1. Thank you so much for your kind words about our engagement! Your love and support mean so much to me, and us. We have been riding on the engagement high all week…and dipping our toe into wedding planning. I have so many thoughts around this–do I even want a wedding? Should we just go somewhere cool and elope? If we do that, should we invite our families? Then, it’s a “destination wedding,” right? Can any members of our family actually afford to join us? If they could, would they? If not destination, where? You get the picture…we have no clue. So I’m pretending that we don’t have to make big decisions like that, and that I just get to do fun things like play with flowers and make up sample invitations online and look up too-expensive venues in places like Bali.
2. Even though most of Europe doesn’t have Daylight Saving Time until the end of March, this week still felt like I lost an hour of sleep since it was fresh off our spring break. It was just a long one. The kids seemed even crazier than before break, and since there is some problem with moisture at my school, all of the classrooms need to stay really warm to dry it out (or something, I’m not entirely clear on the why). Therefore, the rooms are boiling, so I think the kids get tired and even less motivated than usual. I felt extra tired as well, partially because I also haven’t been sleeping well. As with most events in my life, especially good ones like our engagement, I alternate between extreme excitement and near-debilitating anxiety. These mood swings are not conducive to sleep!
3. I fell hard for Venice, and Italy in general. Venice itself is a true gem. I’ve heard mixed reviews about it, but I adored it. I can see why it might get unbearable in the summer with the crowds and the heat, but it was so easy to get off the tourist track and find the magic of Venice. Even after about 9PM, it seemed deserted but still so magical! And…the food. I can name one meal that I didn’t love–and even that was acceptable–and everything else was incredible. We were eating on the cheap most of the time because Italy is expensive, yo, and still we only had deliciousness. We could not stop raving about our continental breakfast that had giant silver pots of coffee and hot milk, at least twenty different kinds of pastries, eggs, meat, toast, a yogurt machine…the best hotel breakfast ever. Even though I’ve now only been to Milan and Venice, I feel there is something special about Italy. You can feel passion in everything–the words, the movements of the people, the architecture, the food, the design of the city. The Italians do not seem quiet to me–although hardly anyone does, compared to the reserved Czechs–and I loved that exuberance in the air.
4. Our original plans for the upcoming Easter break (!!) were Amsterdam and the tulips. This is still officially the plan but I just fell in love with Italy so much I am dying to go back. Still, I think my cousin is studying in Florence for a few weeks this summer, so hopefully I will at least get one long weekend in Italy in the near future.
5. I think I am just riding on wave of happiness this week, but I really am reminding myself to enjoy Prague lately. Part of it is that we have several confirmed visitors coming in May, June and July, so I’m trying to picture it through their eyes. I keep remembering our first few weeks here, where we were just awestruck by everything. In the day-to-day, it’s easy to forget where we live. Every time I take a moment, I have to pinch myself and say “You live in Europe!” because this is such a dream of mine and I’m living it.
6. I know I only said five but…is this the most cheerful post I’ve ever written, or what?!
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Have you planned a wedding? If not, what do you think about destination weddings?
