Well, after a year of peaceful driving, the lemon strikes back! Forty-five minutes in bad traffic was just too much so she threw a hissy-fit (literally), hissing and spewing smokey filth all over Prague 6.
Our good friend Billy came to the rescue, determined the seal blew on the radiator hose (hopefully that's the extent of Ms. Lemon's attitude problem) and called a tow truck for us. Lydia and I walked away from the scene and took a tram ride to the closest McD's to drown away our sorrows with a good ol' fashioned Happy Meal.
Lydia is still talking about our broken car and wondering if Mater (from Disney's Cars) has come to get it yet (he has). I'm wondering how we'll make it through the next days of doctor appointments for Marcus and preschool initiation for Lydia while Ms. Lemon sits in her time-out chair awaiting a thorough analysis.
What was that I said about learning to embrace Plan B? Hmmmm......
Easter Monday
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
We've come a long way since our 1st Easter Monday in the Czech Republic. Oh, how naive we were to take a weekend trip to Germany that fateful spring of 2005. Only to be savagely initiated into the ritual that Europeans call "Easter Monday". How were we to know this holiday would be observed with the same dedication as Christmas? And that we would arrive in Dresden, Germany only to discover nothing is open on Easter Monday... not even (gasp) Wal-Mart?!?!? Normally, we could roll with the punches. But when you have a 1-year old to feed, things get desperate pretty quickly. So Lydia's dinner, bedtime snack and breakfast that year were purchased from the Dresden train station.
Having been indoctrinated early on, we wouldn't dream of such a silly plan these days. We have come to really enjoy the Easter Monday holiday and now embrace the forced relaxation. This year, we invited some friends over for a brunch/lunch/play outside in the sun day. And although my pre-party planning was thrown into panic mode when the 24-hour grocery store's shelves offered no pastries or bratwurst rolls AND closed early the night before (I could understand enough of the announcement over the P.A. system to know I was under being given a 30 minute shopping deadline. Hooray for comprehending some Czech after 2 years. Boo, because now my pulse was racing).
I am happy to say that 2-1/2 years in Prague has made me quite good at embracing Plan B. This wasn't the first time (and won't be the last time) the grocery store's inventory was depleted to bare shelves. So grab the frozen knedlicky* and lets have a party!!!
*Knedlicky - Czech dumplings filled with any variety of ingredients. Our breakfast variety had blueberries or strawberries or apricots. Quite tasty in a unique, I-had-no-other-options, Czech sort of way....
Having been indoctrinated early on, we wouldn't dream of such a silly plan these days. We have come to really enjoy the Easter Monday holiday and now embrace the forced relaxation. This year, we invited some friends over for a brunch/lunch/play outside in the sun day. And although my pre-party planning was thrown into panic mode when the 24-hour grocery store's shelves offered no pastries or bratwurst rolls AND closed early the night before (I could understand enough of the announcement over the P.A. system to know I was under being given a 30 minute shopping deadline. Hooray for comprehending some Czech after 2 years. Boo, because now my pulse was racing).
I am happy to say that 2-1/2 years in Prague has made me quite good at embracing Plan B. This wasn't the first time (and won't be the last time) the grocery store's inventory was depleted to bare shelves. So grab the frozen knedlicky* and lets have a party!!!
*Knedlicky - Czech dumplings filled with any variety of ingredients. Our breakfast variety had blueberries or strawberries or apricots. Quite tasty in a unique, I-had-no-other-options, Czech sort of way....
1st Annual Nad Helmrovkou Tot-trot
Ready?
Notice Lucy's (in the pink) sneaky way of edging out the competition?
We'll have to have a talk with her parents about this...
...Set...
GO!
FYI... Lydia was in a strong 2nd. That is until she determined the best course of action was to perform the now famous Lydia-Go limp-Flop just 5 meters before the finish line. Quite dramatic, my girl.
And then it's time to say "goodbye"...
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Without a doubt, the most difficult part of living in Prague is the coming and going of friends. It seems that just when you really get to know someone, it's time for them to leave. We always say "let's keep in touch", but deep down we know that blogs and email are no substitute for the real thing. And so it happened again today. We had to say goodbye to Jess. Not only is she a huge part of our church fellowship, she's also become a huge part of our lives. Yes, this is the Jess who accompanied us to Spain and also teamed up with Sunny to enable my much needed one-night-o'-sleep. She's returning to America to get her degree. There is no doubt that she is doing the right thing. It doesn't make it any easier though.
I often wonder what Lydia thinks of all of these farewells. Does she "get it"? Probably not, since in her mind America is a hotel. She must wonder though, if that "America Hotel" is getting pretty crowded -- with her friends: Eloise, Lillian, Ms. Emily and Mr. Jon; Michael; and now Jess ALL there. (Don't worry family; she knows that you are in a house.)
It just gets harder and harder to say good-bye as you "grow up".
So, farewell for now Jess. We love you and will always remember you with fond memories... especially every time we place that Texas piece in the puzzle of America.
Lydia in the passageway to our church building/family center for Easter Sunday service.
Update
Nellie's out of the cone. Lydia avoided scarlet fever thanks to her protective mommy and will start preschool next week. Marcus is a half-millimeter away from his 1st tooth. We had a lovely weekend and will post some pics as soon as I can set aside a couple hours of uninterrupted time. Hmmmmm........
