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!