Skip to main content

Lions and Lambs

We have a saying in the States about March: it comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.  Wouldn't you know, it applies to Spain too!  We have had some really warm days when I busted out the old dusty flip flops and get to airing out my toes.  Then we woke up one day to SNOW!  First snow of the year, and we had no idea it was going to happen.  It was pretty exciting :)  It only snowed in a few of the neighborhoods, and we were one of those lucky few who got to see it.  There was enough stuck to the ground for Noah to make snowballs, and enough to freak Charlie out a bit.  It was Charlie's first snow!

20120321 8463
20120321 8462

We stayed inside and cleaned a bit, but mostly made much more mess than I am able to keep up with.  I took advantage of the cruddy weather to try potty training Brennan again.  No dice.  He did better, but he still doesn't understand.  I don't think he's aware of the sensations of having to use the bathroom yet.  He goes if I put him on the pot, but he pees his pants constantly because he has no idea it's happening.  We're going to give him until after we move I think.  Seems like a smarter idea anyway.

20120320 8469
20120320 8467
20120323 8460

Spring has officially sprung so we reinstated our Saturday's Unplugged.  The boys got to plant peppers and cucumbers while Josh and I played Rummy.  I missed sitting outside in the sun without getting cold.

20120324 8459

We've already begun dumping chemicals into the pool.  We figure we will probably get a good month out of it before we leave.  It will be a great way to end our time in Spain, and a great distraction for the boys while they are packing up the household goods.

20120319 8447

We have until mid-April to get the house semi-presentable for inspection.  Our late landlord's son is taking over the pre-inspection and all other paperwork for the house.  We'll know by then what we are expected to fix before we move out in June.  We want to make sure the house looks presentable so that this good family doesn't have to worry about one more thing.  We're a little nervous about it honestly.  We don't know him and don't know how much he spoke with his father about the condition of the home before we moved in... but, what can you do.  He speaks English very well and that's a huge relief!  I think everything is going to turn out just fine.  It always does.  We are good people.  We remain positive and try to keep things in perspective when we struggle, and we are constantly being blessed so we must be doing something right.  We're nervous, but we're not worried.  If I could clean this house and have it stay clean for at least a day I'd be happy, but that's never going to happen.  It all seems so pointless and it just makes me mad.

Spring break here is about to begin.  It's one of the biggest travel holidays in Spain and around Europe. We're hoping to do a bit of travel ourselves, but probably not as far out as we had hoped.  Popular holidays are expensive ones, and as aforementioned, there are many expenses coming our way.  We already found white eggs to color and we have plenty of cleaning to do.  Hopefully over the break we'll have a nice balance of fun activities and responsible grown-up preparations for this huge move.

In the last 3 years Delta has not changed their regulations for traveling with pets.  Our big dogs are going to have to fly out earlier than us, as checked baggage or cargo, and stay with someone for a couple months until we get there... unless we want to risk it and wait until after May 15th and hope the weather is on our side, which seems like a ridiculous risk to take.  First they need check-ups and Charlie's gotta get snipped.  We also need to ship Josh's car out-of-pocket again, which means getting him to Barcelona (and back).  The military only pays for one car to be shipped.  Additionally we're going to be traveling en route to visit family all over the USA and are trying to time it just right so our van will be in the states when we arrive.  Then all we have to worry about is gas, food, and a couple hotels between stops when needed.  So much to do (and pay for).   At least now we're aware of all the additional expenses and are prepared.  It took us 2 years to get out of the hole of debt we were thrown into from moving here.  This time we're tackling smaller chunks of expenses at a time, which is considerably easier on the pocketbook.

Josh will be going out to DC alone to buy a house, while I stay here with the kidlets and take Noah to his last days of school.  We might be able to kill 2 birds with one stone and have him take the dogs out with him and drop them off at their temporary home (to be determined).  Closing on a VA loan takes 45-60 days, and we want to have the house when we arrive.  I wish we could all go, but thank god for the internet!  There are so many things to take care of that hinge upon other things being taken care of, which are waiting for paperwork to be handled.  It's like we're setting up a trail of dominoes and a few keep falling, but not in the right spot so half are still standing, and we have to carefully put them back and wait on someone to tap that first one... meanwhile we're adding more and more to the end.  It's really not as bad as it sounds.  We're so used to this "hurry up and wait" game that we've become experts at planning for all possible outcomes.

There you go!  Now everyone knows what's up with us :)

Comments

Sassyfrass said…
Love that shot of Brennan on the bed!

Popular posts from this blog

Hurricane Sandy

This will be a gleefully uneventful post, but I thought I should at least inform everyone of our whereabouts during Frankenstorm. On Friday the landfall predictions were further south, which had the eye passing near our tiny town after obliterating Dover, DE.  We happen to be surrounded by water.  The Patuxent River on one side, Chesapeake Bay on the other, plenty of swamps and creeks in between.  Not a good prospect. Josh and I had gone out that night to try and secure supplies and already, there were no batteries or flashlights.  We also don't have a grill and thought "we'll try Lowe's tomorrow"I mean, most people already own grills... right?  Everything in our house is run on electricity (including the water pump for the well) except for the fireplace.  I don't know what builders are thinking when they do that.  I at least want a gas stove and water heater!  So, anyways.  We got a few hours of sleep before trying to brave the crowds...

Germany

Noah and I are having a great time out in Germany with Josh. The house we're sharing is amazing and the people are also amazing. The only thing we don't have is our own kitchen, but like I said, the people who live here (Josh's friends) are amazing so it's not even an issue. I've been cooking for everyone to try to thank them in some way. We haven't been to many places yet. It's hard to go anywhere with a baby who has a naptime and a husband who has a job. However!! We managed to make it out to Heidelberg to see the castle. It was awesome. the walk up to the castle mmmm castle Heidelberg down below Christmas is huge here. They've even got Christmas markets out in the parking lot in front of WalMart. We've been to Luisenplatz a few times in downtown Darmstadt to visit all the Christmas shops they have set up. It's like a Christmas flea market. Thus far all I've blown money on is candy... mmmm German candy is so delicious. It's...

Hiking on the Guadarrama Trail

As promised yesterday, I actually left the house and went on a hike with Mama C and Goober!  YAY! I was a bad Mommy and ill prepared to shield us from the hot Spanish sun so we all have a touch of sunburn.  Whoops.  It was fun though.  OK so here's where we began our journey.  You can see the bridge between the roundabout and the little house with a red roof (which is a restaurant).  All the cylindrical buildings were a plant nursery.  We walked over the bridge and past the nursery where we crossed the street and then started up the dirt path.  The other little building is literally a Gypsy Keep. Here's what it looked like from the road... and it was so ridiculously creepy, yet fascinating.  I don't know why there is always tons of junk in trees around gypsy places.  There was a gutted van in the backyard, a stroller jammed into a wall, shorts in the trees.  We both wanted to trespass, but the kids would have inevitably fal...