The Suzy Report (Not to be confused with the Oren Report)

Rachel and Isaac

Oren and I are so fortunate to have Rachel and Isaac in our lives. It was about a year ago that we were set up by our friend Jenny. Rachel and Isaac just moved to Dallas and didn’t know anyone. Little did we realize that first night at Starbucks they would become one of our closest and dearest friends. They are truly the most giving people I know. After all, Oren and I have inhabited their house for the last 8 days!!! Actually, we almost feel like it is our house. We are sleeping in our own bed, our furniture is around the house, they are storing a ton of boxes for us and we get to hang out with cool people! Thanks for your hospitality! We will even clean up our mess!

Yes, it was a Surprise (MOSTLY)

So this is how it goes…Rachel told us a couple weeks ago not to make any plans for Thursday, September 8. Oren and I had a hunch that Isaac and Rachel had something up their sleeves, but we didn’t know what. So to make a long story shorter…Oren and I planned a happy hour on September 9 to see our friends for the last time before departing on our journey. We asked Rachel before we planned the happy hour if she was planning something. We were assured nothing was going on, except a dinner with Rachel and Isaac (which was very nice, btw). So Oren and I had no clue about the party they were going to throw us, UNTIL, I borrowed Rachel’s computer. I am the type of person that likes to know who has RSVP’d to my evites right away. So I go to www.evite.com to check our happy hour RSVP’s and Rachel’s account comes up. That’s when I saw something that read something like- surprise party for Oren and Suzy! After that, I did what I thought was right and closed out the evite home page. I had no idea still what was going to happen, I just knew something was going down. The evening started with an awesome dinner with Rachel and Isaac at Sweet Basil. Part of me thought that people would jump from behind the door. That didn’t happen and Oren and I were very HAPPY to hang out with R and I! After we finished dinner, Rachel says we are going out for dessert, but she needs to stop by the house and pick up a coupon. Yes, the thought did run across my mind that people would meet us at the dessert place. THEN, Isaac says he is too tired to go to dessert and Rachel suggest that we make a cake. A fine plan for me! At this point, I forgot about any suprise and was just happy to have a relaxing evening! As we pull up to the house I see Ali coming out the door and that’s when I knew people were hiding out in the house!

The Surprise Party

Thank you to Rachel, Isaac, Ali, Evil Isaac, and Elyssa for planning the party! It was truly a great evening! Oren and I are lucky to be blessed with so many friends that care so much about us! The planned roast was definitely a shocker. I thought about escaping before people started talking about us! I am glad I didn’t and just had a good time with it. The evening brought back a ton of great memories for us. Here are a couple of examples…Cake School Drop Outs, Krispy Kream Runs, Calling Friends by the Wrong Names, Rachel and I dating, Evil Isaac’s drunk story about me, birthright Israel and much more. I even learned some things about Oren…ODOG the DJ, Hitting on Chris’s Grandma in Peru, the extent of the Oren report, eating Snicker bars while walking on the treadmill and more that cannot be discussed. (Don’t worry, he didn’t get sent to the couch, for the night.) Like any party planned by Jews, there was a ton of food. I think Rachel and Isaac have enough left over’s for a reoccurring party next week! They can call it…Thank Goodness Suzy and Oren are Out of Our House Party! It would be funny, even though we know they don’t feel that way!

It is Almost Time to Leave Dallas

Like any big adventure it is exciting and scary at the same time! I look forward to Oren and me living in Israel. Living in another country is a long time dream of ours. Ever since we met, we always talked about how “cool” it would be to move overseas. NOW IT IS REALLY HAPPENING! Crazy! On Sunday, we will depart to NY and are staying with the Wilner’s. We are very excited to see family. Actually, Oren is meeting them for the first time. Thank you for welcoming us into your home and making sure we are taken care of. We will also see my cousin Cathy and her Husband Shaun, Oren’s Great Aunt and Uncle, and a couple of close friends in NYC. On Wednesday, September 13 we depart to Israel on El Al. Our adventure finally feels real. Our bags are almost packed and we are making rounds to say goodbye to friends and family! This is the hardest part, saying goodbye (I should say, See you Later). It is hard to believe I might not see my family for over a year. I wish they would visit, but I understand it is a hard trip to make. Thanks to Vonage they will only be a phone call away. Same is true with our friends. Thanks to AIM, I am also only an instant message away. Instead of writing to me after work, log on when you wake up:}! Well it is 1am and I am getting very tired.

More Reports To Come!!!