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Grazalema: The Hike

31 May

This past weekend, I got the hankerin’ for a change of scenery. Being Navy, our life usually brings us near the ocean. After almost 8 years of living near the sea, we’ve grown accustomed to beach life. The sand, sun and tan lines are wonderful, of course, but this Missouri girl sometimes misses spending a day in the woods. Living in Spain for over a year, I didn’t realize that we lived only 2 jolly hours away from the mountains. So, we decided to pack up just for a night and head to the mountains for a hike or two.

The drive there offered breathtaking scenery.

Okay, so the views were spectacular as you can tell. However, our American-sized SUV on European roads is one thing, but our American-sized SUV on tiny European mountain roads is a whole nutha story. The roads are built for one car but have two-way traffic. It was a nerve-wracking drive (not just for me, but for my man who put up with my whining the entire drive up the mountain), but totally worth it.

As soon as we could, we set off to find a trail. On a side note, both my husband and I are sporting HealthSource FWB t-shirts from our favorite chiropractors in Florida. Who here thinks that this should be their next billboard?

Babywearing while hiking is for hot Dads only. He melts me.

Aliana is our explorer. She’s the leader of our adventures and seeing new things is totally her element. And so is hiking. Obviously. Look at her. She loved  every single second of it.

The first trail we were on was beautiful, but eventually got too narrow for my liking with two small, precious children. We took off on another nearby trail to see what else we could find.

Turns out, we found a whole lot of sheep hiney trying to soak up what little shade they could to stay cool.

Oh, and the views didn’t disappoint on this trail either.

Turns out a day hiking mountainside with the three people I love most was exactly what I needed. A perfect day indeed.

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The Meal With Turkey and Stuff

5 Dec

Sometimes, as a military family, the location for a Thanksgiving dinner is less than ideal. In my 7 years of marriage, I have never cooked a turkey. Thanksgiving, to me, is a time to challenge my siblings and cousins to relentless games of Mario on the Nintendo for hours on end. And I guess, if I wanted to act like a grown up, I occasionally might ask a relative or two to catch me up to speed on how their life was going since I’d seen them last. Cooking a turkey has never been in my scope. Since Andrew is here in Virginia with his entire team on business, the ones who are married also have their spouses here. Since we are essentially the “Displaced EOD Spouses/Significant Others of Spain”, (you could probably guess that I just made that up) I decided that instead of spending Thanksgiving separated in our individual condos, we should spend it together. So, I successfully coerced two unsuspecting locals into letting me and 15 others spend Thanksgiving at their ginormous home. Of all the spouses, none of us have ever cooked a turkey. We had to call in special reinforcements.

Among the attendees, we had people from Texas, Michigan, California, Missouri, Florida and England. I was elated to be a part of a Thanksgiving where people came from so many different backgrounds and so many different traditions. Our friend, Nicole, made Oreo turkeys with her family every year growing up. This year, Nicole and her husband Chris, passed along that family tradition to Aliana.

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I’m thankful to have people in my life who appreciate and nurture my children. I’m also thankful to have people in my life who offer me their leftover Oreos and Reese’s.

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Remember the “special reinforcements” I mentioned above? Well, you’re lookin’ at her. No, not Leila. We have her around just for looks and entertainment. And Ali, well… she looks like she needs a nap. I’m talking about Andrew’s Mom, Sheila. She flew down from Missouri to spend Thanksgiving with us and yes, cook the turkey! We don’t have plans for her to visit in Spain anytime soon, so it was mighty convenient to have more than a dozen of our friends from Spain be in one place at one time for her to meet.

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Here’s the whole crew. Let me try to introduce you the best I can starting from the left: John, Cute Couple #1 (that means I didn’t catch their names), Landon, Lauren (who has the same last name as us; totally random!), Mike, Nicky (her first Thanksgiving dinner ever), Sheila, myself, Andrew, Leila, Aliana, Chris R., Ivy, Nicole, Chris B. and Cute Couple #2 (who happen to be the in-laws of my girl, Ivy).

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And there you have it, folks. That’s how we do a Thanksgiving in the military.

P.s. I have the cutest 21 month old in the whole wide world.

Colonial Williamsburg

5 Dec

Lately I’ve been teaching Aliana about American History in homeschool. Learning about how America was discovered, how people lived and first came to our country has been super fun to research and read about. Coming to Virginia, it’s the perfect place to bring American History to life with all the museums and historical sites in the area. One of best places to step back in time is Colonial Williamsburg. One weekend we recruited a few friends and took off to Williamsburg.

These aren’t the friends I mentioned above. I wouldn’t make my friends march up and down Colonial Williamsburg bangin’ on drums, that’s for sure. But these boys (and one or two girls) did a fine job of it. It was a good welcoming into Williamsburg.

Well, this still isn’t any of my friends either. However, you might like to know that in each shop, the people talk as if they are actually in the 1700′s; talking about their life and showing you different trades. This particular woman was making charms for jewelry.

Well, finally. There’s one of my friends, Nicky. Nicky is from England visiting her sailor boyfriend, Mike. I felt it my duty to introduce her to the following: Target, Panera, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. PB & J’s are something that I make my kids at least twice a week and I myself grew up on. It’s an All-American, tasty and delicious sandwich, yes? In Nicky’s opinion: PB&J’s were a no-no. I questioned whether our friendship could go on considering PB&J’s are practically a part of me, y’all. But when I look at this photo and see her little English pinky raised in the air as if getting ready to drink a cup of tea, I realize I can’t deny that pretty little face. Hopefully I’ll have more luck when I introduce her to s’mores!

The whole crew from left to right: Chris and Nicole, yours truly, my smoking hot husband, Nicky and Mike. The two beauties in the stroller are, of course, Aliana and Leila.

Our day was great in Colonial Williamsburg. It was a good learning experience for Aliana, the weather was perfect and we were certainly in good company.

Who am I kiddin’? Good company is all that matters.

A Temporary Virginian

30 Nov

Taking a break from blogging is officially over right… now. I’m baaaaaaack!

Lately the girls and I have been hanging out in Virginia Beach. I’ve never spent any time here and so far I likes what I sees. My handsome hubby is here ‘on business’ so we decided to tag along. We’ve been super busy here and there’s always something to do. We’re currently in Aliana’s kindergarten year of homeschooling and we’re having a blast. Thankfully bringing the majority of her homeschool materials to Virginia wasn’t too much of a hassle and we’re moving right along.

Here’s what else we’ve been up to:

We made it just in time to celebrate Halloween with pumpkins, hay rides, costumes and the like. I fuh-reaking love fall so I was so excited to be here so my two chickies could experience Halloween with their Dad. And hey, those delish Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks were just icing on the cake (and unfortunately are out of season since the day after Thanksgiving…boo).

There aren’t many female EOD techs (those women, and men for that matter, who can handle bringing their mad skills to the EOD community get my utmost respect). Seeing a female in the EOD career is rare and they are unique individuals and so is my little Aliana who was the littlest EOD tech for Halloween. She was the cutest EOD tech in the whole wide world, if I do say so myself. Leila was our precious little puppy who, turns out, will only keep the top part of the costume on her ears if she had a pumpkin in her hands. Tricky, I tell ya. But, after many shots I bring you the above picture of my lovely babies.

On November 10, 2006 at 11:04 PM I became a mother. I gained a new life and fortunately, left my old self behind. Somehow, time has flown right by and the gift God gave me has now turned 5. She’s (one of the two) best gifts I have received and not a day goes by that I don’t thank the Lord above for placing her in my life. She loves glitter, sequence, dancing, singing, is currently petitioning for her own Facebook account and would someday soon like to be 18 already. In short: she’s a 15 year old girl trapped inside a 5 year olds body. I’m not quite sure how to stop time (yet), but if any of you out there have any pointers, please be sure to let me know!

Have I mentioned I love fall? The girls and I have taken a liking to a nearby State Park with several walking trails through lagoons and trees. It’s relaxing and only the best way to witness the beauty of fall colors. Leila really does like these walks. She does. I swear.

Virginia for reals has tons of stuff to do. Here we spent one gloomy day indoors at the Children’s Museum of Virginia in Portsmouth, VA. It was tons of fun for the girls and a great learning experience as well.

Virginia has old lighthouses scattered all over their shores. Every once in a while we’ll find one we can go inside of and go up to the top. I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re prone to dizziness. Or scared of heights. Lighthouse-stair climbing ain’t for sissies, y’all.

So I’m back. I’ve had my break. Be prepared to be hearing from me on a regular basis from now on and if you’re ever feeling like you’ve got a hankering to know what I’m doing and what our daily adventures entail, follow me over on Twitter @kelseyblogs.

An old building with people in front of it

27 Jun

Last weekend was our anniversary. We traveled about 15 minutes to a nearby town in Sanlucar to celebrate a little with playing “tourist” for the day. On the way back, I noticed this run-down building and snapped this photo from the car.

Since we had a long day and it was getting late, further exploration of the building was put on hold.

Yesterday we had some time to kill and I remembered that old building. I decided it was a fine place to take pictures of my posse.

Leila enjoys frolicking in random Spanish fields.

She grabs her belly when she’s excited. Perhaps it was because the only way I could get her to look at the camera was mooing like a cow as loud as I could.

Aliana is too legit to smile. She’s 4 ya know, so she’s like, totally serious about modeling for her Mama.

Ah, there’s a beautiful smile. She couldn’t resist showing off her Princess pose.

In case you didn’t know, these are my three favorite people. I don’t know what I would do without them.

Raise your hand if you’re the cutest 16-month old!

I love these people. More than they’ll ever know.

Spanish Backroading

12 Jun

Chances are, if you grew up near the country, you have your fair share of memories of backroading. If you haven’t ever been backroading, let me tell you a little about how it works because I know you’re going to want to give it a whirl straight away. You grab a few friends on a starry summer night, pack them all into another friends truck, grab a cooler of your favorite beverages (you know, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, lemonade, sweet tea, etc.) and get lost in the country backroads all the while singing at the tip top of your lungs to a little country music. Also, if you’re really feeling country, it’s good to use the words “yeehaw” and “yippe-ky-yay” frequently to really set the mood. And cow-tipping. Please don’t forget the cow-tipping.

Those days of chasing the summer breeze around the windy gravel roads of Cedar County, Missouri have sadly come to a halt given my location, so I had the urge to take part in this beloved activity Spanish style. Things were a little different this time around, I was happily accompanied by my two globe-trotting tots (one of which was napping in the backseat, on the other hand, the other lives for adventure), my husband and we were rolling around in our teeny tiny Purple Rocket.

There are, surprisingly, a lot of similarities between the small town I grew up in and the area of Spain that I live in now. There are a lot of farms here, we often get held up on the highway by a John Deere tractor or two, and there are plenty of fields of growing crops. However, for every similarity, there are a handful of differences.

The most noticeable difference is the wind turbines that are placed as far as the eye can see.

I kind of like them. But, I bet you birds don’t. Ouch.

Except I don’t think I would want something as heavy and tall that close to my house.

Something else that stretches as far as the eye can see is…

grape vines.

There is only one area of Spain that has just the right kind of chalky, dry dirt…

to grow just the right kind of grapes to make just the right kind of sherry.

Little House on the Spanish Prairie, anyone?

You know how I feel about snails.

This was the last picture I took on our mini-backroading adventure. A lone cross in the middle of an empty field.

It’s so much fun exploring our little corner of Spain. It’s hard to believe we’ve been here almost 4 months already. I’m so very thankful for the opportunity to be here and to experience many more adventures ahead! I’m just hoping those adventures will soon take place in let’s say, Paris… maybe Morocco? Ah, yes. I think that would be delightful.

Just another day

13 Apr

When Andrew approached me about becoming an EOD Tech, I was sorely apprehensive. There was no way that my handsome hunk of love would leave his safe, cushy desk job to go work with bombs. For crying out loud, who on earth would willingly put themselves in harms way for a living? Alas, here I sit today. An EOD wife. And none of it is in my control.

So, I am choosing to embrace it. Why?

Because it’s so freaking hot.

When my husband comes home from work all macho and such and tells me that he shot a machine gun, blew stuff up, repelled off a building or jumped out of a plane/helicopter that day I realize how head over heels (or head over combat boots, if you will) in love with him I am. He’s the exact opposite of me; what he does and gets excited about are things that I will never, ever get the gumption to do.

And for that, I think he’s the bomb. Like, totally.

Here’s a little video of what my sexy beast of a husband did today.

 

It’s not just a leg

31 Mar

In Spain, they don’t have much to do with stoplights. There are stop signs here and there but mostly there are roundabouts. The combination of not being used to them and the majority of oncoming traffic not using their turn signals, these roundabouts are altogether annoying and stressful. The only good thing, in my opinion, is the statues they sometimes have in the center of them. You know, to spice things up a bit so you’re not circling around a patch of grass or cement every time. My favorite one that I have seen looks like a leg from afar.

Well, that’s how my husband described it to me when we first moved here anyway. Always referring to it as “the leg statue” and we didn’t discuss it any further. Then, my friend Marti pointed out that once you get closer…

You can begin to see it’s not a leg after all.

It’s a woman. A beautiful woman. And no, I’m not all artsy fartsy. I can’t walk into an art museum and look at a paint splattered canvas and feel the heart-felt emotion that the artist was trying to portray. I’m simple. Things like that don’t excite me and I don’t believe they ever will. With that being said, I love this statue. It totally rocks.

That’s right, girl. Shake what your sculptor gave you.

I love her pose. Her hands above her head and her hips cocked to the side. She’s sassy, confident and she’s flaunting her femininity. You can just see her attitude.

So you see, it’s not just a leg. It’s a woman. Ha. Men.

Welcome home, dirt.

18 Mar

Andrew was gone this past week. He was camping/playing in the mud/blowing things up/shooting stuff in the hills of Spain with some Spanish marines and his US Navy EOD team. He ate nothing but MRE’s and the snacks he could fit in his backpack. He slept out of a sleeping bag much like a cacoon. Only he didn’t come out like a butterfly. No, far from it.

Once his combat boots hit my front porch, off fell the mud and dirt from those filthy shoes.

But, you know what? Whether they’re clean or dirty, I happen to like those combat boots…

Because it means he’s home. My smoking hot husband, my BFF, the man who wears the pants in this family…

the dirty, dirty pants…

is home.

Polar Plunge

9 Feb

Saturday my sister took my crew and I to a Polar Plunge at Weaver Lake in Maple Grove, Minnesota. If you’ve never heard of a Polar Plunge, it’s where folks jump into a freezing lake in the middle of winter. Sound fun? Yeah, I didn’t think so either. I wondered what would bring people to do such a thing. Turns out the local law enforcement all over the US present these events to raise funds for the Special Olympics.

All sorts of people showed up to take the plunge. A total of 813 plungers to be exact.

Here are just a few…

Everyone had their own costume to plunge in. These fellas felt it best to wear only their unmentionables.

Another group of unfortunate plungers went in what they called their “jorts”. AS in jean shorts… get it? Because it took me a while.

Spread eagle belly flop.

One of these guys was wearing a hula skirt and coconut bra. Twas sexy.

And this guy. Well, his plunge was completely spur of the moment. He jumps out of planes, helicopters, works with explosives, and has climbed a mountain. It’s his personality to do off-the-wall, random things like this. And that’s just one of the three many reasons why I love him.

Andrew plunged with Mill City Church, my sisters church home here in Minneapolis. One of their members recently dedicated her life to Christ and felt that she wanted make the committment to Christ through baptism as soon as possible. Waiting until summer wasn’t an option for her, so she decided to get baptized Saturday during the Polar Plunge.

I don’t have a relationship with the woman who was baptized, but I am proud of her as her sister in Christ, that freezing temperatures could not stop her from professing her plunge into a relationship with Jesus Christ.

As much as I don’t want to type this: Andrew is not hot in this picture. He’s freezing! And so are these other plungers.

What a neat and wonderful experience!

 

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