so many verbs

Last night Greg and I went to Aviles (20 km west of Gijon) with Brian and Jodie to meet up with a coworker.  All we really know about Aviles is that the airport is there, even though it's called the Oviedo airport.  Anyway, we took the bus (2 euros a piece, round trip!) and met up with Eloy and Elena.  Aviles is the 2nd oldest city in Asturias, and it's really beautiful!  We loved walking through the cobblestone streets, and seeing the buildings from the 10th century.  They still have a lot of original construction (on the buildings etc) but due to some crumbling issues they are slowing replaces pillars.  

Eloy was an awesome host, we were on a wine tour (he's a big connoisseur) and I had to admit to him that I don't really drink nor do I enjoy a glass of wine, but he convinced me otherwise so Greg and I would split a glass at each of the restaurant/bars we stopped in.  And it turns out, when someone knows what they're talking about-it can change.  We tried some cool wines, from all over Spain of course-no foreigners allowed.  Along the way, Eloy didn't leave out any pieces of history.  He also reminded us that although the Mayflower landed and we now celebrate Thanksgiving, yada yada, Saint Augustine (in Florida) was established about 50 years before, by Pedro Menendez who is actually from Aviles.  Which is cool because it's not a big city or anything, just a guy from a town in Northern Spain.  

We also enjoyed some great tapas... a long time ago some king decided that too many people get drunk off of wine, so he decided that with every glass of wine the customer should also receive a bit of food.  The tradition still goes on, we didn't even eat dinner yesterday, we just ate tapas.  And we've decided that Aviles has better tapas than Gijon.  At one stop we got into this conversation about verbs and nouns.  For anyone who has studied spanish you already know, but there are verbs for EVERYTHING!  Anything you want to say.. there's a verb.  It's incredible.  But they're lacking on the noun side.  There are lots of adjectives, so you can describe a noun to make it a different one.  But often I've run into trying to get some idea across when I discover there is no noun for what I want to describe.  But if you want a verb.. you got it!  

we <3 the beach

Greg and I are so lucky to live near the beach, and it's become routine for us to take long walks with our crazy pups.  Picture perfect right.. holding hands, strolling the beach.  Until your dog finds horse poop and attempts to bathe in it, or perhaps a larger more gross dog drools all over your precious little girl.  It's lovely.  But at the end of the day, it's probably the funniest hour of our day.  They literally just run.. from the moment we get to the top of the stairs that lead to the beach until we drag them away.  And Lola has yet to learn the concept of shaking, so by the time we get home she's covered in sand.  

Goyo is on the left, and Lola on the right.  

Goyo LOVES to dig holes!

They love to play fetch, but fight over the ball too much to bring it back

As I've said before, we go to a super tiny church.  This year all the missionaries were having their big meeting in Gijon.  So we didn't have church today, but our pastor asked us to watch the kids during their meeting today and tomorrow (it's a holiday here).  I was under the impression that we would be babysitting, until earlier this week when I found it all of the kids were teenagers.  Totally different.  But it went really well.. it's amazing what crosses cultures.  We found ourselves singing Miley Cyrus at the top of our lungs and playing Uno.  I love it!  Needless to say.. teenage girls are awesome, and very loud.  Greg was amazed at the amount of noise just a few girls can make.  And boys-they're all the same too.  The boys were younger (7 & 11) and they were happy to make paper airplanes and terrorize everything the girls did.

And... for anyone who's counting.  Greg and I have been married 6 months today!  The majority of which we've spent in Spain.  We miss you all at home! 

sorry i've been a bum!

I think because I never upload my pictures from my camera, I forget to share my life!  So a super quick recap and maybe I'll get back up on the horse and get back into a routine.

I went home to the States for 10 days, and it was great.  I really think I was able to recharge my batteries.  It's amazing how quickly life changes.  Greg and I still don't have a nitch here in Spain, having dogs has been a HUGE help in meeting people, but it's definitely not the same.  And life has gone on at home, so there isn't really a nitch there either.  It's an interesting spot to be in... and I'm not exactly sure I like it.  But a season is a season.  

Some of my awesome friends accompanied me to New York City to get my visa.  It was a really fun time, we took the train (which has always been easiest for Greg and I.. but this time was just a hassle) and used the subway to get around, the city isn't ready for Christmas yet, but it was very cold that day and definitely felt like winter.  I've never been into F.A.O.Schwartz, and let me tell you... COOLEST STORE EVER!  They have tons of Harry Potter stuff, and since I'm a huge fan, I was going crazy-I must have called Greg at least 10 times to tell him about all the wands and scarves.  Jessie and I were in heaven.  

But I was REALLY excited to come back home.  Unlike our first trip out here, we actually have a home, which made it much more exciting.  I was ready to sleep in my own bed and hang out with my puppies.  And my really wonderful husband mopped and vacuumed the whole house so I wouldn't have to do any cleaning when I got home.  Amazing.  

I came home just in time for Thanksgiving, to a country who has NO idea what that is.  I would try to explain to our Spanish friends what Thanksgiving really means, and I've decided that unless one attends Thanksgiving dinner, they'll never understand the beauty of an American all out feast.  We weren't able to have Thanksgiving on Thursday (everyone had to work) and Greg was quite jealous of everyone back home who had the long weekend.  But we celebrated with a group of Americans (and one Dutch family) on Saturday, and it was great!  We had two turkeys, stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, green beans, mac and cheese, cranberry sauce, the works!  I was amazed!  

We also got our dog neutered last week.  Talk about a difficult task, trying to keep a dog "calm" for a week, when we have his best friend trying to attack him at every moment in the day.  But after a week of only walks on leashes we finally got the stitches out and I took them to the beach for the first time in 2 weeks, and I've never seen dogs so excited!  I seriously thought they might jump out of their skin they couldn't stop shaking.. and they ran for an hour, they didn't stop!  It was great when they passed out on the couch later that evening!  

good 'ole U.S.A

Asturias hasn't stopped raining for over a week, so I left.

Just kidding, but it really is raining like crazy.. my poor dogs haven't been to the park in a long time, but we've relocated to the beach where they return home as the sand monsters, it's lovely.

But about leaving... I did hop on a plane this past Thursday and travel back to the United States to pick up my visa in New York City.. and it's so cool how God plans things. I've been attending the women's retreat with my church for the last 4 years, and as fall was rolling around realized I was going to miss this year. After Greg and I talked about it-we decided I would fly home just in time for the retreat and hopefully my visa would be ready, but we'd take the chance, even if I meant I'd have to stay in the US without him a few extra days to wait for it. But the moment we took the step of faith and bought my ticket, we heard from the consulate that my visa was ready.... I love how sometimes God just waits for us to trust Him.
After a 9 hour flight (no one sat next to me, yay!) I got home, and spent the night catching up with my family. Went to bed early, and woke up at 12:15am ready to make my husband breakfast when I realized I was in Delaware and it wasn't 6:15am. Gotta love jet lag.
Friday I indulged in my FAVORITE sandwich, low fat chicken salad on a whole wheat everything bagel from Newark Deli, with one of my best friends and went to the beach for the retreat, and it was fabulous. I don't think women often realize the importance of female relationships and we live in a world that tells us we can't be "women"... oh they're so wrong! I've missed so much all of the stupid joke telling and talk about shopping, etc. It was like breathing after holding your breath underwater for just a second too long. There is beauty in the way women can heal each other. Shopping can heal too =) Tax free Delaware + Outlets = super fun.

But I do miss my husband terribly, and he's so wonderful that there were flowers at my parents doorstep when I arrived on Thursday. I'm so blessed.

sorry for the delay =)

I can't believe I haven't posted in so long!  So much has been going on, I had a temporary technical problem with my computer, one of my lovely puppies chewed through my power cord and I was without power until we bought a new one.  The joys of being puppy parents...

This past weekend we had sleepover visitors for the first time!  One of my good friends from college is teaching at the American School in Madrid this year, and her boyfriend Josh is working for the Spanish public school system teaching English.  All of their friends in Madrid told them they had to visit Asturias (the province we live in), so they came up for the weekend before it got to cold.

It was awesome!  They took the bus up from Madrid (which takes about 5 1/2 hours if anyone is interested, and costs about 25 Euros) and got into Gijon at 10:45 pm on Friday night.  We stayed up talking until 1:30 am or so, and then went to sleep for a LONG time =)  Saturday we went for a long walk along the coast.  San Lorenzo was an early explorer of the area and they've since made a beautiful trail/path on his original route.  So we took the puppies (of course!) and had an awesome time walking in the beautiful fall weather.  Needless to say, I think they'll be coming back to play in the ocean once it's warm.  Saturday night after dinner, we took them to see our famous drink-sidra.  Sidra is a drink made in Asturias from apples, it's kind of an apple cider type thing, that has to be aerated before you can enjoy it, so the bar tenders/waiters, pour it from above their heads into a glass that they hold down low with their other hand.  After watching professionals pour, we bought a few bottles ourselves and let Becky and Josh give it a shot, I'd never poured sidra before either, so Greg made me do it... I did pretty good, I probably only spilled 100 mL on the ground =)  It's really difficult.. if you come visit we'll make you try!  We've been told young boys practice with water.. when they're about 10-16... so they can pour the sidra for girls at the bar when they're old enough.  

On Sunday Greg and I got up as usual and got ready for church, and rushed out the door to get there on time.. we made it-at about 10:59 and realize no one else is there (church starts at 11).  Weird, right?  So I go into a little bread store and ask for the time... it's only 10!  Apparently Day Light Savings started here this past weekend and we didn't know!  I always laugh at people when that happens in the States... what comes around goes around.  

So for those of you in Delaware, for the next few days we're only 5 hours in the future.  

And lastly... we're turning into "those" dog parents, it's been really rainy and cold here, so Lola HATES going outside, I literally have to drag her to go out, Goyo loves it, so I look pretty funny with one dog running ahead and one being dragged behind.  So we bought her a sweater today, and she looks adorable!!! Pictures to come.. I promise.  Tonight we took them down to the beach and let them run around.  I love that dogs are allowed all over here, they get so much exercise-it's great!  But they were COVERED in sand!  It was worth it though, they look so happy when they're just chasing each other all over!

visits from the U.S of A!

Just 10 minutes ago, we were sitting in our living room with our friend Trevor, from home!  It's so much fun to see a familiar face... he's here for some work with DuPont, and we had the privilege to eat dinner with him, and spend some time just catching up and talking.

I don't think I had any idea how much I actually missed home, but having someone from our church family really reminded me of the community back in DE.  

Everyone always asks us about the differences here between churches, and in one word I would say "community".  Evangelical churches in Spain are almost 'underground'.  There are no big buildings to call church, here when we refer to our church, I feel more as though we are referring to the group of people we meet with every Sunday... I think it's just starting to click that this is actually the purpose of church.  It's not about the sanctuary or the Sunday school classrooms.  Not to say that that doesn't help.. it's nice to have a place to refer too, but I think too often I associated church with the building on 273 in Newark and not with wonderful people I worshipped with every Sunday.  I'm thankful for this opportunity to learn such a thing!

But I was also lucky enough to have the same kind of "family" back home.  I wonder how many people go to church week after week and never take the initiative to get involved.  We live in an egocentric society and always want things to be done for us... and although I wholeheartedly agree that we should be inviting to visitors and others, I also think we need to take it upon ourselves to get involved and to meet people.  A wise man once told me that we are responsible for our own isolation.  It's so easy to feel like "you're left out"... go find somewhere that you fit, it might not happen on the first try, but do it until it works!  Go to every Sunday School class, every bible study, get out there.  It can change your life to have a group of people who care about you as much as they do themselves.  

And on that note, spending the evening with Trevor was awesome!  I'm so glad we got to catch up and talk about life, etc.  And he brought me a present from home!  (Thank you Klumbachs!) 

Everything else is going well.. we're still moving into our place, it's hard to get everything done when you've got puppies and errands and cleaning!  But we're almost done, I promise to put pictures up soon! 

lots of exercise

Greg got his official residency card yesterday!  He's a legal Spanish resident.. so exciting!

Today we went hiking with Greg's boss and his boss's boss, and of course Brian and Jodie Which is not something you usually get to do in the states, but since we're our own little ex-pat community, it's really cool to hang out with everyone.  We drove about 45 minutes south of Gijon and went on an "easy" hike.  I don't know who decides what level the hikes are.. but I don't think I would have called this one easy.  The path was paved for the 2 hour part that we walked, but beyond that it was just a trail.  But it was pretty steep.  Since we can't leave our puppies for too long, we brought them with us, and we had SO much fun!  They've never stayed awake as long as they did today... and they've slept since we got home.  The windy roads didn't agree with Goyo, and when we stopped for gas he threw up his breakfast-but other than that it was a smooth ride.  We rigged up Greg's backpack so we could carry them when they got tired, which turned out to work really well.  Lola had to take a few breaks, but Goyo did really well!  And he stayed behind the first person in the pack.. so he's learning his place, we were proud of our training.  

They also experienced running water for the first time as they explored a bit of a river with Greg.  We're having so much fun with them, and we hope they'll grow up to love hiking with us.  It's starting to look like fall here, and reminds me of home, when my family would drive up to Bloomsburg, PA and all along the highways the trees would be orange and red.  There aren't any red trees, but there are lots of yellows and oranges.  It's breathtaking.  I can't wait until they start to get all snow capped!

Other cool things that happened this week.... 

-my best friend and her husband opened for Charlie Hall in Newark, DE.  I think that's pretty awesome... i miss her.  (jennyandtylermusic.com)

-I had my first Spanish class... it's a Spanish class for foreigners that is offered by the city.  There were a few people from all sorts of countries- Germany, England, U.S.A, Tunesia, Brazil, Italy, Australia.

-Thanks to my puppies, I've made a few friends.. We go to the park every day at 2 to run around with some other schnauzers.  It's amazing how with the two dogs-all of a sudden I have a plethora of people to talk to, I love it! 

So, here are a few pictures from our aventuras en las montanas:

 

so much responsibility =)

We're loving our two puppies, Lola and Goyo, and I promised some pictures.. so here they are!  Lola is half the size of Goyo, but she's rather fiesty!  We've been working on potty training and learning names, and so far-it's going really well!  We also have discovered that if you take your dog out to play then at home all they do is sleep, I'm loving it.  We had our first vet visit, and I must admit, I was rather proud of my Spanish today, Greg told me we couldn't get a dog until I found a vet and did all the right research, etc.  So of course, I did =)  So he had off today, we finally got internet/phone/tv and we went together.  

In the E.U you have to have your dog microchipped, and they get this super cute passport that makes it really easy to bring to other countries.  They also had some ear mites, so the vet had to give them drops and stuff... but she speaks NO English, so it was quite fun.  

  

Other exciting news, we've finally moved into our apartment, the movers came early on Friday morning and stayed until 5 and we've been unpacking boxes ever since!  Once everything is in order we'll be sure to put up a bunch of pictures.  

an addition to the fam..

Did you have any good guesses?

Well.. we decided we were going to make an addition to our family.. and we did!  After we found out we were getting our furniture on Friday, we were planning to get a puppy on Saturday.  Well.. there were only 2 left in the litter of Black miniature schnauzers.. so we have 2 puppies!!!!  I promise I'll put pictures up tonight or tomorrow, but they're the cutest things in the world, and their names are Goyo (a boy) and Lola (the cutest little girl)!  

we have a surprise!

Greg and I have a surprise for everybody-but you won't find out until Saturday.. in the mean time here are some clues: 

We also did some exciting things today, 1) we decided what car we're buying-so we'll be getting that on Friday I think.  2) I finally got a cell phone!!!! 3) we ate dinner at Brian and Jodie's... they got their shipment yesterday 4) we found out we're getting our shipment on Friday!  yay for furniture!

We hope everyone's having a wonderful week at home, and miss you all quite terribly!

goodbye gilberts

It's been a lazy weekend, due to the changes in weather my poor husband started getting sick, so we took the weekend to recuperate.  We watched Meet the Parents and Meet the Fockers, I made my own popcorn (using oil, kernels, and a pan... can we say going back to basics?!?), and we've each almost finished the Harry Potter books we're reading.  

Unfortunately it's been a sad weekend too, a couple from Richmond is going back to the States on Tuesday.  They've been in Gijon a year, and we're really sad to see them go!  They've taken us to some of the BEST restaurants!  We had a big dinner for them on Friday night with all of the ex-pats and a bunch of Spanish DuPonters.  And today Brian, Jodie, Greg, and I went to lunch with them in a small fishing village called Tazones, about 40 minutes from us.  We had a WONDERFUL lunch!  And a gorgeous view over the coast and the hills (where there were lots of cows resting and grazing).  And then went down into the town, there is a house there that is covered in sea shells (pictured below).  And it smelled very strongly of fish... they have a fish factory right at the edge of town, and the waiters/cooks will head down there to collect more fish if their restaurants start to run out-so you're guaranteed some really fresh food.  They also fish the old fashioned way, in tiny boats with nets and traps (for lobsters, etc).  It was just another glimpse at the beautiful coast of northern Spain, we can't wait to discover all of these little towns!  And we're going to miss Bill and Jean very much!

On a different note, church today was awesome.  Lately the Americans have been outnumbering the others (we have attendees from The Netherlands, Germany, Korea, England, Puerto Rico, Brazil, and Spain) so someone has translated from Spanish to English for those who don't understand, but today Greg and I were the only representatives from the U.S.A, and we opted out of any translating.  Which we discovered-really allowed our Pastor to get into it.  It was amazing, I left church feeling more rejuvenated than I have felt since we moved here!  We were studying 1 John 4:7-21.  And as a group looked at 3 different kinds of love John is talking about: God's love for us, our love for God, and our love for others.  1 John 4:19 says, "We love because he first loved us."  God didn't wait until we were totally messed up and decided to love him to love us.. He always takes the initiative, God loved us before we even had a clue, and not just any kind of love, but a sacrificial/demonstrative/never ending kind of love.  And because of that we are able to love him back, to respond to his call with love.  And I think it's a beautiful picture of how we ought to love others around us.  We don't get to wait until they love us, I need to love others before they love me, in sacrificial ways/material ways/whatever it takes sometimes.  And I know I've failed miserably at this, but there's a way-and God gives that to us through his love, and because of His love... there's gotta be a way, it can't be impossible, ya know?

they love nacho libre

Greg and I ate at a Mexican Restaurant tonight and upon entering noticed that it was covered (and I mean covered) with mexican wrestling masks and posters displaying wrestling matches, etc.  And, as probably only Greg knows-Nacho Libre is one of my favorite movies, which is all about this guy (Jack Black) who works as a cook at an orphanage and wants to be a famous wrestler, I would strongly suggest watching it =)

Some other awesome news, I joined a gym!  They offer a bunch of classes, so I'm going to start doing Spin class this week... hopefully I can burn off some of the ridiculous amount of calories I've consumed in the last 5 weeks.  Today I went hiking with some of the other ex-pat wives.  Tineke is from Holland, and has a knack for navigating, so she started "Walking Wednesdays" Each Wednesday she plans a hike on a trail in Asturias, unfortunately the majority of the trails are overgrown/straight uphill/crazy muddy so it's quite an adventure.  We had a great time today, and I broke in my new hiking boots and split my pants (needless to say I'll be going on a shopping spree on my next trip home!)  

another hiking adventure

Sunday after church, Greg and I called Brian and Jodie to check out their plans for lunch.  They had decided to take the afternoon to drive out to "Cabo de Peñas" which is the most northern tip of Asturias.  We were told that there is a restaurant out there, so we brought snacks just in case, and drove west in search of this cape.  Brian was an awesome navigator and we were there in no time.  

We ate lunch in the only restaurant offered, and they're lucky the view was AWESOME because they were the most unhappy looking staff I have ever seen.  I don't think any of them could actually talk, there was a lot of grunting, and absolutely no smiling-i think it must be forbidden.  The food was ok, I had the best salad I've ever had here before my fish, so that was a plus.  Greg's boss had visited this site a week before and his wife told us there was a cross out on the rock that you could hike out to, but she warned us that the hike probably wouldn't be so easy.  Of course we had to take the challenge, we found what looked like a trail and started climbing rocks/cutting ourselves on foliage (it looked like grass-but would bite you when you weren't paying attention)

We climbed the rocks and hung over the cliffs until we found the tip, Greg beat us there because he followed the actual trail-which was straight up a side of the big rock, I was terrified of this so Brian, Jodie, and I found a bit of a smoother way.  And of course, Jesus has claimed the most northern tip, and we all hung out with the cross for awhile before we trekked back to the bottom.  It was really beautiful, and we're just continually amazed at the beauty of the countryside, I've never really seen anything like it here.

On a REALLY exciting note, my wonderful husband got me a dryer yesterday!  So although no matter what you do laundry still takes forever, I have the joy of being able to dry my own clothes and not hanging them on the line and taking them to Jodie's.  I'm so excited!

  

      

we forgot our skis

 
Ok, well there isn't actually snow in Asturias yet, BUT there are lots of ski resorts.  And in a town about 1 hour south of us (Pajares), there is a ski resort that is open year round.  During the off season, they allow you to ride the ski lift to the top of the peek and do some hiking/sight seeing.  The Cantabrian Mountain Range separates the Costa Verde (where we live.. it's very green and beautiful) from the dry desert like parts of Spain.  

Anyway, after breakfast Greg and I decided we would drive south and visit Pajares.  The drive itself was absolutely beautiful, we had no idea there were so many mountains in Asturias!  We also found out today that there are lots of Grizzly bears here, and big cats-like the Lynx.  We got to Pajares and had a hard time figuring out where to go-but we found the ski resort and paid 5 euros to go up to the peek.  It was breathtaking!  As we were up there I was just thinking about how the mountains were made, and what it would have been like to see the Earth folding over itself and pushing upward and all the rumbling and falling rocks:

"'Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken, nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the LORD, who has compassion on you"

-Isaiah 54:10

I'm not sure what the shaking means in that verse, but I just wonder about the power behind the shifting of the earth to create this huge peaks, and God loves us so much more than that and gives us a peace that is undeniable and unexplainable.  It was awesome to hang out up there with Greg and praise God's creation.

We hiked around for about 2 hours.  There were cattle and horses all over the place, I guess they just have free reign over the mountains, and their owners find them when they need them.  We walked out along the mountain tops and just enjoyed and admired the outdoors and this beautiful province we get to live in for the moment.  It was awesome!  And we can't wait to take you when you come visit =)

ocean 0 schmeers 1

As you know, we live 5 blocks from the ocean.  Every day Greg and I walk past dozens of surfers, and our friends Brian and Jodie have even taken to the waves.  So... we've been feeling the pressure.

Well.. we just so happen to go to church with a family from Brazil who moved to Spain approximately 14 years ago, and the husband, Hiucif, the coolest guy in the world-he makes surfboards for some of the top surfers in the world... and the best part-he totally loves Jesus. 

Anyway, last Sunday after church, he invited Greg and I to go out surfing with him, so in an attempt to make more friends, we took him up on the offer.  So today we joined Hiucif on the beach and conquered the ocean.  Ok... we didn't actually conquer anything, but it was awesome.  We only had one board (and it was a short board, because Hiucif is such a good surfer he doesn't even own a long one, which are usually reserved for beginners) so we took turns going out into the ocean with him to teach us.  I tried to get out of the whole thing, but Greg wouldn't let me.  And it turned out to be an awesome afternoon!  Greg got up on the board his last time in, but I decided to just master the paddling.... 

Afterwards, Hiucif invited us over for tea, and it was just what we needed.  It's been really difficult not having friends to just talk to or have dinner with, luckily Jodie is an awesome cook-so we get to eat with the Lambs a lot, but we miss all of our families from Ogletown!  And this was the first time we went to someone else's home and just sat and talked, a little in english/a little in spanish.  It was great.  And we're just reminded that no matter where you are God is right there with you-whether you're from the same place or not.  Friday, I got to spend the morning singing and praying with women from 3 countries: the U.S, Holland, and Spain.  And it was just this tiny glimpse of what heaven holds in store.  So we're starting to find our groove, and wish you could have seen us tackling the waves =)     

i hate laundry

In my new beloved country of residence, there are many things that I love, for example: living 5 minutes from the beach, public transportation, fruit stands, markets, sidra, the list goes on.  But I have also encountered my arch nemesis... laundry.  Unlike the ease of throwing in a big load of laundry, throwing it in the dryer 30-45 minutes later, and after an hour out comes fluffy comfortable clothing... it is quite a different process in Spain.  My washer can only fit approximately 4-5 kilograms (you have no idea how much that is... approximately 3 pairs of pants, 2 shirts and some underwear). The washing process takes  1 hour and 30 minutes.  For the time being, I don't have a dryer-although hopefully this weekend that will change-so I hang my clothes on a line to let them air dry.  This leaves clothes so hard though!  So Jodie lets me borrow her dryer and I throw my clothes once they're more or less dry to soften them up.  But this past week I got very far behind, so yesterday I had to do 3 loads of laundry!  Consuming my entire day..  I can't wait until I live in the apartment and can just throw in a load every day.  

Other than that, life is wonderful.  Jodie, Brian, Greg and I found a store that is very similar to Wal-Mart last night, so I finally bought an ironing board (for a reasonable price!).  We didn't have a lot of time, but Jodie and I are super excited.

At church this past Sunday, we talked about Ezekial 18, last night while I was waiting for dinner, I took the opportunity to read the whole of the chapter.  I highly recommend it.  God has been revealing to me the freedom that can be found in Him, and his love for those who don't know him. 

"But if a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die.  None of the transgressions he has committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness that he has done he shall live"

-Ezekial 18:21,22

This is such a great reminder for us when we are so clouded by our pasts.  God forgives us and no sins that we have committed will be remembered, there is no shame or guilt.  It's a wonderful feeling.  So there is much to gain for those who follow Christ....life. 

the metal goose delivered our goods

We finally got our air shipment!!  It's not much, but at 8:15am Friday morning, we got 300lbs of stuff!!  It was mostly clothes, but included 2 air mattresses to be our makeshift furniture until we get the rest of our things.  Greg proceeded to blow out the electrical converter trying to blow them up... I think we've been watching too much Tool Time on Home Improvement.  The Lambs (our neighbors) came to our rescue and let us borrow one of theirs.  That night we ordered pizza (from  Pizza Hut!!!!) and watched Harry Potter in our future bedroom =)

There is a big aquarium in Gijon, and since we had no plans for Saturday-we decided to go check it out.  After I got all excited about the otters and the other fish, Greg told me that he was told there are no live animals at the aquarium (how mean is that?!) and so I got online to see if there were pictures on the website, which I found, but he stuck to his story that they were staged photographs.  The aquarium is on the west side of town, we walked by the San Lorenzo beach, and the harbor.. and we found another beach!  We stopped for ice cream (this happens a lot) and finally made it to the aquarium.  Which was awesome!  For such a small town it was really impressive.  They had it set up so you walked through all the different oceans-starting with the Cantabrian Sea (where we are) and through the Atlantic, the Indian, the Red Sea, and much more.  It was great, and all the animals were alive!  The exhibits were awesomely designed, some had ship wrecks, and others were big caves, Greg's favorite was an exhibit at the end that was just full of trash, to show you what ends up in the ocean that shouldn't, he loved it so much he had to take a picture.  A lot of the exhibits also had little bubbles so you could go under and look into the water, here's a picture of Greg in the otter exhibit:

It also happened to be Brian's birthday, so we went to their apartment for dinner (homemade!), Jodie cooked meatloaf and scalloped potatoes.  And we watched the Dog Whisperer... our favorite dog trainer, next to Victoria Stilwell..

we live in spain

After a crazy summer filled with graduation, getting married, and getting ready to move, Greg and I finally made it to Spain.  As most of you know we now live in Gijon, Spain-where Greg works for DuPont.  

We flew out of Philadelphia on Friday the 22nd of August and arrived in Madrid, Spain at 7 a.m on Saturday where we spent the day touring the gardens and sites of the city.  Greg surprised me with tickets to the theatre on Saturday night where we saw Disney's Bella y la Bestia (Beauty and the Beast)!!  It felt like we were on Broadway... just in a different language.  On Sunday we left Madrid for our new home, and after multiple plane/gate changes (we left 6 hours after our scheduled departure) we headed out and arrived in Gijon for dinner.  

But now that we are here we are quickly making it home.  Until our furniture arrives we are living in the Hotel Hernan Cortes, which is only a block from our flat, where we visit often to do laundry.  This past weekend was the Cider festival in Gijon, thousands of people crowded the plazas to listen to typical music and drink many different types of cider.  The picture is the symbol of this years festival.  Often in restaurants a bottle of cider costs less than a bottle of water.  The waiters hold the bottle in their right hands high above their head and pour the drink into the cup in their left hand which they hold down below their waste in order to aerate the cider (almost as much ends up on the ground as in the cup).  They only pour about a sip at a time, and after you take a sip-you pour the rest out in order to "cleanse" the cup.  It's quite interesting to watch.. by the end of the night the roads were all a little damp from all the pouring and dumping.