I thought we left Prague...what's with the snow!



Almost six inches of snow

One night of sleet and snow,

Two weary parents,

Three excited girls,

Four gallons of milk and plenty of groceries,

Five days out of school…

All because of six inches of snow!

Happy New Year!

As we ring in the New Year, we look back over 2010 in amazement of all that has happened and all that we did. Our time in Prague was short-lived, but emotionally, it will never be over. The people we met and the places we went have forever made an impression on all of us. We will stay in touch with them, and we will return to Prague again.

We may never understand why the events over the last year took place, but we do know that God has a plan for us (Jeremiah 29:11) and we know that He keeps His word. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Prague, but it wasn’t without trials. Robby’s work kept him very busy – ten to twelve hour days with an hour commute each way. There were days that he left before the girls got up and did not get home until after the girls were asleep. When we moved to Prague, the plan (term used quite loosely since there really wasn’t a plan – just a goal to have the plant up and running by August) was for Robby to serve as liaison to the project manager in Social Circle and begin establishing European sales. His assignment ended up having him perform as R&D, purchasing, maintenance, IT, HR, Accounting, and everything in between with little time for sales. In addition, there was minimal manpower from Social Circle during that time. However, with three full-time Czech employees and several Social Circle employees that came for a few weeks, they were able to set up three production lines.

In July, we all returned to Atlanta – Robby for one week and the girls and I were to stay and visit family for a month. During Robby’s week at the Social Circle office, he planned a presentation for management to update them on everything involving the Czech plant, but he was never given the opportunity to give the presentation or meet with the owner to provide any information – everyone was too busy. On Friday, the day he was scheduled to return to Prague, Robby was told that he was being transferred back to Social Circle. As strange as that may seem, if you know anything about Standridge Color, you aren’t too surprised, but if you don’t, then it may never make sense. Robby’s only vindication was that the next week, the Czech plant passed all inspections and successfully began production, and five employees were sent from Social Circle to the Czech plant to maintain operations.

At that point, we began to shift our focus and get things quickly in order, especially for our girls. Our house in Oxford was rented out, so we decided to purchase another home. Without much searching, we found a perfect home in Loganville that more than meets all our needs. The girls are back at Loganville Christian Academy and the new house is less than five minutes from the school. We absolutely love our new home!

As word of our circumstances spread, Robby began receiving job offers from competitors, customers and suppliers – he even got two job offers in Prague while we were there packing our belongings! Robby has received numerous job offers over the years, but never considered any because of his loyalty and commitment to Standridge – he has worked there since he was sixteen and planned to retire there. Based on the circumstances, we felt that the loyalty and commitment was somewhat one-sided and had no choice but to entertain some of the offers that were presented. In October, after 25 years of employment, Robby resigned (he likes to say “retired”) from Standridge Color. The resignation was amicable and Robby has never regretted the decision. He did not want to go to work for a direct competitor, so he joined a company that sells resin as opposed to color. He has a home office and thoroughly enjoys it.

In November, once again, God revealed more of His plan for us when Lyndi came to live with us. This was a mutual decision between Lyndi, Robby and Lyndi’s mother. Robby could not be happier having all three of his girls under one roof! Lyndi has settled into our household nicely – especially since we were all in the process of settling in ourselves! She is also attending LCA with the girls.

Overall, we feel that we are a stronger, happier and definitely more thankful family. We truly believe that everything happens for a reason and everything we went through only made us a better family! God has provided for us and continues to reveal His plan for us – we are so thankful.

As for 2011, we will deal with whatever comes knowing that we can handle just about anything as a family (but we hope and pray that it does not involve any packing/unpacking or moving!).

With love!

Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.
~ Hal Borland

Knock, Knock. Who’s there? Mana and Sissy!

My mom, Julie (affectionately known as Mana), and Lyndi (affectionately known as Sissy) flew across the pond to be with us for Sissy’s spring break. They arrived on Saturday morning, April 3rd, and left on Friday morning, April 9th. While their visit was not nearly long enough for any of us, it was long enough for Mana and Sissy to experience many of the daily “adventures” we experience here in Prague, like:

•  Not knowing what to say when someone speaks to you in Czech, then you say, “Nerozumím Český” which translates, “I do not understand Czech” and yet people continue to speak in Czech, as if somehow in the last thirty seconds you have miraculously learned to speak Czech (and, yes, sometimes they speak louder as if that might help as well). However, Sydni, in their defense, says the reason for their confusion is that we are saying we don’t understand Czech but we are saying it in Czech – she may have a valid point. 
• Knowing exactly what to say when someone speaks in a foreign language, or in this case knowing what to do, like when someone asked Mana in another language how to get to the Charles Bridge, she pointed in the direction of the Charles Bridge as if she had lived here all her life and understood perfectly. We were all impressed!
• Not knowing what is being said in Czech like when I lost the parking ticket while Lyndi and I were in the mall. We went to the ticket payment machine and called parking attendant #1 on the speaker who rattled off for a few minutes in Czech but we did not know what to do. Then knowing exactly what is being said when parking attendant #2 went to the ticket payment machine and called parking attendant #1 who, based on the tone of his voice only, clearly said in Czech, “I TOLD HER TO [something we didn’t understand]” that actually turned out to be “wait a few minutes for me to bring a replacement ticket” which, by the way, cost me 1,000 Kc (about $50!).
• Not knowing what to buy or where it is in the grocery store which results in a lengthy, unorganized, zigzag patterned trip through the store; then knowing exactly what to buy similar to how I have been looking for cream of chicken soup or its equivalent since I got here and then Mana just walked straight to it and picked it up off the shelf.
• Not knowing exactly where to go, which resulted in a long but scenic route to the Prague Zoo; then knowing exactly where to go (thank you GPS) but there is either too much traffic or the road is closed – usually resulting in a long but scenic route again.
• Never stopping while driving (except in traffic) because almost every intersection is either a yield or a roundabout (go ahead and say it because we do, “Hey look kids, there’s Big Ben and there’s Parliament. Kids, Big Ben…Parliament…again.”); and then approaching the one stop sign that does exist and laughing because it has a regular stop sign, then a stop sign outlined in yellow, then the word “STOP” written in bold white letters on the road not once, not twice but three times before you get to the intersection; and then being passed on the left by someone who has chosen not to stop and cuts in front of you when you do!

This list could go on and on and I am sure I could add to it daily, but I will save it for future blogs.

Overall, the week was great. We attended Sunday Easter service at the International Church of Prague. We visited Wenceslas Square, Old Town Square and the Charles Bridge (all during the day and again in the evening). Because it was during the time of the Easter festival, the squares were decorated and crowded with merchandise booths and food vendors. Mana and Sissy were able to experience a taste of Sydni’s favorite Czech dessert, Trdelník (a traditional sweet pastry made from rolled dough, wrapped around a wooden stick similar to a rolling pin then grilled and topped with sugar and walnut mix). We relaxed at home and played on the playground in our village. We went to the Prague Zoo and the Prague Castle, which includes the incredibly breathtaking St. Vitus Cathedral. We rode the Metro subway system several times and walked for miles and miles! We ate at many good restaurants ranging from the fanciest restaurant in front of the Celestial Clock, at which the food was average, to a side street café that we happened upon, at which the food was excellent. The weather was nice except for a few cold days. The day we did not have any umbrellas, it sprinkled for just a bit and then the day we had seven umbrellas (for six people), it did not rain a drop – go figure! Mana got to see the girls’ schools and the drive to and from the schools (complete with the GPS lady trying to pronounce all the street names at Sydni’s request). We did a lot, but there was still so much left and just not enough time.

Of course, we were sad to see them go, but we have already started planning trips for them to come back. As always, we are so thankful for technology so that we can stay in touch in between visits. Mana and Sissy have made their mark on our Prague lives, and we see and think of them many times a day as a result. We continue to look forward to many other guests in our home so they can experience our adventure as well!

As always, please keep us in your prayers! Until the next post, na shledanou!

(If you would like updates for this blog, click “Subscribe: Post Comments” at the bottom and it will add a link on your internet toolbar that will be bold when a new post is added to the blog.)

Christianity knows no boundaries

Yesterday our family attended church for the first time in Prague. Prior to our move, we were put in contact with the Barnes family, who have been serving as missionaries in the Czech Republic for over four years. We had dinner with them in Georgia shortly before we moved and they returned to the Czech Republic just days before we arrived. They live about 2 hours south of Prague, but drove up to spend the day with us and we followed them to the International Baptist Church of Prague for the 11 am service.

It is so strange to be away from your own familiar church home, but at the same time, it is so inspiring and enriching to see that Christianity knows no geographic boundaries or language barriers. At the International Baptist Church, we sang familiar contemporary worship songs and heard a powerful message about healing, all in English, but the most humbling part of the service was hearing each person in attendance reciting the Lord’s Prayer in his/her native tongue. After church we were warmly welcomed to Prague and to the church by many people.

Our plans for the day included attending another church service at 4 pm, so between services we decided to eat lunch in downtown Prague at TGI Fridays – it looked, smelled, tasted and felt just like a TGI Fridays in Georgia. Also, once again, we were reminded what a small world it really is when the hostess told us that she was from Conyers, Georgia.

The International Church of Prague, like the first church, uses the facilities of a church that has different service times. They normally meet on Sunday morning, but the facilities were not available so they moved the service to the afternoon. Again we were warmly welcomed to Prague and the church. We even recognized some faces from the service we attended earlier. The worship songs were more traditional but still familiar, and the message included a powerful testimony from a young Czech man who is 25 years old and has been clean from drugs for over two years. His story was translated from Czech to English, which somehow made it even more powerful to me. He told of how he had been in and out of rehab and his family was giving up on him. The turning point for him was when his mother, who was a non-believer, in a desperate attempt to save him gave him a Christian book. This led him to a Christian facility, Betel, where he was rehabilitated, and as a result of his rehabilitation and faith, his mother is now also a Christian. I am constantly amazed at how God can even use non-believers for His purpose and plan. Now this young man is using his faith to help not only rehabilitate other drug-addicted lost souls but also show them the love and need of Jesus Christ.

I cannot say whether or not either of these churches will be our church home in Prague, but I can say that we will attend both of these churches again. There are several other churches that we have heard about, so we will continue our search until we feel that God is leading us in a particular direction. Regardless, it felt good to be in the house of the Lord and we look forward to seeing what else He has in store for us.

One week of school

Sydni and Paige started school here on Tuesday, March 9th, so they have been in school for over a week now. It seems like a few weeks to me but I checked and it has only been one! They are both going to the Prague British School, which is an English-speaking international private school with several campuses in Prague. Sydni is at the Kamyk location in Year 2 (British equivalent of US first grade), and Paige is at the Modrany location in the Reception/Foundation class.  These two locations are just a few minutes apart.

Sydni’s class has 13 students – 11 girls and 2 boys. There is one other American in the class and the rest of the students are from all over Europe. Paige’s class has 24 students, which are split into 2 groups that cross over throughout the day based on skill level in whatever subject they are working on at the time. Her class is just as diverse as Sydni’s class and actually includes several siblings of students in Sydni’s grade. Many of their classmates also live in Pruhonice, so we plan to see them outside of school as well.

The girls are enjoying school and have great stories to tell each day. One of my favorite parts of the day is the twenty minute ride to and from their schools. This has become a time for us to talk and laugh since there is no DVD player in the car and no radio station that we can understand. Sydni’s favorite story to tell is when a classmate asked her how to say “hello” in America and Sydni answered, “You just said it.” Paige’s favorite is how she rode the bus to “Sydni’s big school” for PE in the gym. If we aren’t laughing at each other, we are hysterically laughing at the lady on the GPS trying to pronounce the names of the Czech streets (i.e. Kunraticka Spojka, Novodvorska, and our favorite, Ceskoslovenskeho Exilu).

Sydni does miss her teachers and classmates at LCA and speaks of them often. Each day last week as I dropped her off, I would hope and pray that she would enjoy her day, like her teachers and make new friends. As the week progressed and she was transitioning well, I began to think about her teachers and classmates at LCA and how hard this must be for them. Sydni has moved on to a new school and environment, but they are in their normal routine and actually feel the void of her presence. I suppose this is true of all our family and friends. We are in a new place, new home, new exciting challenges with no familiarity and no expectations, but the fact remains that we left a void. I cannot imagine what that void is like, but I hope that each day the void is filled with healing, understanding and love knowing that we are settling in and happy (and if, understandably, that is just not enough, remember that we will be back in the states to visit during the summer!).

There is so much more to tell, but I will save it for future blogs. I will try to write something each week so stay tuned. You can click “Subscribe: Post Comments” at the bottom and it will add a link on your internet toolbar that will be bold when a new post is added to the blog, but I will still continue to send out e-mails about new posts too.

As always, please keep us in your prayers because we will always need them!

Advent in Prague

On Sunday, February 28, 2010, we watched the sun set during our layover in New York City then on Monday, March 1, 2010, we watched the sunrise as our plane prepared for descent into Prague. Thank goodness our sense of humor remained intact during our trip. We were allowed to check 3 bags each and it seems that 12 bags should be plenty – we were close…the golf clubs made bag number thirteen! Of course, with that many bags, there should be nothing left to carry on the plane, but that is not the case. We had four coats, four backpacks including two laptops, 3 bags and one doll carrier. There is just no way to describe the “adventure” going through airport security in Atlanta with all that stuff AND having to remove our shoes – I only wish I had it on film. Fortunately, it was pretty much smooth sailing after that. The girls were great on the trip. They carried their own backpacks - we specifically purchased lightweight hiking backpacks with chest and waist straps for them so they would not be too heavy (best money spent ever!). They both slept as well as one can sleep on a plane and waking moments were filled with excitement about our destination. I don’t think either one even asked, “Are we there yet?” one time!

Even though we had to stay in a hotel for a few days, we were all excited to go to our new home, especially since Robby was the only one that had seen it. It totally exceeded my expectations. It is a beautiful single family house with a two car garage and plenty of room for our family. The kitchen, living room and dining room are open with lots of windows overlooking the backyard (or what would be called a garden in Prague). The girls are sharing a room and loving it so far – we’ll see how long that lasts. The house is in a village with sidewalks and paths and a central square with shops and restaurants. We look forward to meeting our neighbors and making new friends soon – thank goodness spring is just around the corner.

Of course, while we are in our new home, things seem pretty normal, but outside our home, not so much. Some things are the same and others are very, very different. People drive on the right side of the road but they drive like maniacs, there are no stop signs (mostly yield signs) and pedestrians do not have the right of way! Everything is in Czech and a simple trip to the grocery store is quite an experience – we were able to figure out our way around and find what we need but there are just some things that will take getting used to. “Like what?” you say, well, breads are displayed out in open bins like vegetables and fruits so you can dig around and find the one you like…really…but on a positive note, there was at least twenty-five different types of fresh breads, rolls, croissants, muffins, etc. Most food and beverage items come in single servings, but if it does come with more than one to a pack, people just open up the pack and take however many they want. People bag their own items (if they bring their own bags or purchase a bag- if not, you leave with an armful of groceries). Since we initially stayed in a hotel, our first grocery trip had “American” written all over it – milk, Coke Zero, Sprite and Coke Light (don’t even get me started on that – Coke Light is their version of Diet Coke but, being an expert on Diet Coke, I can unequivocally say that Coke Light is NOT anything like Diet Coke other than the fact that it has no calories!).

The best thing among everything is that the people are nice and quite understanding. Along with basic pleasantries, we have learned two very important phrases in Czech, “Do you understand English?” and “I do not understand Czech.” I had to use both before we left the airport in Prague and many times since. Although it has only been a few days and we are not fully settled in yet, I truly believe that we will be happy and enjoy our time here. We believe that God has placed us here and He will continue to guide and direct us. We miss our families and friends tremendously but thank goodness for technology!

Keep in touch and many blessings to you all.

It won't be long now!

Since we made the decision to move to Prague to be a part of the start up of Standridge Color Corporation’s Czech Republic location, we have been making plans.  But we couldn’t make any final decisions about housing or school until we found out the location of the plant. In November, a plant was secured in Pardubice (pronounced PAR-doo-bits-uh), which is a town about 75 miles east of Prague. This created a fairly long commute for Robby if the girls were to attend an international school located in the city of Prague.

We still had some decisions to make, but one thing was clear: we would need to live on the east side of the river that flows through the center of Prague. Prague is notorious for traffic and there are only three places to cross the river in the city, so crossing the river during rush hour is highly discouraged. East it is! That narrowed our school choices down tremendously, and there was one that we did not visit while we were there in September – the Prague British School. Robby went back in December and visited the school with which, thankfully, he was very pleased. He was also able to look at quite a few houses while he was there and chose a house for us in Pruhonice (pronounced PROO-hon-its-uh), which is just southeast of Prague. It is about 60 miles west of the SCC plant and about 10 miles east of the school. The attorneys are currently working through the lease agreement so hopefully we will sign the lease on the house any day now.

Our departure is scheduled for the end of February so everything has shifted into high gear. We are cleaning out the house, garage selling (in 30 degree weather –brrrrr!) and trying to decide what to do with everything: sell, ship or store.

I will continue to update as our details firm up. Please keep us in your prayers! Until the next blog, Nashledanou (goodbye in Czech)!

Frist glimpse of Prague

One cannot deny the incredible beauty and history of Prague. The first castle was built during the 9th century in year 870 AD – in comparison, the Jamestown colonization in America was in 1607. Throughout the centuries, only a few parts of the city have been destroyed, mostly during wars, so each century has made its mark in architecture: Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, Romanticism, and Art Nouveau. Each style with its own defining features and in certain parts of town, such as Old Town Square, almost all styles can be seen in a 360° view from one place.

Of course, getting lost in the beauty and history of Prague was not the purpose of our week long trip. Plant locations, housing, schools, and other major and minor details of our move were priority, not to mention visiting a few customers in bordering countries. As you can imagine, there was not much free time on our agenda. This was my first trip to Prague – first trip east of the US, actually – and this was Robby’s second trip to Prague. Because he was so enamored by the city on his last visit, he wanted me to see everything possible in every free moment between meetings and appointments. After the first two non-stop days, I gently reminded him that we were actually going to LIVE in Prague so maybe seeing every cathedral, castle and bridge in the city shouldn’t be a priority during our one week visit.

I did journal each day of our trip in hopes that I can look back on it one day and be reminded of the excitement, nervousness, exhilaration, fear and anticipation of it all in the beginning. If you have made it this far in the blog, rest assured that I am not going to type each daily journal entry. Instead here are some highlights:

Business: Standridge is still in the process of finding a facility in the Czech Republic. While I would not normally be too involved in this process, proximity made it impossible to ignore otherwise. We viewed several Czech warehouses and manufacturing facilities and learned a lot about the bureaucracy of starting and operating a business and “getting things done” in the Czech Republic. As Forrest Gump would say, “That’s all I have to say about that.”

Schools: As a family, we agree that this is the single most important decision involving our move, but the decision is not as complicated as it could be since there are only a handful international schools. All of the international schools teach from nursery through 12th grade. We visited four schools ranging in size from 95 students to 750 students. We liked all of the schools for different reasons, but one really seemed to be the best fit. Until we know the location of the plant/office, it is very difficult to determine where we will live and what school the girls will be attending, but at least we have seen the schools and will be ready to make that decision when the time comes.

Housing: We were only able to look at a few, but it was a wide spectrum to give us a good idea of types of housing, locations and costs. We viewed two townhouses, a duplex and a single-family dwelling. The lots are usually small so almost all housing is multi-levels, sometimes as many as four stories, and usually constructed in a way that there are many small balconies throughout the house. The rooms range in size but always seem to be oddly shaped, and upper levels have short vaulted ceilings with large skylights. Yards, called gardens, are small due to the lot sizes but most were fenced and heavy with greenery. Most kitchens and bathrooms have been recently renovated but still have oddities. For example, some houses have the laundry washer and dryer in the kitchen under the counter alongside the dishwasher and stove. (I know we will make sacrifices during this time but I would prefer that dirty laundry not be in an area of the house where our food is prepared). We looked in expat/international communities and a Czech village. Cost varies depending more on location rather than size or quality of the house. Again, once we know the location of the office/plant and choose a school, we can better research and decide on housing, but at least we have a good frame of reference after this trip.

Driving: Of course, Robby did all the driving and owes it all to his trusty GPS (I loved hearing her try to pronounce all the Czech street names). People drive fast and the roads are shared by cars, buses, trams, motorcycles (who can ride in between lanes) and all must stop for pedestrians in a crosswalk. Street signs are on all sides of the road and there could be as many as eight or nine at one place – no parking, reserved parking, dead-end street, road splits, speed limit, do not enter, construction and then there were the ones that we did not even know what they meant because they were in Czech. There are laws against talking on a cell phone while driving and zero tolerance for driving while intoxicated – I just can’t imagine anyone being able to do either of those while driving in this city!

General: Besides the architecture, sometimes the beauty was as simple as the colorful flowers that adorn every window basket from the city all the way into the small villages. As we drove through the countryside, it was amazing to see rolling grassy hills, forests and occasionally a castle off into the distance. Road signs (yes, another one) warned of people stopping to pick fruit from the pear trees or apple trees lining the roads between villages. Vineyards stretched across the countryside, and this was the time of year for Burcak, which is a partially fermented young wine that only comes from Moravian Czech grapes during the first few weeks into the harvest. The wine is bottled in what appeared to be recycled plastic bottles and sold on the side of the road. It is cloudy with a juice-like appearance and very sweet (we got a sample from a street vendor), but natives warn newcomers to beware because it supposedly continues fermenting in the blood stream and causes a delayed intoxication and a nasty hangover!

Overall, we had a great week and many of my fears were set as ease. Most Czech people speak English, especially the younger generations. People were friendly, especially the younger generations. We were welcomed, especially by the younger generations. Communism ruled the country from 1948 until 1989, and then in 1993, Czechoslovakia split into Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Many natives told us that it will take three to four generations to remove the communist affects, which is why the younger generations today are so different.

There is so much more to tell about the Czech Republic, but some will have to wait until we go back. Our return to the country will be bittersweet, but I continue to look forward to it. We truly are embarking on a great adventure. I look forward to sharing it with you!

I hope Mark Twain is right!

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” - Mark Twain

Our decision to move to Czech Republic has thrown many off guard - including us at times. Robby's company, Standridge Color, is going to open a plant in Czech Republic, and Robby is going to be the Sales and Administration Manager. The planning is in the very beginning stages but expected to move quickly. Our move is currently planned for January/February 2010. The company is now searching for a building, while the equipment is being built at the Social Circle plant.

Yesterday was my last day at work – a really big step for us. That step definitely makes it seem real, but not as real as getting on a plane in a few hours to fly to Prague. Robby and I are leaving the girls with the grandparents and spending the next week in Prague. We will be interviewing schools, looking at houses, visiting several of Robby’s customers and, of course, exploring the place we will soon call home. WOW! I am sure my head will be spinning at that point. I only hope that the history and the culture will be so overwhelming that we can't wait to go back and can't wait to take the girls back with us!

I am new to blogging so I will try to keep it up as much as possible and hope you will continue to follow us in our journey.

So the adventure begins...