News From Our Lives (continued)

October 1998: When fall arrived, so did the Denver International Film Festival, where we saw seventeen movies in one week (once again, sore butts)! All the films were foreign; for some reason we did not pick any American films. Fall was also a time of change, particularly for Laura. As most of you know, she held a pathetic job at CLE International, having

to deal with an increasingly neurotic boss. One morning she called in sick and the crazy boss snapped and fired her. She got some unemployment pay (which we used for booze and the trip to Mexico) and is now working at a great job at the World Constitution and Parliament Association (WCPA). WCPA can be found on the web at www.wcpagren.org.

September 1998: In March Alexander lost his job but that was a GOOD thing. He decided to completely change his career. No more computers, bosses, long hours, or commuting to work. He decided to trade securities (stocks, stock and index options). So he read many

books about the stock market and trading while collecting unemployment and then started trading in September. He can do this from any computer anywhere in the world through the Internet. He is still learning, but the future looks very good.

July/August 1998: In the summertime, we did a lot of camping and hiking. We took the cat, Milou, once camping, and she

learned to walk on her leash. Maggie, the dog, had good times swimming in the lakes we hiked to.

May/June 1998: For the last two weeks in May, we went to Europe together. Our first stop was the Netherlands, where we met up with Alexander's old friends, Trintjse and Tjipke. We stayed at their home for a couple of days and went on a trip to the island of Terschelling. This trip was exciting! We got to ride on a tandem bicycle together and boy, did our butts get SO sore! (Poor non-bicycling Americans!) We spent one day and night in Amsterdam. During the day, we got to see the Anne Frank house and the Van Gogh museum, as well as many canal streets and the park. During the night, we got to explore the night life, so much that we can't possibly write about all of it here. The next morning, we got on a train headed for Osnabr ck, Germany, where we stayed with Alexander's friend, Alexander. We toured the historic town and ate big sausages and drank sudsy beer. Laura got to see her first German shouting match at the local pub and brewery. From there, we took an overnight train to our final destination, the Czech Republic. Our first weekend there, we attended Alexander's high school reunion, where we participated in a pig roasting and where everyone constantly drank beer. (Laura just wanted some water!) After the reunion, we went to Prague, where we stayed with Alexander's aunt Vera and cousin Zina. We walked around historic Prague, past

the National Theatre, over the Charles Bridge, up to the Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral. We saw a couple of shows, Magic Lantern Theater (very good!) and Black Theater (very bad!) We ate svickova (a traditional Czech dish, Laura's favorite) and drank Pilsner and the real original Budweiser at local pubs. We took a couple of day trips. One was to Konopiste, the hunting castle of the Archduke Ferdinand d'Este. (You may remember him from history-his death by a member of the Black Hand Organization was the start of the First World War.) We had our very own private English tour and learned some interesting details of his and his family's life. Another trip we took was to Karlovy Vary, or Carlsbad as it is known in English, an old spa town. There are natural mineral springs from which people drink. Different springs correspond to different organs or illnesses of the body and to drink the water is to bring healing. We sipped on different ones at different temperatures, some with a stronger taste than others. Then we got mineral baths and massages. Aahh! Unfortunately, Laura's time in Europe was not as extended as Alexander's and she went home after two weeks while Alexander stayed for a third. He met up with some other old Czech friends and took care of family business. After years of dirty business by his sister, he was forced to turn her over to the prosecutor and the police for completely falsifying inheritance documents.

May 98: The Kentucky Derby winner was Real Quiet, but our 2nd Annual Kentucky Derby Party in our house was not. Traditional Derby Burgoo was almost all eaten and Mint Julep drinks were served.

We all watched as the winning horse, Real Quiet, snuck past the leading horses to win the "Run for the Roses". It was indeed a great time for all.

April 98: For the first weekend in April, Laura took Alexander for a surprise getaway. "You are going to be taken away and spoiled" was written in his calendar. We drove to the Tudor Rose Bed & Breakfast in Salida. It was windy before we checked in, so we flew our kite at least 600 ft (200m) high. We stayed in the Henry Tudor Suite with a king-size feather bed and private jacuzzi. We played with Silly String, then worked on a collage, then hopped into our jacuzzi. Then went for dinner at the Laughing Ladies Cafe, where we had excellent home-made food. Then we went back to our Bed & Breakfast and Laura prepared more surprises: chilled champagne by the jacuzzi with strabwerries dipped in Grand Marnier fudge sauce... It was a wonderful weekend

and we highly recommend both places. We bought a cute bunny puppet (Bun-bunny) that will go with us to Europe next month. Alexander's mom passed away. May she rest in peace now. Laura went back to her former college, Antioch, in Ohio, to see her friend Ruby graduate. She had a great time there with her old friends. Then her mom, sister, & new niece came to pick her up and took her home to KY. She got to play with her niece for the first time (and learned to change diapers too!). It was a wonderful visit and on the day of her departure they went to Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky--it was so beautiful.

March 98: Laura's much awaited spring break came, so we went to see a lot of movies, did nice dinners, and saw Murder Most Fowl at the Avenue Theater, a murder mystery involving the audience that decides the outcome. We went snowmobiling, which was lot of fun,

especially when Laura tipped the snowmobile over twice (but we are OK). Alexander went cross-country skiing a couple of times--he is now happily "between jobs" for the spring before our trip to Europe.

February 98: Alexander took Laura on a surprise trip to Las Vegas for Valentine's Day weekend. We stayed at the Flamingo Hilton. On Valentine's Day we had a nice dinner at Battista's Hole in the Wall, where famous people go when visiting Las Vegas. Then we went to Treasure Island and saw Mystère, a Cirque du Soleil show. The next night

we saw Master Magician Lance Burton at the Monte Carlo hotel/casino. We highly recommend both shows. Aaaah, let's not forget all those wonderful buffets, especially at the Mirage. For Alexander's Name's Day Laura took us to Willie G's seafood restaurant and then to see the opera Carmen.

January 98: We spent the first weekend in '98 in Cripple Creek--an old mining town resurrected into a gambling town. It was fun and relaxing. Next weekend Laura participated in the Landmark

Forum and, of coure, she liked it and it was a great experience for her! Now she is back to school. Another first: Laura is taking swimming lessons and she just learned to swim!!!

December 97: Laura finished her semester, so we had more time for fun activities like movies and indoor entertainment. We mailed our annual newsletter (in English and Cesky) to family and friends. We had a very nice Saturday dinner at Teresa's and Jeff's--you know the kind when you don't leave till noon on Sunday! Christmas Eve

dinner was at our house with Dick and Diane, Christmas day at Carol's. We spent New Year's Eve at Witt's End, a comedy club where comedian Fred Klett (Alexander's favorite) was the headliner. Mark your calendars for our WEDDING on Saturday, June 26, 1999 in Colorado!!!

November 1997: Our 4-day trip to Las Vegas was a fun, nice getaway from daily routines. We stayed at the Monte Carlo hotel/casino and enjoyed winning $$ at the single zero roulette table. Check out their cool virtual reality on the Web! We saw a show each night and our favorite

was Imagine at the Luxor. Into the Night at the Stardust was good too; EFX at the MGM Grand gets 2 thumbs down. We rode the New York-New York roller coaster that flips you over upside down first, then you go into a loop--scary!!

October 1997: Congratulations to Laura on becoming an aunt of little Chelsie Maree! Laura's mother, Anna, flew (for the first time) to Denver to visit us and we all drove to Colorado Springs to Garden of the Gods. Then we continued west through the mountains to Buena Vista and ended up eating nice dinner in our favorite place, Buffalo Bar & Grill--that was also on Alexander's birthday, the eighteenth. We received the biggest snow blizzard of the last 15 years with 2 feet (60 cm)

of snow and drifts of up to 10 feet (3 m). The entire Denver was shut down for 2 days, but unfortunately it was on weekend and we didn't miss any work. Darn! At the beginning of the month we saw Barnum & Bailey circus and on Halloween we went to see the acclaimed Canadian Cirque du Soleil. Alexander's first company project: release of www.millerstockman.com western wear online catalog and shopping.

August-September 1997: The summer in Colorado has been nice and warm. We went camping several times and even took both the dog and cat. Laura found a new part-time job with CLE Int'l and now is going to CCD to study for a nursing degree. Alexander is still enjoying his new job and the first project they are finishing. For the last weekend in September, we stayed at the Hillside B&B in Georgetown, Colorado. We rode the historic

steam-powered Georgetown Loop Railroad through the valley. We had a wonderful dinner at the Renaissance. Before leaving for Denver, we drove to Guanella Pass and saw the spectacular colors of changing aspens. It was a terrific, relaxing weekend and the best way to celebrate our 2-year, 5-months anniversary of our meeting.

July 1997: Alexander was in New Orleans on business to CA World trade show. Computer Associates took over the city with 20,000 visitors. It was an eye-opening experience to see how big our company is and how many different products we offer. I tried many different Creole foods; restaurants prepared for Computer Associates visitors special "CA-jun" food; and I also ate an alligator. Alexander went to New York to Long Island for training and to begin his new career with NetHaven, the Internet division of CA. Laura signed up for college in order to enter the

nursing program and will be going to Community College of Denver. This will be a good preparation for her long term goal to become a Naturopathic Doctor. Laura's father passed away in June and she flew home for a few days to be with her family. We celebrated Laura's 21st birthday on a trip to New Orleans she got as a surprise present. We visited the French Quarter, Bourbon street, had lots of great food, viewed the city from the 33rd floor of a turning restaurant, gambled on a boat and basically enjoyed discovering another exciting city together. We also went on a swamp tour where the tour guide caught a 3 ft (90 cm) alligator with his bare hands and brought him on board. It was a fun-filled weekend for both of us.

June 97: Alexander got a great job offer and will start at the end of the month at Computer Associates Int'l. More info about the company: Fortune 500 company, 10,000 employees, 160 offices in 40 countries, revenues $4+ billion, stock NYSE: CA, or read an independent profile. CA was rated the best place to work in the entire computer industry by Computerworld. Their NetHaven division is developing Internet sites and commerce. He's the Project Manager in Denver. On the 28th

he's going to New York for manager's training for a few days. In mid July he'll be at CA World convention in New Orleans for a week. Laura and Alexander celebrated with many Champagne bottles and a getaway to the spiritual town of Crestone, Colorado for the weekend. We enjoyed the atmosphere, organic food, and relaxing. We stayed at a B&B.

May 97: For Memorial weekend, we went away, having no particular destination. Ending up in Buena Vista, we got the last room in town and had a wonderful evening, complete with a gourmet dinner. The next day we made a hotel reservation in Canon City. It was a beautiful drive there, and we got to go to the Royal Gorge, the world's highest suspension bridge. We walked over it, we drove over it, we took a tram over it--we're suckers for tourist traps!

After learning there was no good beer to be found at the Gorge (just your regular light domestic brews), we left and had a nice drive home. Colorado is a beautiful state!!! We also saw the play Fables recently, based on fables from around the world. It was really great--lots of nice improvisation and imagination to make you learn as well as laugh! We highly recommend it.

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