The Good Girl Gone Blog

On Tuesday, I grabbed a few hours by myself to take photos around Jerusalem of places that hold specific memories of my time here three years ago. I found the place where I got my nose pierced, as well as a few of my favorite coffee shops.

I took the time to photograph a bunch of different cats, as well as visit the store where I used to buy string for crocheting kippot. Interestingly, as I sat with my Nikon, trying to capture an image of a  stray kitten, a young man sat down next to me, curious about my camera and interested in sharing the many photos he'd taken on his cellphone.

We conversed for about an hour, both in Hebrew and English, about our photos, my family and his future plans to study homeopathic medicine. Though his English was not amazing, and my Hebrew was a bit rusty due to non-use in Boston, we still managed to carry on a highly intelligent conversation. To be honest with you, I was surprised that he got up to leave without asking for my number. Still, I'm excited to add a new memory to my list: the time I spent an hour chatting in Hebrish (Engbrew?) with a stranger.

Below are a few of my favorite photos of the day. To see the rest of the photos, and for some more detailed explanations, check out the flickr set.

If you've ever been to Jerusalem, you know that there are certain neighborhoods that require modest attire.  Mea Shearim (which literally translates to 100 gates) is one of those neighborhoods, so on a trip to grab lunch with my sister and brother-in-law, I made sure to wear a sweater that covered my elbows, a scarf that covered my decolletage and a skirt that fell below my knees.

The resulting look, which my dad called Frum (religious Jewish) Chic:

We arrived safely in Israel yesterday. It's amazing to be back here after three years. I'll go into detail later. Thought you'd all enjoy this photo, taken on the way to the Crofton, my new home in London.

After two days in London, my mini-vacation is about to come to an end as I am headed to Israel tomorrow to fill up on falafel, hug my sisters and make loads of Hebrew gramatical mistakes. I've already learned a ton about London, like the fact that everything is RIDICULOUSLY expensive, especially cab rides and everything sold at Harrod's.

Cross your fingers that our hotel's concierge will help store my second suitcase until I return on the 10th, because honestly, I can hardly manage one suitcase by myself!

Hope all my non-American friends had a lovely Boxing Day. I spent mine sleeping in, trying to avoid getting trampled in Harrod's and fighting the urge to shout out my favorite quotes during the stage production of "Dirty Dancing."

Cheers. (Ha, now I think I'm British. I have a long way to go...)

Hi lovelies,

I've been running around like crazy for the past few days, unpacking, repacking, buying last minute things, going to the doctor and playing with my puppies (who are adorably distracting, I might add). Today, I managed to squeeze in  lunch with Aunt Sandy, Gigi and Pauline at my Gigi's country club.

Picking out my outfit was slightly difficult- I couldn't wear the various mismatched sweats/jeans combinations I've been donning for the past few days (for fear or dirtying my good clothes before London), so I settled on something I thought was acceptable: a pink and black leopard print cardigan, denim mini, black tights, black booties and a pink bow headband. The outfit was cute, sophisticated and chic. It made my legs look long and I actually felt sort of tall. Overall, I thought it was a success. (If I wasn't so pooped I'd figure out a way to snap a photo for you to judge for yourself.)

After a delicious lunch, my grandmother called me over to her seat and slipped a bill into my hand.

I looked down at my legs and smiled. My grandmother has never liked frayed denim, even if it's part of the piece's design.  My Gigi, the fashion critic- gotta love her!

I'm currently snuggling in my bed at home, watching old episodes of Chuck and marveling at the fact that Sadie is sleeping. She's not destroying my Mac charger, she's not biting my head and she's not going through my trashcan. She's lying at the end of my bed doing nothing. This is amazing. All I need are blueberry pancakes, and this would be the perfect morning.

I've been in search of the perfect "London coat" for a while now. While I have a long, black puffer coat, I wanted something a bit more sleek for my adventures abroad. I took a few hours on Thursday after a final to look for a coat at the mall, but returned homed stressed and unimpressed.

After drooling over a beautiful coat on JCrew's website (they only sell their petite sizes online) for the past few weeks, I finally gave in and decided to buy it. I was slightly hesitant to purchase something so substantial as a coat online, especially with limited return time before London, but decided it was my only option. I was worried that I'd have to buy a black coat, which is definitely not my thing, so I asked my friend Eric for his opinion. He told me a color would suit me better, and that I could still be a grownup in a non-black coat. So...I bought this:

My old roommate Samantha bought me this Madame Alexander doll and I think she's the coolest thing ever. Look familiar? She's Betty. You know, as in Ugly Betty? Oh, and if you look closely...she has braces. F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S. Hopefully my mom will like her as much as I do and allow her to sit next to the other dolls in her collection. We'll see :)

P.S.- I'm stuck in Boston because of a yucky blizzard in Maryland. Hopefully I'll be back in Baltimore soon so I can pack up my life and leave for London on Thursday. Ahh, so excited!

For some reason, a memory just popped in my head of a game I used to play with my dad when I was a little girl of approximately age two or three. After I finished my bath, my dad would wrap me up in a big towel, scoop me up and cover my face so I couldn't see. He'd cradle me in his arms so I'd stay warm and would carry me into different rooms of the house and ask "What room are we in?"

I'm not exactly sure what made me think of this- maybe it's because it's Hanukkah, a holiday I associate with family, or maybe it's because my dad is coming to pick me up from school on Saturday.

Honestly, I think it might be because this memory represents my childhood, a time that seems so far away. In just two days, I will take my last final on Boston University's Charles River Campus. I will pack up my dorm room and head home for my last winter break. Though I still technically have one semester to go, I  feel like college, and my childhood, are over.

A part of me still wants to be that little girl, safely snuggled in my father's arms. I want to hide my face in that protective towel and not have to figure out "what room I'm in" on my own. There's a great big scary world out there, and right now, all I want to do is close my eyes and hide in my daddy's arms.