Dormant Ocean: Instagram Update: August 2015

Mäkin sua! Nähdään pian!

Said goodbye to my missionary this morning. There isn't a word to adequately describe that emotion. I love him so much, and I am so proud of the man he is becoming.

Coolest pilots ever!! They let Torah "fly" the plane & help with the pre-flight check.
@americanair

Hola from Hostal Luz in Madrid. We're here; we're exhausted; ready for this adventure!

Spent the day exploring the highlights of Segovia - an amazing Roman aqueduct, a stunningly flamboyant cathedral, and Alcazar (the castle that Cinderella's castle is modeled after).

Just checked Micah & Russ into EFY-Spain. They are going to have a fun week!
#ihope #onlyEnglishspeakingkidshere

This is pretty much going to be breakfast, lunch & dinner for the next few months. Add in some fresh fruit, fantastic European yogurt & wash it down with Coke Light (way better than diet Coke!), and we have the best cheap eats on the planet!
#breadmeatcheese #grocerystoredining
(Thanks to Adana for teaching Torah how to pose in pictures.)

Coolest park! It just has a huge pile of boulders to climb on.

THIS is what I hoped for in bringing my kids to live in a foreign country! Torah played with these kids for an hour. They invented a cute game where the dad would throw them the ball, they would pass it to each other, then roll it down the slide. All in Spanish! They all shouted "Adios!" to each other when we had to leave.

Tonight's dinner at a local hole-in-the-wall near our favorite park. My awesome little travel buddy devoured it!
#cheapeatsrule!

Fun evening playing tag! Torah learned that "Corre!" means "Run!" And we have our first play date - they asked us to come back to play tomorrow.
#freerangekidsinSpain

Taxi. Bus. Metro. Metro. Bullet train. Commuter train. Taxi. Long travel day, but finally made it to the Mediterranean coast.

The only wifi in this hotel is found in the lobby. So we're sitting here with all the other hotel guests, all on our devices. I should be able to come up with a clever hashtag for this situation, but my brain is fried.

Walked down to the Mediterranean Sea this evening. It's 7pm, HOT, and HUMID. Makes me miss Pritchard beach.

Last night's flamenco dancers. Impressive! They were drenched with sweat from doing it for an hour in this crazy heat!

Torah loves being Micah's pool toy.
#crazy4yearoldgirl

Travel may seem exciting & glamorous until you find yourself spending yet another afternoon stuck in a hotel room because your little travel buddy fell asleep on the couch.
#siesta #shewillbereadytoplaytonight

Karaoke night. A little boy went up to sing "Let It Go," so Torah walked right up on the stage in the middle of his song, grabbed a microphone, and stole the show!

Beach day.

Back in Madrid, still eating our bread & cheese.
#9pmdinner #awesomepeoplewatchingspot

A Madrid favorite: churros dipped in HOT thick dark chocolate. Yeah, this'll be a nightly treat.

Desayuno Español (Spanish breakfast): toast drizzled with olive oil then smeared with (or dipped in) crushed tomatoes. Delicious! Served with fresh-squeezed OJ.

Stunning Madrid temple!

Tried a new chocolateria tonight. Torah & I opted for Porras Con Chocolate (the boys got churros). They were HUGE! I don't even want to know how much weight I've gained this trip.

Holy Toledo! Such a fantastic, rustic town. This cathedral was absolutely amazing! (That's Torah waving her arms down at the bottom.)

Found Micah's dopplegänger in the cathedral.

Not exactly what I expected when I ordered the "Burger" pizza. But it was delicious!

Stuck watching this incredible futbol match on a crappy hotel TV while Micah & Russ are watching it live at Santiago Bernabeu stadium.
#RealMadridvsGalatasaray #sojealous #notsurewhichteamtocheerfor #lovethemboth

Last day in Madrid. Last day with Russ. We'll miss them both!
#visitorswelcome #cometoSpain

Going native.
#nooneunder10wearsatop

In honor of Nathan ... Grilled eggplant tapas drizzled with molasses. And a venti refresher at the end of a look walk in sweltering heat.
#HurryAndGetHereSoWeCanEatTogether

We love our new ward!
#SevillaBarrio1 #westillmissourBainbridgeward

Dinner tonight across the street from our apartment.
#9pm #nofilter

This was a fantastic find just a short walk/bus ride from our home! A lot the same, a lot different.
#eggsandmilkarenotrefrigerated #mochafreezeandpizzatastethesame

I sent Micah to the market to get something for dinner. He came back with onions, garlic, potatoes, bread & this. Neither of us knew what it was, but he said there was lots of it in the fish department, so let's give it a try. I sautéed it up with the onion & garlic and served it with mashed potatoes. Not bad!

Elder Russell reports to the Missionary Training Center today. He will serve the wonderful people of Turkey for 2 years. Thank goodness for FaceTime so we could be a part of it. We love him so much, and we are so excited for him!

Happy Birthday to my favorite 17-year old! Chill. Funny. Considerate. Devoted big brother. Thoughtful. Tender. Micah has always been a unique guy and I have fully enjoyed being able to hang out with him this past month.

Found this little beauty on clearance at a local store. It's been a challenge trying to find charcoal & fire starter, but we finally did! Hooray for BBQ on a rooftop in Seville!!