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home improvement
upgrades, upgrades. moving on up. i could call this post “living without stuff pt IV: cynthia decides to scrap the whole minimalism thing”, but that’s not entirely true. you see… by athens (the last couple days of a two month american/grecian travel whirlwind), i was so excited to get back to my own flat and just do normal life things. cook, read, hang out on the balcony… but since we’ve decided to stay at least one more year here in budejovice, we realized our living situation needed a little overhaul.maybe this is because of the “luxurious” american living we’ve experienced… or perhaps it’s more closely related to our renewed determination…
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touching down in greece
we had a bit of a stressful journey from the united states, which involved spending 9 total hours running here and there all over detroit wayne county airport and almost flying through thunderstorms in chicago (aiie!), and so much more, but eventually being allowed to board a super secret special direct red-eye to london and catching up with our original flight to athens. oh, athens! flying over the vicinity of this ancient city was so exciting: my first glimpse of the deep blue aegean sea and the dusty, rocky terrain with shrubby looking trees. i had never seen land like this before, and it wasn’t until that moment right before…
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taking stock
i was hoping that my time in the united states would help me figure some things out… to take a step back from life in europe and glean some clarity from looking at the whole adventure from afar. now i’m heading back to czech republic, the country that takes hold of you (or as kafka once said, “grasps you in its claws ”) and doesn’t let you go where it’s hard to make these big decisions about the future. the easy stuff: i knew i would return to the czech republic. (already kinda had that return plane ticket!) i knew i would spend at least one more school year there.…
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unique czech gift ideas
it’s tough to figure out a meaningful gift to bring home from your holidays sometimes… especially a product actually made in the country and not shipped from china with “prague” emblazoned on it. why not try these ideas next time? totally czech, and your loved ones will definitely appreciate them. 1/ becherovka, the most popular herbal liquor choice! made from a secret blend of over 100 herbs and minerals from the karlovy vary region. (i don’t recommend trying to bring czech beer- too much hassle) also recommended: slivovice or moravian white wine. the more homemade/local, the better. 2/ oplatky, especially the kolonada brand. they’re round wafer cookies that come in many…
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honeymoonin’! stories from bloggers
hey y’all– i’m currently in greece on our long-awaited honeymoon! as an attempt to have as unplugged a trip as possible, i’ve rounded up some of my married lady expat-blogger friends to talk about how awesome their honeymoons were. i hope you enjoy their stories! how long have you been married for? in january we celebrated our four year anniversary.where did you go for your honeymoon? las vegashow did you decide to go there? there were a few factors that led us to las vegas: 1) we did not want to be cold and that cancelled out a lot of places in january, 2) we were on a budget and…
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wedding day: the reception
{this mega-photo post is the final part of the series about our recent wedding day} the wedding reception took place about a hundred feet from the ceremony, which was really nice because everyone just picked up their chairs and moved them under the tent. yep, we had one of those biiiig tents adjacent to the beach. as far as decorations went, there were a few simple things but the real star of the show was the beautiful view to the north of the islands and mt. baker. (tip: when you got great scenery, don’t focus too much on details!)we took a couple wedding party and family formals while my musician…
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restaurants i love: polonia in michigan, usa
i only add places to the “cafes/restaurants/etc. i love” section if it is an absolute love. and i think now after the third visit, we can finally at polonia polish restaurant in hamtramck, michigan to the list. i first visited polonia in 2011 on my very first visit to michigan to meet alex’s family. one can be a little nervous when they’re about to meet their boyfriend’s parents for the first time, but right after picking us up at the airport, they took us to polonia. all discomfort dissipated. polonia is located in a special place: hamtramck, michigan, a suburb of detroit. it used to be a old polish settlement…
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wedding day: the ceremony
i, like many brides i assume, was most nervous for the ceremony only because i was positive that i was going to burst out crying. (i definitely bought waterproof mascara for the occasion) i didn’t end up crying, but it was such an emotional ceremony. whenever i realized what was going on and felt like tearing up, i would try to think of the light-hearted parts of it all. we wrote our own heartfelt vows which were really lovely… mine even got some much needed laughs from the groomsmen and guests… we all really needed some comic relief! we also chose to do a rose ceremony (giggity) which was kind…
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summer of love
hi friends, thank you for your comments and wishes regarding the wedding and recent photo posts! i’ve been hanging out in my hometown for over a month now on a mini-adventure before heading eventually eastward again. my northwest summer, in a word, has been spectacular. i came here to get married, have a big party, reconnect with friends, eat and drink allthethings, and reconnect with the northwest; i feel like i’ve really done it… perhaps even a little too much on the food and drink– our waistbands are feeling slightly tighter than before, and as we are now headed to michigan, the end is not near. not only all these good…
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wedding day: first look
what to say about the first look besides i knew i wanted to do it a loooong time ago. sure, it’s a bit of a break from tradition (although more and more popular these days) but this isn’t the most traditional of weddings. plus, i thought it would make me feel a lot less nervous and i was right! of all of the photos taken this day, the first look and the bride and groom formal photos that came after it were my absolute favorites. the photographer had a vision, for sure, and some of these came out looking like a mucha painting… i was very happy about that! it…
