HOLY BROKEN UMBRELLA, BATMAN

I'm pretty sure Ivanka thought I was a crazy holiday celebrating American when she found me upstairs with a toolbox, umbrella, black hooded sweatshirt, and needle and thread. I took apart the umbrella the family gave me (I hadn't used it once and then 2 days later it rained...go figure) and made wings for my Batman costume for Halloween. I have a feeling she doubted my creative mind, but when I heard her say, "Holy broken umbrella, Batman!"...(my Czech translation could be a little off) I knew she was inspired.

VOTE

I believe every person of voting age, should be an active citizen and VOTE!

The temptation is strong to allow civic participation to become so totally overshadowed by day-to-day concerns that we never get beyond the “faithful voter” level of activity. In such circumstances, it might be wise to remind ourselves that no constitution or set of protective laws is self-executing. Guarantees of political freedom maintain their force only if citizens are willing to exercise that freedom in their own behalf. IF MEN AND WOMEN OF CHARACTER FAIL TO PARTICIPATE IN THE POLITICAL DECISIONS THAT SHAPE THEIR LIVES, OTHERS WITH MORE SELFISH MOTIVES WILL INEVITABLY RUSH IN TO FILL THE VOID.

So I voted today...in my pajamas! I love you, absentee ballot. Do the right thing...VOTE!

OFF THE LIST

With all of my "things to do before I die", this one can officially be crossed off the list: trying to iron my wrinkly skirt with my hair straightener. Done and done and still made it to church on time yesterday.

MY TODAY IS YOUR TOMORROW

Weird. We changed our clocks today back one hour for DST in Czech. One week before America. (Well, most of America--besides Arizona who doesn't change their time at all. Too much cactus juice or something. I heard once there is no Arizona anyway.)
So I'm posting the local time in Prague (with the day of the week listed in Czech so you all can learn some of the lingo). My today is your tomorrow sometimes. Maybe we can work together and set up some gambling on horse races or something since I'm in the future...or something.

WE ARE THE PEOPLE...

4 ways I helped this family become more American just today:
1. I taught William to sing the Yankee Doodle song AND recite the Preamble to the US Constitution. He's learning, but he proudly says, "We are the people...in order to form...a perfect union...establish (or something that sounds similar to establish) justice...assure tranquility...the constitution."
2. William and I had a mock birthday party where he learned how to play pin the tail on the donkey and sang "Happy birthday to you. You live in a zoo. You look like a monkey and you smell like one too."
3. Then we watched a scene from Garfield's Halloween Adventure so they could understand "trick-or-treating."
4. We ended the night with Ivanka learning how to cook a potato in the microwave. It's changed her world of cooking...for better or worse-I'm not sure.

LICENSE PLATE ARCH

To my surprise, I see photos of Delicate Arch all over the place here. I never knew that the little arch that appears on my license plate is known all around the world. Makes me realize it's a big yet small world after all. So anyway, I found a framed shot of the arch just below a table I sit at in the office here in CZ. I dusted it off and it now proudly sits as my window to home. I miss YOU-tah...just a little bit.

FROM THE MOUTHS OF BABES

Someone shared an email with me from their sister-in-law the other day and now I'll share the story with you:
Their son, who is in Kindergarten, asked a family friend who is pregnant why her stomach was so big. The friend replied that she had a baby growing inside it. The little boy asked her to lift her shirt and show him. Just to humor him, she lifted her shirt and showed him her belly. He then pointed to her boob and asked "What's growing in THERE?" Oh the things that come from the mouths of babes...

COLOR ME NERDY

Glasses you can change the color of to match your outfit with ink? Interesting. Nerdy. And possibly dangerous if they spring a leak while you're out on a steamy date or at a classy party.

PS That's an original Jackson Pollock painting I mixed in with the glasses shots. To make your own click here at jacksonpollock.org. Move your mouse to start and left click to change colors. Color me nerdy, I suppose, but it's pretty fun.

STORY OF MY LIFE

...except I'm not a dude (just change it around).

My mom says I'm just average, but my grandma thought I was cute...

LYRICS from What's a Guy Gotta Do by Joe Nichols
*you can read & listen at the same time*
just push play

Discover Various Artists!

What's... a... guy gotta do to get a girl in this town
Don't wanna be alone when the sun goes down
Just a sweet little somethin to put my arms around
What's a guy gotta do to get a girl in this town

Well ask anybody I'm a pretty good guy
And the looks decent wagon didn't pass me by
There ain't nothin in my past that I'm tryin hard to hide
And I don't understand why I gotta wonder why

What's a guy gotta do to get a girl in this town
Don't wanna be alone when the sun goes down
Just a sweet little somethin to put my arms around
What's a guy gotta do to get a girl in this town

I cruise all around the right parking lots
a little time gets killed alotta bull gets shot
one'll think I'm kinda cute and laugh at every joke I got
when I get to thinkin maybe she's athinkin maybe not

What's a guy gotta do to get a girl in this town
Don't wanna be alone when the sun goes down
Just a sweet little somethin to put my arms around
What's a guy gotta do to get a girl in this town

Had an old man tell me "Boy if you were smart
you'd hit the produce aisle at the Super Walmart"
So I bumped into a pretty girl's shopping cart
but all I did was break her eggs and bruise her artichoke hearts

What's a guy gotta do to get a girl in this town
Don't wanna be alone when the sun goes down
Just a sweet little somethin to put my arms around
What's a guy gotta do to get a girl in this town

*PS not THIS town because most Czechs smell bad and have horrible teeth. But I guess that just makes me look a little bit better.

KINDERGARTEN PIMP

My favorite conversation of the week...
cz: deanna, would you mind teaching English to this person's child on this day and this person's child on this day...blah blah boring details
me: Yeah no problem
cz: And to keep things from being awkward, I'll collect the money for you; you just keep track of the hours.
me: Ok...
cz: This sounds like some kind of illegal activity doesn't it? You doing the work and me collecting the money.
me: Yeah. I believe we call it "prostitution" in America.
cz: So that makes me the pimp?
me: Exactly.
cz: the kindergarten pimp?!

A few days later William pulls me and Ivanka in at the same time and says hug me. Now who is the REAL kindergarten pimp??

FUNNY BUSINESS

Laugh often. Laugh long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath or it hurts. And if you have a friend who makes you laugh, spend lots and lots of time with him/her.

A RELATIVELY GOOD TIME

Words can't explain how much I loved meeting these distant family members...so I'll let the photos do the work: