Comedy Show of Awkwardness... I just wanted a bus pass :-P

I've been meaning to post this since Wed but no time... Must have been feeling adventurous because I finally went to apply for an Urban Card (prepaid bus pass).  This is the long and short of my comedy show of awkwardness.  

Things are not always what they seem...

For those that are not familiar with our fury, four-legged family member Zoe (dog) let me give a very shortened overview…. More like, let me smash 6 years of Houdini, tomfoolery into one small paragraph (Zoe could have her own book).  We adopted miss Zoe Mae from our local shelter in Dearborn, MI after my beloved, friend Rocky (dog) passed away unexpectedly in Oct 2007.  Zoe’s shelter given name was “Blessie”, which I can’t help but respond to by saying “MMMHHhhmmm” with my best “Martin Lawrence, Big Mama’s House” impersonation.  LOL “Blessie” my foot! Houdini would have suited her better.  Since 2007 Zoe has climbed fences, jumped fences, gone under fences and even THROUGH fences.  NOTHING can hold this dog in for long.  She’s uprooted tie outs, broken tie outs for hundred plus pound dogs (she only weighs 35lbs), snapped dog trollies that my 180 lb husband could literally ride without breaking, she’s ran through high powered electrical fences with a smile on her face and some how by the grace of the powers that be, we always get her back! Somehow. Someway. 

Poor GPS leads to some lucky finds (pics included)...

Sometimes the drive to the vacation destination is full of it's own little surprises...

Last weekend we took a long weekend and visited the small town of Karpacz, Poland.  We mostly stayed at the hotel because it had plenty to do for a family with a small child and this trip was decided more or less off the cuff with little planning.

The drive there and back proved just as worthwhile as the wonderful time we experienced at the Hotel Gołębiewski w Karpaczu.  http://www.golebiewski.pl/karpacz

Learning a new language and the faux pas that go with it...

As many of you know my husband, Brad and I have been trying to learn Polish from a variety of different sources. We started with apps on our iPad which we still practice with, then started  Rosetta Stone, then Berlitz training, and we also ask a lot of questions when we get the chance to speak to a bilingual Polish speaker. We have been mighty proud of ourselves when we have been out in public and we remember to say Dzień dobry, proszę, dziękuję, or do widzenia (i.e. Good Day, please, thank you and goodbye).

A glimpse into baking...

In honor of Burger's birthday, our one and only Polish friend that we have made since moving to Poland, is coming over to celebrate Burger's special day.  When I asked her if I was looking in the wrong places for chocolate chips for making cookies, I was slightly afraid I already knew the answer.  I was right... no semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips for baking cookies are going to be found in Poland, regardless of where I look.  When I mention baking the cookies, Alma's eye's lit up.  She said she hasn't had a chocolate chip cookie since she did her undergraduate in the US (can you imagine).  Alma asked if I knew how to make the dough and was so impressed when I said yes.  Anyone that knows me and my baking skills, knows it is far from impressive, so I was feeling REALLY GOOD about myself at this point lol.    

Burger's first tram ride...

Not sure where to start this blog, as we are three weeks into actually living in Poland and three months into the process of getting here.  I have decided the best place to start is in current events and as I have time I will fill in the gaps of how we got here.  

The most notable experience of late was this past weekend.  We FINALLY took Burger on his first tram ride.  This may not seem like a big deal to most, but Burger has been asking (repeatedly, like only a 3 year can do lol) to go on a tram since our "look see trip" in October (three months ago).  While we were on the "look see" visit, I brazenly thought I would figure this tram business out and get this boy on... No Problem!  I stepped up to the ticket kiosk and quickly realized that the entire thing was in Polish.  Knowing excuse me, please and thank you in Polish weren't going to help me now.  Needless to say, he never rode that tram and we haven't stopped hearing about it, ha!