Day 6 'změna' series dedication...my sweet Lucie!

Day 6 of the 'změna' series is dedicated to my very dear friend, Lucie Vanaskova, whom I admire more than words can describe. This chick is incredible and I am a better person because of her!

Lucie and I became close friends pretty quickly, and I had the honour of travelling with her to her cottage near Strakonice in Southern Bohemia a few times, where she made me the yummiest strawberry dumplings and her grandpa filled me up with Slivovice! Pure bliss! We also had the chance to travel to Berlin, Cesky Krumlov and Valencia....which were all memorable adventures.

Lucie is an amazing friend for so many reasons. I love you and miss you so much, Luc!

Love,

Me

berlin: runde drei (?)

Piggybacking on my post yesterday about fashion, funk and freshness in Prague at Code Mode last weekend, I thought I'd write a little about Berlin, my fav city.

Ventured to Berlin with one of my dear friends and colleagues, Chicks, a few weeks back and still haven't had a chance to report back to you all. If you've never been to Berlin, I highly, highly HIGHLY recommend it. In fact, it is very likely that Berlin is one of my most commonly recommended cities-to-gander-at (second to Cesky Krumlov, of course). When I was in Munich back in September for Oktoberfest, I remember one Bavarian we met saying something to me like, "We don't consider Berlin to be the capital of Germany...it's not authentic like Bavaria. Berlin is a melting pot of cultures." Melting pot indeed. And this gal likes to stir the pot (hopefully there are some yummy noodles from a berlin noodle bar in that pot:))!

Berlin has been a sort of escape for me, an escape to subtle reminders of Minneapolis: bright colours, people, personalities, foods, shops, markets, flavours and more. Welcome to a place where originality is pivotal to the vibe of the city. Not only is it accepted...it's the norm (hmm, how could originality be considered the 'norm'?!).

A special place where hipsters run wild, frolicking (okay, you got me there...hipsters don't really 'frolick' so much, do they?!) from shop to shop looking for their next pair of skinny jeans, plaid shirts and hipster shades (ahem, hee). Local designers' creations spill out of storefront windows. A place where you worry more about dodging cyclists than cars. And of course, a place where you can go to bars called 'white trash' and DJs dress up in drag.

Ahh, yes...sweet, sweet Berlin in all of its odd glory and bold eccentricity. I love it.

And, I HIGHLY recommend it.

In Berlin this gal trusts,

Me

Seth Godin's the Man

I know...it's been a while. And I know that all of you eager zmena blog followers have been patient and now deserve a treat in return. I owe you many blogs...about my detox, my workouts (or lack thereof, I should say) here, my recent voyage to the mothership and then the immediate (upon return) quick Berlin hipster/kings of leon trip, the adventures of planning a wedding from afar and more. Patience is a virtue...I'll make time soon enough:). I'll even post some good pics.

I will just say that I had a magical trip home - it was a whirlwind, but it was great and so nice to see my family, fiance and friends...thank you for making time for me, friends, and for making it so special. I love you guys.

Also...Seth Godin, marketing extraordinaire, posted this blog a few weeks back and I loved it, so I thought it was worth a shout-out here on my blog. Yep, that's right...I am re-bloggin' it. Read it and then reflect on it. I did.

You matter

When you love the work you do and the people you do it with, you matter.
When you are so gracious and generous and aware that you think of other people before yourself, you matter.
When you leave the world a better place than you found it, you matter.
When you continue to raise the bar on what you do and how you do it, you matter.
When you teach and forgive and teach more before you rush to judge and demean, you matter.
When you touch the people in your life through your actions (and your words), you matter.
When kids grow up wanting to be you, you matter.
When you see the world as it is, but insist on making it more like it could be, you matter.
When you inspire a Nobel prize winner or a slum dweller, you matter.
When the room brightens when you walk in, you matter.
And when the legacy you leave behind lasts for hours, days or a lifetime, you matter.

You all matter. I love you!

smiles,

me