Flittering

One of the nice things about home is that once you're there, you kind of feel like you always were.

I was surprised just now as I counted on my fingers how many days we've been home.

Just 4.

But they've been packed. And so good.

We've been flittering around, back and forth between houses. We've eaten A LOT. And around laid on couches and talked and talked.

One highlight was riding around with Gma in the back pasture on her new golf cart. Clay, Gma, and I squeezed in the front, and Rob and Q hanging onto the back. We exceeded the weight-limit big time so the boys kept having to hop down and push when the cart refused to move. It was so fun.

Yesterday Clay and I went on a little date. It was great because we've been so busy the last few days we haven't had too much time together.

We went to the Woodlands and ate at La Madeleine's. Tomato basil soup never tasted so good. The table we sat at was the same one we sat at over 5 years ago- the evening Clay proposed. That night we were supposed to go to some Spanish restaurant for tapas but after he asked the question my stomach got so unsettled with nerves that all I could eat was soup. That makes me laugh.

We needed to go to the mall, and in the past would have driven ourselves across the street. But when we noticed the distance was about what we used to walk back and forth to the grocery store in Huy, we decided to hoof it.

And it felt good to stretch our legs. It was a sweet reminder of the last 2 years.

Home.

Our days in Charlotte passed quickly but they were great.

The rental place only had a convertible so we got to cruise in style.



We spent some time with Billy and Kate and their sweet new baby Rush. We also spent some good time de-briefing with some folks within our organization.

Then, home to Houston.

Our flight got in early so I got to sneak up on Mom while she was ordering at Starbucks.



It was so much more fun carrying all those duffels TO the car rather than FROM the car 2 years ago.



We grabbed some Chic-fil-ay.

We stopped at Gma's.



Then HOME!

It is so beautiful right now! So much green and the temperature is perfect. Texas is welcoming us home.



A big hello to my kitties!



Then it was time to go find some Sandozes.

Driving to their house was the first time I had driven in 2 years. Wow. It didn't feel strange at all either. It felt great.



It was a great afternoon catching up and drinking coffee.



Then all the Pasches came over to celebrate in true Sandoz fashion- a big barbecue! Pork chops, pork loin, sausage! Oh man.



Kenny made us some pinatas to celebrate. We laughed a lot.




It was just so good to be together. Nothing like it.



And then this morning, a HAIRCUT!



I can't describe how awesome it felt to talk in English to the person cutting my hair!

Thanks Chandra! Well worth the 2-year wait.




And now I am doing laundry and watching Nacho Libre with Q.

Things are really really good.

Last day in Prague!

Yesterday was a metro day.

I haven't quite figured out buying tickets but I'm getting there.

It kind of feels like a fortune should come out by the time you hit the right buttons.




We wanted to check out the living situation all the way down the metro lines, so we rode one of them out as far as we could.

Not too impressed with what we saw, but I keep hearing from people that there are options out there so we'll keep looking.





We spent some time in the Lesser Quarter checking things out.

And dreaming whenever we would see buildings for sale or for rent.




We found a super cool English bookstore. So many books! I'll be heading back here for sure.



Oh and we had the grossest lunch ever. Oh man.



Then we came back to Mosaic House to chill for the rest of the afternoon. We also hung our clothes out the window to get the cigarette stench off of them from lunch :)

Today, our last day in Prague, was a good day. We ate lunch at Country Life, a vegan restaurant/health food store near Town Square.

It was so nice to have vegetables! Food can get pretty heavy here.



We also did some shooting around town.



We finished the day by meeting with some of the people that run Mosaic House, the hostel we've been staying at the last few nights. They are some pretty neat people. There is also a group here that work with Breakaway in College Station, and we've had fun hanging with them.

After a long day of flying tomorrow, we land in Charlotte for a few days for some UWM stuff. And then Friday it's home to Houston!!!!

YAY!!

Posting will more than likely be sparse for the next few days.

Thanks for exploring Prague with us!



See you on the other side!

Saturday

Yesterday began in a quite a ceremonious fashion.

Just as our teammate Kevin's bean sprouted last April when he left Belgium, this week was our own beans' turn.



And not only have they sprouted, it was time to plant them in Prague soil.

It was kind of an emotional moment. Grow strong, little beans!



We then caught the metro in search of a really big park we found on a map.

It turned out to be a cemetery. Not what we were hoping for, but it was beautiful in its own secret-garden kind of way.



We explored that part of town.



We ate lunch over there, and for the first time this week the wait-staff had a hard time communicating in English. This was actually an encouraging thing since we are thinking of starting an English tutoring/teaching business, and so far EVERYONE we've talked to already knows it! :)

We walked some more and found this sign:



I think it means Farmer's Market, and this makes me very happy. We are leaving the day before so we can't go, but it is still nice to see evidence of one.

Just some store-windows.




This is where one can buy a little parka for their little dog.



This is walking down the street towards the park we like from the other day.



People were out lounging around enjoying their Saturday.



There's a shopping center inside this old building.



And an Albert's grocery store, which seems to be pretty common here.

Just a glance at what they have.





Dried fruit and nuts.



Tabasco sauce, jalapenos, salsa, corn chips, and tortillas. Well hot dog!



Frozen pizzas.



Poultry and lunch meat.



Cereal.




This store reminded me of what we had in Belgium. Plenty big and plenty of options. We'll do just fine here. (Especially factoring in a farmer's market and a co-op I found online! Woohoo!)

We thought this little cafe around the corner looked cool, though we didn't stop.



This is not just a pile of dirt, though that's how the picture came out. Behind those scrubby trees was a big play area where families were playing basketball, soccer, and just running around. It was cool to see. There was also a little playground. I would have gotten closer for a pic but people don't usually take kindly to strangers photographing their kids :)



Another little grassy space across the street from the pile of dirt.



It was a pretty part of town.



Yesterday was a great day. Lots of walking, exploring, metro-taking, and people/little dog watching. It was warmer too- we were wishing for our Chacos.

Oh, and P.S. we had really good Thai food for dinner. So happy.