And I'm off.....

I am going to the Slovak Mountains for the weekend... I tried to blog as much as I could last night, but didn't get very far because our internet shut down...boo.... I have it all ready to go when I get home on Sunday though!!! ;) XOXO from Europe!! See you in 20 days!!!!!!!! [ps- Mark and I get married in 100!!!] lllloooooovvvveeeee yyyyyooooouuuuu Mark!!!

Amsterdam Architecture

People used to pay taxes based the width of their house, so people built narrow and tall houses to maximize their floor area while paying minimal taxes. This really creates an unique architecture for the city as well as crazy, steep staircases!! Czech out this house! It is 1.8 meters wide! Wow!

The buildings are all leaning too. The wood foundations and the sandy ground don't make such a great combination... The fact that they are leaning forward was strategic. That way the people could store things in their attic. There are hooks on the buildings so that people could pull their things up to the top floor. The leaning forward allowed for clearance for items swaying in the front of the building.

Bikes

There are a million bikes in Amsterdam (they outnumber the # of people who live there!!). [Population: 750,000] It's a great city to bike in ~ gorgeous and flat but these bikes will RUN YOU OVER. There is no 'pedestrians get the right a way' no you are at the bottom when walking, behind the trams, cars and deadly bikes. They ring their bell and you jump, even if you're in the walking lane!!

Walking Tour

Darren and I got to our hostel around 10 in the morning. There was A FREE TOUR OF THE CITY at 10:30, so we hopped on that gravy train... ;) The first thing we learned about on the tour was great! The French came to Amsterdam and made the Dutch make last names for themselves for registration. The Dutch had a little fun with this, since they had never used last names. Apparently, the Dutch phonebook is all kinds of hilarious to read. Our tour guide's favorite last names? Jumpinginafield, Bornnaked, and Pubichair. Yep... they're real....

The oldest church in the city is in the Red Light District. For those of you who aren't sure, the Red Light District is an area in Amsterdam where girls rent out windows for 150 € per 8 hour shift. They charge 50 € for a 15 minute session. The oldest prostitute working in the Red Light District is 74 years old. The requirements you must meet to be a prostitute? Must have an European Union passport and be at least 18 years old.

There was a very interesting structure that showed up in the Red Light District. ((See picture)) This is what my friend, Rachel, had to say about it: This statue is right outside the cathedral and I really like it. No one knows who tore of the sidewalk and installed it but it represents the Red Light District. No one knows the name of the woman and the man remains anonymous too. The lock and chain is part of the sculpture posing the question- who's really locked and confined in this encounter.

Vienna

So (as I already told you) there was quite a mishap with the flight and everything... So Darren and I showed up to Amsterdam a day late... But we got to participate in Beer Marathon, so I would say it wasn't a total tragedy! ;) As soon as we got to Vienna, we saw this sign?? What exactly does it mean? ;) We hung out in Vienna for about an hour before we went to the airport to sleep before our 6AM flight. Vienna is BEAUTIFUL! I am going back FOR SURE before I leave! Anyways, sleeping in the airport is not the best choice in the world.. We at least both got some sleep. There was a movie being filmed at night in the airport. It was bizarre.. The scene was a bunch of people coming out of the terminal. They did the scene about one hundred times before the director called it a wrap. ONE SCENE! It was all kinds of stupid! They just kept walking in and out of the terminal! haha* I bet it's going to be a GREAT movie! haha*

Alright, Let's just start with it

Amsterdam was fun

Favorite Evan Stories....

I thought I'd set up a post where people could comment with their favorite Evan stories... I have a few:
** My parents used to drag my little brothers to my sporting events... I am pretty sure it was a volleyball game my junior year of high school when someone was singing the national anthem. The game was at West Vigo High School. My brothers were at the top of the bleachers. My parents allowed my brothers to bring 'entertainment' because apparently my sweet volleyball skills weren't enough excitement for the boys. Anyhoo... they chose to bring coloring books and a BOX of Colored Pencils.... You know where this is going.... In the middle of the song, we all heard... dink...dink....din, din.dink..... etc... Yep... that entire box of colored pencils spilled all the way down the bleachers. I didn't even turn around. I knew it was my little brothers... ;) Gotta love em!
** We were at the dining room table one night at my parents house and Evan came into the living room complaining: "Mom, I have fluffy stuff in my underwear!" I was interested... "Whatever could you mean?" My June Cleaver of a mom asked. "Fluffy Stuff!" Evan responded. At that moment, Evan started pulling dryer sheets out of his pants!!! bahahahahaha* I get him Fluffy Stuff cotton candy any chance I get... ;)
** Evan and I were painting the back deck this past summer... I got bored with the usual talk so decided to fill him in on a little secret. I am his mom. Yep... I had him when I was younger and my mom adopted him... The poor guy fell for it. He was so confused! He was also s0o0o0o 12 years old! Which would put me at TEN when I gave birth... Yeah, I was a little skank-hoe in fourth grade.....

Love you Evan! Happy Birthday! ((**PS- share your Evan stories by posting a comment!!**))

This is me....

I am alive.... and I am acknowledging that I SUCK when it comes to blogging this week..... sheesh... I graduate next Saturday (although I'm not walking) and I am frantically trying to get everything done! I just finished a case study that was supposed to be 2000 to 2500 words long. It is at 3400 and I need to put more in it..... I HAVE NEVER HAD THAT PROBLEM!!!!! What the!?!?!? I promise to post ALL my Holland pics and stories tonight! They are on a list just waiting for me! They are a-coming! :) XOXO from Czechy!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

TODAY MY LITTLE BROTHER, EVAN, TURNS 13!!!!!!! AAGGGGGHHHHH!!! Okay, so now this is me acknowledging that my 'little' brother is taller than I am and could totally kick my butt. Luckily, he likes me and wouldn't do that... ;) I cannot believe how time has flown! He is such a great kid and he is my favorite 13 year old in the WHOLE WORLD!!!! LOVE YOU, EVAN!! HAPPY 13TH!!! SEE YOU IN THREE WEEKS!!! :) -Big Sis

LET THE AMSTERDAM STORIES BEGIN

s0o0o0o0 I am home from Amsterdam and am ready to share my tales! Amsterdam was a BEAUTIFUL and ROMANTIC city! I have already told Mark that we need to take a trip there one day in the future! There are AMAZING canals throughout the entire city! We were there when all the tulips were blooming and we even got to go to the beach! Overall a WONDERFUL trip to Holland! So let's begin with these stories.. ;)