Tapas in Madrid

In order to beat the jetlag, we decided to get up before our bodies wanted to and show Sara a little of Madrid. We figured a day of walking around the city would make us tired enough to fall asleep earlier. And it worked (well, for the kids). We tried ordering tapas (finger foods) in the Plaza Mayor in the heart of Madrid. Here's a piece of advice: don't order tapas in the Plaza Mayor in the heart of Madrid! I think we had "American Suckers" written on our foreheads; and the bill ended up being outrageous. Despite my flawless Spanish articulation (ahem..hmm), they somehow must have realized we weren't locals! I don't know what could have tipped them off, do you?...

Yes, that is calamares (a fried squid tentacle) I am looking through. Yum. And don't order a hot dog in Spain; something gets lost in the translation...

Sara Jackson

One of the best parts about returning to Spain this time is the addition of Brian's sister! Sara has traveled back with us to live in Spain for a brief time. She has already been an incredible help, and we have enjoyed getting to spend so much time with her. Her visit has been an excuse to get out and see more of Spain, as you will see in upcoming entries. And, did I mention she bakes often? Here's a picture of the best-looking 4 in our little group of 5 on the subway:

Arrival

The trip went very well and the kids did a great job again on the airplane. Thank you to everyone who was praying for that. We did lose two boxes at the airport, but they arrived 3 days later at our front door. When we got home, 3 different people had made us meals, including our Spanish neighbor, Pequi, who made us an authentic Spanish tortilla which is like a potato omelet (as seen below). The jetlag was pretty severe, but overall the Lord blessed us with a very successful travel experience!

Highlights from our visit to the USA

OK, OK, OK. So we were negligent in our blog postings while we awaited our visas in the States. We just felt we had nothing much to report. But now that we are back in Spain, we will be faithful to let you know all about our experiences here. Before we start, here are just a few of the many highlights from our trip home...


24 hour layover in Philadelphia (might as well see the sights, right?):

Home in good old SoCal... Ransom and the boys battle the Dark Side of the Force:

Christmas with all the frills:

and hanging out with cousins (sunbathing in winter).

Also, we got to celebrate a late Thanksgiving, the 60th wedding anniversary of Brian's Gram & Gramps, several birthdays, nephews in recitals, Aunt Lauren's water polo games, and the exciting surprise return of Brian's sister, Sara, from Kazakhstan.

Back in Spain!

We are back in Spain, and in possession of visas! Now that we are here, we have to report into Madrid with our paperwork to make everything offical and get our residency cards. Once finalized, they will be good for a year in which time there is a renewal process. Thank you to all for your prayers for these to come through! Perhaps you can turn those petitions toward the residency process of the next month or so. We don't forsee problems, but one can never tell!