It never gets easier...

I have never been an emotional person.  Well, wait- scratch that.  What I mean is I've always been "too cool" to show emotion.  I hate crying in front of people, I don't get too worked up by cute things, I fight back any sort of reaction to the sappiest movies - all for reasons unknown.  I am a confident, independent woman who doesn't need emotion to cripple me - so I rule it out as a feasible option for how to live life.  Sadly, this also trickles into relationships I am in.  I'm not really good in showing that I care about people.  And I am not unaware of this flaw.

Since moving to Warsaw, Karma has reared her ugly head and I've developed into some sort of weird sap that even I am surprised by.  I've meet my Eastern European soulmate in Tamara.  She moved here from Venezuela and there it is routine to greet people with warm long hugs, and I've found that they have the ability to reach your soul.  I don't know if her willingness and need for physical contact and hugs has unleashed something in me or what, but I've become an emotional mess since I got here. It probably started when I left home... again.

You'd think I'd be used to being away from family, but it truly never gets easier to leave them. Particularly my parents. (Boo will get her own post later)

I just had a wonderful opportunity to join my parents on the last leg of their three week Czech Heritage tour.  I'm not sure how many of you are up on your Ancestry.com memberships, but 'Staffa' is neither Czech nor Eastern European.  We aren't Hungarian or Polish either - we have just developed an affinity for this part of the world.  My mom and dad are experienced travelers who are always looking to experience something a bit off the beaten path, which is how they got looped into this opportunity.  Since I am now so close to Prague, my mom thought it would be a fun surprise for me to come here for the last part of their trip - when they had free time in the city.

We had kept if from my dad from hiding the red high heels she packed to bring to me, to communicating through hand written notes over face time that he couldn't see on the screen.  I took a day off of school and arrived in the afternoon to my parents and Jean and Gary coming back from a walk around the Jewish Quarter.  Dad thought he was returning to take a nap and regroup for the evening - but then I showed up.  At the airport in Poland, I stopped and bought a USA Today, as I know my dad is always interested in English newspapers and reading about what's happening while he is gone.  So the above video was the moment I surprised them.  Little did I know that my dad stepped off camera to search the hotel lobby for a USA Today.  Win for Kathy and Carla.

I had a particularly tough week in Poland last week, so this was a relief to have them here in the same room as me - despite the fact that it had only been six weeks since I moved over here.  You see, if you're reading this, you probably know my parents.  Because everyone who knows me, knows we are extremely close and they are an active force in my life - in every aspect of my life.  I wouldn't be the ________________(insert adjective here) person I am today without their influence.

My mom is the one who sent me on my first international trip when I was 16 years old.  Since then, travel has been part of the fiber of our family being, and ultimately how I ended up in Europe - again. So really, they only have themselves to blame that my brother and I live on different continents than they do.  She is one of the smartest people I know - from walking me through how to fix my plumbing via FaceTime to warning me against dating people who she had a gut feeling about long before I did - and she has always been right.  She has a solution for seemingly every problem - and they're not only for me.  She is a beautiful person with a humble generous soul, who gives freely without ever expecting anything in return, always showing her willingness to sacrifice for others first. She has lived a simple, frugal life for years that now allows the two of them to travel the world and really enjoy experiences she never thought possible.

It's amazing what a little mom time can do for someone who is in need of a little extra TLC, even at the ripe age of 39.

And then there's my dad.  Yup, I saw you just chuckle to yourself.  He's a character isn't he?  Let's just say that when I joined their group on Friday, every single person knew my dad, and about his shenanigans.  Whether it be the one about how many seconds in a year, to the magic trick with the red hanky, they knew him and they knew his humor.

Here he is doing a trick in a small Czech village last night.  He's still got it!

He is a sweet soul, with curiosities that I would never have considered.  He wonders things like "why are there two types of cobblestones used when one clearly doesn't stand up as well as the other?"  He prefers to look at buildings, trees and dogs while traveling, and has an innocence about his questions that leaves us always wondering what he'll wonder next. He loves my mom more than anyone has loved a person before and dotes on her like it's their first week of dating.  He wishes for us happiness and adventure in what we do - despite the fact that sometimes those come in contradiction of my mother always knowing what is right and best.

So while I cried as they boarded their bus to head to the airport, I know that I am richer for having had the last 48 hours with them.  They are on the tail end of what proved to be an exhausting trip, and while their spunk is as spicy as ever they are slowing a bit, and it makes me appreciate more and more every second I have with them.  

It never gets easier leaving them.  

So. The moral of this post is, first - if you don't know my parents, you should because they're the greatest people on the face of this planet and I DARE you to find someone who says otherwise. Second, tell the people in your life that you love them and spend time with people who mean something to you.  Life is too damn short to try and care about those who treat you poorly or don't contribute to your life in a positive way.  

And lastly, I love you mom and dad.  I love you more than I have ever said, and I am still crying as I type this post more than an hour and a half after you left.  Thank you for all you have done for me, and continue to do for me.  You are an amazing example of people who love unconditionally and who will sacrifice all you have for others.  

I love you. 

Minnesota, take care of them while I'm gone <3