HOW DO YA LIKE THEM APPLES?!

Milan was putting some meat on the grill. I suggested we throw some apples on with it. "Apples?...on the grill?! With meat?!"
Yes!
Czechs don't understand the phenomenally phenomenal treat of combining something salty with something sweet. They miss out on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, egg and bacon croissants, and syrup on french toast. But they DO have nutella and well, that goes wonderfully on almost anything. Just trying to add flavor to their lives one taste bud at a time.

HOW DO YOU LIKE IT?

I get the Mercedes this week. It's a very pleasing car....it even asks how you like it:


because the seats will give you a massage while you drive. WOW.
The highlighted one is how I like it.

SOMETIMES I JUST CLOSE MY EYES

In America, this is the size of ONE LANE for a person to drive on. Here, it is supposed to be big enough for two lanes of traffic, bicycles, and pedestrians. Sometimes when big trucks passed me on a curve, I just close my eyes and say a little prayer.

...WHEN I WAS CRAZY

This is a small video recorded by a member of the Passau ward (never trust a German boy with your camera). In it is me with the funniest guy there. He's a little bit different. He giggles a lot. I heard a rumor that some people don't want him to come to church because he is so crazy. This is sad to me because he isn't hurting any one. Sure, maybe he pulls out an air freshener during meetings and sprays it all over his face, nibbles on the sacrament bread as he passes it, and most times says some funny things (like "Have you ever looked a cow in the eyes? It's lovely")...but he loves everyone. The person who told me this story said, "Maybe one day in heaven he'll come up to us and say 'thank you for being my friend when I was crazy.'"

(click the thumbnail to watch)

I don't put sandwiches in my pocket (most of the time), but I'd like to tell you thank you for being my friend (not when I was CRAZY, but through the crazy things I do/write).

EUROPEAN GRAFFITI

Why do I love European graffiti?




leaving MY mark...the only place it's legal in Prague.

LOOKING FOR A WILDer MANn

I have a few girl friends who ask me to bring them back a hot european guy every time I travel. I have failed thus far, but I'm pretty sure I found the right place to start looking for their souvenir the other day while in Germany:


HOTEL WILDER MANN!
Maybe I'm the only one who thinks this is funny...

NOT ONE OF THOSE DAYS

Ever have one of those days where you feel like everybody around you is looking so much better? Maybe you feel fat, can't find anything to wear that looks good, your hair just won't get along with you, and you absolutely want to stay in bed?


Well, today is NOT one of those days for me. Mmm hmmm lovin' life from the top of my head all the way down to the shoes on my feet! Days like these have my permission to happen more often.


PS I know I should retire these running shoes, but I love my Grid Azuras

SIGNING AUTOGRAPHS

Deciding I'd rather go to church and not understand listening in the German language instead of the Czech language, I drove to Passau today. While I was there, this man walked up to me with a pamphlet for some school in America, pointed to a girl with brown hair in a photo and asked if it was me.


Of course, I said yes and then proceeded to give him my autograph. He giggled with excitement and we took a photo together.
It wasn't really me in the pamphlet.
Does that make me a bad person?

CITY GIRL

In the Czech forest,
we:

play with sticks

collect rocks



catch bugs

and pick wild flowers

Maybe I'm more of a city girl than I thought...
1 week down 1 week to go

FREE CUFF LINKS

Besides when a guy wears a good cologne, suiting up with cuff links makes me swoon a little. It's true: every girl's crazy bout a sharp dressed man.

So I learned something new today:

The forerunner of today's shirt first appeared in the early-1500s, its ruffled wristband finished with small openings on either side that tied together with "cuff strings." Although cuff strings would remain popular well into the nineteenth century, it was during the reign of Louis XIV that shirt sleeves started to be fastened with boutons de manchette, or "sleeve buttons".


CUFF LINKS. As a promotion for their super nice shirts, this company is giving away a free pair (or you can take 2) of links. You just have to pay shipping. Go here to rock it like Mr. XIV and get some linkage. Just trying to help out my local neighborhood player...

DANCING HOUSE

This is my absolute favorite place in Prague. I must see it every time I go...and I went last Friday.

The Dancing House (Tančící dům) designed by Frank Gehry.







I'm kinda obsessed with it.

ALL POOL TOYS GO TO HEAVEN

All of the sudden I noticed it was unusually quiet in the pool. I looked around to find William at the other end sitting on the steps next to his deflated octopus air mattress. "It's broken," he muttered. "Oh, you're sad because you can't use it any more?"
He nodded a very heartbroken yes. Patting his shoulder I replied, "Don't worry...all pool toys go to heaven," to which he smiled, gently set it alongside the pool, and began splashing water in my face as usual. Rest in peace in that big kiddie pool in the sky, octomattress.

I CAN DIG IT

Some people like my blog. I can dig it. They gave me these:


thanks to:
Friday-Follow
Kuppy Kakes By Kristin
The Bloggeristas
A Dad's Take
MadamSarcasm

Much love to ya'll
xoxoxo

PEACE, LOVE, AND...DISCO?

I think I found my new favorite park today where I spotted these little gems:


I sat on a bench next to this. Pure love for a European...


giant peace sign art


cool carvings. William said this one looks like me.


And since all those things were made out of wood, I decided to throw in this last one. I stumbled upon www.iheartwood.com and found this. Check out the site for crazy cool things inspired by wood.

THAT'S NOT A DESSERT

From the corner of my eye, I thought I saw snow. As I looked again, I caught a beautiful field of poppies.


Czechs love their kolače...a pastry filled with various things like jam, cheese, or poppy seed. The first time I ate one I stopped, pointed, and said, "Those are mashed poppy seeds. That's not a dessert!" But I've grown to love them. Maybe sometimes even crave them. Go figure. Hope I don't get stopped for a random drug test any time soon.

GIVEAWAY WINNER

OK the lavender Essential Oils giveaway info:
country: Romania
special letters in alphabet: Ă ă, Â â, Î î, Ș ș, Ț ț
gymnast: Nadia Comăneci
Transylvania famous for Bram Stoker's Dracula and Nosferatu
winner chosen randomly by my brother from a hat (totally fair and impartial):

Leslee P said...
I follow your blog now
lesleeparker(at)yahoo.com

JUNE 8, 2010 4:35 PM

As your email says Yahoo! or felicitări (I think that might be how you say congratulations in Romanian)

BUG OFF!

The Czech fam and I are camping in the Šumava forest this weekend. Well, if you call staying in a nice house with a wii, trampoline, internet access, a multitude of sprinkler toys, and A/C camping, then we are TOTALLY camping.


Maybe I'm a girl, but I've decided I really hate bugs. I'm enjoying the beautiful nature, but Off! has become my dearest friend. Shoo fly don't bother me.

I'M WEARING A NECKLACE

I've never really been able to wear necklaces. I don't know why. I used to say it was because I don't like things around my neck (who does--but you know what I mean). Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy necklaces and own a few, but when it comes to ME wearing one, I just can't handle it. And for some reason, people LOVE to give me necklaces as presents.

So babička Zdenka gave me a necklace as a departing gift the first time I left Czech to go back to America. (Now nobody gives me gifts when I leave. They just think "It's deanna...she'll be back...whatever.")
Babi doesn't speak English and I don't mluvím česky, so I decided I need to overcome this necklace wearing thing to show her I appreciate her kind gesture and think she's cool.

Well, I've done it. I've been wearing this necklace for over a month now. No problems. I even wore it in front of Babi and she gave me her nod of approval. I have also searched for other necklaces I think I want to buy to accessorize my outfits. Sweet. So if you know of any cute ones or want to give me one (I still think not enough people buy me things)...share the necklace love.


I'M WEARING A NECKLACE!! I just high-fived myself. I really did.

I'M IN LOVE...

It's true. It's been about 6 months now, I think, and only maybe a select few know. SO I'm going to publicly admit it to myself and tell everyone now.

I LOVE YOU.
YOU MAKE ME GIDDY.
WE COMPLIMENT EACH OTHER.
I WANT TO SPEND ALL OF MY TIME WITH YOU.
I CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF YOU.
WE LOOK GOOD TOGETHER.
I LOOK FOR SIGNS OF YOU IN EVERY STATE & COUNTRY I VISIT.
YOU COMPLETE ME.

H&M...you have my heart. From the first time we met, I knew there was something special between us. I am in love with your stores.


love love LOVE my new H&M sunglasses