Our last day went as well as it could have. Noah was at school most of the day so he was blissfully unaware of the cleaning frenzy that was happening back at home. I don't think I even saw Josh most of the day. We were always in a different room getting something finished. The boys watched movies all day... sorta. They whined a lot, which is completely understandable since there was nothing to do and neither of us was able to give them much attention. They were propped in the living room while strangers roamed around to get the loaner furniture and appliances out of the way.
We had some friends show up to help us out. Cheryl took away most of the trash and extra 220v valuables we didn't have the heart to throw into a dumpster. Our buddy Rolando gave Josh and our mountain of luggage a ride to the hotel to check in. As luck would have it on the way there they saw an awful accident and became the first responders. A small van struck a man while he was working outside next to a big metal dumpster... it was bad. They both have Army training and there was a medkit in the car with a pressure bandage. Josh and Rolando were holding this guy's head together until the ambulance arrived, checking for additional injuries, checking his pulse, keeping him still and stable as best they could. Surprisingly the guy never lost consciousness. He was alive when they took him away, which had a lot to do with Rolando and Joshua I'm sure. Once the ambulance showed up the EMT's pushed them away so off they went to the hotel as previously planned. It was around 5 when they got there. We were expecting the landlords at 5:30ish. I had already picked Noah up and had almost all the floors washed. Cutting it close!!!
I let the kids swim once Noah got home and I rushed around tossing the remaining towels and cleaning supplies into the garage. Noah is the only one who ever goes into the pool so I thought the other 2 would be fine, but I was freaking out. Every swipe with the mop I listened for little voices. It was not fun, but what could I do. They found their DS's 5 minutes later anyway and were done swimming haha. I finished mopping and walked the house to take pictures (to help them sell or rent later on). I was taking the last picture of the inside of the master bathroom when I noticed the mirror was filthy!! The one room Josh did. DAMMIT JOSH!!! I started down he steps to grab something to wipe it down. Then they showed up. Right on time. "Hey! I was just taking pictures for you guys! Let me go check on my kids... go ahead and walk around. I'll be right back". I scrambled to find a roll of paper towels and ran up there after telling Noah to keep everyone out of the way. I made it! I got it done. None the wiser... well it was a little smudged but whatever. I was a sweaty, red-faced, nasty mess. I felt like an idiot. I apologized for being so unkempt. They just laughed and said "no no no don't worry!". They were just like their father! :) Sigh of relief.
They walked through the whole house and said everything was great. We were square. No more money from us. Relief washed over me. I almost cried. We might have to cover the utilities once they show up if some estimates are more than expected blah blah blah... point is they weren't being mean, they were being pretty fair. We talked for awhile until the gardener showed up. Thankfully they're sticking with him. He's awesome and he has a family to care for so I was pleased to hear he'd still have that income to count on. Josh finally showed up at 6ish I think. I don't know. I had lost all concept of time.
We were at the house with them until around 8pm. Rolando stuck around and distracted the kids while we did all the paperwork and deal-cutting. We turned over the keys, gave our goodbyes, and shut the gate. Then I remembered I hadn't taken any pictures of the yard... "WAIT! The yard's the best part!!" ::snap snap snap::... and then we were off.
Brennan fell asleep almost immediately. We arrived 8:30ish, settled in around 9 after ooing and aahing about our amenities. Josh made dinner while I bathed the kids. We got food on the table at 9:30, kids in bed by 10:30... they passed right out. Josh and I snuck over to the lounge (right next to our room) and had a glass of wine before bed. The view was amazing. The hotel is an apartment. I can't believe people stay at the crappy i-Hotel in one tiny room. There are plenty of other options! STAY HERE!!!! It's insane. Beautiful. Has everything anyone needs and is geared towards families.
There is a kids area in the lounge that hosts movie nights with free popcorn from 6-9pm. They have toys and board games. The rooms have high chairs & a portacrib. There are 2 bedrooms, a full kitchen, dining room, eat-in kitchen, 2 bathrooms, AC, free wifi, cable. It's next to Retiro Park, Plaza Cibeles, Puerte de Alcala (most famousest arch in Madrid). The lounge has a view of the Correos building, one of the prettiest areas in Spain. Josh did a great job picking it out. The metro system is easy to use and will get us wherever we need to go. Noah's school has buses that come downtown. We are going to have a great final week in Spain being at this place. I'll get better pictures tonight!
Our friend Rudy is back in town for a bit so we got to see him today. The boys are climbing all over him while he's hibernating after a long trip. It's great to see him again. He offered to watch the boys for us here while we have a date... well, if you insist! ;)
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