Kats Married!

Yesterday I went to Kat’s wedding. It was a beautiful ceremony. I was so excited to see my friend on her big day. When she walked down the isle I was so excited that I kept hitting Michael Miller (by the way sorry about that friend). She just looked so gorgeous, I mean even more gorgeous than usual, and so happy that I could not contain how excited I was for her. Of course, Josiah looked very handsome in his skirt. It was such a fun day and it really was a silver lining to fleeing a war torn country. The part of the ceremony that I loved the most was the fact that they are just so happy. Theirs is a marriage that is going to last and is going to be a Christ centered marriage. It is not going to be perfect, of course, but it will be solid. So Congrats Katda! And Josiah, welcome to the family!

The New Jessica

There are some people in life who hide who they truly are because they are afraid of what people might think. Others are so afraid to show their true self because it is so different than who they portray themselves to be and they are afraid that their friends and family will not approve of their way of life. Sadly, I became friends with someone like this recently. This is a girl that I admire and respect very much. But I am sad for her because she is so ashamed of who she really is that she lets very few people get to know her. I had the great pleasure of being one of these people who got to know the real Jessica in the few weeks while I was in Israel. I want to share that story with you now because I think the world deserves to know who Jessica really is and who she is dying to be on the outside. I don’t want my friend to be a closet case anymore. I want her to be able to proudly walk out of her apartment in high heels, makeup, nails manicured, hair sprayed, eyelashes curled, and yes tiara in hair. I want her to be proud of what she really is: girly.

I know what you are thinking, “This can’t be! I mean Jessica is a beautiful women but girly is never a word that I would use to described her.” That is what I thought, my friend, when I first met her. But somehow she finally felt she could open up to me and admit her secret desire. Oh, it started out small. While touring Jerusalem she let slip the phrase, “I can’t wait to go shopping.” Quickly, she tried to cover up her confession with, “I just want to experience some of the Jerusalem culture.” At first I believed her. But then later that night while we were getting ready for bed at the hostel I heard her say under her breath, “I would kill for a french manicure right about now.” Well, you can imagine my surprise. I even thought I misunderstood her. But there was no mistake in what she had said. Then other things began to make sense. The way she would sit in front of the mirror fixing her hair every morning before the dig, biking all the time to keep up her figure, and bringing along the movie Pride and Prejudice. It was all clear to me now, Jessica was secretly really girly! After a sleepless night of much deliberation I knew I had to confront her. The next morning I asked Jessica if I could talk with her. I told her what I overheard and my suspicions. Right away she denied it. But after I persisted for some time she broke down. “Ok, ok, you got me! I love puppies, flowers, the color pink, makeup, poems, movies with Meg Ryan, soap operas, shoes, purses, doing my nail, and chocolate! I love being girly!” I must admit I was surprised. I did not know her secret ran this deep but like a good friend I told her that she did not have to hide her true self around me anymore.

The next week was full of talks about boys, what colors looked best on her during the summer compared with the fall season, her favorite shopping malls, and exercise tips. I must say it was all a little tiring on my part but I was proud of her for showing me her true self. I am sharing this with the world now (Yes, this blog is an international read) because everyone needs to know who Jessica really is. Jessica if you are reading this don’t be mad. Take off your mud mask, put on your Stiletto heels, hike up that mini skirt, and show the world who you truly are. The Jessica that I got to know in Israel. The frilly girly you.

Not Tan??!! How dare they say I am not tan!! I am tan!

Now that I am home and caught up on sleep I thought I should blog. I know people have been missing my post since I blogged so much while I was in Israel. I think my posts are so popular because of the clever nature of my blogs. I was known as the witty one while we were in Isreal.
As most of you already know, or have probably assumed, I am back at home safe and sound. My trip home was long and tiring. Actually, the trip was not bad until I was on my flight into Chicago. My flight into Canada was late and by the time I grabbed my bags, went through customs, ticket lines, and security, I barely made my flight. I have decided that I hate flying into Chicago. The flight was so bumpy and the landing was the scariest part of the whole ordeal. I was more scared while we were landing than any point in Israel. After landing we started our six hour trip home. All I did the next two days was sleep. I could not keep my eyes open.

It has been an interesting few days. And by interesting i mean that my life has been uneventful and completely boring. I must admit that I am slightly depressed from disappointment. All I want, more than anything, is to be back on the mountain complaining with Jessica about how we don’t want to be on the mountain. I think part of the reason for my depression is that I have been building this trip up in my head for five years and I want some closure. I want a picture of me in the sarcophagus. I want to climb into the cistern. Maybe next time I can help work on the cistern if Dr. Schuler opens that square again. Hmm...yes...this is a wonderful idea. This means I also have a year to talk Dr. Schuler into making this happen. And of course when I say "talk" I mean cleverly work my magic with subliminal messages so that he thinks this is all his own brilliant idea. This does mean that I plan to go back sometime soon. I am really hoping for next year but realistically I am not sure if I will be able to afford that. But I can worry about such things later.

I must admit that I do feel bad for my parents because I have been in a permanently bad mood since arriving home. At first it was exhaustion mixed with disappointment. And now it is disappointment mixed in with real life junk. Bills I don’t know how I am going to pay, job hunting, moving, and more expenses I don’t have money for. I realize this was all waiting for me no matter when I got back but I was not expecting to have to deal with any of this stuff for one more week. But whatever, it will all work itself out.

Speaking of bad moods I was went on a walk to cheer myself up today and someone said that I did not look tan. This crushed whatever spirit I still had. Not Tan!!?? That is all I had going for myself since returning home. I may not have been able to spend a whole month in Israel but at least I am tan! I might as well crawl into a hole.

On a much lighter note the rumors that are being spread about me are rather funny. I think my favorite is that I left Israel to do some sightseeing and I almost could not get back into the country. I was almost detained by the army. I am not sure which army. That is small town living for you.

Tomorrow I am going to Kat’s wedding. I can’t wait to see my little girl all dolled up in her wedding dress. I cant believe how quickly my katda is growing up. If I remember I will take pictures and post some of them. I know all of you are dying to see more picture of me.

Germany, Canada, Chicago, and then home!

I'm heading home at 5:30! Please pray for safe travel. Also say a prayer of thanksgiving for finding a flight. Please pray for everyone who has not found a flight yet that they will leave soon. I would also say a prayer because they are stuck with Darrell. Those poor people.

Update

FYI, I am still in the Airport.

Stephanie

P.S. I also thought you should know that Andrea is super cool. She is my BFF.

Nothing Ever Happens On Mars (or the airport)

Currently, I am sitting at the Ben Gurion airport hoping to find a flight home before Sunday (Yes, that is a week from now). It has been a crazy couple of days here in Israel. It all started around 12:57 when, while The Beav and I were in the lab, we heard a loud noise and the room shook a little. The Beav and I looked at each other and we both knew that the noise could not mean anything good. A few minutes later it happened again. Soon Dr. Schuler came into the lab and called an emergency meeting announce that Tiberius had been hit and that we all had to evacuate. It was a scary, sad, and weird thing to hear. Missiles has been launched into a city that is only a few miles away from where I was living. If it has been just a few kilometers off the kibbutz could have been hit. It was also a sad statement because that means I would have to leave the dig. I did not want to have to pack up my things and go home. I wanted to finish up the season. It was also a weird statement because seriously, a rocket was launched just miles from where I was living. It was a completely new situation for me.

So after quickly packing all my things, cleaning up my chaos in the lab, and a short service we we off to Jerusalem. The plan was to get us away from the Northern part of Israel. However, after a night in Jerusalem we all decided we would rather just sit at the airport in hopes that we would be able to find a flight home. The problem is that there are a lot of people who are wanting to evacuate right now and flights are booked. SO here I sit and wait...

I am so thankful to all the adults that are waiting with us. I feel completely safe with Darell being the security of the group. Rhoda knows her way around Israel and Nancy keeps me completely sane just because she is Nancy.

Some of the volunteers stayed behind and we are praying for their safety. I wish I could be with them but I understand why Dr. Schuler thought that it was time for us to go. Even though my season was cut short it was such an amazing experience and I am so thankful that I was able to be a part of it. I did not think there was anyway that i could respect Dr. Schuler more than I already did but this past two weeks, and more specifically, the past few days have proved me wrong. So thanks Dr. Schuler for a great two weeks.

On a lighter note, if any of you have any suggestions for ways to past time in a crowded airport I would love them. It seems no one wants to have a dance party with me. I bet I could get Amanda to dance with me. She does like to shake her grove thang. See you all soon!

According to Dr. Schuler I am a Stallion

So I officially reached a new milestone in my life this past week. I went 3 days without showering. For some of you that may not seem like such a huge deal but don't forget I am in the middle east where it is hot and I am in dirt for seven hours a day. I really believe it is an accomplishment that I can be proud of.

The trip to Jerusalem was amazing. I had such a good time. Jerusalem is a beautiful city. We stayed in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City. It was incredible to listen to the call to worship every night and watch as the streets in that quarter closed down as each Muslim headed for his or her mosque. I loved the crowed streets of Jerusalem and the diversity of culture. We did have an experience in which we got to witness the negative affects of different cultures colliding but it was a great learning experience and it caused me to reflect on how i take my freedom to worship when and how I want for granted.

I think my favorite site at Jerusalem was the ruins of the pool of Bethesda. Going down into the cistern was amazing. (I mean when will I ever get to go down a cistern again in my life. IF only there was one close to where I work, say B4, that I could climb down into). I also loved walking the Via Delarosa (The Archaeologist one). It was a very moving experience for me. The only bad part of the trip was that There was so much to take in and so little time in which to do it.

The dig is still going well. My group has almost finished uncovering the street. By tomorrow we will be done and will move on to a different part of the street. I sure do hope that we find some more rocks because I just have not seen, moved, or dug up enough rocks. It was really exciting to start uncovering the street. It is a beautiful paved road. Most of the time I love the work. But I must admit that there are other times I just want to ask the tractor guy to come and remove the dirt in the square himself. But then I would not be able to experience the satisfaction of looking at the road and knowing that I helped uncover it.

I really like my Small Finds work. I enjoy being able to see all the things that people uncover during the week. I must admit that I have not done a lot of work with the pottery yet, but I find what I have done very interesting. I take all the pottery that is found each day and try to figure out what kind of pot/plate/bowl it came from. I find the fact that one pottery handle, rim, or base can tell me so much about the entire pot. This is assuming that my analysis is correct. But I'm sure it is. After all they dont call me Small Finds Rudolph for nothin.

Speaking of pottery I should go and work on some. I am going to attach some pictures. I hope you enjoy them!

"If we rolled off this you'd really be dead"

This quote is one of the first things that I heard on the first day of my dig as I drove up the backway with one of the directors of the Haifa team. (The road, that leads all the way up the mountain to our site, is many times right at the edge of a big droop off)

Happy 4th of July!

It is amazing to me that I have only been in Israel for a couple of days. So much stuff has been happening. On July 1st the group and I spent the day touring Holy Places near the Sea of Galilee. It was a great trip but there was so much to take in. My favorite spot was the church that commemorated the feeding of the five thousand. However, my favorite moment was at the Church of the Beatitudes. While touring the church a group of Japanese tourists came in and one man stood before the alter and sang in Japanese, "How Great Thou Art," while the rest of the group joined in. It was a very moving experiencing to witness. The rest of the sites were just fantastic to see. It is hard to believe that I was standing just outside of Peter's house or the place in which Jesus fed five thousand people. Everyday I am struck with what a beautiful country Israel is. Especially the Sea of Galilee area. Each morning as we hike our way up to the dig sight I get to watch the sun come up over the mountains and each night I am able to watch the sun set over the Sea of Galilee. Each site is breathtaking.

July 2nd was the first day of the dig. Most people can not claim to find anything of importance on the very first day of a dig. I, however, can. My first job, so wonderfully bestowed on me by Dr. Schuler, was to find the place for women to relieve themselves. It was my first find of the dig. Now that the critical job is completed, I am working with three other people to uncover the road leading to the church. Right now I am just doing a lot of digging, moving rocks, more digging, and more moving rocks. Through this process I am getting very good with a pickax. However, I am getting a little sick of the sight of rocks. July 3rd was more of the same except I was sore. I must admit there is some sort of satisfaction from finally prying out a huge rock that you have been working on digging up for some time. Being an archaeologist is very hard work. Well for most of us. There are some people who just sit around and doodle all day (Andrea). The day begins at 4:15am so I can get dressed in time to catch the bus at 4:35. After a short bus ride up part of the mountain we hike the rest of the way to the dig site. We work for about 3 hours and then eat breakfast. We then continue working until about 11:30. By the time I make my way down the trail back to the bus I am exhausted and there is still pottery washing, lectures, and registrar work to do. However, I am loving every sore and tired filled minute of my first week as an archaeologist. Especially after a day like today. Sometime after breakfast Dr. Schuler called us all over to the tomb sight and we watched a tractor pulled the sarcophagus out. It is exciting to see what we will find now that the massive stone coffin has been removed. Currently, we have found human bones in the area but have no specific data on them yet.

We have had some interesting events in the few days since we have arrived. We had an emergency surgical procedure to remove a tick from someones leg. I must say, Dr. Schuler was masterful with his scalpel. We have also had incidences with dates hitting people's heads (actually just Jessica). Someone stabbed theirself in the foot with a fork. How do you do that you may ask? I don't know, maybe this certain person's fingers were so tired from doodling all day they cramped up suddenly. But that has been the extent of any injury's thank goodness.

This Thursday we head to Jerusalem. But more on that later!

14 days, 14 hours, and 30 seconds left! (But who's counting?)

This is my first blog post ever. I feel like Jones but not as clever. Wait...I guess I am like Jones. Just kidding. This will be my one and only post before I head to Israel. Dr. Schuler recommended that I post at least once before I leave to get the hang of blogging. The entire trip is starting to actually seem real and no longer an unreal event that will happen in my distant future. It helped that I spent an entire day with Dr. Schuler learning the craft of a Small Finds Registrar. I also had the opportunity to ask lots of questions about Israel, Hippos, and other aspects of the dig. It was very informational and it got me very excited for June 29th. That’s the day I leave in case you are one of my slower friends (A.K.A. Kim). I also had a wonderful time seeing friends during my short visit. We resurrected the Tuesday night get together for the week. It was fun to spend the evening with all my favorite people. I also saw some mallards at the zoo, watched Joshua get chewed out by an overly stressed 15 year old s/he at Dairy Queen, and was girly with Amanda. It was a short but fun trip and it made me miss living in the Cities. I am now back at my parents house which is also fun (sort of) because I get to spend most of my days babysitting my nieces and preparing for Israel. The next time you hear from me I will actually be in the Holy Land helping to uncover one of the links to the past.