I Moved.

I'm over at wordpress now. Come here if you want to keep up with the rest of my summer.

I might abandon Blogger

Ok there are some issues with using blogger....

 I should never have started using Google Picasa to make collages a couple weeks ago...apparently all pictures you put on your blog get stored in Google Picasa whether you have downloaded the program or not. Unaware of all of this I downloaded the program, also unaware that it would automatically sync with my computer and store all the pictures I have in my computer. So today as I was uploading pictures of Vysehrad I get a message saying I have reached my 1GB storage limit and if I want to store more I have to pay for it. This is when I started investigating and found out the above information. So i tried to delete some pictures from Picasa, I don't need all my pictures stored in there.  But wait, if you delete an image from Picasa it will remove it from all other folders on your computer that save your image. What.The.Heck. 

 I am super irritated right now, and don't see a way around this. However, I refuse to pay to put more pictures on my blog. Soooo...I am thinking of alternatives so that I can share the rest of the summer with my family and the few friends that actually read this thing. If you know anything about the problem I am having or if you know other ways to blog let me know. I'm thinking I might just have to start up a new blog for my next 2 1/2 months here and then call it quits on blogging. We shall see.

Castles and Cemeteries

Today I went to Vysehrad, 'Prague's Other Castle'. The castle itself is really small but it is surrounded by gardens, an incredible cemetery, and beautiful views of the city. Since I am trying to save money I didn't go into the castle itself but spent my time wandering through the gardens and the cemetery. I love cemetery's. I don't know if its the history they contain or the visual representation of all the lives that have ended, or whether its something else entirely that I can't put my finger on, but they are absolutely beautiful and intriguing. 

Memorial Day in the Czech Republic

Holidays aren't the same when you aren't with people who actually celebrate the holiday. This Memorial Day I am missing honoring our fallen soldiers by watching Saving Private Ryan with my brother, and Memphis Belle with my parents while enjoying some of my moms delicious BBQed burgers and chocolate shakes.  I am grateful for this holiday that causes me to pause as I sit with the people I love the most, and remember that we are able to sit in peace, in the safety of our home because of the sacrifices of others. Our soldiers have made and continue to make the greatest sacrifices so that I can have and enjoy the freedoms and wonderful life I have been blessed with.

So rather than missing my family today and our Memorial Day traditions, I will instead think of the families of those fallen soldiers and all that they have sacrificed and lost for my behalf. I am eternally grateful for our soldiers and their families bravery and strength to keep pressing forward for a nation who so often does not give them the thanks they deserve. Thank you to all the servicemen who have fought and fallen, and those that continue to fight. You are appreciated and are always in my prayers.

Lately...

Remember how I conquered my fear of skating and was so proud of my 3 mile trek without any falls? Well that fun and exciting trip gave me an ulcer...on my foot. I thought I had gotten a nice blister that had gotten rubbed raw during the skating trip. After a week of it not feeling so great, and not healing as quickly as I thought it should I sent a picture to  my Doctor/Dad. Turns out I had rubbed my skin off down to the subcutaneous level. Sounds horribly painful right? It really wasn't that bad, but it did mean that it would take much longer to heal and anything making contact with it hurt like a mother. So, no shoes. Not really great when you get surprised with 5 days off, its 40 degrees outside and rainy and you can't put shoes on. Needless to say I spent those 5 days at the house instead of out in the city. I made the most of all my free time and read Little Women, Crime and Punishment, and I am almost done with Treasure Island. I also started doing Family Indexing, which surprisingly enough is totally addicting. I am most competitive when my competitor is myself, so I'm always pushing myself to see how many names I can index and if I can beat my last days total. It makes it a lot of fun for the competitive nerd in me. If you haven't tried Indexing you should check it out.

My foot is still not completely healed but it is pretty much pain free except for when I wear shoes for an extended period of time- like 2 hours...found that out yesterday when Anna, Barbara and I got banished to the forest for a couple hours. Magda is sick and has been for the last several days and we needed to get out of the house to get out of Moms hair and to give Magda some peace and quiet. There is a forest a 5 minute drive away with a nice little paved path that leads to a small 'zoo'. The zoo has deer, some birds, and a few other random animals. It was good for the girls to get out and do something, and nice for me to have something to entertain them other than myself.  

Tomorrow and Wednesday are my days off so I will venture into the city and hopefully enjoy some sunshine and all the walking my feet can handle.

Grounded

The day before I flew out to the Czech Republic me and some of my family embarked on a little adventure. A couple hours north-west of Modesto is a place where you can zip-line through the Redwoods. My mom, dad, sister-in-law, and I drove up to Occidental and enjoyed the tiny town before heading up into the trees. We had the best gnocchi and bruschetta for lunch and browsed all the artsy shops.

Deanna embarrassed the family by wearing sweats. Can't take her anywhere...

We began the zip-lining, and after conquering the two baby zip-lines we stood on the platform at the beginning of the highest zip, 200 feet above the forest floor. Then the wind had to really pick up and after hanging out on the platform for a good 15 minutes or so, all tours in the trees were told they had to stop the tour because the wind was no longer safe. Complete bummer. 

We had a great day in spite of the cancellation and are going back in August when I am back in the States, this time adding a couple more people to our group. Can't wait!

Can I get Fries with That?

I like food. A lot. I used to think I was pretty open minded  and liked all different kinds of food.  However this weekend I realized I like my food plain and simple. If I have to ask you what I'm eating, and then have to have you explain you're explanation- chances are me and that food are not going to mesh well. So when the fancy chef comes over to cook for a dinner party and Foie Gras and Raw Scallops are served as Appetizers, crazy fish for another course, and meat that looks like it might still be kicking for the final course, I will apprehensively take a bite of each and rely on the bread basket to hold me over till breakfast. Thanks Monsieur Chef, the food looked very pretty but I would rather have a burger.

Sometimes I Amaze Even Myself

That fateful time rolled around again today- family skating. The family had gone on Friday and didn't mention anything about me coming so I thought I was in the clear. Alas, today as the family discussed their plans for skating in the afternoon my slightly sarcastic 'Oh how fun!' was misinterpreted and an invitation to come along was extended my way. I sat there with my heart pounding and mind racing (yes I know this is  an intense reaction for a skating invitation, don't judge me) and as images of me flailing, crashing, and walking away from the skate path dejected flashed through my mind, I told them I would come along and give it a try. I did make sure to tell them that I was extremely nervous, would crash many many times, and that if I just was not getting the hang of it I would show myself off the path and wait for them to finish.

We parked a little ways off the path and I laced up my skates watching the bikes and skaters fly by- it did not help the sinking sensation in my stomach. After being helped up off the curb and almost taking out a couple kids in the process, I was forced to take the first steps. And  steps they were. I'm sure people were staring as I practically high stepped my way up the hill towards to path- actually skating was too terrifying to attempt at that point.Then off went the family and I had no choice to try and transform my steps into skating., After some pointers and repeated instructions to not try and walk in the skates, I was able to keep up with the kids that were still getting a hang of it (yay for me!). I was in no way comfortable skating, but for the 3 mile skate trip I did not fall a single time (my flailing saved me more times than I can count). I know, I was amazed at the lack of crashing. The last half of the trip I kept thinking 'oh my gosh, I'm going to make it back and not even fall!' and then this song started playing on repeat in my head. Too bad  I didn't have a group of people waiting for me by the car to serenade me. That would have been fantastic.

Now I just have to get enough practice in over the next couple months so I am prepared for the 10 mile skate trip we are going to do near their cottage in the mountains. I am not ready for hills...

Along the Road to Petrin

I know this is horrible, but I came into this summer I guess you could say a little jaded. I had so many brilliant experiences last summer and saw so much that I felt like yes this will be exciting but its more about working this time than the 'out of my comfort zone, new and exciting adventure' that last summer was. So last night as I was looking through my travel books trying to find what I wanted to see in Prague today I was thinking 'I saw pretty much everything I really wanted to see last summer. What to see, what to see..." I know, you are all reading this probably hating me for being so unenthused, honestly I'm a little disappointed with myself. So I set out today with one thing really on my list, and thought I would see where the day took me. Today was marvelous, and was a reminder of why life is so fantastic. Its not about where you are, what you've seen or how many times you've been there. Its about what you put into it and what you get out.

I started my day off walking towards Petrin Hill, Petrin was my one thing planned for the day. As I was walking I stumbled across an art exhibit of Franktisek Bilek, a famous Czech sculptor. I debated on whether or not to spend the money for a ticket and decided to just go for it. It was incredible. There were over 60 pieces on display, all done by him. And the building, which is actually what drew me over the gallery, was designed and built by him. I was floored by not only his talent, but also his thoughts and insights that inspired his work. My mind was going a mile a minute thinking about so many different things, I was just scribbling notes all over my pamphlet. His work was thought provoking and was the best way to start my day.

From there I continued on my way to Petrin and passed the Royal Palace Gardens, which somehow I never actually saw last summer. They are so beautiful, and the view of St. Vitus Cathedral...oh I was in heaven.

                      

                    

After some more wandering I made it to Petrin, which is essentially a park but has lots of winding shaded paths through beautiful trees. It was lovely and green and full of people. I didn't take the time to stop and think about how many more people would be there because its a national holiday today. Luckily most of them were lounging on the grass or playing frisbee so most of the paths through the large park didn't have many people on them. 

                   

                   

                                      
I ended the day sitting in the Park in Mala Strana right below the Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral. St. Vitus is probably my favorite place in Prague. I don't know what it is about it, but whenever I see it in the distance I am awed and I start taking pictures. The park, again was more busy than usual. I thought it was all for the holiday. Some of it was....

            
...and some it appeared to be Czech hippies sleeping in tents. And then I walked by and saw an "Occupy Czech" sign. Oh boy... They need to vacate that area. My favorite park to sit before I go home is being tainted by their stupidity.

But I did enjoy reading more about things to do in Prague, while enjoying this delicious treat I bought by the Charles Bridge. Every time I passed the place that makes these last summer, my mouth would water. The
cinnamon and sugar mixed with the cooking pastry just wafts over the end of the bridge enticing you to come down and buy one. So I finally gave in, and it was pretty tasty.

A Not so New Way to Celebrate

Today is a National holiday here in the Czech Republic, celebrating the anniversary of the end of WWII. People must have been really excited about the holiday...cause today as I walked through the park there were endless couples doing some hardcore making out. So today celebrate as the Czech do, grab a blanket and a friend and head to the park. Hooray for the end of World War II!

Which Does the Most Damage...

The Roller Gods have spared me. My boss (it feels weird calling him that) must have seen the fear in my eyes on Friday when he said we were heading out to go skating. He gave me the option to come skate with them or come along and take a walk along the river- "It is up to you, if you want to try or be excluded." I don't know if he was trying to make me feel bad or if it's because of the language barrier, (I used to to think some to the bluntness was the language barrier but now I kinda think its them...) but I had no qualms about being excluded from the group for an hour or so.

The path along the river was nice and peaceful not exactly the most scenic walk ever, but it still quite lovely, well that is until I glance down at the person sunbathing literally right off the path and realize it is a 70 year old man tanning every little bit of his body. So not what I wanted to see, and why so close the walking path man? Thats just not nice. So I kept walking trying to shake the horrible image from my head and I then encountered a group of topless women (not that uncommon for Europe) again, right off the path. There was a huge field off to the side, but for some reason all the nudies were clustered around the path- I am talking I could kick you you are so close. Why, why?! Then further down the path I see like a nudist family. Dad, Mom, kid, and maybe an aunt or something. I saw them from a little ways off, because the Dad got up walked over to the bike path and started peeing. Peeing. Completely naked. Less than two feet from the bike path. Now looking back, maybe I should have gone skating with the family. Any bruises or gaping wounds I accrued during the outing would have been far less damaging then the scarring all those naked people caused. That is unless I was the unfortunate one to come around to corner to find a naked man relieving himself. Yikes.

You Want Me to do What?

There are some things that just make your heart sink into your stomach, and the nausea never seems to go away. In my case these words yesterday had this very effect- "We have a new family activity every Friday that  you will joining us in- skating." Then he proceeded to tell me its down by the river on the same path as bikes and they go for about 3 miles. Mouth on the floor, sweaty palms, overwhelming desire to tell them how horrible an idea this is... Anyone who has seen me attempt something that requires balance should now how disastrous this will be. Children will be skating around me and laughing, and they will realize they hired someone who is mildly retarded to watch their children. It is not going to be pretty. I am praying for rain tomorrow or that they will just forget about me...

Utini!

It was my Golden Birthday this year, and I felt like I was becoming a grandma so I knew I had to have the most awesome birthday ever. My family knows what it takes to throw a fantastically nerdy party, and it was delightful. There were homemade t-shirts, costumes, a training droid pinata, the Millennium Falcon, candy lights-sabers that actually lit up, Han Solo trapped in Carbonite Jello and tons of Star Wars themed food. By far the coolest birthday party I have ever had. Thanks family! 

Here We Come, Guns Ablazing

The semester ended and I had about a week free before heading to the Czech Republic so I spent it in California with my family.Bryan and Aaron recently decided they needed to have a heavy arsenal, so I of course had to help break their guns in. My nieces (6 and 9 yrs old) came along and shot for the first time. It was so awesome to see tiny little Sarah wielding massive guns that were pretty much bigger than her. Sarah and Amanda were both pretty hardcore and had a go shooting each of the different guns there.

At the end of the day Bryan decided to load up the shot gun with each of the different size shells he had (we had been shooting his smallest size) and let me feel the difference in the power of each shot. I think the pictures of me say it all. Those larger shells pack quite the punch... To say I felt like Rambo while shooting the shot gun from the hip is an understatement. It was pretty freakin sweet.

It's that Time Again

There's something about the beginning of summer that makes me nostalgic. Memories of childhood days spent running barefoot from the local pool as the heat rising from the asphalt threatens to scorch my feet, hiking with family and exploring the surrounding mountains and valleys, lazy afternoons lounging poolside complete with Orange Creamies and lots of laughter, endless nights of volleyball and trips to the Hospital Cafe, savoring gelato while navigating foreign streets...

The semester has ended and summer has officially begun for me. I am anxiously anticipating another summer spent in the Czech Republic, but before I leave I have a few more days of quality time in California with my family. This summer, as every summer before, brings promises of new adventures and the opportunity to create lasting memories and I absolutely cannot wait for it to get underway.