You know you're married when ...

You know you're married when you come home Friday afternoon and you mop the apartment in preparation for Shabbat, or you take leftovers (which I love) to work for lunch instead of making (well she now helps with that task too) sandwiches. Just a few of the 'minor' changes in my weekly routine which have definitely ushered in the new stage in life. The apartment is coming along nicely. We still need to buy a few pieces of furniture and other items but overall, Talya & I are both very happy with how everything is going so far. It's been a rather smooth transition into married life so far and lets hope that continues.

I spent Shabbat lunch with Talya's mother and younger siblings. Avi, the latest addition to the IDF's Nachal brigade, bought along two army friends. One, a 22 year old religious Jew from Cleveland, had studied with Avi in the Gush and was now volunteering for the army before returning to the States before his aliyah. The other, a 25 year old secular Jew from Indiana, had become extremely involved in Israel activism during his tenure at Indiana University before deciding Israel was the only place for him. Talking to him reminded me a lot of my time at Binghamton and it made me feel good (sheesh, I have been here a long time if I'm saying this!) to see the next generation of Zionists staking their claim to our joint dream and future.