zmena transformations...

(...i know, this statement is redundant)

I am in a bit of a transition with this blog and I've been checking out tumblr too. I think what I'll end up doing is playing on tumblr and referring to this blog for any longer posts (you all know how I can get a bit long-winded). I've considered leaving this blog behind, as I started it upon leaving for my big crazy life adventure...but quickly realized my big crazy life adventure continues with each new day. So, here I am...attempting to make updates to this space in order to make it more apt to me in my current state of adventure. That said, I've updated the header image for now and will be applying more updates as time passes. I'm actually very, very excited to unveil this header image, as it hails from the beautiful Ashley Barlow of Ashley Barlow Art.

The story of how I met Ashley is - in and of itself - one of those special stories of the power of our networks. While I was in Prague I was blessed with the opportunity to work with amateur artists - young and old alike. My great friend Lo mentioned on several occasions a woman named Ashley who did mixed media artwork back in Minneapolis and that I should meet her. So when I moved back to Minneapolis last summer, I finally met Ashley and instantly liked her and was drawn to her style and her art. I am a big fan of mixed media artwork, particularly as a result of the incredible textures created. So when I started thinking about documenting the less-than-conventional story of how Tom and I met, I knew where to go. I created a creative brief of sorts and let Ashley interpret it how she saw best. I rounded up all of the love letters Tom and I had written throughout our journey, as well as the engagement love letters and our vows, per Ashley's request. The end product was just perfect. When I saw it tears came to my eyes...this is the depiction of lovers who connected by chance and strengthened their connection from thousands of miles away through love letters and adventures galore. So without further ado, I'll unveil our very first piece of commissioned artwork as a couple. The artwork is done on four pieces of pine and can be hung as one piece, but also was designed such that each of the four pieces could live alone just as well.

our story

The first piece depicts the distance between us as I pursued my dream living and working overseas in Prague, and incorporates actual pieces of love letters we wrote back and forth to each other before and during my experience. She also incorporates vintage magazine clippings -Tom is on the bottom left of the piece writing to me and I am on the bottom-middle right of the piece reading this love letters.

This piece portrays our chance meeting at a mutual friends birthday party...Tom is on the top left in a blue suit looking at me, on the top right with the red dress. What is special about this one is that amidst all of the party chaos, Tom and I are the only ones truly looking at each other. Of course we know this isn't actually what happened, but I adore this depiction and the thought Ashley put into this piece.

This piece portrays the first few weeks of our 'relationship' as we got to know each other through messages written back and forth, sharing our dreams and passions for important life pleasures including - but certainly not limited to - red bull (light blue can for me, dark blue for him), coloured socks, pico ballas and more). The detail on this piece is outstanding, as Ashley actually wrote some of these things on the 'Note' I am holding in my hand. Lovely! The basketball hoop depicts our first date, when we actually formally met each other for the first time, playing basketball at Tom's gym and then eating tator tots at Bulldog NE.

The final of the four pieces is probably my favourite and the most special for its bright, bold hues, reflection of our wedding (superhero) theme, our wedding invite, some more love letters, including the wonderwoman love letter Tom sent me while in Prague (my favourite one, which may look vaguely familiar to you as it was formerly featured on a special blog post a while back), some of the 'love letters' Tom used to engage to me (bottom right) and our vows, which are located under the vintage magazine clipping Tom and Megan characters to the right of the piece. Wow. So incredibly special.

All of this said, a gigantic THANK YOU to Ashley Barlow...and of course to my dear friend Lo for introducing us, which has also lead to another friendship with a beautiful artist named Erin Kate who owns the most beautiful little boutique called the ekate designs & the Orchard Art House in Excelsior (which I found out about from Ashley, as her artwork is sold here). Erin's little shop is a gorgeous shop is the result of a gorgeous vision for local art, in which she doesn't charge a commission for items sold. I love this. You can also find her on etsy.

Thank the Lord for great connections and for beautiful artwork! Such a blessing!

Love,

Me

P.S. Enjoy the new look and keep an eye out for updates in the future. In the meantime, check me out on tumblr.

waddaya think, friends?!

Tell me what you think.

Love,

me

UPDATE 9.3 - Fez has the most votes so far...really, guys? Do you think?! Hmmm...I am swaying towards Valencia. What to do...what to do...

an update from afar...

'Cau' from Prague!

I wanted to send you guys a quick update, since I haven't been in touch with you all as of late.The last few months have been full of adventures, including visiting Tom's family in Poland for a taste of a real Polish wedding...I didn't know what to expect, but it turned out to be the most fun I've had at a wedding (maybe...ever)!! I was the only native English speaker there, which proved to make things interesting - but it wasn't a problem after a vodka shot or two (vodka was the staple drink for the night). 15 hours later, I was partied out and ready for bed. That's right, the reception lasted for a whopping 15 HOURS! We danced to trad'l music, played trad'l polish games and enjoyed drinks and 5 full meals (not to be mistaken with '5-course meal') throughout the night. I walked away with a bottle of vodka, given to me by the bride as my party favor. Amazing. What a cultural experience!

I took a few weekend trips to my Czech friend, Lucie's (you'll meet her at my wedding), grandma's cottage as well as to a small Czech town named Olomouc by myself. I love to hop on a train and get away for the weekend. Plus, it pays to be in the hospitality biz, because I am blessed to get cheap or free beds nearly every city I check out. I've traveled to Berlin twice in the last few months and it is quickly becoming one of my favorite cities for the energy and vibe it has. Everyone rides bicycles and everyone loves to shop. I didn't shop, of course (because I have no money) - apart from pair of cheap hipster shades to keep the sun at bay - but it was fun to peruse. I was keen to learn more about east and west Berlin, as I did not know too much about it before I went to Berlin and I ended up learning so much more than I ever thought I would. It is such a culturally and historically-rich city.

September was a wonderful whirlwind, with visits from Tom for 1.5 weeks and then my former boss for 2 weeks. Visitors are tiring, but it was so wonderful to have them! They made my September fly by...and you know what they say...time flies when you're having fun! Trying to balance spending time with work and travel proved to be a challenge. While Tom was here, we traveled to Cesky Krumlov (where he proposed to me) and had a lovely (free) stay, courtesy of our our friends, the owners and managers. Tom got really sick (we think he came down with the swine, but not sure) at the end of his stay and that was a bummer. But we had a much-needed, fabulous visit full of laughter, excitement for future life challenges and adventures...and gummi food, of course.

Then, Stacy (former supervisor and friend) came to visit and stayed with me in my flat for two weeks. We traveled to Berlin and then Munich (Oktoberfest) for weekend trips. It was a blast to visit Berlin again, and Oktoberfest was an experience of a lifetime...something everyone should do once, definitely. The Bavarian culture is so rich and authentic. I loved Munich (this is my second time there, as I got a short glimpse back in February en route to Vienna for my visa) and really enjoyed the atmosphere of Oktoberfest. I loved to see that the locals got so into it. And, the energy in the 9000+ person beer hall warranted the 10 euros it was to buy a (litre!) of beer. Wow. I also dug into my heritage and bought a dirndl from a second-hand store...see post below.

Yesterday I took a short day trip to Dresden, Germany to drop off some flyers for work - it was nice to get away for the day. It has been both saddening and amazing to travel Germany so much and learn more about WWII, as I have always been particularly interested in the Holocaust for a long time. It is crazy to see how much of Germany was destroyed by the allies during the war...and to think about how many Germans lost their lives as well.

Zach and I have planned our first long weekend trip together...it was a pretty easy decision when we found tickets to Barcelona for less than 50 dollars round trip, and we get our stay for 50% off! Nice! So, we'll be heading to Spain for my first time, at the end of November. From there, trips to Krakow (dress shopping + skiing), the States (Minneapolis, Lake Geneva and Chicago), the Alps (Austrian + Swiss), Ireland, Croatia, Egypt (possibly)...and more...are on the list.

As for work, it has been extremely busy as of late. To be honest, I don't know how I find the time to do so much traveling (thank goodness for weekends, and for 4 weeks of holiday), as we are busy gearing up for the opening of our fourth property (my main focus here - see photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mosaichouse) early next year and I have really been diving into strategy and planning for the new brand, while also continuing to execute the marketing plan I created for the existing three properties as well as building relationships and managing events for the hostels. It has been quite the experience to say the least. It is very challenging at times, but I am learning so much that will set me apart when I head back to the States. But, it is going well.

Do me a favor, before we get any further, and fan mosaic house (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mosaic-House/134322854315) ...we've done the work for you so you don't have to puzzle over where to stay in Prague from 2010 on (although we do have three other really cool properties...darnit!). So you can write in your planner...'Place to stay in Prague. Check'. :)

I will be traveling to London in a couple of weeks to meet with our new biz partners for Mosaic House, so that will be interesting. I am trying to maintain sanity, as I am working with very passionate people from all over the world. This is both a positive and a negative - good, for the differing perspectives, not-as-good because when there is so much passion sometimes it is hard to come to an agreement and get things done.

I'd love to elaborate more on a few of these trips in the future, if time allows (including a work-specific blog post). Please always check back for more random blog posts.

Love and miss you all!

Happy travels,

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