I would like to wish everyone happy holidays on behalf of Fallasburg Historical Society. May peace and kindness prevail in this world. Best wishes into 2016 and beyond.
Source: Merry Christmas
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Happy holidays
Holiday gatherings
By Emma Palova
Lowell, MI- Ah, the holidays at our household. Even though I was born in former Czechoslovakia, I have a feeling we must have had Italian ancestors. I should check our family tree that’s more like a shrub.
Whether celebrated in the old country or in the USA, holidays are rough. The preparations are endless and exuberant. By the time you are prepared, you are exhausted.
It’s kind of like with security. You can never have enough preparations because something always goes wrong. And the good old saying “the more the merrier” works its magic.
For any gathering my parents arrive with my brother. They get out of the car already fighting.
Mom brings food and we make food. The food is a combo of Czech and American dishes. We eat with a fork and a knife. Mom likes to be the center of attention at any gathering. The focus must be on her.
Beware if not or don’t dare to invite other guests because she wouldn’t be able to show off. I made that mistake last summer that I invited other people than family to a birthday party.
We eat and drink. We eat more and drink more. Mom stands up from the table and gives a speech. Usually, it’s something self-centered.
“I was the most beautiful one at the party,” she said, “and she talked too much. She wouldn’t allow me to say a word.”
That was directed at a guest whom she invited to her home.
“She told me her entire life story and I couldn’t speak,” mom said.
My brother is getting increasingly drunk sneaking in an extra drink downstairs when nobody is watching. Dad doesn’t say much. He likes it that way.
Mom either hits on my brother or on me. Most often on both of us. And then comes the pinnacle in front of all:
“I should not have had either one of you.”
And we fight and we fight more. We raise our voices and mom cries.
Depending on the occasion of the gathering my husband joins in. He laughs out loud. Our son is the peacemaker. He should have been a diplomat.
If it’s Christmas, our son plays Czech carols on the saxophone, I play the piano. My daughter-in-law is also low key. She’s not a Czech.
On top of all of this we’re supposed to have a super moon as if family and alcohol were not crazy enough.
We depart in peace, only to do it all over again.
Happy holidays and a great new year 2016 from Emma Blogs, LLC, Fallasburg Today and CJ Aunt Jarmilka’s Desserts.
Copyright © 2015 Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
Stastne Vanoce
Chtela bych poprat vsem svym zakaznicim stastne vanoce a vynikajici novy rok 2016. Necht se Vam dari ve Vasem podnikani. Zaroven dekuji za krasny rok 2015. Zdravi CJ Teta Jarmilka. Merry Christmas to all.
Source: Stastne Vanoce
26 years in America
Source: 26 years in America
26 years in America
Celebrating 26th anniversary of arrival in USA
By Emma Palova
Lowell, MI- It’s been 26 years since we’ve landed at JFK on this day, Dec. 22, 1989. The long flight from former Czechoslovakia finally ended. We took the Czechoslovak Airlines flight (CSA). People were still smoking on jets back then.
I was exhausted with two children and from the previous night ride to the Prague airport.
It was a journey into the unknown, although I have lived in the USA in the 70s. My parents were waiting for us at the frozen airport. I only had a Benetton denim jacket on and I was freezing. I was still sporting long hair and jeans from Austria.
We spent the night at a friend’s house in NYC. And then a long trip to Big Rapids, Michigan ensued. Any water tower that we passed, my son Jake wanted to climb on it. Also he insisted on sitting in my lap over and over despite the fact that he had to be buckled up.
“I’ll make you a chock for you to sit on,” said my dad.
The windows of the gray station wagon have frozen up. We were like in an ice cave from the film Elsa. That increased the claustrophobia in me, as well as anxiety.
We finally arrived on Christmas Eve in Big Rapids. We picked up my brother Vas from his trailer with an enormous flood light in Roger’s Heights.
Mom had the festive supper ready ahead of time. The Czech traditional fare for Christmas Eve is mushroom or fish soup, fried fish and potato salad. And of course traditional Czech pastries. The only choice of fish back in Czech homeland was carp.
We opened presents and all I could think of was if I could go to bed. Dad turns on TV and there’s the Rumanian revolution. I just have escaped one, the Velvet Revolution. I participated in it on frigid town squares including Wenceslas Square in Prague. I shouted along with two million other people:
“Havel na hrad.”
That translates as, “Havel for president or Havel to the castle.”
I finally laid in bed thinking about all of this.
“What’s ahead of me?”
My husband received immigration visa to Montreal, Canada. I had to make decisions again what to do, “Stay or leave?”
We moved to Montreal and we lived in that great cosmopolitan city for three years. In 1993 we returned to Michigan. I took journalism classes at the Grand Rapids Community College.
In 1995, we built a house outside of Lowell in Vergennes Township and that sealed it for us.
The details of all of this are in my memoir “Greenwich Meridian” that I have to complete. It is my goal to pick it back up in January 2016 and to finish our story.
I wish happy holidays to all.
Copyright © 2015 Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
Year in review 2015
Here it is. The 2015 Year in Review.
FHS launches Fallasburg Today social media marketing campaign
By Emma Palova
Fallasburg, MI- I am very happy to report the results for 2015. I got on board with the Fallasburg Historical Society (FHS) in August 2015. But, before that I wrote a story about “50 years of historic preservation of Fallasburg” on EW Emma’s Writings.
I had known about the anniversary since 2014 when I got an invite from FHS president Ken Tamke to the signature event. The annual Christmas in Fallasburg party is a special treat and a fundraiser.
New signs in Fallasburg
My task was to market the first annual village bazaar in September. So, I did on twitter, Facebook, WordPress, Pinterest, Google + and Instagram.
The village bazaar will continue to develop into the future since it does have potential of growth, according to FHS president Ken Tamke.
In September, 20 people came to look at the…
View original post 381 more words
December newsletter
All is good again. December newsletter done.The Christmas party last week was a success. Tomorrow is the last day of the 30 Day Content Challenge. Don’t miss the final post #30,
All good news
By Emma Palova
Lowell, MI- All is good again on the Western front. The Christmas party in Fallasburg last week was a success. We enjoyed good food and company.
New people came to the party, as well as old timers. I ran into many friends like Tamela Spicer and Dave Emmette.
The December E newsletter Fallasburg Today is in your inboxes. Add fallasburg50@gmail.com to your address book. Check your junk folders.
Sign up for it on this site. Thanks to Fallasburg Historical Society for a great year 2015. Looking forward to 2016.
Check us out on http://www.fallasburg.org and join our public Facebook group Fallasburg Today. Join the conversation on twitter @fallasburg #fallasburg.
Stay tuned for FHS president Ken Tamke’s vision for the next 50 years of historic preservation.
Copyright (c) Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
30 Day Bloggging Challenge #26
The destructive habit of comparing ourselves to others
By Emma Palova
Lowell, MI- I must admit I don’t have this problem. I don’t know who I would compare myself to? And mainly I don’t know why I would want to do that in the ever-changing world of trends. Today on twitter trending could be Justin Bieber, Billy Bush or whoever.
But, I know most people do. They want to so desperately fit into whatever just flies at the moment. So, then they have to refit to a new trend. And they’re never themselves.
They’re so afraid what other people are going to say about them. It’s called insecurity or conformity.
You don’t have to compare yourself to others to feel confident and secure. It’s your own set of values that matters. You stand behind them and defend them, not other people’s values.
Establish a set of values that matters to you and stick behind them. Don’t sway away or wander off on a tangent only to imitate others.
List your values today on a piece of paper and carry it with you no matter where you go.
My set of values:
1-family
2-friends
3-writing
4-entrepreneurship
5-country
6-freedom
Your values will carry you forward in good and bad times, just like in marriage.
Copyright © 2015 Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
Prague Christmas markets
Happy holiday season to all from Emma Blogs, LLC. A Czech tradition, the three Sundays of Christmas. They are bronze, silver and gold Sundays prior to Christmas Eve. People head out and shop in outdoors Christmas markets.
Copyright (c) 2015 Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.
30 Day Blogging Challenge #25
Source: 30 Day Blogging Challenge #25
authoremmapalova 