#2- Sevilla- A highlight of the trip!

After we spent 1 night in Madrid we made our way down south to Sevilla.

1st we stopped in Trujillo- an amazing ancient town where many of the conquistadors are from. What fascinated me were the kids that were in school in that old castle like building. I don't think I could have taught Spanish there, that's for sure!!


We made it to Sevilla and had to go to a Flamenco Show at Los Gallos. It was unbelievable.


I thought I was a Flamenco dancer after the show!

Now this was my FAVORITE (you can tell by all the pictures)!!!!!!! We were in Sevilla during the Feria which is the huge Fair they have. It's about a week long and all the women and little girls dress in their AMAZING and expensive (300 Euros- I wanted to buy one) Flamenco dresses. They were to die for. Bright colors, polka-dots, etc. The men dress in these fabulous suits and they party hard all day and night. When we checked out of our hotel the next morning a group of guys were just coming in at 7:30am. Oh to be young again! I wanted so bad to be a Sevillana, it was crazy.




I loved this! Everyone cruised to the Feria on their Mopeds in their outfits. I was beyond jealous!


Not the same!

I loved seeing the Mom's push their kids in their strollers wearing those great dresses- sorry for all of the behind shots. I think her son caught me in action! :)

This made Doug and I chuckle a bit- I know we're real mature!

I had to try one on, I mean it was polka-dots. They sure are tight!

Entrance to the Feria- they don't mess around!



Now there were 100's of these tents. We wanted to get in one so bad, but they are each private with their own security guard, band, cook, and all the fun in the world. Needless to say, we were jealous!


On one end was the hugest carnival ever with the craziest/ scariest rides that would never be allowed in the States. Doug and I just sat and watched. We were dying laughing, seeing these people risk their lives. It was unbelievable!


This was by far a highlight of our trip. Just the culture alone was so rich. If any of you get a chance to go to Spain, you have to go to Sevilla during the Feria. Words can't describe how amazing it is!

Spain Recap #1- 1st day in Madrid

Now I am going to try and recap our trip as best I can. This may be more for mine and Doug's memories, but enjoy none the less!

Our wheels!! I loved this car because it was actually big compared to the rest of the cars in Spain. I was amazed by Doug's driving ability because if I had been behind the wheel, I would have hit other cars and people! Doug never even used a map and got us everywhere.

One of the first signs I saw in Spain. I was a little excited to see "Lost" in Spanish. By the way, Suzanne, you called it. I'm still dying over the last episode!

Our hostel in the heart of Madrid. Below us was a KFC and McDonalds- go figure.

View from our room.

King's Palace


Spain has the most amazing fountains and statues all over.

#1 of Doug's many ice cream cones!

I feel like I'm pretty adventurous when it comes to food, but I was wrong. When we first got to Spain and I saw all the American restaurants I said to Doug, "We are only eating Spanish food, no KFC/ Burger King." Well that changed quickly and I hate fast food. Doug took me to this restaurant called Los Cuevos- "The Caves" (it was in a cave) and we had suckling pig and some weird "salad". The pig wasn't bad, but the rest of it- not my favorite! The next day we went to McDonalds and I ordered a Caesar Salad. In Spain, they don't have Caesar dressing, then how is it a Caesar salad???

Spain was all about Futbol, Flamenco, and . . .

The MULLET!!!!!!!



We are back from the most unforgettable trip of our lives and I want to share everything, but had to get the most important pictures off. We died seeing all the hundreds- literally- of mullets that hit the streets of Spain. We saw everything from the she-mullet to the rats tail. It was INCREDIBLE!! Now they always say Europe starts the fashion trends, so is this really what is coming?? I'm a little nervous! More to come!

We're Off to Spain, but I Still Hate Packing!

I can't believe we leave tomorrow- CRAZY!! Obviously, I still HATE packing, but I am pretty proud of myself since I got done around 9:30 PM- that's OUTSTANDING for me! I've even packed all of Jaden's things. He'll be staying with Grandma and Grandpa Brown while we are gone (12 days- thanks Marc and Karen). At times I really want to take him with us since I have never been away from him for more than a night, but I know he will be well taken care of and spending time with just Doug will be wonderful. The plane ride would be crazy with a 18 month year old- no thanks! I'm looking forward to finishing the book "Twilight" on the plane. It's such an addicting book. I have been up until 1:30AM the last 3 nights reading it- thanks Kara :) I hope to update the blog during our trip, so stay posted. Who knows what will happen. . . ADIOS!

"Can't I come?? I can fit in the suit case!" (Heather- he sat there himself, I didn't put him in it- PROMISE!)

A Backwards Visual

Do to the photo requests, I am including a picture of the "dress". Side note: Doug is out of town until Friday and Jaden couldn't take the picture, so I had to improvise. I mean, it's not like a formal gown or anything, just a comfy knit dress. Notice the white tank in the pictures.

BACKWARDS- what white tank??? The neck was awfully high!

FORWARDS- much better!

P.S. Sounds like I'm not the only one having problems getting dressed! GREAT COMMENTS!
P.P.S. Go get one!! Super comfy, great for the summer, and only $8.98 at Target- went to return something and came back with a dress- this always happens to me at Target!

Backwards

How dumb am I. . . I wore a dress today and wore it backwards all day. I didn't realize it until about 7PM after I'd been to Costco, the Mall, the post office, and the park. I'm NOT including a picture, at least I had a jean jacket on all day!

Why?

I feel so terrible and helpless for all the people involved with the Virginia Tech Massacre. Has our world really come to this? It saddens me that these tragedies are our reality. When I was teaching we would have lock-down drills and many of my students would ask me why we had to have them. I would say, "Don't you remember the shootings in Columbine?". I didn't realize that many of my middle school students were too young to remember and I would think "How lucky they are to not have that memory". Well, now they understand. My heart and prayers go out to the victim's families and friends. I also think about the shooter's family. I'm sure they need our prayers as well. In a time like this, love those people in your life a little bit more!

Bye Emsters!!

I guess when someone is a visitor that means they eventually have to leave- bummer! We had such a great time with Emily while she stayed with us, we just wish it didn't have to end!
Bouncing at the "House of Bounce" (thanks for introducing this to me Clairissa!)



Getting our "bowl" on!

Jaden had to get his chubby little fingers in the holes!


Doug's bowling injury- ouch! I told him he needs a bowling glove!

Waiting at the airport! Em, you're welcome back any time!!!

Happy Birthday Grandpa!! We went out for Marc's b-day and then came home and had some yummy cake. Jaden loved the frosting!

It's Miller Time!

Emily Miller that is!! My cousin Emily came to visit us over her spring break and we have been having a great time together. We went to Keystone yesterday and had a wonderful time, minus the crazy wind. I even got back on some skis for the first time in over 7 years, thanks to a b-day present from Doug and his parents. Emily skied like a pro and me, a little wobbly and sore! It was a fun day!

Go Emster Go!!!

Happy Christmas, I mean Easter!

Here's a quick wrap up of our Easter weekend, which included a lot of SNOW- YUCK!!!
Happy Easter??

Dying Easter Eggs


Checking out his Easter basket!

Going on an Easter egg hunt- indoors thanks to the snow!

Jaden would throw the eggs in his basket, notice the many cracks!

His favorite Easter goody- GOLF CLUB- Dad was proud. Now he just needs the green jacket!

Miss You!

I already miss my Audrey and Carter like crazy and I know Jaden does as well, but it's great to be home with Doug. We had such a great time together. Here are a few more pics from the last couple of days.
Cruising for Chicks with his Wing Man!



Mission Accomplished!

"She's Crafty"!

Now this is hilarious! Eli (Audrey and Carter's cousin) was literally TERRIFIED of Jaden. He heard me tell his Dad that Jaden had been biting my shoulder and Eli honestly thought Jaden was a vampire. Whenever Jaden came near him, Eli would run away and hide behind his Dad. It was so funny to watch!

Back to CO (it's snowing here). Doug thought he would bundle him up.