Well, it has been a while... Where have I been? Simple answer: 1 week on the Dalmatian coast; side trips to Bratislava, Pezinok, and Dresden; entertaining my parents; and, oh yes, working very hard.
After nearly one month, my mom and dad, Mary Lou and Ed, are headed back to upstate NY on Wednesday morning. I can hardly believe it! It has been a wonderful time together. To give you a brief taste... my mom treated me to homemade pancakes with fresh strawberry sauce this morning and she also did a sewing job for me. Oh, and they cleaned my entire apartment for my birthday. It doesn't really matter how old I get, they love to do those special things.
Over the last few weeks we've had a number of adventures. We were up and down the Dalmatian coast of Croatia. We also made a trip to Bratislava where we met distant relatives on my dad's side of the family. This last Sunday I showed Dresden to my parents. They enjoyed giant bratwurst and raved about German coffee (not beer). Hands down - Czech beer is my parents' favorite. We also celebrated my birthday at Aromi - a restaurant I've been dying to try. To say the least, it was a full, rich, blessed time together.
So, my place is going to be silent when I return home on Wednesday night. Of course, I will still have German Eurosport to keep me abreast of Olympic developments, but I wont have my dad on the couch next to me, asking questions about the optimal height for a swimmer, commenting on the phenomenal abilities of Michael Phelps.
Looking on the bright side, following the departure of my final summer visitors, I hope to get more rest. For a change, I'm thinking it would simply be nice "to just be".
