Back in the U S of A!

Welcome home to us! :) I apologize for not blogging until now....our internet connection in Spain was awful and I spent most of yesterday doing laundry, cleaning up, grocery shopping, and taking care of an almost 3 year old who was soooo tired but I would NOT let go to sleep so that we could try to get him back on a regular schedule.

Instead of writing paragraph after paragraph about our trip, Renzi and I made a "highlights" list so I will list it here and briefly explain each one so you can get an idea about our trip overseas.

Highlights and Thoughts

Jordan.....

-Petra (as previously blogged)

-Mt. Nebo (as previously blogged)

-Turkish Coffee (as previously blogged)

-Camel and Horse rides up the mountain at Petra (as previously blogged)

-King Abdullah (as previously blogged)

-Nutella, my new fav obsession..I know I am totally late on this, but that is what was served at each meal in Jordan, everywhere we went. LOVE this stuff. If you haven't tried it, seriously, go to the grocery store now and buy it. NOW. GO.

-The kids of Kings Academy...these kids were absolutley amazing and were obsessed with Jackson. Everywhere we went they would yell out, "Jackson! Like Michael Jackson!"

-Ali the Petra guide...amazingly bright man who walked the tour with us.

-Sam the Driver...amazing man who kept us safe and who Jackson now thinks should be driving us everywhere here at home.

-Lighting candles for Isaiah in Madaba, Jordan and at Mt. Nebo.

-I would also just like to point out an observation about the Middle East in general. The ME smells has a slight smell of B.O. (yes body odor) everywhere. Renzi rolls his eyes everytime I say this, but its true!

Spain....

Oh Spain, how I love you. This country is way underated and I feel like everyone should take a trip there ASAP. I heart Spain.

-French Fries and Eggs....seriously one of the staples....french fries, fried eggs on top and smoke sausage. Delish.

-Tinto De Verona...the most wonderful drink. Its red wine, sparkling water with Sugar and orange slices. Renzi drank this the entire time we were there. Even for breakfast. I kid, I kid.

-GELATO. My fav flavor was nutella gelato. :)

-Victory "Futbol" celebration number one...we arrived to Spain last Wednesday evening...the night that Spain beat Germany during the World Cup. The place went nuts. People in fountains and in the streets cheering for hours. I have never seen anything like it.

-Victory "Futbol" celbration number two...we were there Sunday when Spain beat Nederlands for the World Cup! Again, people went nuts.

-Barcelona Demonstration....we were in Barcelona during the 1.5 million people demonstration that they had downtown where our hotel was. The people of Barcelona feel that they should be a seperate "state" from the rest of Spain (short version), so all of these people gathered in downtown Barcelona for a peaceful demonstration. People everywhere. We have video we will post soon of us in the middle of the demonstration.

-The beach. Everyone was naked. Seriously, naked. Jackson told me when we first got there that "that man needs clothes." I totally agreed with you buddy. What an experience. Oh, and we kept our clothes on.

-Train rides galore. We rode the train to Toledo, Barcelona and back to Madrid. What beautiful scenery and Jackson loved the train.

-Royal Palace of Spain. We saw actual thrones!

-Toledo, Spain. Beautiful town with cathedrals, synagogues and museums.

-Prado museum.

-Picasso Museum.

-Lighting candles for Isaiah at the cathedral in Toledo.

-And last, but not least, Maria....Maria was our tour guide in Spain recomended to us by our friends Bond and Lori Payne here in OKC. She may have been the best part of the trip. She took care of us in Spain and taught us so much about everything Spain had to offer. We learned more from her than we ever would have on our own or hiring any tour guide at a museum, etc. She is such a wonderful, caring, beautiful woman and she was so good to us. Thank you Maria for guiding us and for being our new friend. We love you!

So, that's it for now.....I have tons of pictures I need to post, but we bought a new camera in Madrid and I can't figure out how to work the "European" plugs on it, so it will take me a bit to figure all of it out. What an amazing experience it was for all of us to travel abroad and to spend time together. I feel like this came at such a perfect time in our lives and it was so good to get away. We are still hurting from losing Isaiah, but I feel like each day that passes and with each new experience we have leads us closer to healing.

Much love to everyone!

Lee Anne