Busy, busy, busy!

Well, it's been quite awhile since my last entry, but that is because I have been so very busy! Here are some updates:

1) As many of you know, me and Oren have been preparing to renovate an apartment that he has owned and been renting out for a few years that is located on the best street in Tel Aviv, Rothschild Blvd. He bought the apartment years ago before the area got popular, and it is now one of the best investments that anyone could have made, as it is more than doubled in value since he bought it. Anyhow, we have been working with interior designers since October to create a space that would be comfortable for us, found a contractor last Saturday evening, and as of Sunday morning, the walls came a-tumblin down. It is a fantastic project and we could not be more excited. The contractor tells us the place can be finished in 4-5 weeks, so if that holds true, we will be living in our new place in mid-January which would be AMAZING. We just finished the "demolition" phase which was accomplished incredibly quickly, and next week begins the electrical stuff. I will keep you all updated on the progress, as it is so very exciting!

2) My client list is growing which is also very exciting. This also means my free time is decreasing rapidly. I now spend 5 hours in the morning at Ulpan, come home, and then have meetings or do work all afternoon and into the evening. It also now appears that it is possible that I will be in the states 3 times between the end of February and beginning of April which would be a little ridiculous. That will all get figured out though.

3) Last night, me and Oren celebrated one year of being together (a lot can happen in a year, huh?) by going to one of the new, hot restaurants in Tel Aviv called Herbert Samuel. I am not exaggerating when I say that it was one of the best culinary experiences I have had in recent memory. The items on the menu can be served tapas style or main dish style, so we were able to try many different dishes. Just to give you a taste of the experience, we started with an artichoke soup that was amazing. We then moved on to a spicy shrimp with green beans, onions, and olives in a red pepper sauce, prosciutto with apple, a rice noodle "ravioli" filled with raw tuna and avocado in a soy vinaigrette, moved on to a filet of steak with a roasted onion and awesome mashed potatoes, and then a risotto with scallops. For dessert, a wafer with baked bananas and poppy seed ice cream, plus a complementary dessert that is a signature of the chef's, which was a cookie with layers of mousse and nuts all covered in hardened chocolate. All of this plus the delicious bottle of champagne, made for an absolutely perfect meal. We are definitely taking my family there when they come in 2 weeks.

And with that brief update, we are off to celebrate Oren's dad's birthday. Happy holidays!