The Rain in Spain Falls Mainly on the Plain

Derek served his mission in Madrid Spain. He loved it and really hasn't stopped talking about how cool Spain was since he returned home 10 years ago. So when his mission president organized a reunion in Madrid Derek was thrilled and I was excited to see all the places he talks about so often. Here is a little summary of some of the things we did and saw.

We spent most of the time in Madrid. I loved Retiro Park with the lake and shade and funky statues. It's the best place to eat a Magnum Bar (if you have been to Europe you know what I'm talking about).

These are pictures of the Post office that looks like a castle, Us at the Prado Museum, downtown doing some shopping, Sunday Church with President Shallenburger's family and the Linton's (mission buddy of Derek's), Derek outside one of the pisos he lived in and the Madrid symbol-a bear eating berries out of tree (don't ask me why).
It was fun getting to know the other couples. I was worried that it would be a bunch of missionaries swapping stories in spanish the whole trip but it wasn't like that at all. I really like the other wives and enjoyed the time we were together as a group. We had a good balance of group time and time alone to explore and be together.

Pres. Shallenburger chartered a couple bus trips for us which was a great way to travel to some of the near by cities. This is Toledo. It is high on a hill with lots of windy little streets to walk around. There is a castle there and a cathedral of course. "Holy Toledo" it was a cool little place.

Then we bussed over to Consuegra, The windmills of La Mancha. Yes, these are the very windmills that good ol' Don Quixote tried to battle. This was one of my favorite sites.

Derek was in Madrid when the Temple was dedicated and he got to be part of the event. It was really fun for him to see it again. It is a beautiful building that is amazing inside. I loved being there.

The next bus trip was to Segovia. It is famous for it's Roman aqua duct. It is just amazing that something build so long ago is still standing. It is so tall and runs 2 miles long. I could never do that math it took to build such a thing.

Segovia also has an amazing castle with a mote and everying. The mote was empty but still quite a site. Apparently they modeled the castle at Disney World after it. Many movies have been filmed there. In fact on the plane ride home we recognized this castle.

We also caught a bull fight once back in Madrid. It was kinda cool. I really thought I would hate it, but it was interesting to figure out. We saw 5 different bulls fight and 2 others get washed up. We were the only ones rooting for the bulls....they never won.

These are a few random pictures of tiny cars, the great walled city of Avila, the Plaza Mayor in Salamanca and Derek's favorite lunch- ham.

When it was time to leave we were ready to go home. The day before I was starting to have a tummy ache so we went back to the hotel to nap. I woke up not feeling much better. Then we called home and talked to cooper who had slept through most of our calls home. And just hearing his little voice made me happy. It wasn't until we hung up that I realized that my tummy ache had gone way. I was just home sick for my little boys.

We brought back presents. Some Lladro for us. They made a beautiful Christus for the church which we don't have a safe place for at the moment, but some day we will be glad we have it. And stuffed bulls aka Ferdinand, and puzzles and soccer jerseys for the boys.

We got home to a sparkling clean house with cut flowers at the kitchen sink and fresh sheets to slide right into. My mom took great care of the boys and they had so much fun with her. She really is an wonderful grandma to our boys. I know that she worked hard over here too. These little guys know how to keep you on your toes. So I thank Dad and Derek's parents for helping out when they could too. We could never have gone on such a great trip with out all of you. Thank you thank you thank you!