And from Baltimore, Home :)

I know that most of  you are probably not too interested in the remainder of my travels, so I’ll just bore you to death with the details anyways. Call me mean, it’s my middle name.

After the Isreali Embassy on Thursday, I went to my friend’s house in Baltimore, went to her brothers baseball game, saw all her siblings and then went to sleep.

Friday was reasonably uneventful, calling my friends, helping out and generally bumming around.

Shabbos was really really nice. Friday night, my friend and I stayed up until 5 a.m. talking, which was great, and naturally, this event takes credit for the crazy large garbage bags suspended from my eyeballs. In case you were wondering.

Shabbos day, two nice couples ate at my friends house, and she and I hung out some more, took long walks, and went to a Homeschoolers shalosh seudos.

On Sunday (yeah, it’s going fast here for your sake, I took pity on you) we had to get up early for the Homeschool Conference. I don’t think I was up before 11 a.m.

But once I woke up I got to the Baltimore JCC as quickly as I could, to meet up with my anxious friends. Of course, not much was happening, seeing as the conference was for adults, except for the part where we spoke, so the four of us spent two hours in the women’s room beautifying ourselves.

My Detroit friend had joined my Baltimore friend, her sister and me for this momentous occasion, where we would speak on a Teen Panel.

I was totally nervous at first, but all in all, it went pretty well.

We sat at a table in front of around 20 people, and we answered commonly asked questions about homeschooling. The videos of us are painful for me to watch; I never knew I move my hands around that much when I talk.

But like I said, overall it was OK, and it sure felt good to collapse after that.

I have a feeling we went to another one of my friend’s brothers baseball games, but I can’t be too sure.

Monday came upon us way too quickly…ahh, Monday. After starting my day late as usual, I came downstairs and discovered preparations for a five year old boys birthday party well under way.

I did whatever I could to help out, and I must say that my friend outdid herself in the planning department.

The party was a smashing success and the cake was simply AMAZING. I am severly considering making a Photo Gallery so you can see what I meant.

My friend made the cake; in fact, she planned and prepared the entire party. You ROCK!

Well, after that exhausting day, my friend’s 14 year old sister informed me that their family loves me to pieces and they would rather I didn’t leave the next day, Tuesday, to Brooklyn, NY, as originally planned.

In a spurt of spontanuity most unbecoming of my ESFP nature-yeah right- I decided to stay. I quickly called my NY friend to cancel on her, and I called my mom’s old high school friend who had ever so sweetly offered to take me to the bus stop.

I stayed.

Unfortunately, my friend left to Israel that day, so I didn’t get to enjoy her company, although the rest of her adorable siblings ALMOST made up for it.

Tuesday we all drove to the airport in Virginia to see her off, and I never felt so numb when leaving that place. It was so weird to say goodbye to her but still be with her family.

On the way home, we drove through nearly four hours of traffic, stopping for water three times due to a massive heat wave. Naturally, their A/C had broken, which left us all creating little lakes and puddles of our own.

Yeah, I’m so rich, I own a lake. Of sweat, I mean. Ha ha. It sure wasn’t funny at the time.

BUT Baruch Hashem we made it to the 12 year old boy’s baseball game only a little late, and once again, I watched Little League baseball. I rawther developed a liking for it…either that, or the chocolate chip cookies that their grandmother gave us.

 

Wednesday came like a dream, because we went ice skating IN THE SUMMER! Don’t worry, it was indoors.

I learned how to almost-backskate, and I perfected my crossovers, but not the backwards ones.

I had a really great time with all the siblings, just living with them all. I miss them like crazy. And the 14 year old girl, my new friend, is so nice and sweet and amazing and always there for me…love that girl!

Anyways, Thursday was nice weather…a bike ride, some slurpees, a little league world series baseball game, and lots of packing. More slurpees, I stayed up until 2 a.m. or was it 3?

And then it was off the the Monsey Bus stop, where I realized, too late, that I had forgotten my iPod behind. Bummer.

I bussed to Boro Park, NY, stayed in Amnons Pizza for an hour trying to look inconspicous with a massive suitcase in one hand and a slice in the other, and then I took a bus to Monsey, NY.

I stayed at my grandparents. That was quite an interesting weekend; my mom had flown in thursday night from Detroit to be with me, and she and my 17 year old aunt had gotten in a fender bender that day. Thank G-d they were both OK.

Also, a different one of my aunts had given birth to a baby boy a couple of days earlier-on her kitchen floor. Don’t ask.

Anyways, like I said, interesting weekend.

My grat-grandparents are living with my grandparent,s so I got to talk to them and spend time with them, which was super nice.

They are adorable together.

Gosh this is getting long.

OK, super quick.

Motzei Shabbos I stole half of my aunts closet which only turned out to be like three things, went to the Purple Pear where we spent $16 on a delicious toothpick, and went to bed too late.

Sunday Morning. Dum Dum Dum DUM.

The Kaplun Foundation Luncheon in Battery Park, Manhattan.

We took a cab.

We got there late, but it made no difference.

It was quaint.

Good food, hoity-toity waitors (who do you think you are, you’re barely scraping the minimum wage bin, ya ****) who were actually quite nice, and interesting people who were my competition.

Boring speeches. Actually, some of them were decent.

Whatever, point is, I didn’t win.

They announced the six finalists from each age group, younger first, and then an hour later, the older.

The last name they said would be the Grand Prize Winner, and guess who’s name they called SECOND to last? Mine.

So I was getting more nervous by the moment, because they were calling everyone’s name except for mine and someone else’s, but then they called mine, and THEN they called hers. Interesting how the ORDER of calling someones name determines their fate…

But I wasn’t upset at all becasue I hadn’t counted on winning.

Still, I like the points I made in my essay better than hers; she wrote a research paper that was politically correct, and it wasn’t personal at all.

Anyways.

I walked with my mom and aunt and uncle, who had both so graciously joined us at the luncheon, to the subway.

We walked a bunch of blocks and then I was back in their apartment, the same one I stayed in last year.

K I really have to wrap this up, so I spent the night their; they are SO nice about everything, and I couldn’t htank them enough.

Then my mom and I cabbed to the airport, where I met someone I had know back in third grade, and I sat next to her on the plane home.

I got home at 1 in the afternoon, hit the sack, and didn’t open my bleary eyes until six.

and I’m still tired and sore from all that traveling, so I’m gonna put my head down for the night.

Thanks for reading.

PS looking forward to submitting interesting content REALLY soon!

Keep UNraveling!