The "FUN" has just arrived....

Alright, so I definitely gave up on this blog a little early (just like my dad predicted), and I apologize!! But I promise I will come home and share all of my pictures and stories in person! :)

But, I thought it would be a little interesting to share this last week and a few last memories. The family, which includes my mother, Tammy, my grandmother, Jo Jo, and my aunt Sherilyn arrived last Wednesday in Madrid and I have been taking them all over the city! They're already complaining!!

Day 1: I find my mother and Sherilyn waiting outside the hotel with anxious looks, because I arrive 30 minutes past schedule and my mother is FREAKING out!! I mean it's not like I've been living on my own for the past four months or anything? We were all excited to see each other. We had dinner in Madrid and got ready for our next day on the bus tour.

Day 2: Bus tour through Madrid! A little rain, but no complaints...cept maybe Grandma, because she's ALWAYS cold! ;) The sun did come out a little, particularly when we sat outside the palace for tapas and beer. Grandma even managed to strike up a conversation with a couple on their honeymoon. The moment I left for the bathroom she really got into her stories and even went as far as walking over to their table to show a picture of her "handsomely, good looking" (which is no lie) husband/my grandfather, who she's been married to for 55 years. Grandma's quote of the day: "When in Spain, do as the Spaniards do." ?? We're still trying to figure out what that is of course.

Day 3: Incident of the day, so far the trip: WE LOST SHERILYN!! However, Sherilyn insists, "I wasn't lost, you guys were lost." She managed to make it back to the hotel to meet us before we had to get to the train station for our departure to Barcelona. We took the AVE train from Madrid to Barcelona and arrived in the early evening. We took a trip over to my home stay to meet my Senora Eli and pick up the rest of my luggage. Of course my mother cried as soon as she met her and was so thankful of her for taking care of me the past few months. They liked the area I lived in and we discussed meeting my Senora for dinner on Wednesday night with her mother. Our first night we didn't have the best paella experience, but the restaurant was very nice right on the water by the port.

Day 4: We got a later start, but walked down by the water up to the Christopher Columbus statue and down Las Rambla. A few souvenirs were purchased and we tried our hands at bargaining, until my mother, Tammy, knocked over one of the dolls and broke it. After picking up our our tour tickets in Placa Catalunya and making a few more purchases we sat down at a restaurant in Las Rambla for some Sangria and tapas. Ordering the HUGE glasses seemed like a good idea...until we stood up to leave...silly us. The large group of women were celebrating one of the girls 50th birthday and we each took pictures of each group. That night we tried the restaurant next to the one the night before and were very satisfied. However, Grandma's quote of the day..."One of these days I would just really like a McDonald's hamburger."...She's still waiting for that one.

Day 5, today: We traveled to Montserrat, and everyone loved it!! We got in at the end of the service and listened to the oldest boys choir in the world. Grandma managed to work her way up for communion and after says, "I felt like I died and went to heaven." "I'll think of mozzarella or manzana for Montserrat"...because she couldn't remember how to say Montserrat. When we got back we ate near Placa Espanya and then walked back to the port and along the water to our hotel. Last night we started a game of Rummy, and decided to make it an ongoing game. I would just like to provide a little bit of what I’ve been listening to the past few days…“My foot hurts” “My toe hurts” “I’m having hot flashes” “I WANT MORE WINE”…someone please SAVE ME! I thought I was ready to go home, but I think I’ll just stay here for a few more months…

Ha ha, but of course I’m still having fun!! :)