I love these photos of Avery and her best friend, Mila from earlier this month. As soon as they got back from break the teachers put them to work, and here they were working on a story for an upcoming musical performance. As explained in the school newsletter:

As inspiration, the class is using the book The Day the Crayons Quit and rewriting the letters from each crayon in the context of the Seven Ways We Learn and Work Together at Brandeis. The story of The Day the Crayons Quit includes letters from different colored crayons that feel their owner is either overusing or underusing their color. “The book provides a great framework for discussing the seven ways, and ultimately will help the fourth graders create a musical performance with the seven ways at its core,” says Ms. Lostetter…

For example, two students [M’s note: Avery and Mila] wrote a letter from the perspective of the pink crayon and in the context of the first of the seven ways, “Act with Kindness”: “Pink crayon here. I’m a boy, by the way. When I’m being used, black crayon is always making fun of me for wearing pink because I’m a boy. I feel like I don’t get used because I’m a pink crayon and a boy and people think that only girls can use me. I’m going to stand up to them and say, ‘I like pink, pink is my color, and I’m never going to be ashamed of who I am.” 

M

Our vacation, overall, couldn’t have come at a better time. My work had gotten really crazy and, after eight months of grieving, I needed a bit of light in life. And though we all loved the places we visited, our time away was more than the gorgeous sites: As I wrote on my Instagram, the uninterrupted family time was what made it most special!

This photo of me and Zoe – taken at a cute little Madrid spot that, strangely, had erotic paintings on its walls – captures what I’m talking about. Just sitting and talking and laughing with my girls… I really needed that!

-M

The last two days of our trip to Madrid meant more exploring, including visits to the Royal Palace, a fancy (and delicious) indoor market, and a famous flea market. And we checked off another item on the Spain must-do list: a flamenco show! It was an amazing trip overall, and Q and I both agree we would go back someday.

-M

The girls and I had never been to Spain and, since Q had visited Barcelona only, we decided to make a quick trip to Madrid after leaving Israel. The weather was chilly but everything else about our four-day visit was about perfect: The city is lovely and clean and walkable, the people are friendly, the shopping is terrific. And, of course, there was tons to see.

We spent our first day exploring the city, shopping (warm hats, scarves and gloves for us girls!), and sampling a Madrid must-have: hot chocolate and churros. The next day we did more exploring, spent a lot of time at a fun center-of-the city playground and visited Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, a museum with tons of Impressionist paintings (for me and Zoe) and several Dalis (for Q). Even Avery, who considers museums “boring,” enjoyed herself.

-M

As mentioned below, we went to the Dead Sea towards the end of the trip. We got there on New Year’s Eve after our Masada hike, and with the beach all to ourselves, Q and the girls joined our friends in taking a dip in the water. (It was much too cold for me, so I just watched and took photos.) The only other time we took the girls there was during the summer – and this was a much better time to visit.

The next morning Q got the idea to head back to the beach to watch the sun rise; shortly after 6:30 AM the four of us flung on our clothes and flew out our hotel room to make it across the street on time. The still water and dawn sky were gorgeous, and our time together was one of our favorite moments of the trip. It’s also one of the most memorable New Year’s I’ve had, and it had extra special meaning to me as I reflected on all that had happened months before. As I wrote on my Instagram:

We bid good bye to 2018 by standing at the Dead Sea gazing at the stars, and we greeted 2019 by watching the sun rise in the same spot. Being so far away from home – and from where everything happened last spring – felt a little strange on this holiday, but also somewhat appropriate. The beautiful and peaceful spot reminded me that the world is bigger than me and my grief – and that no matter what happens, the sun continues to rise…

-M

The last time we visited Israel, it was so hot that we couldn’t possibly go to Masada (where the sun pounds down on you and there’s barely any shade). But December is a perfect time to visit – so we planned a trip there, as well as to the Dead Sea and Ein Gedi National Park, with good friends from school who recently moved to Israel.

Our trip included lunch at a random pizza place between Tel Aviv and Masada that was referred to as a “must stop” by TripAdvisor (it really was quite good), a stop for a sheep crossing, and a nighttime dip in the sea (photos of that coming separately). And when we were on top of Masada (which I hope impressed the girls) I told Zoe, “The next time you’re probably going to be here is during your eighth grade trip with the school. I hope you’ll think of us.”

-M

Though we took an overnight trip to Masada and the Dead Sea (photos coming soon) and a day trip to Jerusalem with Pop Pop (see second- and third-to-last photos), we spent most of our time exploring and wandering around Tel Aviv – as well as relaxing and eating. It rained a bit during our 10 days there, but we didn’t let that stop us!

-M

After a difficult year and super busy December, our long-planned trip to Israel and Spain came at the perfect time. We left on Christmas Eve Day, which is a fantastic time to fly (empty airports, etc.)., and were able to get some time in the VIP lounge before meeting Pop Pop in Dulles and heading to Tel Aviv via Zurich.

We had some laughs and interesting experiences (a passenger was smoking on our flight, which obviously rattled the flight attendants; I accidentally took someone else’s carry-on and lugged it through the Zurich airport before getting it returned to its owner – oops!) before finally arriving on Dec. 25. And while we didn’t have our traditional day-one breakfast at Da Da & Da (they were booked) we did have a fun day wandering around the city and connecting with Avery’s good friend Liza, who recently moved there.

-M

It’s been a while since I’ve written, but we’re back in town after a 2 1/2-week vacation and back to our regular routine. I have lots of photos to share but first wanted to make a note that an update to WordPress, our blogging platform, means larger (and, consequently, clearer) photos. So watch out for our larger faces here soon.

-M