Texas Country Weekend

I just found this post in my queue. I wrote it out, then planned on adding pics, so I never posted it. The pics are on FB, and I think everyone who reads my blog is also my friend on facebook, so I thought I'd go ahead and just post it. :) Even though it's a bit old, enjoy the weekend recap...

This weekend we went to visit Zac's best friend JT, whom I also happen to consider a great friend. He comes to see us all the time, and we'd never been out to see him, so it was time to pack up and go! J lives in Graham, but a few hours after we arrived on Friday, we left for Wichita Falls. We went to Target and Academy, so J could get some things (and what do you know...I ended up buying stuff at both stores too! ha!), then we met a college friend for dinner. Guy is married to a Kara, who is so sweet and pretty. I really enjoyed meeting her, and their precious 4-month old son, Easton. After dinner, we wasted some time at a bookstore (infested with teen couples who could not keep their hands off of each other...ew), then went to The Iron Horse Pub, to see JT's little brother and his band Brazos Stone. Zac has seen them perform, but I'd only seen Brady (J's brother, the lead singer) and Bridget, the fiddle player, do an acoustic set for a radio station here in the metroplex. Zac had told me that Brady had a lot of showmanship, and he was so right! I would not normally consider myself a fan of Texas Country, but I absolutely loved the show! They have a big following out west, and up north, but are breaking into the metroplex scene too (they had a show in Fort Worth on Sunday), so hopefully we will get to see Brazos Stone again soon!
Saturday morning we woke up and decided not to go to the lake. JT was cut by the blade on the boat motor the Saturday before. It cut his shin to the bone, and he had to get 8 stitches. Anyways,when we arrived Friday, I could tell it was infected. So Saturday morning we took him to the Graham hospital to get it taken care of. They put him on two different antibiotics, and suggested not swimming in the lake. No biggie. Zac and I hadn't seen J's mom in a long time, so we decided to head to Throckmorton, J's hometown. After visiting with the family for awhile, we went to his aunt's home to swim in her nice pool. Molly especially loved it! That night we drove back to Graham and ate out for dinner. We were pretty tired that evening, so we just stayed home and watched the movie Salt. It's fun to have old friends where you are able to have a quiet night in, and not worry about dressing up and hitting the town. It was a wonderful weekend! Thanks for your hospitality J! We are BOTH lucky to have such a great friend in you! :)

And just for fun, when we got home, I calculated all the driving we did over the weekend, and according to google maps, it was 432 miles, and 8.5 hours.

Wow...

The Autism Conference was AMAZING (wish I had time to type out all the cool things I learned!), and the time I spent in Corpus Christi was awesome. Our hotel was right on the waterfront, so we woke up to the sun rising over the ocean. The weather was gorgeous and we walked everywhere. The conference center was just a few blocks down the road from us, and also right on the water. We ate our boxed lunch outside one day, and in the middle of a bite, I noticed dolphins splashing in the water. There were two or three of them jumping up and down for quite a while...it was awesome. The hotel was nice, Vickie (my co-teacher) and I were able to talk and plan alot, I learned a great deal, but the best part was it was VERY RELAXING! We moved at a slower pace and got to hit the refresh button. It was so nice.
I made a cheesy little video on my iphone with some of the pics I took (also using my iphone), which you can watch HERE. Enjoy.

Golden Gate Getaway...

Yes, I realize it's been way too long since I've posted. This school year has been crazy, and I'm surprised by how much it has consumed me. Anyways, this post is not about that. This is an EXCITING POST!!! We are going to San Francisco!! We leave the Friday we get out for Thanksgiving break, and fly home on Tuesday. Wednesday morning we will drive to Midland (5 hours!) and stay until Sunday, when we'll drive home. It will be a busy week, but we can't wait!!
Zac has been to San Fran before, but it was for a football game, and he was with an entire team, so he didn't get to experience too much of the city. He has been wanting to take me there since he visited in 2002, and this seemed like the perfect time. We are getting pumped. We booked the air travel last night, and I'll be booking the hotel in the next few days. Woohoo!
Here are a few of the things that we want to do while we are there, but what should we add to this list?
-Ride a street car
-Go to the Golden Gate bridge, and park
-Alcatraz
-Chinatown
-maybe visit the aquarium?
-maybe take an excursion to Napa Valley or Yosemite?

What else? If you've been to San Fran, spill it!!!

Spain VIDEO!

I've been working on this for a while. It's not perfect, and the software wasn't great, but I'm still proud of it. I'm also happy I have a ten minute recap of one of the best weeks of my life! Enjoy! :)

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Spain, day four-The Road to Sevilla

We woke up very early on Saturday to catch a bus to Seville. (by the way, it's actually Sevilla- pronounced "Say-vee-yah"-but I know most people just say "Suh-ville" so I'll spell it that way.)

This was our longest bus trip, because it made several stops, including one thirty minute layover in Cordoba (a town we wish we'd visited). It took five hours to get from Nerja to Seville, but we slept much of the way, since we'd woken up at 5:30. What we did see of the drive was beautiful. There were hot pink flowers all over the land, so of course I loved that! :)


When we arrived in Seville, we just left the bus station on foot to walk to our hotel. The only problem was we didn't know exactly where it was, so we (in good moods) walked all over Santa Cruz (the Jewish quarter, where we stayed- the most charming part of the city) with luggage. The wobbly suit case wheels on the cobblestone streets was quite a sight, I'm sure. :)

We finally found our hotel, Puerta de Sevilla (the door of Seville) and checked in to the friendliest desk clerk. I forgot that I'd written online when I booked the room that we were on our honeymoon (please don't think I'm a horrible person for lying, I just wanted to make sure we got the room, and I'd also read that sometimes they treat you better when it's a special occasion). About ten minutes after we got in our room, a lady came up with a bottle of champagne and two glasses for us. It was so sweet. :) So we toasted and had champagne before lunch before we headed out to explore the magical city. Guess which person loved the champers, and which person hated it... hehe
We walked toward the cathedral and did lots of people watching. Since this was a Saturday, there were all types of people out celebrating different things. It was fun to see how traditions differ. This first pic is a bachelorette party. The bride to be was in a jailer costume, and all her friends wore police outfits.
I had to go up and ask one of the men what this was about, because we were so curious. This was a group of doctors from the University of Sevilla, who have an annual tradition of playing music in the streets to raise money. Some of them had just graduated, and some were professors. It was really cool and we stood around and watched them drink and play and socialize for a bit.
Of all the different festivities, this Spanish tradish was our fave. For a bachelor party, the man has to dress like a woman...dress, wig and all! All of the friends wear matching t-shirts with a picture of the groom's face on it. We saw several different bachelor parties taking place, and all of them looked so fun, and did basically the same things American bachelor parties do. (besides the cross dressing, that is). In the pic below, the one in black and red is the future groom.
There were several weddings taking place as well. This little boy stole my heart, and I literally wanted to steal him. Like kidnap him and bring him home with me. But only if he wore that sweet little raw-silk one piece jumper every single day! :) I wanted to take a pic with him, but Zac wouldn't let me. Buggers!
Of all the cool people watching, nothing could compare to the magnificence of the cathedral. It is huge! The third largest cathedral in the world! We took a tour of it a few days later, so I'll share all the fun cathedral facts with you then. Meanwhile, look how big it is compared to me. I'm that little black speck in the bottom right side. This was just one of its many fabulous entrances.
Anyways, we did lots of sightseeing that first day there, and all of those pics can be seen on our Picasa page. That night we wanted to watch USA play England in their first game of the World Cup. Throughout the day we scouted out places, and finally decided on an Irish pub called Flaherty's. It was nice to eat "American food" and it turned out to be an awesome place to watch the big game. It was PACKED with people rooting for both teams and we actually ended up sitting with a group of Americans who'd just graduated from college in New York. It was funny to listen in on their conversations. Look how much beer they drank!
This was the least crowded part of the bar. I couldn't even squeeze in on the other side, where the big screen was!
After the game, we decided to go for a stroll before heading to bed. We walked to the Guadalquivir river, and crossed to the other side. By this point it was probably close to 11pm, but people were just sitting down to eat. Spaniards definitely live life to the fullest, and seem so happy! It was not unusual to see babies and toddlers out this late (and still happy and playful).
As we'd just started heading back to the hotel, we heard a loud band. (I think Zac's exact quote was "Is the Grambling band visiting Spain too?" haha) We decided to check out what it was and see where it was coming from. We wandered through neighborhoods and city blocks until we came upon lots of commotion and this scene:
The streets were SOO full, so of course we were super curious. I asked a local, and she explained to me what was going on. It was very loud, she spoke very fast, and of course it was all in Spanish, but from what I gathered, she was saying it was the 500th anniversary of the Virgin Mary. (something like that?) Another person told me that it was the Anniversary of Conception? I tried looking it up online to see exactly what amazing event we got to witness, but I haven't been able to find it. If any of you do, please send me the link. I'd love to know more! :)
Anyways, the streets were packed...for blocks and blocks. It is soo much to explain, so click on my Picasa link to see all of the pics AND read the captions which describe everything, but here are two videos from the night...


It was such an awesome and amazing and cultural experience, and the best part was we just happened to stumble upon it. If we hadn't gone for a walk to Triana (the part of town we were in), we wouldn't have even known about it. And if we'd turned to go home five minutes earlier, we probably wouldn't have heard the band and wandered towards it. It was cool to just happen upon such a magnificent and grand production. We aren't sure exactly what was going on, or what we witnessed, but we know it meant a great deal to the people who were there, so that made it special to us too! When it was over (almost 2am!!!) we headed home and laid down knowing we'd had an exciting and adventurous first day in Sevilla!
***Exciting update! I just found a link about this parade! I found it here and it basically says that "Extraordinary Procession of Maria Santísima of the Star by the streets of Triana, on the occasion of the 450 Original Anniversary of the Brotherhood"
TO SEE THE PICS from THIS day, start HERE and click next until you're done...

Spain, day three...Nerja

Friday morning we took a crowded city bus (we got a few looks for having big luggage with us on such a packed bus, at which point we decided that for the rest of the trip anytime we had our luggage with us, we'd use a taxi) to the bus station for our ride to Nerja. The drive was so beautiful, as we got to see lots of countryside from mountains, to a long stretch a long the coast!

I love the random towns that just look white hills. So pretty!
We arrived in Nerja and took a taxi to our hotel, the Perla Marina. Since we would only be in Nerja for one night, and we were very "economical" about our Granada and Sevilla hotels, we decided to splurge in Nerja. Hotel Perla Marina brags about being a gorgeous 4-star hotel with a great location, so we couldn't wait. We were pretty disappointed. We paid extra for a room with a view of the ocean and a balcony, and we were on the first floor, with the patio covering for the outdoor dining blocking our view. Oh well. We didn't spend much time in the room anyhow.
The beach outside of our hotel

Um, this was not an uncommon sight. Be lucky I took a pic of him...all the ladies were 60 and topless!






We went to the Balcony of Europe
Cute little naked German brother and sister.
I thought this was cool pic with the palm trees behind him.



We liked this part of the trip okay, but it wasn't our favorite. I know it doesn't look like it, since it's sunny, but it was very cold. Also, we didn't feel like we were in Spain anymore, because everyone was there (it seemed like even the workers) were British or German. This is a big "holiday" hot spot, and lots of Europeans go here during the summer for a month or so. We heard very little Spanish spoken and it wasn't very "cultural" but it was a nice relaxing stop in the middle of the busy week.

Spain, Day Two... "Paradise on Earth"

This was easily my favorite day of our entire trip! (Which is why it took me so long to write this post. Sorry!)
We woke up super early (left the hotel by 7am!) to head to the Alhambra and Generalife. I went with no expectations (thinking I might be bored, what an idiot!) and I ended up being mesmerized. I could have spent the entire day there! I think the pictures will be "pretty" but you just can't imagine how it feels to stand there, in that place where people were standing over a thousand years ago. The architecture and detailing is amazing, and the history is fascinating. It's almost overwhelming to be there. The beauty is exquisite just to visit, and then to think that this is where people lived, and this was their "norm" is pretty crazy. It's magnificent. Splendid. Enchanting. This is the kind of thing that makes America feel so young and immature. This the the what I was hoping to see on my first trip to Europe...not just a different culture, but history that goes back further than my mind can even imagine.

I could tell you so much about the Alhambra, but I will just share a few facts:
-Alhambra in Arabic means "red castle." It was built by the Moors (Muslims)
-This building dates back to the 9th century!!
-It was a military fortress with a view over the whole city (you'll see this in my pics)
-In the 13th century, the first king of the Nasrid dynasty moved in, making it a royal residence
-Kings lived in it, and it was a small township, until the mid 1500's, when it became abandoned
-It was "discovered" by scholars in the 19th century and is now Spain's most significant and well known Islamic Architecture
-Nothing was done just to be cool, each archway has a meaning and everything has a purpose. So cool!
-Water is everywhere! "Water — so rare and precious in most of the Islamic world — was the purest symbol of life to the Moors. The Alhambra is decorated with water: standing still, cascading, masking secret conversations, and drip-dropping playfully." -Rick Steves
-The gardens (Generalife) surrounding the buildings (Alhmabra) are equally impressive.

On the bus to the Alhambra, we met the NICEST man! His name was John and he's from Australia! He had been in Sevilla (which he cutely pronounced "seh-VILL-uh" when most pronounce it "say-VEE-yuh") for five weeks doing photography stuff, and was in Granada just for a day and night, to see Alhambra. *Random trivia: He told us he was staying at the 'World's Narrowest Hotel' and Zac said "oh, it's that small?" and he said "no, it's great. But it really is the Guinness World Record holder for being the narrowest hotel." He was so kind and we talked quite a bit, but then got separated once inside the grounds.
You will have to click on the link to the album to see all the pics, but here are a few of my favorites.
Here is that view of the city...and isn't it cool? I love all the white buildings.
The ceiling in one part of the Palace.
Gorgeous! I took that pic!
Some gorgeous roses in the Generalife. You can not imagine how amazing that place smelled!
Amazing! They take so much pride in the gardens.

This is where they held important meetings and night time entertainment.
The buildings are amazing on their own, but then when you think about how they were constructed hundreds of years ago, it makes them even more wonderful!
"Up the Darro River, the royal aqueduct diverted a life-giving stream of water into the Alhambra. It was channeled through a decorative fountain to irrigate the bigger garden outside, then along an aqueduct into the Alhambra for its 2,000 thirsty residents." Water runs through the entire place, so the sound of it is so soothing and serene. If you look closely, you will see it in many of the pics that show the ground.

We spent several hours at the Alhambra/Generalife, then afterwords we went to the gift shop and I bought this nifty book. It has amazing pics and describes it in an interesting way that's easy to read. :)
After leaving the Alhambra grounds, we went back to town for lunch. We ate at a pizzeria (surprise, surprise!) and felt adventurous for trying a free tapa that was served to us. For those of you who might not know, Tapas are very popular in Spain, and they are kind of like appetizers, as they are usually just a plate full of finger food. Spaniards eat lots of jamon (ham), seafood (which still in completely in tact, head, eyes and all...eww!) and cheese. They do not like fruits and veggies, because before they were a nation with money, they ate only fruits and veggies, so now they don't like to eat it. We craved it, but that's another story. Anyways, we ended up eating lots of pizza, since that was safe. (neither Zac nor myself like ham or seafood) The tapa we were served at this meal looked potato salad. I was right that it was potatoes, but when I tried I bite I realized it also had prawns and some type of sour-curdled-tasting tartar sauce mayonaisse dressing. Ew. At least we tried it, right? Zac ordered a coke, and after doing so, we realized that a beer was only 2 Euros, but a Coke was 4. Haha, who would think you could get a beer cheaper than a coke? We also got a Caprese salad. Yum!
We walked around some more after lunch and happened to come across a protest rally. They were the happiest and kindest protesters I've ever seen. It was for the postal carriers. I'm not sure exactly what changes they wanted made, but don't they look like they are having fun, just partying in the streets?

It started out very chilly, but it was such a beautiful day! Look at that sky!After awhile, we headed back to the hotel for a short nap. When we woke up, we decided to go to the Albaicin, the cities Moorish quarter. We were told it's better not to be there after dark, but we never once felt threatened, and honestly it seemed perfectly safe to us. While on the bus, it was stopped, and I was looking out the window and saw our friend John!! He's the one walking across the street in the hat and backpack. We thought about jumping off the bus to catch up with him, but he got into a Taxi. I guess it wasn't meant to be. I wish we had at least gotten his last name so we could keep in touch online. Oh well...we'll just be stalkers. :)We climbed up to the Mirador St. Nicolas to get a view of the city and Alhambra. It was something I will never forget. The view was amazing...
This 14 year old boy was the most unbelievable classical guitarist I've ever seen! They were filming a documentary about him, so we watched for a bit while he played and as they interviewed him. He is completely self taught, and didn't start until he was 9. (I can't believe you can get that good in just five years!) I have a short video of him (but he was getting tired because they were making him play non-stop for sooo long) here.
The Alhambra!!!
We went to this cool "hillside restaurant" (that's my term for it, not theirs) and had drinks. It was very swanky and the view was gorgeous...I felt very rich in that moment, as we sipped our Sangria and Beer. This next picture was taken by some friends that we made, Keith and Sue. They sat near us, and we we heard them speaking and could tell they were American, we started chatting with them. This led to spending the afternoon together, then they invited us to dinner. I hope we will continue a friendship with them, because they are truly amazing and inspiring people. They live in Seattle and had great advice on life, parenting, and traveling, plus lots of neat stories to share as well. Spending the afternoon/evening with them was the main reason that this was my favorite day! :)

When we all left St. Nicolas, we walked around the Albaicin and wandered into the old Mosque. We wanted to go in, but you have to get permission thirty days in advance to be permitted. We took a picture in the courtyard/garden area.
We shopped in some narrow streets. The shops were so cool. Keith bought a knife from Morocco, that reminded me of the kind seen in the movie Aladdin. It looked very legit. Rusty and all! :)
After lots of walking, some ice cream, shopping, and more walking, they took us to eat. They had been to Sultan's Restaurant earlier in their trip and loved it, so we joined them for some Moroccan food. Hummus to start, and I had chicken and rice cooked in a tajine, and Zac had meatballs in a tajine. (Don't worry, I didn't know what a tajine was either, until that night!) For dessert, they ordered crepes, and the waiter-recommended "Sultan's dessert" which was yogurt with honey and almonds, and some other spices. It was "incredible!" as Keith exclaimed! :)
After dinner with our new friends, we hugged and parted ways. Zac and I stopped at an internet store and then headed home. Just writing this post makes me want to go back and relive that day again. It was our first full day in Spain, but it was my favorite. What neat experiences, sights, and conversations. So unforgettable!