Miranda Moves....to Prague!

Hello friends! I'm finally back and have a fun post to share today. I hope you enjoy it. If you're a regular reader, then you know that I have been preparing mentally for my daughter's move abroad. Well, July 31st she left and I want to share with you a few special things/moments.

This is my beautiful Miranda and this is her story. This girl young woman makes me so incredibly proud. She has always been a light in my life and she inspires me each and every day. I don't know where she gets her bravery, but this girl has more than her fair share, especially considering she is a quiet person by nature and doesn't like to be in the spotlight. She has always been independent though (I fostered that in both my children) and has never let fear of the unknown keep her from living. She has been out on her own for the past 5 years and has been quite successful in her young life already. She had a great job and was happy with her life, but she knew she was meant for something more. When her friend told her she was planning to move to Spain to teach English as a foreign language, something sparked in Miranda. She knew this was what she was supposed to do. She told me about her plans at Christmas last year and she immediately started putting her plans into action. She didn't know if she would be able to financially do everything that had to be done and paid in 7 months time, but by golly, she did it! She was provided with more overtime than she wanted at work, but it helped her realize this dream. Here she is on the day we took her to the airport. This was before the emotional good-bye scene.

She has always been passionate about travel, so what better theme for her going away party. I used things I already had along with some of her vintage travel items that I am keeping for her while she is abroad.

I took the easy stress free way and bought the party food from Sam's Club. It was all delicious though!

I ran out of room so I used Miranda's vintage piano bench and my Raskog cart to hold the overflow.

The banner above the buffet says Oh the Places You'll Go. I made it for her FSU graduation party 3 years ago and had saved it. It came in handy once again. I just cut it apart to reuse it. 

Yumminess! That strawberry dip is absolutely delectable and so easy. You just mix together a container of marshmallow Fluff and a block of cream cheese. Oh my! Run to the store now and get the stuff to make some. I used this brand because it was the right amount. You could use two of the Kraft brand if you can't find this one.

I love all her vintage travel items and am still using them as decor in my dining room for now. 

She made this wanderlust banner using pages from a vintage travel note pad I purchased.

And I made this one. We just wrote the letters. I was going to do them all bold like the first one, but my marker was about dry...lol! There's more of her decor on the china cabinet. I used my milk glass vases turned upside down as pedestals for the globes.

It was a fun day filled with her closest family and friends. I wanted to show you the quilt I made for her to take with her. This is on the back. I hand embroidered it. All the family signed their names in pencil and I stitched over them. Click on the picture to enlarge it if needed. 

This fabric was the inspiration for the quilt. Miranda moved to Prague and as you can see, this Metro Cities fabric that was given to me has Prague printed on it. I added the two little patches I got at Michael's.

Here are the other fabrics.

These  next two are by Tim Holtz. I love his style!

Here it is all together. She loved it!

Here it is on the bed in her flat in Prague. If you are not familiar with Prague, it is in the Czech Republic in Europe. This is her temporary home while she is in school for a month. She will find her own place when the course if over and she finds a job. She attends TEFL with 25 other students. She is loving it! She just completed her first week and has been teaching volunteer students from day 2! 

She was blessed with a long layover in London and is fortunate to have a friend, Jessica in the US Air Force based nearby. She and her husband picked Miranda up and took her on a whirlwind tour of London. She had a blast! Here's a picture of Miranda, Jessica, and Big Ben!

And here a just a few photos she has shared from Prague. She can't believe how inexpensive things are there compared to the US. This delicious meal called goulash with dumplings, along with her beverage (a beer, Prague is famous for their beer and while she isn't a fan, she wanted to try it) was just over $4 American! In Koruna or Crowns, it was around 100. Their currency is like 25 to our 1! You can't get a value meal at McDonald's for $4, let along a meal as delicious looking as this, not to mention a beer!

This beautiful astronomical clock is something I plan to see when I visit. It is amazing! I read about it  here and it has been in use for over 600 years!

The Vltava River is just beautiful!

I want to ride in the paddle boat shaped like a swan. Do you see it?

Beauty everywhere she turns and she is in love. So am I but for now I only get to see it through her eyes. Next best thing to seeing it in person though, especially since I know how happy she is.

She knows she did the right thing, even though it was a huge leap of faith and a difficult thing to do. Here she is in front of the Lennon Wall.  

Today she is out and about on a walking tour of the city. I am typing this at just after noon which means it is just after 6 o'clock PM over there. Hopefully I will be hearing from her soon and seeing some more pictures! Miranda blogs over at Miranda Writes if you want to check it out. 

She is safe and happy and I couldn't ask for more. I thank all of you for prayers and support during this time. I felt them...truly! Continued prayers that she will be able to get her Visa to live there and also get a job would be appreciated. Thanks so very much my friends!

Adventure awaits!