The Last Day

And just like that, this...

turned into this...

And this year we had a few more friends joining us for our last day of school pictures - The Feather and Suich families.  Since we are all moving a few days after the end of the school year, we had moved into the local hotel just down the street.  That last week of school, we spent our days with the packers and ran errands to help finalize the move but we spent our nights at the restaurant letting our kids play in the grass while we enjoyed a bit of adult time (and maybe some wine).  In the mornings we had breakfast together before walking the kids to school.  It helped immensely having people around that knew exactly what we were going through, having kids that were dealing with the same emotions and struggles, and having a friend just down the hall, literally.  Who would have thought that our local hotel/burger bar/bowling alley would be the place I would find comfort during this move?

And on the final day of school, one that we knew would be hard for all of us we put a plan in place to make the transition just a little bit easier.  After the tears had all been dried and we said our final goodbyes at ISP, we threw a bowling party at the restaurant for the kids and their friends and then we had our usual dinner.  And it wasn't over yet - because afterward - (and this was probably the best part) - we had a giant sleepover party.  Stinkerbell and her best buddy S were in our room, MadHatter and L-M (one of her very first friends here in Prague were in N's room just two doors down) and the mom's pulled their chairs up in the hall, clad in their comfy clothes and slippers and stayed up too late and drank too much wine.  And had too much fun!

A last day of school to remember, for sure!

Bollywood

Each trimester the girls are allowed to pick from a variety of after school activities provided at the school.  Past endeavors the girls have chosen include dance, outdoor hiking, creation station, yoga and even kung-fu (though short lived).  They switch them up as their tastes change and so when the time to choose their final set of ASA came up it didn't surprise me when they wanted to try something new.  This time Bollywood.

Many of their friends already participate so they had been begging to join for almost 6 months.  But this was a year long activity which meant that it was only open for sign up at the beginning of the year.  They were disappointed but they also realized they had made a choice and had to stick with it.  Imagine my surprise when they opened the sign-ups again in March and the girls got in.  And for the next 14 weeks they were so eager to go and dance on Monday afternoons.  I finally got to see what all the hoopla was about.  The kids held an end of the year dance recital (not just for Bollywood, but for all of the elementary school dance classes).  What a fun class and a great way to end the school year.

The link below is to the live stream recording of the concert.  It is LONG.  Bollywood starts at 19:30 (Stinkerbell is in the front row, 4th from the right.  MadHatter is in the back row in the red cross top, 2nd from the left.)  If you want to watch their individual dance classes Stinkerbell is up first at minute 34 and MadHatter reappears on stage right after (about minute 39),  I hope you enjoy it as much as we did...

http://livestream.com/ISP/events/5549162/videos/125319671

Night Under the Stars

B and I are always up for a good excuse to go out and have a good time with our friends.  Thankfully, once a year the school gives us the perfect excuse to get all dolled up and dance the night away.  The two previous times we attended the ball had been held at the Lobkowicz palace and I truly felt like Cinderella (recap of 2014 and 2015).  This year, they shook things up a bit and and tried something new.  We were certain that we would miss being treated like royalty but we are always up for trying new things.

We got to the Mánes Gallery promptly at 7:30 (we didn't want to miss a minute of the fun as this was our final fete).  Greeted by the red carpet and paparazzi, we posed in our best movie star fashion and headed inside to mix and mingle.  And of course snap a few more pictures of us in our finery.  It isn't often that we get dressed to the nines after all.  Heck, it isn't often that they see us dressed to the sixes.  We joked that the security guards who greet us each morning, and were there for the event, wouldn't know if we truly belonged or not since we weren't dressed in our yoga pants and caps.

We took some time to wander through the auction offerings, and checked out the casino, tasted in the whiskey room and located the foot massage that would be needed later in the evening.

After about an hour, we were seated at our lovely tables.

The whole space was gorgeous but the seated dinner took a bit of getting used to.  In previous years there was no formal dinner, just passed hors d'oeuvres and separate buffet stations.  You nibbled as you mingled and it worked very well.  But alas, it is always good to try new things and this year that meant changing it all up.  Personally I still preferred the old way.  But I still enjoyed spending an hour breaking bread with some very good friends.

After the meal, we really got down to the business of having a good time.  First stop, the Smilebox.  And our annual photostrip (though this time we had to take three separate pictures).  And of course, we goofed it up in the only way B and I know how... 

And then we gathered the friends, donned the props and had a great laugh...

It was getting late so we headed over for our foot massages before hitting the dance floor - until 2 am when I turned into a pumpkin and caught my coach taxi to my awaiting bed.  For not nearly enough sleep before being awoken by two little girls asking all about my night at the ball.

Marvelous MadHatter

Each week, one of the students in 2L (MadHatters class) has an entire week dedicated entirely to them.  They student of the week fills the bulletin board with pictures of their lives and descriptions of what makes them unique- their family, their cournty, their favorite foods and their friends to name a few.  They put them all up on Monday morning while the rest of the class is settling in.  I am sure that all of the students are very excited about their week - and MadHatter was no exception.  She couldn't wait for her class to learn more about her life and her family.  And she proudly selected each and every picture for each and every topic.

Monday morning - she proudly led her class through her timeline...and answered questions.

Tuesday - she shared her love of everything Disney and brought in a few of her souvenirs to share with the class.  Including all three of her signature books (one from her trips to Disneyland, one from her cruise/DisneyWorld and the one from her trip to Disney Paris)...

She even brought in her nesting doll set from Russia.

Wednesday - she brought in her Papa.  She selected one of her favorite books in Spanish (Pooh, Te Quiere!) and Papa read it in Spanish as she translated it to English.  It always amazes me that all of these children speak a minimum of two languages and they are still astounded by the fact that someone speaks a language that they do not.  The kids loved the story but I think they were more interested in B.  He really is quite exotic to them as most of them had never met anyone from South America (most of our students are from Europe and Asia).

Thursday - I got invited to come in and teach the kids a little bit about Chile and taught them how to make rainsticks (which legend says originated in the Atacama desert).  The kids loved listening to stories about MadHatter's time in the southern hemisphere and how the Chilean people live.  And they are always up for a good craft...

Finished rain sticks!

Friday brought MadHatters final day of her Marvelous Me week.  This time, she decided that she wanted to share her magnet collection.  When we first moved to Europe, we started picking up a magnet in each city we visited.  We couldn't bring them all so she just brought her favorites and explained whey she picked each one...

It was a fabulous week, focused on a Marvelous girl and she was so excited to have her classmates learn all about her life and the things she loves.  Thank you to Miss Erian for the pictures and a glimpse into what goes on behind the scenes in 2L!

It was a day for the Birds

Earth day and the birds of prey go hand in hand at the girls school.

It is a highly anticipated event - the birds come and hang out in on the lawn outside of the cafeteria.  The kids are then brought out to watch demonstrations of what they can do and then have a hands-on session with those that won't relieve them of a finger or two.  I just happened to be walking back from a photoshoot in the neighborhood when MadHatter's class was on the lawn.  So I pulled up a patch of grass, and grabbed my camera.  It truly was amazing...

(MadHatter is in a jean shirt and brown boots - almost directly in front of the gentleman with the bird)

JB and G - and the bird that grazed the top of their heads...

The kids got called up to hold the birds...

and then let them fly away again...

Afterward, we got to see them up close (again, far enough away that we wouldn't lose a finger) and I can say that they were simply amazing to see...

I didn't get there to see Stinkerbell's class interact with the birds, but thanks to my friend C, I got to see this adorable video of her petting an owl...

Spinning for Kids

I wasn't sure I was going to make it.  The bug that has been ravaging the elementary school had bitten me, and bitten me hard, Monday night and by Friday I was still feeling weak and a bit lethargic.  But I really, really, really didn't want to disappoint the kids or my team.  I went to be early and slept for 10 1/2 hours!  When I awoke, Saturday morning I felt human again.  Finally.

I packed my bags - water, towel, protein shake, protein bar, shoes.  I left the house full of spunk and attitude, even if I was lacking a bit in the energy department (being bed ridden for 4 days can do that to you).  But that all changed when I walked in and saw the gym.  And the people.  Their excitement and enthusiasm was contagious.

We had our bikes...

and after an introduction of the instructors (one for each hour of the event)

 and a short speech by two of ISP's very own cancer survivors that were helped by the very charities we were supporting, we hopped on our bikes and started spinning...

Even Dr. Beiber, our Director, hopped on!

We pedalled and jumped and climbed hills.  We sang along to the music and we pushed ourselves hard.  And amazingly, the first hour flew by.  We were tired, but energized.  And after a 10 minute break, we were back on our bikes for round two.

One hour down.  Rehydrating for hour two!

The second hour was a bit more taxing.  It could be because it was all hill climbing, or simply the fact that I hadn't walked more than from my bed to the couch in days and was now riding for hours on end.  Either way, I was spent after the second ride and was happy to hand my bike over to my teammate.

H and I after 2 hours!  (H would ride all 4!)

 My teammate - J.  We are like Mutt and Jeff.  When she got on the bike without adjusting the seat and handlebars her feet couldn't even reach the pedals. 

And this is where I left them.  To finish out the last two hours.

I could have stayed and cheered - but I really needed to get home to rest.  Because my day wasn't done quite yet.  That's right, I had a girls night dinner planned.  And not just any dinner - but dinner in a tower, at a private table, overlooking all of Prague.

Our table was in the tower on the right.

Located in Letná Park, the Chateau was once the last stop of the original tram line back in 1891.  The building has gone through many tranformations since those days, but has always retained its charm and elegance and its popularity, thanks to its gorgeous location on the banks of the Vltava overlooking Old Town and beyond.

We were shown up the stairs (there are 98 from top to bottome)...

and into our private space...

 

The views were gorgeous (have you seen my beautiful girlfriends?), the dinner excellent and my company was incredible.  There was laughter, there were stories and there was friendship.  I could not have asked for a better way to end my day.

As we wandered back down the steps and into the night air to take in the views once again, I was struck, as I always am, how lucky I am to be here in Prague, with these people.  I will definitely miss this but I am so thankful I got to experience it.