Last weekend

Some photos from Aranjuez. You can check out more on Rachel's Picasa Albums.

NewBuddies in Aranjuez

This past weekend we took a little trip to Aranjuez.  There is a very nice castle there with an Island Garden.  It was a great Saturday morning getaway for our little family and a few good friends.  

Angel Matesanz and his wife Janeen gave us the idea, and the ride there and back.  We also have good times playing cards or Catan with them on occasion.

The weather was just right.  A little breezy and little warm - just enough to appreciate how cool it was inside the castle's stone walls.  All the walls were covered with paper or huge tapestries, or padded with velvet.  It felt very royal.  The only thing I didn't like was that in most of the rooms the ceiling was painted too.  With all the already ostentatious decoration, having the ceiling painted(or tiled or gilded) made me feel almost imprisoned in the art-I wanted to open a window.  I was relieved when we came to rooms without decorated ceilings.

The most interesting room in the castle, to me at least, was the showcase of the royal wedding gowns.  These are "modern" gowns, worn by the present queen and the two princesses of Spain, along with the dress of the Crown Princess - my personal favorite.

After a quick tour of the castle (it was already past 2p.m. when we entered) we headed out to look for lunch.  Miriam and the two little boys who came with us were getting antsy for some food, so we found a place quickly, got them their lunches and ate tasty sandwiches.  After that we headed back to Alcalá, and Jorge and Miriam and I fell asleep in the backseat.  

Lots of walking+good food+continuous vibrations+concierto de Aranjuez= zzzzZZZzzzzZZzzzz

That afternoon we went out with Beatriz and her daughter Samira.  It was really windy at the park, with a lot of dust in the wind too, so we decided to go to a sanwicherie with an indoor play yard.  Miriam was the youngest baby there, but she had a great time crawling and pulling up on everything and everyone.  I even sat her on a little rocking horse/teeter totter and she held on real tight (I made sure she stayed on straight) and had a great time going up and down.  It seems crazy that someday soon she'll be doing that all by herself!

NewBeginning

Well, 

It's been ten months since I've finished my University studies and had an adorable baby girl.

There are lots of things on my to do list at this point, and I thought I'd post them, so that they become more official (although not totally binding).

1) I need to get my diploma from the University of Alcala.  They make you jump through hoops, especially if you try to do something in a way other than what they tell you.  Hopefully I'll get it soon.

2) I need to revise my CV/Resume and start looking for part-time jobs.

3) I'd like to keep studying 

a) French

b) Early Childhood Education

c) Translation or Interpretation

4)  We want to visit a lot of folks this summer, so I need to look for good prices on plane tickets and car rentals.

5) I have lots of sewing projects planned and thought about... though only a few are started.

Well,  hopefully I'll get the most important/most urgent things done soon...  like lunch for example!