Finishing our Sukkah

We started our sukkah before we left for Davis...

Thank you David and Sam.

but that was only the frame...

we still had the walls

and some decorating to do...

and that was left to USY.

Ashleigh

Hannah

Sarah

Zander

I had a good time working with the kids... and I think they had a good time also.

Thank You ...STS USY

Leaving Sam in Davis

We have said our good-buys
and sent Celia back to Portland.














given Sammie our last hugs until Thanksgiving

Then there was not much left to do but drive home

..it didn't take Ashleigh long to get comfortable with the to

So this is Emerson

After a wonderful drive up we checked in to the hotel and then went over to the school to drop Sam's stuff off. We had to there would have been no room for Celia. So Sam will be living in the Cuarto Residence Halls. which is actually off campus.

She is actually in Emerson (the other two buildings are Webster and Thoreau do we sense a theme). It is a 4 person suite with two bedroom. Sam and her roommate have the room that is connected to the bath.

Right now the walls are very empty, in the main sitting room and in her dorm room. But that can be fixed over time. however it is the view from her room that is exciting ... yes that is a pool and a jacuzzi right outside her door.

So we just took everything out of the car and went back to the hotel to get ready for Yom Kippor... but this is what greeted us when we left services and went back to Sam's room.

Making a Dorm Room a Home

Talk about a blank canvas...

we arrived at Sam's dorm room to find it very very empty..... but not for long.

We started to fill it up

I didn't realize how much stuff she had.

and it didn't take long before

the room started to take shape.

what does it look like to send a kid off to school

It was a beautiful September morning, it was very early we were going to get on the road by 6 get some coffee and some gas and be out of dodge by 6:30 in the am at the latest... so we were right on schedule when we saw this beautiful sunrise at 7:00 in the morning... (1 block from the house)

Now remember back to when your kids were in elementary school and the teacher will prepare a list in advance of all the school supplies that a kid needs for what ever grade he or she is in? And as a good parent you dutifully go out and make sure that you buy everything on the list even if your kid won't need them... and then in high school you rejoice because you are the last person your kids want out shopping with them .... but don't celebrate too much because as soon as they get accepted into the college of their choice you get to start shopping for school supplies again. And let me tell you I would trade any ones crayons and pencil list for lists of items that we were filling for Sam, now don't get me wrong I am as excited as can be that she is going to U.C. Davis.... but what I have learned is all the online sites offer free shipping or pulling service for orders over $50 and for those of you who will be doing this soon.... take them up on it!!! But I digress we had a very nice drive up we stopped at Harris Ranch for Brunch where Ashleigh actually did fall out of the car when we opened the door (yes, we were that packed).

It's time to build the sukkah again

Last year I told you all about our sukkah and how I had no tall people to help me. This year it was a little different... Sam, as one of her last great acts of kindness, engaged the help of one of her friends from USY, Hebrew High and Pilgrimage, David who is tall to help put up our sukkah.

Now the sukkah is not finished yet... but we had to get some of it done before we left to take Sammie up to Davis (she is up there and there will be more blogging to follow). So David came over last week to help me get the frame put together.

He even had Sam up on the ladder trying to do some of it. But she was much better at getting the splinter out than she was at putting the screws in. Any way the one part of the tradition that we forgot was to have David sign the posts after had helped.

I have until Wednesday night to get the rest of it done... oh for just a few more USYers.

8,064 bagles to go

That is what Barry said as we started to get ready for our 5th year as the food parents for LA Hebrew High. It started a few years ago when the Sunday sessions moved from the University of Judaism to Pierce College, what would the kids eat.... Well we have found quite few things that the kids like to eat ... but the favorite of all the kids are the Bagels and Cream Cheese. Every Saturday night between 11:00 p.m at 2:30 Sunday morning we have 8 dozen bagels delivered to our front porch... and then around 7:00 on Sunday morning we (Barry and I) start to put them in plastic bags along with a napkin, knife and cream cheese package. We have 3 more years to go until Ashleigh is a graduate.... and then we can retire.

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