Travel Monday - High Tatras Mountains, Slovakia

Riding through the Mountains on the way back to West Virginia yesterday really made me think about my favorite memory of hiking the High Tatras Mountains on the border between Slovakia and Poland.

Source : Traveller

I remember stepping off of the lift that took us up the mountain on the first day and seeing this sign.  It is the little things like this that excite me when I'm in a different country.  

We followed the sign and did a little hiking the first afternoon to get us prepared for what was coming the next day.  Finding this waterfall was amazing and we were able to stop, explore, and fill up our water bottles with fresh glacial water!

After we spent some time exploring the smaller mountain we went back to where we were staying in a small town.  Here is a picture I took of some of the scenery around the area. 

I have no idea how these arrangements were made, but we ended up staying in the house that the Slovakian Ice Luge team stays at during the months that they are in training.  Here is a picture of the view out of the window from the room that I was staying in.  

They opened up the Luge practice track and taught us how to Luge!  So Fun!

Here I am getting ready to go down the track.

Crazy story.  Obviously we were in Eastern Europe, for those of you not obsessed with looking at maps (weird thing I do...constantly have to know where I am geographically) here you go for reference.

Source : Worn Through

Picking up where I left off, we were in far Eastern Europe (Slovakia on the border of Poland).  Here communism is something of the recent past.  I could go on for hours discussing Communism because the professor that took us to Eastern Europe was actually born and raised in Slovakia during Communism and his stories were horrific.  When your job has no possibility of being taken away from you, customer service is non-existent.  I never believed how bad this could be until I saw it first hand.  After our first evening of hiking the mountain and trying out the ice luge, we all went to walk around the small town that we were in and find a place for dinner.  We walked in to a pizza shop that was EMPTY.  I'm talking at least 25 tables that sat 4 people, and maybe one of them had a family sitting and eating.  When we walked in our professor asked if we could put the tables together so that the 12 of us could eat together.  The guy's answer..."no".  

We take for granted in the United States that we EXPECT our needs to be accommodated.  Customer Service at it's best would suggest that "the customer is always right".  This is one of the first things I learned at my very first high school job working at Ukrops.  It is a staple in our society.  Not the case in some place where business and meeting other people's needs is not a necessity.  No opportunities for promotion or demotion.  Crazy to see the theory of Communism and the mind-set in practice.  These people were in no way going to inconvenience themselves to help us out.  We left (my professor more than pissed off) and when we talked about it at the next restaurant that we actually ate at, my professor told us about the emotions that came back to him when he was treated that way.  It was an awesome opportunity to hear someone's first hand experience of living under Communism then getting to experience life in America, which he talked about so passionately.

The next morning we got up bright and early to head off to hike the big mountain.

About to start the hike!

At the end of the hike.

I can't even describe the scale of how huge these mountains are.

Enjoying a beverage after completing the hike.  This trip was like beer boot-camp in a week!  Awesome memories made hiking in Eastern Europe.  Experiences that I will never forget.

Just another day

What a great day.  This morning I woke up to the voices of my grandparents downstairs with my parents.  I love being at home and miss the random visits with my grandparents when I'm away.  After saying goodbye to my sister (she left to go back to Penn State) Matt, my Mom, myself, and my two younger sisters headed to one of my favorite spots in downtown Richmond for brunch and milkshakes!

"The Dairy Bar opened in 1946 with the Curles Neck Dairy processing plant.  After the plant closed, in the 1980’s, the cafe expanded to become a full service restaurant.  It has only changed hands once and continues to be a Richmond landmark for over 60 years.

    The Dairy Bar continues to provide a small town diner feel - a personal touch that is impossible to find in any big chain restaurant.  From Garber’s ice cream (made in Winchester, VA) to Hanover Tomatoes to Cupertino’s Bagels (in Short Pump, VA) the Dairy Bar supports local business every chance it gets."

Above images and excerpt from The Dairy Bar

After brunch we went to the J.Crew Warehouse Sale in the T.J Maxx Shopping Center on West Broad.  I would suggest anyone in the Richmond area should go check it out.  I was able to get two great dresses for a real steal.  

Source : Merriment Events

I'm so excited because I found a great Ivory Silk Clutch for the wedding.  Originally $98...I paid $10.  Can't beat that!  I love and appreciate expensive items...but I also love buying these great name brands when they're on sale!  

Source : J.Crew Wedding

Finally my day ended with a 4 1/2 hour car ride back to West Virginia with Matt.  It was nice not to have any snow, ice, and fog to deal with.  We enjoyed the sunshine and each other's company.  For dinner we stopped and ate at The Tamarack.  

Here is some background information on The Tamarack.

"The Best of West Virginia is the nation’s first showcase of handcrafts, fine art and regional cuisine.  It comprises a warmly decorated retail store, working studios for resident artisans, a fine art gallery, a theater, and A Taste of West Virginia food court, managed by The Greenbrier Resort." 

Source : Localism.com

When we got home, I had a ton of junk to unpack and did it while watching my favorite Sunday night shows! Poor Matt had to head straight to bed (after taking Nyquil).  He's getting really sick so I'm trying to stay as far away as possible!  Here are my favorite Sunday night shows...you should check them out!

Source : Airings

Source : little birdie

Source : TV Rage

Source : Google

MY FAVORITE!!!

Source : Episode Info.

Excuses for trying something new!

Last night I got a chance to see some of my closest friends.  Everyone was in Richmond and even though I was only able to stop in and see everyone for a little bit, it was great to catch up!  So much fun celebrating weddings and babies!  After that I headed home and we had a successful Hackenberg/Ziolkowski Family Fun night!  We hung out and teased each other like we always do.  I'm so lucky to have such great relationships with my parents and sisters.  We had so much fun!  Here we are laying on Maddy's bed watching YouTube Videos.

Today I'm heading over to David's Bridal so that I can clock some hours.  I've been working at David's since 2007 and it was a great summer job all throughout college.  I still get calls on the occasion that they really need extra coverage, or someone to go work the bridal show.  I understand why this job has a high turnover rate...it definitely takes patience.  I joke that the only reason I'm able to still work there after 4 years is because I get breaks from it so frequently!  Tomorrow I'm headed back to West Virginia for what may be my last trip there until I move in the beginning of May!

I'm so excited because in a week I'm going to a baby shower and I can't wait to try a new recipe.  I thought I would share what it SHOULD look like!  If it turns out edible then I'll be sure to post pictures of the one that I make!

 Source : The Girl Who Ate Everything

Fruit Salsa with Baked 

Cinnamon Chips

2 kiwis, peeled and diced
2 Golden Delicious apples - peeled, cored and diced
8 ounces raspberries
1 (16 oz) carton of strawberries, diced
2 tablespoons white sugar (more or less to taste)
1 tablespoon brown sugar (more or less to taste)
3 tablespoons fruit preserves, any flavor (I used strawberry)

10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
melted butter or butter flavored cooking spray
2 cups cinnamon sugar

1. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix kiwis, apples, raspberries, strawberries, white sugar, brown sugar and fruit preserves. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes.

2.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3.Coat one side of each flour tortilla with melted butter or butter flavored cooking spray. Sprinkle tortillas with desired amount of cinnamon sugar. Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Spray again with cooking spray (not necessary if using melted butter).

4.Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Serve with chilled fruit mixture. Best when made and eaten the same day otherwise the fruit gives off so too much juice and it gets runny.

 Source : The Girl Who Ate Everything

Next week starts my Spring Break and I can't wait to go spend time with Matt in WV and do one of my favorite things...bake!

On the top of my list is to try to make these scones that I saw over on Sweet Tooth, Sweet Life!

Earthquake

Yesterday I left West Virginia and I must say that over the past almost two years of having a long distance relationship, it ranked in the top 3 hardest days to leave.  Since I had been with Matt for a few days, things were starting to feel normal.  I was even able to accompany him on a business trip where I took some quality time out for myself to regroup from a stressful few weeks.  It looked a little something like this!

 
Going to church, seeing people we know, having job interviews, and meeting new people really made moving to West Virginia and starting our lives together seem real.  It was a tough trip back to VA, but once I got there it was so nice to be home!  I even ended the night with no less than a Great Dane trying to get in my bed.  I literally walked in to my room, got all ready for bed (while Riley watched me), crawled in bed and she came up with this puppy dog face!  How could I resist?

I started this blog to chronicle my life before the wedding.  Today I feel the need to address the Earthquake and the conditions in Japan.  First of all, I'm very thankful for family and friends that stay well connected with the news because in turn, it makes it easy for me to know what is going on.  This morning, for example, I had no more than got out of bed before my sister (the 12 year old that gets up early every morning to watch the news before school) walked up to me and told me "THERE WAS A HUGE EARTHQUAKE IN JAPAN".

Source : Fox News

I've been sitting here for awhile watching the news with her and the images are unbelievable.  My first concerns are the nuclear power plants.  Lets hope they stay secured and the people that are being affected (i.e now by the tsunamis) are able to stay safe.

Source : Fox News

Lent

I was baptized and raised in the catholic religion. As I get older I have come to realize that what I hold as more important than classifying myself as a Catholic, is the fact that I am a Christian. Catholicism while it has its bad points (doesn't every organized religion?) also has it's traditions that I will always hold dear to my heart.

 This is the tattoo that I have on my wrist.

…when a Christian met a stranger in the road, the Christian sometimes drew one arc of the simple fish outline in the dirt. If the stranger drew the other arc, both believers knew they were in good company. The symbol is still used today to show that the bearer is a practicing Christian.

—Christianity Today, Elesha Coffman

Lent is the period of time that we have in preparation for Easter. Unfortunately most people only know it as a time period where you give something up. If you do a little bit of digging, giving something up is the most basic thing about lent and usually it is how we teach children about Jesus resisting temptation during his time in the desert.  In Layman's terms (wikipedia) here is the story of The Temptation of Christ.

A few years ago I decided that along with giving something up, I was also going to make an effort to add something to my life which would force me to reflect on my day. So started my habit of saying my prayers each night. It may seem trivial but I literally am not able to fall asleep without saying my prayers and it gives me time at the end of every day to reflect on what I'm thankful for and pray for people that I know are in a time of need.

This year for lent I'm making a conscious effort to do the readings before I go to church. This is much like before the first Penn State game or Steelers game of the season, I like to look up information about their starters. It makes me feel more prepared for and knowledgeable about the game and what is unfolding. There is also a book that I've been meaning to read but keep putting it off, it's called Crazy Love.  Hopefully adding these things to my weekly routine will give me a little more time to reflect, be quiet, and really focus on what is important in my life right now.

Source : Good Reads

Wedding Wednesday #2

After my 4 interviews yesterday (which went great)!  I was ready to unwind a bit.  Matt has to work in Morgantown today so we drove here last night, checked in to a hotel and went out to Cheddars.  I was in need of this, and it was a delicious Mango Sangria!  Today while Matt works I have some time to catch up on my recently neglected class work.

Also, some of the wedding things that are on my mind this week include having Matt put this little gem together for outside of the church.

 

source : Etsy

Here is my contribution to the sign.  

Matt has to be the handy-man to cut the arrow and assemble everything.

In an attempt to avoid the tulle bows on the end of each pew (nothing wrong with that, just not my style) I've been on the hunt for a cute alternative.  Thanks to a crafty bridesmaid (thanks Mal) I think we're going to tackle making these chic pomanders for each pew.  Mal made one already and it is so cute!  I'm excited to have a crafting party with a bunch of people to crank out a ton of these cute decorations!  

Source : Pizzazzerie

I'm also starting to think about my accessories.  A few weeks ago I bought my veil and ceremony shoes.  I knew I'd be kicking off my heels by the time we got to the reception so I got some fun kicks!  

(This is not a joke, I'm really wearing these, and I cannot wait!!!)

Every week I get more and more excited.  Just looking at my engagement ring with my wedding band makes me anxious, nervous, and so ready to walk down the aisle!!!!

We've all heard someone say "this is the first day of the rest of your life".  I heard it at my highschool graduation, but didn't fully believe it.  Today, for some reason, that saying keeps running through my head.  

Last night I got all dressed up and Matt took me to Marshall University so that I could meet school systems and sign up for interviews.  After our thirty minute drive turned into an hour and a half drive (thank you 64W for being shut down), we finally made it there.  It was so great to have Matt with me because it really put me at ease and made me much less stressed out about the whole situation.  After the career expo we headed out to dinner together and came home to watch our favorite Monday night shows.  (Sorry Matt for outing you again.)

Source : Fanpress

Had to put in a picture of Emily.  She's been my favorite since Day 1 and Matt's favorite since he realized Michelle was crazy!

Then it was time to DVR my second favorite Monday night show so I could watch it this morning after Matt left for work.

Source : Dish

I could watch hours of Bethenny because I think she is hilarious and I somewhat envy her awesome NYC lifestyle!

So that brings me to today.  "Today is the first day of the rest of your life".  I've spent the past 18 years getting an education, and everyone says...you go to school...so you can get a JOB.  Well here I go on my first big girl job interviews and it's kind of a scary thought.  In an attempt to not stress out about it, that is all I'm going to write!

Happy Tuesday!