Na Shledanou

Her heart is broken into pieces.

But not in the way you are thinking.

Her heart is in pieces because it is sprinkled in every country she has traveled to,
every town she has visited and small parts of it rest in all of the homes of the many people that she loves.

But she doesn't need a full heart.

She would rather live a life where her heart is scattered.

Because when the pieces finally come back together, they make a mosaic of her favorite picture.

The world that she loves.

-Anonymous-

Thank you, Prague.  For adding so many more pieces to the puzzle of my heart.

(Catch up on our lives in Germany at www.glockenspieling.com)

Cruisin'

As we neared the end of our time living in Prague, I wrote a bucket list of things I wanted to do.  Near the very top was to take a river cruise up and down the Vltava.  It's one of those things that is very cheesy and extremely touristy and not necessary in a city where the sights are walkable, but if you know me well you know I like a bit of cheese in my life.  I do have Wisconsin blood running through my veins after all.  So, a river cruise it was.   And when I found out that we actually knew someone that had parents that owned one of the longest running river cruise boats in Prague, we signed up for the full package.  Private room, private deck, private buffet and alcohol for two hours. The biggest problem was finding a night B was in town and that we still had available because other things from my bucket list were already crowding the schedule.  Finally, we nailed down a date - the Friday before we left - and we lined up a sitter (or I should say sitters as the girls had to stay at two separate houses seeing as we no longer had a house) and my good friend H handled all the details.

Late Friday afternoon, the girls and I gussied up and headed to the dock.  We were meeting our men there as they were coming straight from work.  And we were sure to be on time because even though we had a private room for our party, the boat had other tourists aboard and it had a schedule to keep. 

Once aboard, we proceeded to have one of the best times I have had in my years in Prague.  Maybe it was because we were leaving but I think not.  We just enjoyed good company, good drinks, and spectacular views.  And I couldn't help but snap a few pictures...But only a few, because I was having a great time just enjoying my friends.... 

Miss H.  How I will always love this woman!

And this one - #11.  I didn't know I needed to make any more friends my last year until she came along...So glad she changed my mind.

We had a photo bomber or two (you'll have to see if you can spot B doing his best photobomb later)

But mostly we just had laughter.  And hugs.  And music.  And friendship.  And some amazing sights for our 2-hour cruise...And a very memorable great time. (Keep reading for what happens after the cruise...)

I love that I have taken these pictures before, but never from this perspective.  And isn't that what life is all about - seeing things from new perspectives?

We docked at about 8 pm and decided it was way too early to call it a night.  We had sitters, after all.  So a large group of us headed over to have our favorite Mexican food (Agave) and a few Gin and Tonics.  We lost a few after that as it was nearing 11 and some had to go relieve sitters...But 8 of us still had caught our second wind so we headed out for another drink and then to an 80's bar to dance until the wee hours in the morning...

And in those wee hours, B and I walked our way home after saying goodbye to some very dear friends...And remembering why it is we don't stay out until the wee hours...

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!

Party in the Park

Sometime late last year, the announcements began.  Those who were repatriating were being notified; those moving to another location were beginning their negotiations and those who were staying were making plans for summer vacation.  It was not a surprise.  It happens in every expat community around the world but that doesn't make it any easier.  But, we still had almost 6 months left to say our goodbyes, to make the most of our times together and to clear our bucket lists, so we put it to the back of our minds and got on with the details of living our lives.

And suddenly, in the blink of an eye, 5 months had passed and we could put it off no longer.  It was time to say goodbye.  And we planned to do it in great fashion. See, we had a group of five families that were moving on in some fashion (2 repatriating, 3 moving to another assignment) and instead of throwing five separate going away parties that would have had the majority of the same people attending, we pooled our resources and planned a party in the park.

So, after weeks of planning, we were joined on a Sunday afternoon in mid-June, by those who had meant so much to us during our time in Prague, to enjoy the view from Letna park, drink some adult beverages, enjoy some traditional Czech pork and tell stories of laughter and friendship.  We were so happy that so many took their time to join us and a special thanks for those of you who braved the downpour in the middle, and yet stayed to celebrate with us.

As I look back now and type this post I smile at each picture, at each memory, each laugh.  It was an incredible way to spend an afternoon, with incredible friends.  I just wish I had more photos to share.  Unfortunately I was busy having fun so the pictures I do have are mostly from the beginning of the party before all of our guests had arrived - and mostly of the kids...And I don't have a single photo of the 5 families together.  I guess we will just have to get together again soon to get that snap...