and that helped a LOT. Andy was calm virtually the entire time and was moving at lightning speed to keep up with the movers as she showed them what last minute items needed to be packed. Everything they did, they did with a smile.
My daughter, Daniella, went out and bought pizza lunch for the men, which they greatly appreciated and it gave them a few minutes to rejuvenate (I am sure they could have used a nap after that, but so did I!!)
The most tedious part of the entire day (for THEM not ME) was the inventory. Each and every item shipping, whether a box, a chair, a table pad, etc EVERY item received a yellow tag with a number and the inventory list was then written down in detail. I could have handled the PACKING part but the detailed inventory part...that would have driven me to the brink!
A few related things: We have received SO many offers of help from people, food for meals, offers to pick up stuff, etc etc....ALL of those offers were SO nice and we greatly appreciated all of the offers.
And in the middle of all of this...OUR PASSPORTS WITH OUR VISAS TO ENTER ISRAEL AS OLIM CHADASHIM (NEW IMMIGRANTS)ARRIVED!!!! I have hardly had a moment to celebrate having THAT milestone as well, but we have SO many things to celebrate, Baruch Hashem!
Now, let's back up a bit since the last 24 hours have been very busy besides in our home! First, on Sunday early afternoon, our middle daughter, Ayelet, graduated from Ida Crown. We were beaming with pride as she stepped up to get her diploma. Hard to believe that she is our SECOND high school grad now! It was also a very special moment when one of my students (Sara Bernstein) wished our family well as we make Aliya. How special to have such beautiful public recognition.
Then, in yet another milestone, an election was held on Sunday for the Rav of KJBS. At 8:00pm last night the announcement was made...Rabbi Aaron Leibtag will serve as the new Rav for the Shul after I depart for Israel. I am happy for HIM and happy for the shul. it is great for continuity and for growth. I am sure you all join me in wishing Rabbi Leibtag a Mazal Tov and much Hatzlacha in this new exciting position (yes, it is exciting...after ten YEARS serving as the Rav, it is VERY difficult to leave the position, trust me!)
Ok...that is all for now (just another quiet 24 hours of doing nothing...how boring!). Time to get ready for the next and final phase of this move...the actual loading of the lift/container. They are to arrive at 8:30am to drop the container and begin the loading. Needless to say, it will be very strange by the end of the day Monday in the Shandalov household....
While this is the SECOND post I have written today, the first one seems like 6 weeks ago. So, the requisite countdown:
26 days...15 hours and 43 minutes...TICK...TICK...TICK!
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
Let the Games Begin!
It is 6:15AM on Monday, June 8, 2009. The last 24 hours have been completely crazy with a flury of activity leading up to today's packing of the lift. So much to write about: graduation, packing, collapsing, a new Rabbi for KJBS, and so much more.
But, for now, I need to go daven and then finish up some last minute items before this day, that we have so greatly anticipated, begins.
Wish us luck...we are going "underground" until the lift ships out! Phones going off the hook, crime-scene tape going up to protect the perimeter from gawkers....
LET'S DO THIS!
27 DAYS...3 HOURS AND 14 MINUTES...TICK...TICK...TICK!!
But, for now, I need to go daven and then finish up some last minute items before this day, that we have so greatly anticipated, begins.
Wish us luck...we are going "underground" until the lift ships out! Phones going off the hook, crime-scene tape going up to protect the perimeter from gawkers....
LET'S DO THIS!
27 DAYS...3 HOURS AND 14 MINUTES...TICK...TICK...TICK!!
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Friday...More Running Around
While I did not do as MUCH running around on Friday as the day before, it was no cake walk either. I had to be in Elk Grove and Elmhurst. I found the general vicinity of both locations fairly easily. BUT...finding the actual buildings I was seeking proved a bit more complicated.
It seems that to gain access to the holy ground upon which these two warehouses stand, one needs a post-graduate degree in Global Positioning Software systems and at least a rudimentary knowledge of the skills of a S.W.A.T. team. Directions may sound a little like this: "If you go down to the end of the road, make a left, turn immediately to the right, double back and head 33.4 degrees due West all the while turning the steering wheel only with your left hand...," then and only then, will you have the PRIVILEGE to find the warehouse of Sam's Store (220v items) and American Mattress!
But, I DID find the places I was seeking and I was successful in procuring every item we needed! Our list of "To Buy in Chicago" is almost 100% complete...we only lack one item that we will pick up after Ayelet's graduation from High School (ICJA) tomorrow. We are very excited about her graduation and that of Eliana from Arie Crown (as--enter nachas moment here--Eliana is valedictorian in Hebrew AND English!) but at the same time we feel bad that we are not focusing enough on these milestones, as we are so consumed with the Lift going this week. They have both been very understanding...we are deferring the celebrating until after Wednesday...
Yes, this week, we will finally shift from B.L.-time (Before Lift) to A.L.-time. I can not wait to have this event behind us.
There still is plenty to do, so why am I typing on my blog??!! Avoidance...complete avoidance. BUT, I guess I best get back to work.
28 days...10 hours and 3 minutes...TICK...TICK...TICK...
It seems that to gain access to the holy ground upon which these two warehouses stand, one needs a post-graduate degree in Global Positioning Software systems and at least a rudimentary knowledge of the skills of a S.W.A.T. team. Directions may sound a little like this: "If you go down to the end of the road, make a left, turn immediately to the right, double back and head 33.4 degrees due West all the while turning the steering wheel only with your left hand...," then and only then, will you have the PRIVILEGE to find the warehouse of Sam's Store (220v items) and American Mattress!
But, I DID find the places I was seeking and I was successful in procuring every item we needed! Our list of "To Buy in Chicago" is almost 100% complete...we only lack one item that we will pick up after Ayelet's graduation from High School (ICJA) tomorrow. We are very excited about her graduation and that of Eliana from Arie Crown (as--enter nachas moment here--Eliana is valedictorian in Hebrew AND English!) but at the same time we feel bad that we are not focusing enough on these milestones, as we are so consumed with the Lift going this week. They have both been very understanding...we are deferring the celebrating until after Wednesday...
Yes, this week, we will finally shift from B.L.-time (Before Lift) to A.L.-time. I can not wait to have this event behind us.
There still is plenty to do, so why am I typing on my blog??!! Avoidance...complete avoidance. BUT, I guess I best get back to work.
28 days...10 hours and 3 minutes...TICK...TICK...TICK...
Friday, June 5, 2009
Exhaustion
Almost too tired to type, but I must while things are still fresh in my mind.
For those following this blog, you recall that today was the day I was to enter into my own personal purgatory, also known as IKEA. I had it all mapped out...what departments to go to, the people I needed to speak to, the arrangements for the shipment to the warehouse of Deerfield Moving/Sonigo. I THOUGHT I could be in and out fairly quickly. Well, you have heard of The Hundred Years War...they also thought it would be over quickly. The participants in that war and I had one thing in common...we were both wrong!
I ended up in the first Ikea for nearly THREE hours. I seemed to have criss-crossed my path on more than one occasion observing that some of the personnel were great and helpful while others...let's just say that they would benefit from a course by Dale Carnegie.
In any event, I ran hither and yon, picking the bookcases, doors, cabinets, stainless steel cart and other "essentials." When it was all said and done, I did not get everything I wanted to, since I knew in advance that I would need to visit a second location (Hashem Yerachem!) for certain bookcase doors.
The funny thing is that I was in and out of the Ikea (in Bolingbrook--yes, that IS where "Old Chicago" was for you old time Chicagoans!) in about 12 minutes! I think that there were 15 other people in the whole store and there definitely was only one cashier.
The ride back was terrible, but I kept telling myself these were just more tests on the road to Aliya. Tomorrow, I need to run to Elk Grove and (suddenly) also to Elmhurst as a couple of items we needed relating to bedding that should have been available 2 minutes from our house are suddenly OUT OF STOCK. So, off to the Western Suburbs tomorrow!
One last thought...the entire focus for days has now been: LIFT, LIFT and the LIFT. Then, it occurred to me that (in Chutz La'aretz at least) this week's Parasha is Parashat Naso, which means "to lift" or "to raise" !! How cool is that!?!?
Thirty days, 10 hours, 42 minutes...TICK...TICK...TICK....wow, almost under 30 days!
For those following this blog, you recall that today was the day I was to enter into my own personal purgatory, also known as IKEA. I had it all mapped out...what departments to go to, the people I needed to speak to, the arrangements for the shipment to the warehouse of Deerfield Moving/Sonigo. I THOUGHT I could be in and out fairly quickly. Well, you have heard of The Hundred Years War...they also thought it would be over quickly. The participants in that war and I had one thing in common...we were both wrong!
I ended up in the first Ikea for nearly THREE hours. I seemed to have criss-crossed my path on more than one occasion observing that some of the personnel were great and helpful while others...let's just say that they would benefit from a course by Dale Carnegie.
In any event, I ran hither and yon, picking the bookcases, doors, cabinets, stainless steel cart and other "essentials." When it was all said and done, I did not get everything I wanted to, since I knew in advance that I would need to visit a second location (Hashem Yerachem!) for certain bookcase doors.
The funny thing is that I was in and out of the Ikea (in Bolingbrook--yes, that IS where "Old Chicago" was for you old time Chicagoans!) in about 12 minutes! I think that there were 15 other people in the whole store and there definitely was only one cashier.
The ride back was terrible, but I kept telling myself these were just more tests on the road to Aliya. Tomorrow, I need to run to Elk Grove and (suddenly) also to Elmhurst as a couple of items we needed relating to bedding that should have been available 2 minutes from our house are suddenly OUT OF STOCK. So, off to the Western Suburbs tomorrow!
One last thought...the entire focus for days has now been: LIFT, LIFT and the LIFT. Then, it occurred to me that (in Chutz La'aretz at least) this week's Parasha is Parashat Naso, which means "to lift" or "to raise" !! How cool is that!?!?
Thirty days, 10 hours, 42 minutes...TICK...TICK...TICK....wow, almost under 30 days!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Reaching New "Lowe's"
Our day on Monday and Tuesday was filled with joy as we crossed many items off of our list of items to buy. Monday was Sam's Club (twice...more on that in a minute) and Tuesday was Lowe's (twice...more on that in a minute...getting to see a pattern?!?); Home Depot, Wal-Mart, and CVS. It was such a feeling of accomplishment to cross SO many items off the list of "TO BUY IN CHICAGO." But, why TWO trips to the aforementioned stores? It certainly was not because we enjoy them so much! Last night, we arrived at Sam's Club half an hour before closing with our sights set on box springs (x2), bed frames (x2) a bottle of Glenlivet (not for us...honestly!) and one or two other items. We checked out of the store with time to spare. I pulled the van around, we loaded the first box spring in and then...(cue music played when tired couple realizes they are in trouble)...we saw that the second box spring would not fit in the van! Our choices: leave one there for someone homeless; cut a sunroof in the van to accommodate this item; or...make two trips while one of us drove home (me) and one of us (Andy) stayed with the offending box spring. So, two trips for a one-trip stop.And Lowe's? We were there at 7:40am this morning and picked out some items we had on our lists. We brought the items home and then, there on the counter, staring at us almost with a smug little smile was a coupon for $10 off a purchase at Lowe's. I KNEW we had the coupon but I forgot to bring it along! When you are dealing with so many dollar signs as we have been lately, a savings of $10 is truly worth it...so, back to Lowe's, again, this evening to refund and re-charge the list LESS the $10...capitalism triumphs again.
Tomorrow is the day I have been dreading since making our TO DO lists. It means a trip to Ikea! BUT...cue horror music...I need to go to TWO different Ikea stores!!! AAARRGGGHHH....They do not have all the parts we need in one, so it is a double dose of Ikea for me tomorrow. BUT...the one saving grace is that I am going alone...with no one...by myself...and I can go at the pace I WANT to go. It will be a much faster venture this way, but it still IS Ikea, after all...OY...say a special prayer for me please.
Later on in the day tomorrow it is a trip to go pick up the two trundle beds we ordered and then Friday off to the store in Elk Grove for some 220v items we bought.
Hmmm...what are all those bare spots on the walls...that was where the pictures were....or, was that where the clock was??? How quickly our minds fail us!
It is Wednesday evening at 9:12pm...it is now 31 days 12 hours and 28 minutes until we board the plane to NY...TICK...TICK...TICK!!!
Tomorrow is the day I have been dreading since making our TO DO lists. It means a trip to Ikea! BUT...cue horror music...I need to go to TWO different Ikea stores!!! AAARRGGGHHH....They do not have all the parts we need in one, so it is a double dose of Ikea for me tomorrow. BUT...the one saving grace is that I am going alone...with no one...by myself...and I can go at the pace I WANT to go. It will be a much faster venture this way, but it still IS Ikea, after all...OY...say a special prayer for me please.
Later on in the day tomorrow it is a trip to go pick up the two trundle beds we ordered and then Friday off to the store in Elk Grove for some 220v items we bought.
Hmmm...what are all those bare spots on the walls...that was where the pictures were....or, was that where the clock was??? How quickly our minds fail us!
It is Wednesday evening at 9:12pm...it is now 31 days 12 hours and 28 minutes until we board the plane to NY...TICK...TICK...TICK!!!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
VISA and The Office
While I fully expected this to be a busy week, what I was not prepared for was the emotional roller coaster it would be as well. Today was a PERFECT example of this idea.
In the early part of the afternoon, I paid a visit to the Israel Aliya office here in Chicago. I met with Jackie (as Shira is still out and should have a refuah shlema!) to hand in a significant set of documents. While there is a TON of paperwork involved in making Aliya, the last piece of paperwork before Aliya is the applying for VISA's for resident status in Israel. The VISA application and all the documentation to put together for the application was really the last piece of paperwork on THIS end for me to do. When I handed in the applications, I was VERY emotional as it signified my official request for admission to the country as a resident. Yes, I had done all the other applications and steps before with Nefesh and with the Jewish Agency, but somehow, this was different. I felt SO proud to hand Jackie the forms. I told her that once the passports are back with the VISA's in them to call me. I will be over in a nano-second to get them (and that is if there is a lot of traffic!)
The other emotional moment that I was unprepared for came this afternoon and early in the evening. I was in the Shul office to finish off packing up the rest of my sefarim, books and files. As I packed away the files, I took a bit of a journey down memory lane. I was looking back at 10 years in the position of Rav...looking at marriage documents I wrote, settlement documents I worked on, dozens of cards and letters I had received over time, pictures, organizational work I had been involved in....All of this hit me right between the eyes and I found myself needing to sit down and stop for a few minutes. It was just to much for me...I don't know...I had no issues like this in packing up in the HOUSE but in the SHUL it was hitting me hard. It felt much more personal.
But now it is back to the grind of packing. The Office is almost done...just a few odds and ends left. The house is another story! But...we'll get there...
33 days, 12 hours and 12 minutes until we board the plane...TICK...TICK...TICK!
In the early part of the afternoon, I paid a visit to the Israel Aliya office here in Chicago. I met with Jackie (as Shira is still out and should have a refuah shlema!) to hand in a significant set of documents. While there is a TON of paperwork involved in making Aliya, the last piece of paperwork before Aliya is the applying for VISA's for resident status in Israel. The VISA application and all the documentation to put together for the application was really the last piece of paperwork on THIS end for me to do. When I handed in the applications, I was VERY emotional as it signified my official request for admission to the country as a resident. Yes, I had done all the other applications and steps before with Nefesh and with the Jewish Agency, but somehow, this was different. I felt SO proud to hand Jackie the forms. I told her that once the passports are back with the VISA's in them to call me. I will be over in a nano-second to get them (and that is if there is a lot of traffic!)
The other emotional moment that I was unprepared for came this afternoon and early in the evening. I was in the Shul office to finish off packing up the rest of my sefarim, books and files. As I packed away the files, I took a bit of a journey down memory lane. I was looking back at 10 years in the position of Rav...looking at marriage documents I wrote, settlement documents I worked on, dozens of cards and letters I had received over time, pictures, organizational work I had been involved in....All of this hit me right between the eyes and I found myself needing to sit down and stop for a few minutes. It was just to much for me...I don't know...I had no issues like this in packing up in the HOUSE but in the SHUL it was hitting me hard. It felt much more personal.
But now it is back to the grind of packing. The Office is almost done...just a few odds and ends left. The house is another story! But...we'll get there...
33 days, 12 hours and 12 minutes until we board the plane...TICK...TICK...TICK!
Sunday, May 31, 2009
A Restful Shavuot and Here Comes "Crunch Week"
What a beautiful Yom Tov this was! The weather co-operated and all was good for the Chag. Sadly, since I was still jet-lagged on the first night of the Chag, for the first time in 15 years, I was not up for the Mishmar all night. Other than that, it was a restful couple of days. It was nice to realize it was the last 2-day Chag for us and "strange" to have given my last Yizkor Derasha in Shul. As restful as these couple of days were...
...here comes CRUNCH WEEK! One week from tomorrow the movers (Sonigo) come to pack us up (the items that WE have not packed) and to load the container for shipping to Israel. That means that this is the FINAL week for our decisions as to what is being shipped. it is also the week in which all those little (and BIG) items that we are shipping but have not yet picked up will have to be purchased and brought home. That means finishing the packing, visiting the bedding store, IKEA (Lo Aleinu), Home Depot and other miscellaneous places. It is going to be so much fun! (I guess I have a warped view of what "fun" is all about).
Well that is it for now. Today is Sunday and that makes it an "even" amount of weeks until we board the plane. It is 35 days from right now (or 840 hours until we board the plane to NY). It actually looks like we are going to really do this!
Five weeks....35 days...840 hours....TICK...TICK...TICK...
...here comes CRUNCH WEEK! One week from tomorrow the movers (Sonigo) come to pack us up (the items that WE have not packed) and to load the container for shipping to Israel. That means that this is the FINAL week for our decisions as to what is being shipped. it is also the week in which all those little (and BIG) items that we are shipping but have not yet picked up will have to be purchased and brought home. That means finishing the packing, visiting the bedding store, IKEA (Lo Aleinu), Home Depot and other miscellaneous places. It is going to be so much fun! (I guess I have a warped view of what "fun" is all about).
Well that is it for now. Today is Sunday and that makes it an "even" amount of weeks until we board the plane. It is 35 days from right now (or 840 hours until we board the plane to NY). It actually looks like we are going to really do this!
Five weeks....35 days...840 hours....TICK...TICK...TICK...
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