My Road Trip - January 2009

“Oh man! Oh man! What am I going to do?! Winter break is approaching and I have nothing to do. This is going to be the worst winter break ever.” This is what was going through my mind at about New Year’s time. How little did I know how wrong I was.

          Anyways, school went on like regular. Finally, one day I call up my mother to see what I should do for mid-winter vacation, and I hear that my sister, Shayna, is coming to visit me!! My joy knew no bounds. I’ll be doing something, and with my sister, too! But that was only half the surprise. The other half still remained a secret. Now, I just couldn’t wait for winter vacation!

          About a week before vacation, I’m told the other half: I’m going to Detroit! How? By car! This is getting great. Man! From doing nothing for a week, to driving to Detroit! I must be dreaming! Nobody pinch me, I don’t want to wake up! I just couldn’t believe that this is real life!

          Well, for that week I’m packing and getting ready. I was told I’ll be in Detroit for: (Thursday?) Friday, שבת, and Sunday. But I still had to pack for the first days of vacation. Man, it’s not easy to pack for five days in a small carry-on size duffel bag.

          Finally, the big day, Sunday January 18, 2009, arrives. I davened with the shul and then called Shayna. She was coming at around 9:00 to pick me up. I was soon picked up by Shayna and Buddy. Who’s Buddy? Buddy is this really great dog that Shayna just got. He’s really cool. I’ll speak more about him later on in the composition.

          Then we went to pick up Ari Chapman (the person my sister is dating). He’s a really, really cool guy!

          Well, we talked and caught up on things. Then we went to pick up Ari’s almost two year old son, Adam. He is really fun and cute. This is the second time meeting him. Once we picked Adam up, we drove to this really awesome dog park not far away. You should really see Buddy play! He’s amazing at jumping! We were playing fetch and some stupid dog took the ball and dropped it by its master’s feet. The guy told me to take it. ‘Don’t worry, he won’t bite you’ he said. Well, I take the ball and start going towards Shayna and Ari, when the stupid dog jumps and my whole hand ends up in his mouth! So much for ‘it won’t bite’!

          Then we went to visit Ari’s aunt (Adam’s great aunt) Mildred. We all went onto the porch and talked. Adam and I played. That is until I fell asleep on the lawn chair with Adam underneath me! Well, it was a great first day of vacation! We dropped Adam back off at his house, then I went to stay by Ari’s friend’s house. I went on the computer and watched the concert for Obama’s inauguration. Then I hit the sack.

          Monday : After davening and breakfeast, we went to pick up Adam for a day at the beach! But first we went to meet up with the Schulman family (consisting of: Ari’s sister, Tamar, and her husband, Yochanan; and their kids: Avi and Sholom.) what a sight the greeting in the store was! Cousins hugging and laughing and playing!

          To the beach! Off we went to Vero Beach for a fantastic day in the soft sand and wide ocean. When we arrived, we all changed and hit the water. Ahh! Those waves were pretty big, and boy did it hurt when I didn’t jump on time! But it was so much fun! We were there for a good couple of hours!

Sadly, the time came when we had to leave. But, of course, we had to do group pictures first! Then we left and we went to drop off Adam, then Ari. This time I was staying by our friend Nacho (it’s just a nickname!)’s house.

          On Tuesday we got up early, packed, picked up Ari and Buddy, davened, ate and hit the road. We went through, I believe, four states that day! That night we all slept in the car by some welcome center.

          Wednesday we arrive in Baltimore! We dropped off Buddy by Tamar’s house (where we were going to spend the night). And then we drive to Washington D.C.! We went to the Holocaust Museum, where we met up with my Uncle Mark (whom I haven’t seen since I was like two!) and we spent a couple of hours there. Then we meet Mark’s friend and we went to a small coffee shop to talk. I am serious. If I couldn’t do anything else my whole trip, but spend those few hours talking with Shayna, Ari, Uncle Mark and his friend; I would be completely satisfied. Those few hours we spent together, would be enough for me.

          Later, after a mad dash to pick up our car, we went to see the White House! We took pictures in the back because the front still had bleachers from the inauguration the day before (the back looks better anyways!) Later, after searching all over for a gas station, we went souvenir shopping. I got the perfect picture frame. It has all around the picture different things: the Washington Monument, the Capital, the White House, the Pentagon etc… Then we headed back to Baltimore to spend the night.

          On Thursday we woke up, davened, did  random stuff, had sushi for brunch, watched cartoons, and then hit the road [leaving Ari behind (so it was just Shayna, me, and Buddy)].

          I kept saying to myself: ‘I wish Yaakov (Docks, my best friend) could see Buddy’. Guess what? I found out that Yaakov was going to be in town too! It turns out that he had his break then also!

          On Friday morning, we arrived in Detroit!!! I went straight to see my two wonderful nieces, before they left for Cheder, and my sister Malcah, and my father. Then I went to my old school to see my mother and some of my old rabbeim.

          I spent Shabbos at the Docks’s house with Yaakov. It was great! On Moitze Shabbos, Hudsi Rosenberg and Yaakov slept over! We had a lot of fun!

          Sunday: We all woke up, davened, and played. Later Hudsi went home and Yaakov and I, went to Jerusalem Pizza (the best pizza store) for lunch, where we ate a nice, big meal. Then I went to get a watch. We then had some fun for the rest of the day. Finally, Yaakov had to go home. So I went to Sara’s Deli (the best restaurant for meat), where I ordered to go for me and my mother. We had a nice little supper at home. After supper, my friend Dovi Rosenberg (Hudsi’s brother) came over. We played for a few hours until he was picked up. Then came the hard task of packing, for I was going back to yeshiva early the next day. I was packing until like two or three in the morning, when I fell asleep on the couch.

          On Monday morning, I was woken up at about six thirty, to go to the airport. Shayna took me. When I was checking in, I was told that since I was only fourteen, I had to have a parent check in with me. You see I was flying North West Airlines. So Shayna had to park and check me in. Then, security was moving to slow, since it was tightened. Boy, was I running late! Just my luck that my gate happened to be all the way at the very end of the terminal! I got there just as they were closing the door! Whew! It was a nice ride. Then I took a shuttle and soon arrived on yeshiva grounds.