Israel - Tiberias & Golan Heights

Thanks to a free trip to Israel, I officially visited my fourth continent! I would love to record every moment of the trip here, but I truly don't have the patience or brain capacity at this point. The trip was a whirlwind, and now that I'm back in "real life" some moments of it don't even seem real. In any case, I love my travel recaps so I will do my best here with a major emphasis on photos.

I took off from JFK on January 19. We met the rest of the group in the airport, did a few embarrassing icebreakers, and were on our way to Isreal with a quick stopover in Brussels! Our group consisted of 40 Americans, mostly around age 26, and mostly from New York, Boston and California. We landed in Ben Gurion airport in the evening, met our Israeli tour guide and security guard, and hopped in the bus (that would become our second home) for a few hours ride to "the north".

Not King of the North, but this was too funny not to post.

We arrived at our first hotel in Tiberias. More icebreakers and discussing the trip ensued. Here's an approximate map of our stops throughout the 10 days:

We started in Tel Aviv, drove North, then south through Jerusalem to the Red Sea, then back up to Tel Aviv.

The next day we were up early for a packed day, starting with a hike in the Golan Heights! When we walked out of the hotel we had a beautiful view of the Sea of Galilee -- this was the first of many exciting historical moments for me. Supposedly this is where Jesus walked on water and calmed the storm. Very cool. On the way to the hike we passed by the Jordan River. Because of it's significant religious and historical relevance I assumed it was going to be this mammoth body of water. In reality the river was so small I nearly missed it.

The Golan Heights is Syrian territory that is currently occupied by Israel, and sadly, the beautiful landscape is littered with landmine areas and ruined neighborhoods. The Heights are also a place where the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) practice, so it was not uncommon to hear gunshots/explosions as we walked along. It was a mostly easy hike, except for some extra muddy moments and maneuvering through water/trees. Scary reality check: just a few days after our hike Syria fired rockets into the Golan Heights. Eek.

Waterfall in the background!

After the hike we stopped for lunch and I had my very first Israeli schwarma. It was good, but when I asked the guy what kind of meat was in it he said he didn't know. I spent much of the remaining trip eating vegetarian (hello hummus and pita). Unknown meat sources really skeeve me out. Lunch was also my first experience with the crazy Israeli cats. There are cats EVERYWHERE in Israel. Look at these two cuties hanging out at our table:

After lunch we went to an overlook point at the border of Syria and Israel. The point looked out onto the beautiful Mount Bental (known ironically as "the mountain of lust"-- both Israel and Syrica really want control over the mountain area). As we overlooked Syria we discussed the strained relationship between the two countries, as well as the current, seemingly endless conflict within Syria itself. As the guide spoke we'd occasionally hear the sound of gunshots in the distance. A soldier stationed at the overlook point told us that significant fighting occurred within Syria just that morning. Deep breaths.

Mount Bental

Syria in the distance

Following the overlook we headed to the ancient village of Katzrin and took a tour. This was actually my least favorite part of the entire 10 days. I really had no idea what we were doing there and the guide did not explain it well. Honestly the whole thing was weird so I'll just post some photos:

The highlight of the village was seeing a donkey go crazy. I wish I took a video of it!

The woman in the second picture was our guide -- a former Canadian who moved to Israel after visiting and meeting her now Israeli husband at a bible study class. Supposedly this was not a planned part of our itinerary, but after our tour she invited our whole group (yes, all 40 of us) back to her home to hang out in the backyard and snack on some pita and olive oil. It was a nice gesture but her pro-Israeli sentiment was a little too much, too soon. It was only day 1 after all!

Our last stop of the day was Olea Essence -- an olive oil factory where we sampled oils and skin care products. I bought myself this amazing exfoliater and lip balm. Necessary purchases?

After a long day we finally made it back to the hotel for dinner and drinks in the lobby. Understandably, Birthright has some fairly strict rules -- you can't leave the hotel on your own, you can't bring alcohol back to your room, there are certain days/nights when you can't drink at all, etc. I think a few people in our group were pissed about this, but I got it. They really don't need some idiot getting drunk off of Fireball shots and then getting kidnapped by ISIS while they're peeing in an alleyway.

Coming up: Tzfat and Tel Aviv!

The Smartest Words I've Read All Day

"Sometimes love is not enough. I've known love. Quiet love, and crazy, roller-coaster love. Both were real, and both crashed and burned. With each, I loved and was loved deeply. And yet, tragically, love was not enough. I know that might sound strange, so let me explain a bit further: I've come to believe that the most epic relationships include a combination of love and intention. In the end, it’s easy to love, but it’s much harder to act with life-changing intention, to keep saying yes, and yes, and yes; to keep climbing up a rugged mountain when the conditions get difficult, when you start to lose oxygen. So many rappel down because they just can't do it. Forgive them and move on. They didn't have the strength, or it just wasn't their time. True love takes more than love. It takes strength and stamina. It takes intention."

- Sarah Jio

New Year, Old You

400 posts. That's really something ain't it?

I think about this blog quite a bit. What's the point? Have I achieved anything? Who was I when I started writing here? Who am I now? Am I any better off?

I started On Food, Love & Fitness on November 5, 2010. I can't help but get a little emo when I think of myself four years ago. I was 22, in my last year of college, living with/near so many of my best friends, and getting ready to train for my first (and only...gah) half marathon.

TMNT the weekend before I started the old blog.

I wonder what this blog can become. There are so many things I want to write about that just don't feel appropriate for this semi-public space. Maybe I should just quietly tuck it away in the back of a shelf. Pack it in a a box, tie it up with a bow, and let the dust settle over it. Open it sometime in the future and hope that the memories recorded here will feel less like a burden, and more like a gift to my future self.

Maybe soon. But not just yet. It's a new year, and I can't help but feel optimistic. I feel like better days are staring me in the face. I just have to reach out and grab them, make them mine. I want this blog to be around when I'm ready to share those days. So for now, it stays.

As per usual, my email inbox is filled to the brim with promises of this year being my best yet. But first I have to take action: lose weight! get eyelash extensions! buy designer handbags and expensive clothing! take endless trips to exotic locations (yes please)!

It's the year for a new you!

But what if you're hoping to use the turn of the year as a springboard for finding your old self. Or maybe a better old you? Some combination of the person you used to be and the person you want to be. Does that still count as a new you? Now I'm confusing myself.

There are many things I am already doing to become the "New Old Julie"...

New Julie:

Putting a teensy bit more effort into looking like a normal 26-year-old woman for work rather than an 80-year-old hobo. This is a huge struggle as the temperatures drop, but today I wore tights AND my hair down! And took a mirror selfie in the elevator.

Being more open to new experiences and people. After getting pressure to sign up, I said yes to my first ever Tinder date. Bahaha! I've heard some CRAZY shit about Tinder, but this guy seems cool and normal.

Anticipating the start of "The Bachelor" tonight. Both of my roommates have agreed to camp out on the couch with me for the premier.

Making new friends. I spent Friday night with two brand new friends and had a blast. I am in love with all of my old friends, but it's about time I expanded my social circle.

Saying yes and being more spontaneous! Yesterday I said yes to a trip in February that I normally would have said no to. Everything sounds fun to me these days.

Old Julie:

Making ample time for relaxing in my new slippers.

Eating healthy meals and snacks (and reading my kindle at lunch -- I upped my reading goal a bit this year!).

Going out more. This weekend I went out on Friday and Saturday night and stayed out late! I'll sleep when I'm dead.

Prepping food on Sunday. Among lots of other things, I made these Italian turkey meatballs and they are delicious.

Making exercise a part of nearly every day. I'm going to Israel soon on an adventure trip and the itinerary scared me into exercising again. I have been doing 30 Day Shred pretty often and spent the last few days sweating it out in the gym. I'm hoping this month will help me rebuild the habit of working out frequently. It's important and I love it. That's that.

2015

Happy new year!

On the last day of 2014 I wore bright pink lip gloss and sent my friends my first ever duck face + peace sign selfie like the 17-year old I think I am.

And then had a super fun night with one of my bests.

I can't let a new year pass by without setting some goals. Keeping it simple for now with the following:

1. Fill out my 5-year journal every day.

2. See new places.

3. Be happy.

4. Make people smile and laugh as much as possible.

5. Drive more often.

6. Go on dates with new people.

7. Live by this: "When a door closes, knock on it a few times. But if it still doesn’t open, let it stay closed. In career, in love, in life – when you see the period at the end of the sentence, don’t try and turn it into a comma. Know when something is over and move on."

2014

I've thought a lot about how to wrap this year up on the old blog.

It's been an interesting one. Not quite what I expected, and filled with many great and not-so-great surprises.

I've spent the last few years of this blog highlighting my favorite moments and reflecting on the goals I set for myself. I'm not going to do that this year. Instead, I want to finish this up swiftly, and start 2015 off with a fresh heart, mind, and spirit. So here we go.

14 Lessons From 2014:

1. The first time someone shows you who they are, believe them.

2. People will sometimes let you down, but more often than not, people will exceed your expectations.

3. Even though I'm a planner at heart, I can be spontaneous and actually enjoy it!

4. Treat yourself, often and without guilt.

5. It is silly to attach so much meaning to an arbitrary place or moment in time.

6. Quick solutions to most problems include: friends, sun, nature, puppies (preferably all at once).

7. You never know who you've had an impact on; don't be reckless with other people's hearts just because you don't take them seriously.

8. I can and do enjoy baking as long as the recipe allows for a little wiggle room!

9. If you don't show up and ask for what you want in your relationships, you give up the right to expect having it.

10. The shit I see on social media will perpetually annoy me. There's nothing wrong with taking a break from it all.

11. Anyone who assesses you or your relationship as disposable is not worthy of your time or tears.

12. My life doesn't have to (and shouldn't) revolve around my weight. I am more active than most, I eat healthier than most. There's always room for improvement, but sometimes I need to just love myself wherever I am.

13. I am nice, fun, young, and people really like to be around me!! <-- my last narcissistic pat on the back for the year.

14. Don't get famous and take naked pictures of yourself...unless you're getting paid and photoshopped!

And with a quick surface scan of the blog, here are some of my favorite photos from each month:

January: Winning 500 bones on a scratch ticket! Feels like this was years ago...

February: Saying goodbye to one of my favorite people in the whole world.

March: Celebrating my first good friend's bridal shower!

April: Celebrating my sister's engagement (and birthday)!

May: Run to Remember, even if it didn't turn out exactly as planned.

June: In NY with some of my oldest friends.

July: And in Boston with my newest, oldest friends.

August: There were a lot to choose from, so I picked 3! First, hiking in the Shenandoah Valley, second, sunrise in Acadia, and third, hanging in sunny Dartmouth with a pup.

September: White water rafting in the Berkshires!

October: Piano Man at Madison Square Garden.

November: Genuine happiness in beautiful Napa

December: Finishing up an exhausting few months with a bang and great friends.

See ya in the new year!

Being Single Doesn't Have to Suck

Hello from Philadelphia! Seems like I was just here...

Thought I'd break my little blog hiatus with a fun post. Here are 10 reasons why being single can be kind of nice:

1. SLEEPING! I am generally a bad sleeper, so sleeping alone all the time is pretty fantastic. I get to keep the temperature in my room just how I like it, put my fan on the loudest and highest speed, and spread out across the whole bed.

2. Endless amounts of time to spend with friends = no more FOMO. I can't believe how many fun things I do with friends lately, in and out of Boston. It's amazing!

3. Related to #2, I have the ability to be 100% spontaneous and free with my time. Now THAT is pretty freakin' awesome.

4. New friends! I've been wanting to make new friends for years but I was very comfortable/happy in my situation. Being single has pushed me to try to make new friends and get out of my comfort zone (it's still a work in progress, but at least I'm making an effort now).

5. Flirting. I might not be up for dating too seriously, but I forgot how fun some harmless flirting could be.

6. No immediate rush to shave my legs, wash my hair, or other necessary evils of being a woman. Ha!

Hairy leggings -- apparently women wear these to keep men away.

7. Spending all of my money on myself. I have to say, I actually really enjoy putting together thoughtful gifts for my significant other, but it's pretty nice to spend that money on myself over the course of the year. Hellooo, new pretty things.

8. The only person I ever have to feel embarrassed/responsible for is myself.

9. My "problems" are FAR less serious these days:

SERIOUS PROBLEMS

People in relationships:

Me:

10. And the best thing? Thinking about the future and knowing I can do exactly what I want. I may not have a guy to come home to every night, but my life is literally teeming with possibilities (romantic and otherwise). The world is my oyster!

An Interesting Turn of Events

Sometimes I can't quite believe where I am in my life. This isn't the outcome I chose, so I constantly find myself wondering things like..."why am I at this bar in Allston drinking Miller Lite on a Saturday afternoon with a bunch of strangers?" When I think back on my life just 6 measly months ago, I would have never thought I'd be where I am right now. But alas, I am, so I'm trying to make the best of it and open my eyes to new opportunities (hence, spending my Saturdays with strangers). Going home to New York is a nice excuse to just be around the things and people so familiar to me. I had written off all of the guys I grew up with as romantic possibilities years ago, so it feels good to just go out at home with no pressure.

And cue, an interesting turn of events...

But let's start from the beginning. A few years ago I went out on Thanksgiving Eve and ran into a bunch of guys from high school. They were the friends of my first real boyfriend and I really, really liked them all. Still do! But they all live in New York so I've lost touch with them for the most part. Anyway, I ended up catching up for a while with one guy in particular. He told me that he had never been to Boston and would love to visit. In my drunken state I gave an enthusiastic "sure!" but once the hangover wore off I felt a little weird about it. I really hadn't talked to this guy since high school and I just didn't want to spend a whole weekend entertaining him. He texted me about visiting a few times, but I kept giving excuses and eventually he quit asking. I hadn't seen him since, but we stayed connected via social media and a random "how are you?" every so often.

About a month ago he added me on Snapchat. I found this peculiar but didn't think too much of it. The day before Thanksgiving I had a picture from him implying that he was back on Long Island for the holiday (he lives in Brooklyn these days -- so from here on I'm referring to him as BK). A few hours later he texted me and asked if I wanted to get together while we were both at home. I said sure and let him know where I was heading with my friends that night. He had plans already so he suggested we either "meet up late night" or meet for coffee on Friday. Meet up late night?? What does that mean?

I told him I'd prefer meeting on Friday (I didn't mention my hatred for coffee) and went about my night -- I had an awesome time catching up with my high school friends and had way too many drinks.

We don't care bout no antifreeze.

Around 12:30 BK texted me and asked if I was still out. I figured what the hell! and told him where we were. He responded with a quick "on my way".

BK showed up looking way finer than I remember from high school. He's a big Brooklyn hipster now but keeps it pretty clean because he works in corporate accounting. We ended up spending the next 3 hours catching up. My friends slowly trickled out of the bar and we stayed, chatting and laughing through last call -- and remember, we're in NY so last call is 3:30 am! We talked about what we'd been up to over the past few years, bonded over our recent failed relationships, and exchanged funny online dating messages (which sparked the idea for this post). I didn't want to leave, but I was really drunk and probably looking half asleep at that point. That's when I noticed he had only had one drink. Apparently he hadn't been drinking earlier and had driven to the bar. What the hell? Oh jeez, I must have been looking/sounding really crazy to a sober person.

In any case, he drove me home and we chatted in my driveway for a while. I wondered if he was going to kiss me in the car. The questions raced through my head: Is there a spark or are we just old friends catching up? Do I even WANT him to kiss me? Are we both on the rebound and attracted to anyone normal after encounters with the internet trolls? Does he still think I'm off limits since his best friend was my "first love" in 10th grade (LOL, I hope not)? Am I just drunk and totally misreading this? BK didn't kiss me, but I got a pretty decent double hug from him. Before I left, we discussed the fact that I ignored his request to come to Boston a few years ago and apparently I now owe him a weekend. We'll see if this happens.

The point of writing this down is to remind myself that as long as I keep my eyes open, unexpected things/people might walk right into my life. I don't actually see anything happening with BK, but it was fun to feel...dare I say it...a little giddy about a guy, even for just one night.