Congratulations Zunker Family!

What a blessing she is and a beautiful family you have! We are so happy to welcome Miss Madison Lane Zunker, born 8/13/09, 7lbs 12 oz., 20 1/2 inches. We love you guys and cannot wait to meet her!

Happy 30th Birthday my Wonderful Husband!

Last week, we celebrated John's 30th Birthday. While his actual birthday was last Tuesday (the 4th), the festivities began with an all day trip to Vienna last Saturday. Chloe stayed at home with Marta (our babysitter) and her husband. John and I took the train in on Saturday morning and started our day by eating yummy sushi and visiting the Succession museum. They had a very artsy/eclectic exhibit featuring among other things a clean glass of water and a bubble making machine as art. We even went through a room that had paper streamers hanging from the wall and piles of paper all over the floor that you had to push aside and around to get through....if nothing else, it was very interesting.

We spent the rest of the day wandering around Vienna's city center, and then took a break at a food festival:

Isn't that cool? Besides tons of food, drink lounge chairs and eating spaces, they even had a little pool that you could rest your weary and hot feet. It was nice, especially because we had spent the whole day walking around!

That evening, we went out for - guess what? - Mexican Food! Tacos Lopez opened a little over a year ago in Vienna, and after a reading a few reviews online, we decided it sounded too good to pass up. I will say that it was pretty yummy - definitely better than any Mexican Food I had in NYC, but of course it doesn't come close to the real thing.

I'm holding my combo fajita dinner - well, what's left of it anyways!

On Tuesday, John's actual birthday, celebrated as a family at home. I made sun dried tomato pesto crusted chicken with creamy herb polenta and John's favorite - a red velvet cake. I made the pesto using basil from our friend's garden, which is better than anything you can get at the store, and John and I are now big polenta fans. And, the cake turned out absolutely delicious! It was better than I hoped - thanks Becky for the recipe!).

Well, before we could even get to dinner and cake, John just had to open his big surprise:


Here's John opening it up:

John has always wanted an acoustic guitar, and what better gift for a 30th Birthday? He LOVES it, and spent most of the rest of the night researching on the internet and practicing what he learned.

Happy Birthday, Honey. We love you! Jen and Chloe

Beach time in Baska, Croatia

We just spent 5 days in Baska (pronounced Bashka), Croatia at the beach with John's mom. After surviving the 8 hour drive (one way) with a 17 month old baby, we had a blast! Chloe LOVED the ocean and especially the waves! The first two days, the water was completely calm, which was a great "introduction" for Chloe. She ran straight into the water (with her floaties on of course), and loved going out with me and John. The beach was pretty pebbily/rocky, which is par for the course in Croatia. It was a little hard to get used to for the adults and hurtful on the feet but great for Chloe. She had rocks in her bucket, in her watering can, in her snack cup and in her mouth! Luckily, I don't think any were swallowed. On the third day, it was really windy and the waves were crashing on the shore. We took Chloe out into the ocean and lifted her above the big waves when they came rolling in. She thought it was so fun! She would yell "weeee" every time another wave came. The adults had a good time playing in them as well - we even got John's mom in there even though the water was pretty chilly.

John and I went running/hiking every day and enjoyed being adventurous while Marilyn hung out with Chloe. Of course, Marilyn loved all the time she got to spent with her grandbaby and being the teacher that she is practically doubled her vocabulary in two weeks! I'm not kidding, it's incredible how many words she learned. All in all it was a great trip and a great visit.

To see pics from our trip, visit our Phanfare Photo Website: www.cumminsfamily.phanfare.com

Professor Cummins

Well, I got the job and will start teaching in the fall! I, of course in my usual manner, started freaking out about "change" and whether I really wanted to do this, etc. But, a lot of payer and calming advice from my wise hubby helped tremendously. John and I also visited and interviewed an English-speaking day care for Chloe last week and really liked it. So, I officially accepted the position yesterday, and will start off teaching one class the first trimester (that's 5 hours of teaching and 5 hours of prep). I pick up my textbook and materials in the next couple of weeks so that I can start preparing, and class officially begins at the end of September - after our friends Ann, Dan and Jack visit and after our trip to Greece, which is a huge blessing that the timing all works out! Now that the decision has been made, I am super excited =).

On to Round 2

The interview was a success! It must have been the suit =). Now, it's on to Round 2 where I have to teach for 15 minutes on an accounting subject that's "near to my heart" to a few faculty members. That happens next Tuesday, and surprisingly as I didn't think any accounting subject was "dear" to my heart, I already know what I want to teach on - the concept of Goodwill as it relates to purchase accounting. If the teaching session goes well, I can teach (in English) College Level I, II or III accounting, which will be determined once I take a look at the textbooks and syllabus. Each class meets for 2.5 hours twice a week with an additional approx. 10 hours of prep/grading time per week. The cool thing is they have 3 semesters between October and July, so I can start with one class and then add a second if I want. Now all I have to do is figure out childcare for Chloe - and of course prepare my interview lesson......

Teaching Interview Tomorrow

This is a bit random, but I have an interview tomorrow to teach accounting in the fall at the City University of Seattle's Bratislava branch. They have a management program, and I think you can also get your MBA. I had been interested in teaching at one of the international high schools like one or two classes a week, but they are all staffed for the fall. A friend of mine suggested that I check out this place. I sent my resume last Thursday, and my interview is tomorrow. Now I've got to get out my old (and I mean old) suits and figure out what I'm going to wear! Please pray that it goes well =).

Magio Plaz

We have spent the last 4 of six days hanging out at the beach. Yes, we now have a beach in Bratislava! Every summer, they bring in tons of sand and set up a beach along the opposite side of the river from the main town where we live. It happens to be along the start of our running route, which makes for a very fun beginning/end to our run.

Magio Plaz, the beach, is super nice and has stuff for everyone - volleyball, handball, a cafe/bar, lounge chairs, and a climbing gym/play area for kids. Here's a aerial view: Magio Plaz

Chloe loves it! She's already learned to walk on the sand and explores everything. She plays with other children, and I will often find her taking handfuls of sand and putting them on her head, which she thinks is hilarious. And, it's also so nice for us mommies and daddies because it's hard to fall and get hurt in sand =). Whoever designed the beach must have kids because they located the play area right next to the cafe but self contained so the kids can't wander too far! It's also very shaded in the kids area, even when the sun is at full blast.

Burton has also joined us for these adventures. Although he's not allowed on the sand (thankfully, because that would probably be a disaster), he can be tied up right by it and see everything. So far, Burton has gotten quite a lot of attention and is very spoiled - people love to feed him! He's been fed kids' snacks (some fed from the hand and some even fed directly from the kid's mouth), and on Tuesday I look over and see a woman feeding him ice cream from her ice cream cone!

We officially have a toddler

As many of you know, Chloe is officially walking completely on her own and has been for a few weeks. She started walking back and forth between me and John right around her first birthday and probably around 13 months started taking off on her own. Then she finally figured out how to push herself up without have to pull up on whatever happened to be nearby. It was all over from there! She wants to walk all on her own now and pulls her hand away when we try to hold it. She's so cute bumbling about on her sort of steady feet, and John and I absolutely love it! I love that she can walk. It makes going to the park so much fun, and she can follow me around the apartment while I do chores. She knows where her toys are and will go there to play when I direct her.

Chloe has always been very verbal but now more and more we can actually understand what she is saying, and the great thing is that SHE even knows what she is saying! Probably the cutest thing she says is "Hi Dada" as she waves her arm back and forth. She also says "Tessa" (her cousin), "Mama", "Nana"(my mom), "Bubba" (John's dad), "Papa" (my dad), "Shoes", "Wawa" (for water or milk), "Cheese", "Please", and "This". Don't worry, Grammy, we are working on your name too! Her favorite word is "Shoes", and she loves running over her shoes (or mine or John's) picking them up and telling us what they are. On Tuesday, she learned to say "Marta", which is her babysitter, and also "Minu" which is her best friend here. It's pretty amazing to us how fast she is growing and learning.

Chloe has also entered that trying but often funny toddler stage of asserting her independence and thinking the world has ended when she doesn't get her way. We haven't had any all out on the floor wailing about tantrums yet, but flailing arms and screaming have become a household norm. She is also very into her books, wants to pick out the exact ones we read, and carries them around everywhere. She's also refusing to let me turn the pages when we "read" the books, preferring to turn the books over and over in her hands, which often has me reciting them from memory to keep our nap and bedtime routines consistent!

All in all, it really is a fun time in her life, and John and I are really enjoying watching her grow and change every day!

Finally a post about the farmhouse

Late but definitely not forgotten, we got to spend Easter weekend with our good friends, Ken, Noemi and Minu Linnau at their weekend place an hour outside of Vienna. They have an old farmhouse that they are redoing themselves, and we had so much fun! Where the farmhouse is situated, it's so remote that if 3 cars pass by during the day, then that's a lot of traffic. It was incredibly relaxing! The first day, we visited a castle not far from the farmhouse - in Austria families used to own castles and rule their land from there, so there is a castle every few miles, and they are gorgeous! That night, we made a big fire and John cooked burgers on the grill - yummy! John, Jen and Chloe spent the night at a family pension around the corner where they had a really nice playground for the girls. Of course, Burton loved roaming around all over the place.

The next day, John and I went for a run through farmland and forests. We really love Austria - it is beautiful beyond words. And the girls had so much fun playing and splashing around:



We then shared a wonderful paella that Ken cooked on the outdoor grill. It was delicious! Minu and Chloe loved it. We ended our trip by stopping at the spa town not far from the farmhouse where the Viennese escape for the weekend to get massages and facials and enjoy the gardens and peaceful atmosphere. The town was so cute, with a river running through it and yummy ice cream. And, Chloe made friends with the ducks while the adults made plans to visit again!

You can see all of our photos from this weekend at http://albums.phanfare.com/4830992/2009/

We're in Moscow!

I never thought I'd say it, but we're really in Moscow! Wow, it seems surreal. We arrived on Sunday afternoon after almost missing our flight because our car service didn't show up. Thanks to a speedy driver, we did make it, and immediately headed to Red Square. We only spent a little time there, planning to go back another day to visit Lenin's Tomb and see it all lit up at night. What struck us the most was St. Basil's Church which is at one end. It is beautiful with so many colors and textures and those funky onion domes! Also, along one side of the square is GUM, a building that used to house an old communist market. They have transformed it into the most beautiful and upscale mall either of us has ever seen. It is gorgeous, a rectangle four story building that is open in the middle with arched bridges to get from one side to the other and has every couture shop you can name.

John is in training all week, so Chloe and I are on our own during the days. Yesterday, we visited Gorky Park, and Chloe went on her first carousel ride. It seems like she liked it although I think her favorite thing so far was swimming in the jacuzzi at the hotel =). Moscow is HUGE! It's definitely not a walking city, and the metro is really hard to navigate due to the fact that the Russian letters are completely foreign and nothing is in English as well as the fact that it's not so stroller friendly. Hopefully, I'll get better at it. We're headed out to explore an artsy/wealthy area this afternoon after Chloe's nap, and we're going to the zoo tomorrow. Thankfully, the weather has been really nice. Stay tuned for more on our Russian adventures......

The Sun is Out!

I must say, this has been a tough winter as far as weather is concerned. In Austin, I think there must be somewhere in the range of 300 sunny days a year. From my calculations, there maybe 150 to 200 sunny days in Bratislava, all occurring between the months of April and September. I think that's one reason I've had a hard time updating the blog - in February and most of March there was literally NOTHING going on - gray gray every day. We went to the gym, we went to playgroups, we went to the grocery store...that's about it. Needless to say, when the sun finally burst through about a week and a half ago, we were in heaven! Chloe went to the park 5 days in a row last week, and I think I ran outside almost every day. Thanks to our wonderful friend Ann who sent us a HUGE package of goodies for Chloe's birthday, I am blessed with this fabulous invention called the snack cup, which allows kids to reach in to get snacks but they don't spill out, and now I never leave home without it. It's perfect for running because I stick Chloe in the stroller with her snack cup and off we go. Chloe is also getting old enough to play in the park, and there are some great ones here. She is discovering sand and loves it (our bathtub and apartment floor are also seeing a lot of it these days). I will say her favorite thing is the swing, but she also loves going down the slide once she figured out how.


I also have a lot of updating to do - my mom came to visit from the middle to end of March for Chloe's birthday, and we went snowboarding in St. Anton, Austria which turns out to be one of the most amazing skiing places we've ever been. Chloe had a fabulous first birthday party, and we just spent Easter weekend in the middle of nowhere at our friend's old farmhouse in Austria. So, stay tuned =)!

Assigned seats at the movies

Assigned seats at the movies is a foreign concept in the US, and I'd imagine people would be up in arms if the theaters there tried to put it in place. I felt the same way when I lived in Spain. Why can't I just get my ticket, walk into the theater, and choose my seat? It's against my given rights in a democratic society to have the ticket booth person choose my seat for me. Even if I can choose my seat when I purchase the ticket, how am I supposed to know if Row G or Row H is better without actually being in the theater?

That was then, in 1999 (was it that long ago?). Now, with influx and flurry of online purchasing, I think assigned seats at the movies could be one of the greatest inventions of modern times.

John and I were planning a date night last Saturday night. We had the babysitter lined up and decided to go see Vicky Christina Barcelona, a Woody Allen movie that made its way here. We don't have many choices, as few movies besides the major blockbusters get released here.

In a snap, I went online, determined the movie time we wanted to go to, and had the option of reserving the seats or purchasing them. I can pick seats looking at the plan of the actual theater where the movie is showing - it's easy to see the screen and how far the seats are from it. If I reserved the seats, then I just have to show up at least 30 minutes beforehand to purchase them. If I purchase the seats, then they are mine, and I can show up at any time.We purchased, and within 30 seconds I had a text message on my phone with the record number for claiming my tickets.

That night, John and I had a leisurely dinner prior to the movie - no need to rush to the theater! Ten minutes prior to the start, we arrived at the theater and saw huge long lines for people waiting to buy tickets. Then, I saw the glorious kiosk where I could get my tickets. No line. I simply punched in the number from my phone, and there they were!

No worrying about the movie being sold out, or having to get there super early such that your popcorn is gone even before the previews start. Overall, a much more enjoyable experience. Maybe, given the chance, it might not do so badly in the US afterall.

Our Austrian Getaway

Last weekend, we had a fabulous time snowboarding and relaxing in Semmering, Austria. It is a cute tiny village not far from Vienna, and we went with our friends, Ken and Noemi who have a daughter, Minu, the same age as Chloe and Marta who takes care of both Minu and Chloe during the week. We also brought Burton, who got his first taste of snow up to his belly. He had so much fun just jumping through it! We stayed at a quaint pension/hotel that worked out perfectly for the babies - it had a restaurant and common area that - thanks to baby monitors - we were able to hang out in while the babies were sleeping.

Here's a pic of Burton in the snow next to our hotel:


We were within walking distance of the mountain, and John got his first taste of snowboarding in I think 4 years! I would definitely call it only a taste as the mountain was pretty small - only 2 ski lifts! We spent our time on basically 3 different runs, and 3 hours (or less!) per day for me was plenty. The runs were nice, and it snowed on and off both days so there was plenty of powder cover. I think I captured all the runs in one photo:

It was perfect for a short weekend getaway as it was less than 2 hours from Bratislava, easily accessible and small enough to walk everywhere. It was a preview warm up to our planned trip to St. Anton in March with my mom. It's a very famous Austrian ski area, and we are really looking forward to it.

The girls had a great time playing together - they are really crawling everywhere and interested in everything around them - especially the curtains. They could have played with them for hours! I think Marta had great fun too - she helped us out for a couple of hours each day so John and I could ski together and also just hung out with the babies and relaxed - except on our walk when Burton was pulling her every which way because he was so excited (and she's not too much bigger than he is!).


Thanks to Ken and Noemi, John and I were also introduced to Austria's own soda, Almdudler. It's very yummy, light, made from herbs and easy to drink - a little like ginger ale, but better. I already bought some for the house! It was a pleasantly surprising contast to Kofola, the national soda of Slovakia, which is a heavy, NON-CARBONATED, licorice tasting soda (think Coke that is flat and warm).

We are so thankful to be able to go to all these amazing places - and with great friends. We are truly enjoying our adventure of a lifetime!

The History of Wine

well, of a bottle of wine to be exact. Specifically, a bottle of Muga Rioja 1994 Reserve that I purchased in Spain in 2000 before I knew a thing about wine. That was also before John and I officially started dating. Prior to my trip, we had hung out a few times, but I guess we both knew there was something more. Hence the reason I bought the bottle for him in the first place. I was with Stephanie for a two week rendeveous to reminisce about the 6 months we had spent there the year before. I bought the bottle at a vinoteca in Salamanca where she had studied.

I smuggled the wine home in my suitcase hidden around my newly purchased clothes from Mango and Zara not knowing whether I would actually give it to John, whether we would even hang out again. In college, 2 1/2 weeks of not talking is a long time. Well, obviously we did get together, and I did give him the bottle of wine, the exact time and place I can't recall.

The bottle of wine then was moved to New York, where we waited for the perfect opportunity to open it. I guess the "perfect" moment was not to be because 2 1/2 years later, it got moved back to Austin and sat on our wine rack in our apartment. Then, for four years, it christened our Dining Room in our first home, along with several bottles we picked up on our trip to Napa.

So, now we are on 8 years of waiting for the perfect moment when many perfect moments surely had passed us. Who knew if it would be any good? Nevertheless, we couldn't part with it when we decided to move to Bratislava. So, from Spain to Austin to NYC to Austin to Bratislava. Hmmm, that's a lot of moving around for one bottle of wine.

Well, the perfect moment finally came on the eve of my 31st birthday - am I really in my 30's? It wasn't the pomp and circumstance I had imagined, but it was perfect. Chloe had gone to bed, and we were having pizza at home as no babysitter was available that night. The wine was delicious, and we had a great time! It was full of the flavor of the history it carried. Our history.

and we're back

so, if you hadn't noticed, I've been a little out of touch. In my two month absence, quite A LOT happened. First, in November, John's mom came to visit, and we went to lovely, quaint Salzburg. Seriously, I think it might be one of my favorite places that we have visited. It's the quintessential ski town that vail and aspen modeled (although skiing is about an hour away) and yet it has this young hip vibe that is way cool. Plus, the shopping is fantastic!

After that, I spent the better part of the following two weeks visiting Vienna's famed Christmas markets in search of the perfect Christmas presents for family and friends. The markets are so beautiful and fun! They sell great stuff, and Chloe and I had a blast (except for the not so minor incident where I got my wallet pickpocketed - keep those purses zipped!). The whole family even went in to Vienna for Saturday night festivities. Here's a photo of Vienna's most famous one at their city hall.

John, Chloe and I also went to a Christmas market in Schlosshof, a castle/estate in the Austrian countryside. They had camels, llamas, mountain goats, a live nativity scene and yummy food! We even bought a fruit cake that tastes nothing like the fruit cakes of the US - it was delicious. We also accidentally bought some cheese that smelled up our whole house and gave new meaning to the word stinky! Here's Chloe checking out the camels:


Then, we made our trek back to Texas for the holidays. We had a wonderful time visiting family and friends, and Chloe's first Christmas was amazing. She had a fabulous time playing with her cousin Tessa who is one year old. If we didn't get to see you while we were there, it wasn't because we didn't want to! In 2 1/2 weeks we went from Austin to Houston to Dallas and back to Austin - trying to fit in doctors' appointments, fingerprinting (!), birthday celebrations, Christmas, family and friend visits, etc. And of course, I tried to do just a little shopping for essentials - what's a visit without a trip (or trips) to Nordstroms? Here's Chloe and Tessa on Christmas Eve:
aren't they so cute! And, they had a ton of presents to open followed by more presents at the Cummins' house. Chloe with her presents:


On our way back, we ended up with about 350 lbs of luggage consisting of 5 checked bags, two carryon suitcases, a stroller, a diaper bag, my purse and John's computer bag - 3 of the 5 checked bags were full of toys! Wow, we are blessed.

I will be posting tons of pics soon and as my Christmas toy was a new HD video cam, I'll also be posting video!

We miss you all and really enjoyed our time with you for those we were able to see! We also realized once we got back that we are in the right place for right now and are thankful for it. It seems that before we left we had put so much emphasis on getting back to Texas for Christmas that we forgot to enjoy the simplicity of our life over here. We also are excited for our upcoming travel plans (snowboarding in a week) and for those of you planning visits.