Shali-what?

Today we are another step closer to Israel.  We met with our shaliach at the Regency Hotel in Atlanta.  A shaliach (pronounced with the guttural ch in the back of the throat), for those who aren't into the aliyah lingo, is a legal emissary of the Jewish Agency.  They help you fill out all that fun paperwork and interview you before you make aliyah.  And they also help stupid Americans get a first hand look at their life in Israel.

She's already 10 minutes late (but that is still early in IST-Israeli Standard Time).  When she finally arrives, she babbles on in hebrew for a good 5 minutes before realizing I have no idea what she just said. The interview  proceeds in a haphazard fashion while she jots down notes in hebrew.  We're topic jumping like ADD school children and every 10 minutes we are interrupted by her ringing cell phone. I can barely keep up with the line of questioning much less get a grasp on how these questions have anything to do with making aliyah.  Most of them just seem like nosy neighbor questions.

A Husky in the Holy Land

For the past 7 years, we have been the proud parents of the most adorable, brilliant, mischievous, willful pup I have ever known. For those of you who have not been blessed by her company, let me introduce her and summarize her life:

This is Marilyn Monroe. Please disregard this undated photo.  It was taken during what we like to refer to as her "not so husky" years. She has since put on some weight...mostly due to an insatiable appetite for anything edible (or what she perceives to be edible) and a total refusal to go outside when the temps rise anywhere near 60 degrees.

And if I must say so myself, she is also brilliant. She oft outwits most mammals both of the four-legged and two-legged variety. She amazes us with her quickness to learn and knack for stealth and cunning. But then again, we are her parents.