Aly Kat turned 9

My sweet blue-eyed sunshine turned nine recently.

This year she really wanted a sleepover with her best cousin Jaycie. They played with the birds, watched "Beverly Hills Chiquaqua" and "Tale of Despereaux", and talked and giggled. In the morning they just kept on playing. We went to the store and Aly spent her birthday money on a doll that she had wanted and also got a Taylor Swift CD (I don't think the CD has left the player yet.)

Jaycie made these cute "cousin bracelets" and also gave Aly a darling bag, notebook and new earrings. Alyssa received some gifts from Spain, too. In the evening we went bowling together. The kids had a great time---Josie out-bowled all of us (with a little help from me and the gutter guards.)

Saying Goodbye to Spain

We are home now, and have had almost a week to readjust our clocks and get back into life here. This was me on our flight home. Mike and I have another suitcase full of memories together. My favorite souvenir is a colorful plate from Toledo. Here's just a few more shots from the trip.

I really, really wish you could taste how yummy Olga's Spanish tortilla was. This picture alone will need to do. I did have other Spanish tortillas during the trip and hers was by far the most delicious. (Spanish tortilla are similar to potato and egg omelets.)

Here we are saying goodbye to Olga and Miguel in front of their home. It was so comfortable being in their home.

We left Lanzarote and flew back to Madrid. We stayed at the Hilton Madrid Airport hotel. It was very nice. Notice the glass elevator behind me and the huge open interior. Each floor had outside fish "ponds" behind the windows. It was really a cool hotel, with a great breakfast buffet.

Day #8-Sunday in Lanzarote

Dacil and I together after our LDS church meetings.

I bore my testimony in Spanish today at church. I said 7 simple sentences professing my knowledge of God, Christ, the Book of Mormon, and the prophet. I have been grateful for the feeling of acceptance here. Michael bore his testimony in Spanish and did a fabulous job. He has done fantastic with the language. We also enjoyed talking to the missionaries. Dacil translated for me so I could understand what was being said in Relief Society.

This is the family we have stayed with. Dacil's mother is Olga, her father Miguel, her sister Belen with husband Roberto and sons Josue and Jacob, then Dacil is taking this picture.

We have loved having Josue (and Jacob) around to enjoy. Josue has really buddied up to us. He reminds me a little of my nephew Nate. After church he jumped into the car and sat on Mike's lap because he wanted to come with us to his grandparents home. It is the people that I have come to love on this trip that have made it so wonderful. After church we had a delicious meal, then took naps. When we woke we were going to visit the boardwalk (charco) with boats and beach nearby, but we started talking. And we talked. And Belen came with her family. I laughed with Roberto at a funny thing I said, I held baby Jacob, I played hide and seek together in the house with Josue, I stood on the porch with Dacil and talked. Even though we do not have a beach nearby and it is nice to spend time there, we also do not have these people nearby and it is even better to make these wonderful memories. I have always told my children that people are more important than things because that is what I truly believe. These are good people and I am grateful to have been here with them.

Day 7-Volcanoes and Beaches

Here is our laundry drying from off of the upstairs window. They have a washer, but no dryer. I unclipped it and brought it in when it was dry.


We went to Timanfaya National Park today. It is a volcanic park. The above is a picture of one of the craters. We took a bus ride that took us all over the park explaining the eruptions and landscapes. Mike remembered going to this park as a missionary on p-day. They had several demonstrations to show the heat from the open crevises in the earth. They took a dry bush and placed it in the hole with a long pitchfork and it ignited from the heat. Then they took water and poured it down the pipe and it came gushing back as steam. Also we could pick up the gravel near the site and it was too hot to hold. We also could feel the heat over a grated opening, which Mike and Dacil are doing below. They have a restaurant that cooks over a crevise---no gas or electricity, just the earth's heat. Pretty cool.

The park logo is a devil holding a pitchfork over his head. This was our impressions.

We also drove along the coast and stopped at a black sand beach. So beautiful.

After which we drove to a white sand beach (Playa Papagayo). We wrote messages and names in the sand, including this one to our children. . .

Dia Seis (Day 6)

Yo escribo mi espanol hoy (I am writing my spanish today.) Kyle, please don't laugh too mucho! I know I'm making all kinds of mistakes, but believe it or not I am mostly being understood when I hablo (speak) in broken sentences. In fact I have been able to understand enough to laugh at some of the jokes today. I would tell you about them, but probably only Kyle would get them.

I woke this dias (morning) to wonderful smells from the cocina (kitchen). It was paella and something similar to churros y chocolate. The paella was being prepared for our picnic to the montanas (mountains) and the churros were para desayuno (for breakfast).

Here we are high in the mountains. It was mas frio (much cooler) than down in the ciudad (city).
Madre (mom) would not have liked the heights. El fotos (The pictures) are misty because the nublos (clouds) would come in waves up the mountainside. Comemos la paella (We ate the paella) at a picnic mesa (table). Como el pulpo (I ate the octopus) and it was muy bueno (very good). Here are some shots looking down at the (playas) beaches below.

Next viajamos (we traveled) to a place called Mirador del Rio. It is a view punto (point) at the most norte (north) tip of the island. There are dos pequeno islas (two small islands) behind us.

All of the driving up and down (ascendo y descendo) did make me a little carsick (inferma). Maybe a little like you trying to read (leer) this post. Lo ciento (I'm sorry), but this is fun for me to try. Next Dacil took us to Cuevos de los Verdes (The Green Caves). They are not green in color, but were owned by a family (familia) named Verde. I thought that was extra cool (super guay). The caves were huge. The island is volcanic and these caves were created from bubbles in the lava flows thousands of anos (years) ago. I will have to tell you about the end of the tour when I get home (it would take too long here.)

Then we drove en el coche a la playa (in the car to the beach.) This beach is called Puerta del Carmen and is very (muy) popular with (con) British tourists. It was so nice to walk in the sand and get our feet (pies) wet.

I am very happy to be on this pretty island (Yo mucho llegro---isla bonita.)

Day 5- Arriving in Lanzarote

Okay, so the ham Ruffles chips were intriguing enough that I got them to snack on at the Madrid airport, not bad.

Today we left Madrid and flew to the Canary Islands, specifically the isle of Lanzarote. Above is a picture of the city of Arrecife, the city we flew into and the city that we are staying in. Below is another picture from the airplane of the island. Mike usually let's me sit by the window, but asked this time if he could. He was going back to his mission after seventeen years!!!


Look at who picked us up at the airport---pretty cute little boys, huh? The four month old is Jacob and the 2 yr. old is Josue (Joshua). Being with friends is so wonderful. Dacil's family has been so kind.



This is the home we are staying in. As soon as Michael came into the living room, he began to cry. I cried seeing him cry. He loved this home when he was a missionary. It was a comforting place---a member home that was filled with love and testimonies. I have so enjoyed being here, too. The home cooking is better than any meal we had in Madrid. As soon as we arrived, Olga (the mother) had potaje (lentil soup), bread, and fried fish (the catch of the day) waiting for us. It was absolutely delicious. I ate more than Mike!!!


We went to see the old LDS chapel, new LDS chapel (that is the picture below of Dacil, Josue and me), and Mike's old missionary apartment. Then we walked by the beach, just minutes from their home.


We talked in the evening and watched the Spanish version of "Survivor" on TV. I am picking up the language here and there. Especially now that I am surrounded by it in the home. In fact as I have been typing this entry I have been thinking of the Spanish words for many things. Well, dulces suenos (sweet dreams)!