Mission Accomplished

Before: The Lovely Green Walls

During: First we painted the ceilings and then the walls. We had to strip and sand the ceiling in the hall. Guess who got that fun job...Jose said I looked nice with grey hair.

Finito!!

...Jose has made bets as to how long that new fern will stay alive. I don't do well with plants, but I wanted to take a final stab at it (pun intended).

Graffiti on the Walls

You know it's love when your husband calls you "butt face" and you don't even flinch. The messages were cute until we noticed you could still see them after the second coat of paint. We're not finished painting yet. More pictures to come...

Courtney and Jose's Excellent Adventure

Buying paint is a scary thing. First of all, you never know what it's going to look like on the walls until you've put it there. And in order to 'put it there' you've got spend the money on the paint (which in our case was 75€). The color we chose for the hallway is pretty nuetral, but the one for the living is a little shocking. We'll see how it works. Pictures of the results to come. To be continued...

A Bowling First

Needless to say, I was shocked to find out Jose had NEVER been bowling. So he has now been enlightened to a very important American pastime. His technique was below par, but with the kiddie bumpers he didn't do too bad. There's still room for improvement, but we were privileged to have a "pro" in the next lane, so he studied his every move :). He thought the whole shoe thing was a little weird. Actually, so do I.

Problems with Pictures

I can't seem to figure out how to post pictures with our Mac laptop. The program I normally use is only for PCs, and I'm too lazy to transfer the photos to the other computer. I'm working on it....

Why is this pig happy??

a. We're leaving tomorrow to go to the States for Christmas.
b. I finally passed my driving exam.
c. I'm almost finished with my Christmas shopping.
d. All of the above.

Correct answer: d

Cry Today and Laugh Tomorrow

I'm sure one day this will be a funny anecdote that I'll tell my grandkids, but for now I'm pretty much just ticked off. I failed my Spanish driving test for yielding when I didn't need to. I wanted to turn around in my seat and say, "I was driving before you were out of diapers, son." The only problem is that he was a 60 year old man, so that wouldn't have worked. I mean, if I had run a red light or hit a pedestrian I'd understand, but all I did was YIELD. I told you it was a mafia.

Fast Forward

(Photo by Ben found here)

The days, weeks and months seem to be flying by. Have we done anything significant since September? The answer...no. Wake up, get up, get dressed, quick coffee, class, class, class, run home, quick lunch, class, class, class, class, drag myself home with aching back and feet at 10 PM, eat whatever we can find, watch TV in bed, fall asleep during first commercial break. Then everything just repeats the next morning. There's the occasional Tuesday and Thursday where I don't work until 10 PM that Jose and I go to the gym, the only change in schedule are the last two classes, because we still drag ourselves home with aching back and feet! The rest has already been mentioned.

Everything seems to be in fast forward (just without the catchy circus music playing in the background). We're looking forward to me getting my spanish driver's licence and being able to escape on the weekends, which I will hopefully have before Christmas. Getting in the car and getting away is the best way to disconnect from the constant routine. Something that we desperately need! Right now we would settle for a relaxing dinner at Fogar de Santiso! As Jose says, "durante la semana somos unos vegetales". No translation needed. (9th grade spanish should suffice...sorry for those of you who took Latin or French).

You must be wondering, "If you're so busy, why are blogging right now?" Easy answer, my 9 AM private lesson cancelled on me this morning...said she wasn't feeling well...pretty sure it's just a hangover (she likes to party harty into the wee hours), but I'll let it slide...heck, her late night partying gives me an extra hour to do something constructive like putting a load of dirty clothes in the washer...but what do I do?...I blog :))

Why is that when you're a student time seems to drag on forever, but when you enter the working world it whizzes by you?

On peace

One of my favorite songs: "Peace" by Sherri Youngward

Peace, Be still
Lay all your worries down
Be still, oh my soul
For our God is in control
And if God is for us
Then whom shall I fear
And our God is for us
So lay down, be still
He is God
Hallelujah, our God has overcome
Hallelujah, our Lord Jesus Christ
Has won
Be sill my soul
He has won

Strike Happy

Over the years I've come to learn that the people in Spain like to go on strike and have protests a lot. Protests include everything from solidarity with the Palestinian nation to increases in University tuition. At first I didn't really understand why the people protested so much, because nothing ever changed. But now I realize they are just excercising their right and they want to be heard.

However the strikes really drive me crazy. This summer there were numerous strikes with the garbage collectors. You never really pay much attention to their job until one day they up and decide to stop collecting the garbage. The smell is not pleasant, especially in 95 degree weather. They were on strike because of low pay...I felt bad for them until I realized they earn DOUBLE what I earn! What are they complaining about?!

These past couple of weeks the delivery trucks all over Spain decided to go on strike because of the taxes they have to pay and the high gas prices. The supermarkets have been EMPTY. You would think we were expecting a hurricane or something. No milk, no yoghurt, no bread, no fruit, no veggies, no fish, no nothing. Factory production has completely frozen. Pretty much everything that requires a truck has been on stand still.

As inconvenient as it is...it does add a little spice to your life, I guess.

Neuschwanstein, Obersalzburg and Königsee = Fairytale Land

I don't have to say much in this post. The pictures say it all. They were taken in southern Germany this summer. We did "technically" take the first picture, but since it was of a poster, it's at an angle that's impossible for a tourist to take and it doesn't snow in September, I can't take credit :)).

Neuschwanstein Castle (King Ludwig's)

Eagle's Nest, Obersalzburg (Refuge for Hitler during WWII)

St. Bartholomä, Königsee, Berchtesgaden (Bavarian Alps)

I don't know how the Germans manage to keep such touristy places so peaceful, but they do a great job.

No Kangaroos in Austria

Now, I'm only a baby world traveller, but Austria is one of the most beautiful countries I've ever been to. Come to think of it, I've said that about Spain, Italy, and in a few days when I post about Germany I'll probably say it again! But each time I say it, I mean it. I honestly think that it should be mandatory, and included in tuition of course, for every college student to study abroad for a year, whether it be in South America, Europe, Asia...wherever. To experience and understand a culture that is not your own makes you realize just how immense and diverse the world is...enrichment that National Geographic can only attempt to give you!



Here are some photos we took while in Austria this summer. Some of them make you want to break out into song..."The hills are alive..." What impressed me the most was the cleanliness and order. No gum on the streets or trash in the corners. You've always heard about how clean and orderly Germany is...well, I think Austria's got them beat.

There's something about Austria that photos can't describe. The air. I don't know what it is I've been breathing all my life, but I think I took my first real breath of oxygen in the Alps. Every once in awhile I could hear Jose just breathing deeply. Soaking in every drop of air that his lungs would allow. Cool, crisp, clean, fresh. It was what air should be like. Pure.

I thank God for giving me the desire, the opportunities, and the means to know small parts of the puzzle. I'll never have all the pieces, but I treasure each piece that lets me see just a little bit more of the big picture. The rest I'll just have to get from National Geographic, I guess :)

Autumn

Here are just a few reasons why autumn is my favorite season:

• The changing color of the leaves on trees


• Jumping in piles of raked leaves


• Football


• Pumpkin patches


• Apple cider


• Warm boiled peanuts in a brown paper bag


• Hay rides


• Days that are sunny and cool, but not cold


• Warm roasted chestnuts in a newspaper cone (Santiago, Spain)

• Fleece


• Hot tea


• Trick or treaters


• Camp fires


• and the list goes on...

(Note: I can't take credit for the pictures. I found them online from various sources--Kevin Thom, Denis Flood, modernluddites, and alfanet)