Czech Mates

Once or twice a year, I make Czech food.  My grandson, Grant Flindt, who served his LDS mission in Czech Republic and Slovakia, invites fellow missionaries from his days in Prague and Bratislava to share the feast.  The entree is always svikova, the Czech national dish.  I simmer marinated roast beef all day with onions, carrots, and spices, and then whirl the gravy in a blender with a bit of cream.  I buy bread dumplings at SLC's Bohemian Brewery, to give the authentic touch to my svikova.  "Your svikova is almost as good as my mission president's wife made," Grant says.  That is high praise!

Mike invited us to have the party at his beautiful new house.

Camille's children, Ezra and Sophie, enjoyed sitting at the table with the missionaries.  So far, Camille is three for three with her older children serving missions--Emilie, Jono, and Annie.

Michael and Rebekah are now living in SLC, where Rebekah works in Goldman Sach's fraud department and Michael is interviewing for jobs as a software engineer.

We can never get enough of our family babies.  Spencer and Naomi brought Baby Eliza.

Kirsten Flindt and Emilie Ebert were born within months of each other, to my two daughters, Lisa and Camille.  I love seeing them enjoy each other's company.

For dessert, we had raspberry kolaches, served with ice cream.  The ice cream was not authentic, "but good," Grant's missionary friends assured me.

After dinner, Grant and his missionary friend, Jared, gave presentations about Czech Republic and Slovakia in Mike's theater.  Jared is in BYU's top-rated advertising program, and his presentation was particularly stylish and witty, with many plays on the word, "Czech," such as "Czech mates."  Grant is a pre-med major, and his presentation didn't have quite the polish of Jared's, but made up for it in great stories and pictures of the missionaries.  My grandchildren all describe their missions as the hardest two years they've spent, but also two of the most rewarding, and an experience they treasure.