Jess and Dave's Space

Wow, we are pretty pathetic at blogging.  I'm so sorry!  Dave and I have been super busy, and the blog has suffered.  Also, we have misplaced our camera battery charger, so neither of us has not taken pictures for MONTHS... basically, I don't think we have ANY pics since we moved here. 

 

So, despite the lack of photographic evidence, I am happy to report that things are going well.  We are healthy (Dave is--now!) happy and enjoying being back in the US. 

 

Our house is great, but needs a lot of work.  (The photos in the slide show are our house, but were taken during the inspection, so they show the house before we moved in).  The yard waste bin is always full as we try to get our yard in some type of order.  We currently have eight holes in the ceiling of our formal dining room and are trying to figure out where our plumbing leak is coming from!  We got a beautiful Christmas tree (admittedly, it's from Costco and came pre-lit) but our house feels great, and it has been really amazing to be part of a great community again.   

 

In addition to his new job as the family grounds keeper, Dave is plugging away at his new job and burning the midnight oil, trying to learn as much as he can about the new business he works in now. 

 

I have just completed my paralegal certificate and have started looking for a job--wish me luck!  It was not easy, but I've learned a lot and look forward to a meaningful career again. 

 

We have met some great new friends, and are trying to reconnect with old friends, too.  Honza has a new best friend named Kona, and is completely adjusted to being an "American" dog.  He is definitely happy that I'm not working yet. 

 

So, I promise to get back on the blogwagon and hopefully we will be able to take some photos soon!    

Well, we made it!!! We have been out of communication for a while, but it is just because we are finally back home and adjusting to the sweet life again.  Dave is hard at work in his new job.  Jess is hard at work in her paralegal certification program.  Honza is having a little difficulty adjusting to the various grasses and pollens in the Puget Sound.  He has some serious allergies and is on Benadryl twice daily. 

 

We made an offer on a house in Woodinville at Dave's golf club called Bear Creek.  It's a beautiful house and we are really excited.  It's not totally ours yet, but it is set to close in May.  It needs a bit of work to be just right, but we feel good about it. 

 

When we are not working and/or studying, we are really enjoying getting re-acquainted with our home town.

So, here I sit, on the floor of our nearly empty flat typing on a laptop.  As I think about it, almost exactly how I started this blog.  This is probably the last blog entry I will make from Prague. 

 

The preparation for this move has gone really fast.  I have sold nearly all of our electronic items, and all of our Ikea furniture.  Last friday, I visited three vets to authorize Honza's flight to the US.  I got many stamps in his passport (yes, he has one) and one official, signed, and stamped health certificate.  I really hope that I have completed all the necessary paperwork for Honza to fly home with us on our plane.

 

The movers have been here working hard for two days.  The car is loaded with all of our suitcases, and Honza's crate.  Dave is finishing his last day at work.  Here is our game plan: we drop off the company car tonight, pick up our rental car, and drive about 3.5 hours to Munich and stay the night.  Then we get up (have Starbucks!) and drive to Amsterdam, which is about 4 hours or so.

 

We have approximately 24 hours in Amsterdam, and then we (hopefully all three of us) will board the plane and fly directly to Sea-Tac.  The flight will be about 10 hours long and will cut out a lay-over and make things less stressful for Honza. 

 

We will miss it here in Prague, but new adventures await-- And Dave starts his new job on Monday!  

This past week has been super hard.  We are very excited about moving home, but are saying our goodbyes and that is never easy.  We made some nice friends here.  We really want to stay in touch with everyone. 

 

Our friend Shanna organized a really nice going-away dinner for us at Dinitz Cafe.  It was great to see our friends at least one last time. 

 

Honza said good ye to his best friend Dag the boxer, and his really sweet owner, Filip, and then goodbye to his family of Manchester Terriers, and his mother's owner, Katerina.  It was sad.  :(

 

On Monday night, the Microsoft Czech and Slovak finance team threw Dave a great party.  There was a really cool slide show of their team events, and it was really meaningful to Dave to see the team come together to give Dave a farewell party. 

Microsoft CZ launched the new Windows Vista recently.  We have had the pleasure of driving around advertising the new operating system to the citizens of Central Europe.  It says "The Wow Starts Now!"