This is a (belated) birthday shout-out to my honey and partner-in-crime, Dr. Tom! I was super-bummed to miss the big day (December 11th) this year, but I did make an effort to organize a little surprise shin-dig (wasn't as successful as I'd hoped...but it was my fault for getting the word out too late. ah well...B+ for effort!). Anyway, since it was Tom's big day I thought I'd get a little post out here on the interweb and profess my love for him!
Tom, thank you for being my best friend and for always being so crazy and amazing and fun. Thank you for your whacked-out, high level of energy. Thank you for your love and unreal zest for life. Thank you for being the best travel buddy I could have ever dreamed up (we travel perfectly...check out the video of us having a crazy time at the Gypsy Bar in Krumlov below...so funny). Thank you for your patience and support.
And most of all...thank you for being.
I love you so much and am blessed to have you in my life!
Well, guys - remember my post the other day about St. Mikulas Day? The big day is tomorrow, so I was bummed I wasn't going to get the opportunity to see these guys in action. However, I took a lil' trip to the post office today and to my surprise I had a celebrity sighting...St. Mikulas and his sidekicks (angel and devil).
I can honestly say the children were genuinely terrified of this devil...as was I. I was just standing there in awe of the spectacle...definitely didn't expect it. In the States kids cry at the sight of Santa...imagine what they do when they see a scary devil with a pitch fork, deep black face and red hair. Well, I don't have to imagine - because I saw (or heard) it. Ha! Whoa! I mean, the child was screaming in terror...the look on his face was utter fear. I know it is a tradition, but an interesting and telling tradition nonetheless. I guess very much like our crazy Halloween traditions.
Tonight on my way to the bus station (destination: Switzerland), I'm going to go through Old Town. With my luck, I'll get stopped by the devil and he'll put me in a sack and carry me away to Hell (seriously, that's the legend!).
From the first night I saw you across the dance floor, I wanted to tell you 'I love your sweet 1980's-style-polyethylene-beach-volleyball-style hat and sleek silver prada dancin' shoes'. I know we haven't talked much (or at all) these last 2 hours, but I know you are... ****THE ONE!****
Ha! Awesome! This vid (below) is super!
...Okay, so I'm lacking the energy to do this today (or, technically, yesterday, considering it is 1:26am here), but I'm doing it because I promised I would (and also because I am trying to delay packing as long as I can:), because I like the thrill and chaos of last-minute packing. ha!)! I came across this vid today on gmail's homepage and it made me smile.
It made me smile for a couple of reasons: 1) google is so creative and 2) it reminded me of the awesome love letters my loving fiance writes to me.
I don't know how many of you know this, but Tom and I started writing love letters before we technically met...only then, we didn't realize they were 'love' letters...but we've always had a passion for words and the meaning they convey. Mailed letters require time, thought, energy, and - most of all - love. Even if you may not necessarily love the person, there is still a lotta love jammed into that envelope. So, if we're in love there must be a lot, A LOT of love jammed into that lil' envelope! And, it's true - because I can feel it pouring out upon opening them!
And, that's what makes Tom so unique and perfect for me...he takes the time to write a letter, pour his love into it, and send it over to me. Over and over again. I think that's so cool, and I am so thankful to have such a supportive, loving fiance. I'm truly always counting my blessings...and Tom is on the top of my list.
Thank you, Tom, for the person you are and for the daily support (and love letters) you give to me!
...ski season is here, and Lo and I are ringing it in with a lil' weekend trip to Zurich and - more importantly - Laax, Switzerland. I thought about buying these boards (see picture below from a sports store near Czech Inn...sick!), but decided I'd opt for the wider variety this weekend. That's right, dad...I'm going snowboarding. Hold on...don't freak out. I'm still a skier-gal at heart.
ha...sport bazar near czech inn
This is just a precursor to many ski (/boarding) trips to come, including a trip to Kitzbuhel and then (potentially) Schladming for the night slalom in January. Part of me is bummed that I'm missing out on the famous Birds of Prey (Beaver Creek!) world cup annual trip this weekend, but I know I'll be there again in years to come.
So, in honour of the race I thought it was only fitting to spend time on the white stuff from afar. I'll be sending positive-ski-fast-vibes to the boys and watching the races from Switzerland!
For those of you in cyberland who don't know much about the legendary Birds of Prey downhill...and especially for those of you out there who don't know much about skiing in general, I've added these two vids for your benefit. Anyone who says ski racing isn't a sport...yeah, well I'd like to challenge you to ski Birds of Prey. These dudes are going upwards of 85 mph. That's as fast as a car...going fast. SO cramazing (crazy/amazing;))!
So, here's my effort to try to get a daily blog post up this week...we'll see how I fair.
I haven't told you yet, but my wonderful bro and I went on our first lil' weekend sojourn a couple of weekends ago to Barcelona, Spain - both his and my first time to Spain! It was super!
Most notable was our tapas + sangria + red wine dinner at Cerveceria Catalana...recommended by a dear friend of mine - and it was amazing!! If you're in Barcelona, you should go there - service was outstanding (Indira, Teng, Beydyetc - we made new friends!).
Hmm...what else?!
OH YES! That's right...I almost forgot Antoni Gaudi's architectural marvels (ha, yeah right - how could I forget?!). They were whacky and cool and mysterious and beautiful at the same time. Unbelievable, really. The guy was a brilliant man - La Segrada Familia is a crazy/beautiful massive masterpiece. WOW. And, of course, we enjoyed - so much - the beach...the sound of the water and the yummy beach good vibes were so welcomed and felt so foreign.
Here are some snaps from the sojourn. Enjoy!
sunset alley
gaudi galore a la sagrada familia
fast forward :)
rock on...in the spanish sunshine
reflection in a barcelona storefront
tapas a la cerveceria catalana
rad (red) barcelona bathroom
footsteps on spanish soil
Thanks for stopping by!
This weekend I head to Zurich and Laax, Switzerland for some boarding with Lauren looking forward to the inevitable ensuing adventures!
The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page. - St. Augustine
Give me wings...fuel my writing!
If you like this post, consider buying me a red bull, (suggested: $3 a red bull...or coffee) to fuel my writing. Red Bull gives me wings! And, if I have enough of it, I may even write a mini travel guide for you all!
'zmena' - a beautiful, suitable title for this consortium of travel thoughts.
and i will sail all over this countryside with new friends and old...
I am married...that word sounds so old and stale. Can't we funkify the word a lil' bit?! Either way, I am SO psyched to be attached to my man by the hip (yeah, that's better) for life. Whoa. RAD.
Mam Rada zivot (i love life!)! As cliche (and I LOATHE cliche!) as it is, it's a dream come to fruition...as long as I can remember I've wanted to explore life in faraway places...not merely traveling to, but truly living in and immersing myself into the culture. From my point of view, life is all about living for the moment (with purpose, of course...that one's for you, dad!) and making the best of the time we have on this earth...living and loving passionately the whole way through.
I love and live to travel. Tell me your story over a coffee or pivo...I'm all ears.