the sun was a joke. just a sick sick joke.

Madrid, Spain

La Casa de Santibanez

El 18 de Febrero, 2008

12:19pm (5:19am Denton time)

man. Ok. Well, I’m definitely still very much craving pizza. I don’t think I’ll be able to get some this week like I was planning though, because I decided to go to Toledo anyways. haha. So that just means that I can’t spend ANY money for a good week or so… that’s ok. It’s dreary outside anyways. extremely cold and pretty dark and it’s drizzly raining. I don’t really want to be in that anyways. although that really does make the internet availability diminish down to nothing… can’t very well go sit on my potted plant and use the computer when it’s raining… haha… oh well. I’ll live. I’ve got a lot of Spanish studying and a big, thick novel to keep me company.

Oh, my new addiction is definitely chocolate covered peanuts and chocolate covered raisins. I’ve always liked both of them, BUT since I’ve been here, it is necessary for me to have a bag (from the little candy shops where you scoop out the amount that you want of each candy and then they just weigh it to see how much you owe…) with one scoop of raisins and one scoop of peanuts to have handy for reading time J kind of like eating popcorn while watching a movie… I find it necessary for me to have my chocolate/raisin/peanut fix with my books J haha. Don’t worry – I limit my intake per day that I eat them… I don’t let myself get carried away. Although if I’m honest, it’s probably more because I don’t have an unending supply of money to support my habit as opposed to it being because of them not being the most healthy of choices to indulge in so much… haha

OH! So the family is back in Spain from Las Vegas now. The kids went back to school today and we started lessons again last night (I teach Sundays through Thursdays in case I haven’t already said that…). They had SUCH a great time! It’s so fun listening to the kids’ stories. They stayed at two hotels. One was the “New York, New York” and I don’t know if they told me the name of the other one. They got to ride the roller coaster that is inside the hotel, and it was their first roller coaster ride! They were cracking me up at dinner the other night when they were telling me about it. It was so funny. Veronica kept saying how she thought that Eduardo would have screamed like this: “AHHHHH” (she screamed in a lower tone, like a boy), but instead, “He screamed just like me! Like EEEEEEEEAAHHHHHHH!!!! (in a really high-pitched girlie scream)!” HAHAHA every time she would tell the story he would crack up even harder because it was true and he couldn’t deny it. He kept telling me how he was sitting in the roller coaster. He told me that the safety bar came down across their laps and he just crossed his arms on top of it and buried his face in his arms and screamed and screamed! Hahaha

I told them that they need to come to visit me in Texas and we’ll go to Six Flags. J they all asked me what that was and I told them that it was a HUGE park just FULL of different roller coasters to ride. They all (Paloma included) looked at me with this look of awe and horror mixed into one. Hahahaha J good times.

OH so we went to Toledo yesterday! We took the bus, and the trip was only one hour each way! AND the tickets were only 7,90 euros (they use the comma instead of the period to separate the euros from cents. Just so you don’t think I typed the wrong key… J) for a round trip ticket! Pretty awesome. I had to head back earlier than the rest of them because I was the only one that had to teach on Sunday. Boo. Bit at least I got to go! We met up with some friends, Christopher and Mike, at the bus station. Caitlin met Christopher on her flight to Madrid last month. His dad is a Delta pilot so he takes off random weekends from University of Ohio, I think? Something like that…just to travel and visit mike and such. J so awesome. And Mike is Christopher’s friend from high school who just happens to be doing the exact same thing that WE’re doing here. He’s a language tutor for a family that lives only about 10 minutes away from Caitlin’s family! So cool. Anyways. it was fun hangin with those guys. They’re a blast. Aaron, I think that you and Mike would really get along. I hope you get to meet him when you’re here J He’s hilarious.

So I did have to go home early, but I did get to take some great pictures before I left. After that, I’ll just totally jack pictures from everyone else’s facebook albums J haha. But I got to ride the bus home to Madrid by myself, and that was actually kind of cool. I listened to some Shane and Shane. Man. They are so good. I think I forget how good they are, sometimes… they are so good it’s ridiculous. I adore their harmonies. It was so hard to not sing along out loud to my headphones… hahaha. But anyways. I was just listening to some Shane and Shane and enjoying the amazing scenery as we drove back to Madrid. Basically a cool time of just worship and acknowledging the Lord for the crazy awesome things that he has created and allowed us (humans) to create over the last thousand years or so… man. It’s so crazy. So, all in all, pretty good trip! J

Oh, will you be praying for more opportunity to serve for me here at the house? It seems like I just don’t have a lot of opportunity for it, and when I do see one, it gets shot down… since Ani does all of the cleaning already, and like just a few minutes ago I tried to see if I could at least help Paloma put away the groceries, and she would just rather do it herself because she can do it faster or something… that’s fine and I understand, but I’m just trying to have something to do so that I can interact with you instead of having to just got back up to my room, alone. You know? It’s fine. My feelings aren’t hurt or anything. I’m just kind of at a loss here sometimes…

Also, one of Ani’s grandparents passed away on Saturday, so if you would be praying for her. I can tell it’s really hard on her. And it’s so hard to comfort someone…especially when you don’t speak the language, or really know them extremely well, you know? So anyways, that would be great if you guys could be praying for those things J

Madrid, Spain

La Casa de Santibanez

El 18 de Febrero, 2008

2:56pm (7:56am Denton time)

Ok so I have this new game I’m playing with myself… it’s a scavenger hunt for serving… haha I’m awesome. J

It’s actually really fun. It’s hard. This is continuing from the prayer request to have ways open up to serve here… I just got one. J haha. I hope that it doesn’t bit me in the butt somehow and make anyone mad… you really never know here… BUT… how lunch works, is that the kids come home for school for lunch, then paloma eats by herself, then she hollers upstairs and tells me I can eat, then… weird, I know. But whatever. then, I guess Ani eats later? I’m not really sure yet. Regardless, TODAY, when I was just down there studying and eating my lunch, I noticed that all of the dishes were just left in the sink after Paloma was done with them. Obviously left for Ani to clean up after… SO… I take this as an answered prayer, and quickly and quietly do all of the dishes from lunch before Ani can come in, figure out what I’m doing and tell me to stop! haHA! I win J hahaha. It was actually really fun. It’s like a challenge to do these things without anyone catching me. Almost like I’m doing something wrong… but I’m not. At least I don’t think I am… haha.

So anyways. basically, I had an answered prayer just now. Now I’m just praying that Ani doesn’t get upset with me for doing it… and that Paloma doesn’t find out and then tell me to stop helping Ani… (to “stop doing her job”, I can hear her saying”. Ok. I’ll let you know how that goes.

I’m liking this whole “make up new silly games to keep yourself occupied” thing J haha. LOVE YOU!

Whoa. PLUS I just realized that I left denton exactly ONE MONTH from today, to begin my Spanish Journey that I am currently in the middle of… so weird! ONE ENTIRE MONTH! Really doesn’t seem like it’s been that long! And, yet, it kind of feels like april will never get here… not that I’m homesick or anything. I’m really actually doing quite well in that area. But I am definitely ready to be with the people that I love once again. See, I’m convinced that if they would just all be here? Well, then I’d be totally fine staying here forever J

I love traveling, by the way. I hope that I’m able to travel more often than I know I’ll be able to… it’s so awesome. Different cultures. Different “stuff”. Different traditions… you know, just all of it. I love it.

Also, we (the girls and i) are planning a Texas Roadtrip. We want as many people as want to, to come. The plan thus far is to hit every area of Texas and to only stay with people that we know, and their families. We figure we’ve got most of them covered… North Texas (Caitlin), East Texas (moi!), West Texas (Katie), McAllen Area (I think one of their roomies?), San Antonio Area (Leanne), Austin Area (tons of people), etc. we’re pretty excited about it, so you guys get to saving some moolah so that you can be a part of this exciting and awesome adventure. Deal? Ok awesome! J we want to pretend like we’re tourists and know nothing about texas. To look at it with fresh, un-monotonous (is that a word? I’m not sure. I may have just made it up… Haha) eyes. You know what I mean? Like, you live in one place for so long that you just get USED to everything around you. You never really experience it for how awesome it really can be. You just know that it’s near you or around you so it’s just “another thing to do in texas…” yeah, but think about the people from the rest of the world! Or even the rest of the united states! They don’t get to experience Texas everyday, so when they get the chance to see it, it’s SO AWESOME for them! I want to explore Texas the way we’ve been exploring Spain and the way that we’re planning on exploring the rest of Europe, should we get the chance, you know?? Anyways, I’m really excited about it. I really want it to happen, so you guys get pumped up, and when we get back, we’ll set a date and just plain do it J maybe some time this summer. That would be awesome. Then we could swim in rivers and stuff. Oh yeah J it’ll be like our Austin/San Antonio trips only way better! J

Ok I’m done rambling on and on about that… I love you guys! I hope to hear from you soon… I haven’t heard from a lot of you in a long time… it’s weird. L I miss you!

p.s. Katie, are you as sore as I am??? Good heavens!!! I don’t think I’ve woken up with my body as sore as it was when I woke up today in a VERY VERY VERY long time… it’s so unreal… I could NOT figure out what in the world would have made me so sore! BUT… I think it’s probably from the other day when we went to the Parque de Retiro (BEAUTIFUL!!!) and took a bunch of “jumping” pictures… haha. We stood on this bench and took pictures of us doing different jumping poses… like hmm… 1. Frog Jump, 2. Spidey Jump (oh yeah. Totally B.A. J), 3. kung fu jump, etc. it was awesome! Haha

and so couple THAT experience with (after doing that AND walking around for hours, again…)going, the very next day, to Toledo which is pretty much ALL mountains/hills. Its extremely beautiful, but really tiring when you’re walking ALL Uphill going into the city. Haha. Man. I seriously didn’t realize how many steps/hills we walked up until I headed back by myself to the bus station in the afternoon! Man! I had to sort of jog down the hills/steps to keep from falling forward. NOT exaggerating for once in my life. Haha J I know. It’s an accomplishment J anyways. I think those things put together in the past two days totally gave my body the intense workout that it hasn’t seen in years! Haha. I got up to pee this morning (nice, I know… sorry.. but it’s true! Haha) and I felt almost as stiff as I used to after the first day or two of cheerleading camp! Whoa doggy, talk about SORE… man. I never want to re-live those days… no thank you! Haha.

So… basically… I’m sore… J the end. J