Estamos aqui!

What a whirlwind the past week has been!

We had a million things to finish at our house in Colorado. My brother made a stop to pick up our grandfather’s dresser and take it to NM, along with a few other things, including a Harry Potter pot my mom made me years ago that I was sad to leave behind.

The boys and I flew to VA, where my mom picked us up and took us to NJ for two beach days with Lola and Grampy. We had perfect beach days and boardwalk nights.

Meanwhile, Chris loaded up our minivan with all of our worldly possessions, including our dog Penny.

We regrouped back in VA to visit with the Carroll side of the family! The boys especially loved spending time at the pool with their baby cousin and making her laugh with big splashes and dives.

I had to take Penny to stay with her former foster dog-mom, a wonderful woman named Robin. She had Penny before we adopted her, and always said she was “the one who got away”. She’s staying there while we get settled and can figure out the best situation for her. There might be issues for her relocating to Spain because she is a pit bull mix; however, for now, she is safe, happy, loved, and with awesome people.

Monday evening, we flew to Spain with no issues. We each watched a movie, ate our dinner and slept at least a little bit.

We loaded all our luggage into two taxis that were awaiting us, and got to check out our place. We already had mattresses, a couch, and some kitchen items delivered because we have been working with a relocation company. It was nice to not have a completely empty home on day one. We were briefed on all the keys and how to use the garage (which is a TIGHT SQUEEZE even with a small European car!!!). The boys immediately started unpacking and decorating their room.

Chris got us a rental car, and we were bleary eyed walking through IKEA to try and keep ourselves awake for the entire day.  We got true essentials: sheets, pillows, and towels. It would have been nice to pack these things from Colorado, but we were tight on the weight limit with our bags and I didn’t want to buy another suitcase.  We ended up taking 5 large suitcases, one portable soccer goal, and a carry on and personal item each.

After IKEA, we ventured to a grocery store and got hand soap, some fruit, ice cream (duh), yogurt, and a baguette. We figured we could survive until breakfast the next day.

I thought it would be really difficult to keep ourselves awake, but when we returned from IKEA, we decided to dip in the pool in our community space.  Soon, a few neighbors came out, and we were able to introduce ourselves using our terrible Spanish and their decent English. Colin and Will were playing soccer with some other boys for a few hours, and we were invited to a neighborhood potluck next week!  My brain was too tired to really communicate in Spanish, but at least we connected a little bit. 

Overall, I think it was an incredibly successful day one!

What is everyone curious about? I will write soon detailing all the things I’ve been saying incorrectly in Spanish 🙂