Welcome to Fall!

Fall is here! Some of you may be thinking, "So What?" Let me remind you of something. I'm from Texas. Southeast Texas. We don't exactly have Fall in Southeast Texas. It usually just goes from blazing hot to not-so-hot. And pine trees don't exactly have a wide range of fall colors. I mean, they're evergreens. If they're not green, they're brown and dead. So this view from our back balcony is a welcome sight me. It's just beautiful to watch the leaves change as the days go by. Nevermind that it took me a week to actually notice what was happening right outside my bedroom window. It really was a sorry week, weather-wise. It rained almost everyday and never really got above 55. Friday brought a welcome reprieve with clear, sunny skies and temperatures in the 60's. Aside from the weather, things are going really good. We've become good friends with a couple of girls from Germany and have had a lot of fun feeding them a wide range of American specialty foods. Next week, we're going to our first fotbal (soccer) match so we'll have some pictures from that up soon. That's all for now!

I almost forgot...

We got a(nother) package! Shortly after we arrived in Prague, we got our first package from my dad, but I didn't have the presence of mind after fighting with customs for three weeks to actually take a picture of our loot. This time I remembered! My lovely sister-in-law sent us some goodies from the states (along with a hat Matt's brother picked out for him). Three, count 'em, three bottles of Mexican vanilla. If you haven't discovered Mexican vanilla yet, don't try it. It's like cocaine, once you've had it, you just can't quit it. It makes everything you cook with it taste amazing! And you usually only have to use half the amount called for, it's that flavorful!



Lately when we've talked to you guys back home, you've asked if we need anything and lately we've had to say no after a healthy restocking provided by mine and Matt's mom, our most recent package, and my trip to Texas (you better believe I went to Walmart, like, everyday). However, as we begin to be in want of certain items from the states, I'd like to start a Wish List for which I will post a link on the right. That way if you feel like being generous and sending us a couple of items, you'll have some ideas. I hope I'm not being presumptuous or pretentious or impertinent or anything like that. Just keepin' it real!

A Texas Tale

It's been 3 weeks since my visit to Texas and I'm just now getting the photos up. Y'all aren't going to start a petition, are you? I do have a rather lame excuse for my procrastination which I will now try to pass off as a valid reason for being lazy: Back to school! Matt and I just completed our first full week of full-time language school (5 more to go!). Until now, we've been meeting with the very sweet Jana (pronounce Yahnah) twice a week for 1 1/2 hours each. No biggie. Now we're taking what we've learned with Jana and building (cramming) 6 weeks of intensive Czech on top of it to help us become more conversant, whatever that means. In reality though, it's already starting to help. All of the things we've learned so far we're having to use everyday for 4 1/2 hours at a time. Yep, you heard that right. No English. None. For 4 1/2 hours. Every. Day. My brain actually feels smaller and mushier at the end of every class. So there, that's why I haven't posted anything of consequence lately (let's just forget the fact that I had two weeks to post before that little class thingy ever got started, ok? ok). Anywho, my trip to Texas was obviously not a fun little trip home to say hi. I went home to say goodbye to my dear MawMaw whom I loved dearly and miss daily. While home, I got to meet my baby nephew, Caleb, for the first time, see lots of family, and eat lots of food. I'm so sad and quite guilty that Matt didn't get to come with me.



Our first kiss. Okay, I did most of the kissing, but I know he loved every minute.



Granny took his paci and he really wanted to cry but he posed nicely instead for his favorite Aunt.





Man boobs! So cute!



Big brother Siler. He will absolutely stop whatever he is doing to smile for the camera, as long as you show him his picture when you're done. Cute!



Peek-a-boo with Daddy. Please notice the trademark 'chicken wings' and 'potbelly' he inherited from his father.



Siler and Granny swimming in the "waher".



My niece, Rebecca, who I swear was just 3 years old is now almost 12 and as tall as me.



Riding Okey with Tyler. We talked and laughed and he "Tooted on the saddle, Aunt Bally" (and subsequently tooted on me).



Tyler with his little buddy Charlie who now lives in his backyard. Please stop what you're doing right now and picture this adorable child clapping and spinning because, "Now we have horses and cows!!!"



Eating Pappasitos!!! Jason (Matt's brother) took this photo just to torture Matt. He still wakes up screaming, "Fajitas!"



Tyler and his Mommy, Robyn with her cute prego belly (due December).



My family (Dad's side + Mama and Pa) at Buca di Beppo. This picture also causes Matt to wake up screaming, "Meatballs!"

*Funny Metro Story: Matt and I were riding home from a friend's house tonight on the Metro (subway). There sat a guy behind us in his early twenties rocking to whatever music was playing in his headphones. Now I've always wondered what kind of music Czechs listen to when they're riding on public transportation and walking in the city but I've never had the vocabulary or courage to ask one. Tonight we found out. After polishing off his 2 liter beer, which I'm sure was not his first of the night (I'm guessing there's no rule against public intoxication here) he began to sing for us. And it just so happened that the more people who looked at him and tried to hide their laughter, the louder he sang. So much so that by the time the doors opened at the next stop and we exited the train, the entire station was filled with the chorus of Bon Jovi's "Living on a Prayer". So folks, hold on, to what we've got...we've got each other. And that's a lot.

Prayer Walk

After a summer break from Prayer Walking, we have resumed our quest to cover the city in prayer. Here's where we walked this week (shown inside the blue lines on the google map):

Here (there are a lot of students in these areas) and here.

Locked Out

We're back! Sorry about the long hiatus. After hearing of my grandmother's passing, Matt and I decided it would be best for me to go home to be with my family for the funeral. It was good to be able to say goodbye to MawMaw and grieve with my family, although it was very hard to do it all without Matt. It was also great to meet my new baby nephew and spent time with family (pictures of that coming soon). Since I've been home, we've had quite a few adventures, one of which was getting locked out of our apartment for about 3 hours on Sunday. Have I got a story for you! (*Disclaimer: The following photos are reenactments of actual events that took place between 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. on August 31st. I would never subject you to pictures of me in my glasses, with bedhead, and without makeup) My flight plan coming home was from Houston to Amsterdam to Paris to Prague. We had to take the Amsterdam-Paris-Prague route to keep the cost down on my ticket. Anywho, I had approximately 45 minutes on the ground in Paris in which to deplane, clear customs and security, and find my new gate. Whew! I just knew by the time I slumped into my seat for the final leg of my journey that my two checked bags (that's bags, plural) were not going to make it on the plane with me. No big deal, though, I figured they'd put them on the next flight and I'd have them by late that night. Haha! Ho! Ha! My plane landed early in Prague and I waited for about 30 minutes while all the other passengers happily skipped off with their luggage only to find my hunch about my bags had been confirmed. I filed a claim, was told my bag would arrive in a few hours and finally hurried off to meet Matt on the other side of customs. After a happy reunion and a much-needed shower for me, I drifted off to blissfull sleep, wet hair and all, enjoying being horizontal for the first time in over 24 hours (my bags never came that night). I awoke the next morning at 7:45 (hello! jet-lagged!) to a Czech man on my phone, trying to tell me my bag (not bags) had arrived and they would be delivered in an hour. So much for church. Two and a half hours later, my phone rang again with a different Czech man telling me he was downstairs. Woohoo! Matt and I were in, um, casual clothes since we weren't going to church but we thought, what the hey, it's just the delivery man. Luckily, Matt had the presence of mind to slip on some tennis shoes (sans socks) and a ball cap. And here the adventure begins. I walked out of the door to call the elevator and Matt walked out after me and shut the door...just before he said, "Hey, you've got keys, right?" To our horror, both of us in our excitement about my bag (not bags) arriving had forgotten to grab a set of keys...or a phone...or a transportation pass...or a wallet. Ugh! We went downstairs, grabbed the bag (not bags), and came back up to brainstorm. You see, in the Prague, people don't exactly know their neighbors, much less give them a set of spare keys. Luckily, our company keeps a spare set for us in the office here in town. All we had to do was find someone who we knew could get into the office. Perfect! Sunday morning just so happened to be the one time every week where every single person with access to the office was in the same place: Church. Since Matt actually had a pair of real shoes on and can see without corrective lenses, we decided he would be the one to ride the metro (quite illegally, by the way, without a transportation pass) to the church to find someone who could get the keys for us and I would sit and guard my bag (not bags) - I was not about to leave that building with my glasses and no makeup on.



About, hmm, a billion years later he returned triumphantly with the spare set of keys.



He really did stick his hand out of the elevator like he was holding Excalibur or something.

What we didn't know, however, was that if you accidentally leave your keys in the door on the inside like this...



... no amount of keys will open the door from the outside. Only a locksmith will get you in. Brilliant.



Matt reenacting the failed attempt with the spare keys.

We tried to solicit help from our neighbor, who gladly showed us the number for a "nonstop" (24-hour) locksmith in the phone book. However, she could not provide us with a phone to call said locksmith. What?!? Our friend had given Matt money to buy a 75-minute transportation pass that was about to expire so our only option was for Matt to leave again and this time head to our friends' apartment to use their phone. Matt reached our friends' apartment, found a phone number, and called the locksmith, who didn't speak any English. He then called our other friend who has studied Czech for almost 2 years to make the call for us. The locksmith either couldn't or wouldn't understand what our friend was trying to tell him. Finally our friend called his Czech tutor and she got through to the locksmith. All the while, I had no idea what is going on or if Matt was ever coming back. So after sitting for another billion years like this...



...I heard the buzzer in our apartment sound. That meant someone downstairs was trying to get in. The locksmith!! He came up and about 30 seconds (and 950 Czech crowns/$55) later , he had our door open. Matt and our friend arrived just as the locksmith was leaving. Whew!!! What an adventure! We said many, many thanks to our friend for helping us through the ordeal and Matt finally took a much-needed shower.

**Since only one bag arrived Sunday morning we have spent the last three days on the phone with the airlines and are happy to announce that my second bag made it's appearance this evening (it was at Prague airport the whole time). Gotta love it!