Sunny Slopes and 3 Years Together!

After a beautiful drive to the south of Spain, and a long ascent up into the mountains we arrived at Sierra Nevada for a weekend of skiing with Colin's company. The area was gorgeous. It was bright and sunny, and the white snow contrasted with the blue sky was breathtaking.

Colin and I skied together for most of the weekend, and by the last day we did a few reds! If you've ever heard me talk about skiing you'll know how huge that is... All thanks to Colin's patience and encouragement <3 

Here are a few pictures from the mountain: 

At one point over the weekend I had a collision with another skier. I came away ok, but he got taken down the mountain on a ski patrol stretcher. Some of Colin's co-workers now refer to me as the leg breaker, which obviously, I'm thrilled about.

Overall skiing with Colin was a blast. Being surrounded by the mountains, and having a great time made me so grateful to be sharing these experiences with Colin. We'll always have these memories to look back on, and we're sure they'll bring us closer for years to come. 

On that loving note, we came back to Madrid and celebrated 3 years of being together and Valentine's day! Our first date was at the Cheesecake Factory, so I did some recipe hunting, bought a 3 euro springform pan in the shape of a heart,  borrowed a friends oven, and surprised Colin with a cheesy first date memory.  We may have a new family tradition :) 

Nothing compares with the feeling of finding the person you want to make happy for the rest of your life and knowing they feel the same way about you. We feel so blessed and happy.  

Weekend trip to Belgium

Over the weekend Colin and I packed our bags and went to Belgium! It was like being in wintry wonderland of Candy Land. We spent one day in Brussels, and one day in Brugge, and in both cities every other store window showcased world famous Belgian chocolate. If the chocolate wasn't enough to temp us in, the warmth (high of 29 while we were visiting) made the shops irresistible.

We indulged in a few decadent desserts at Wittamer, where the Belgian royals order their chocolate.

We ducked into another chocolate shop, or two, or more... in Brugge.

We saw the site in Brussels:

I've been saying since we came to Europe that I wanted to visit Belgium for the waffles :) #worththetrip

We went to a cool instruments museum. We also considered going to the renowned art museum, but in the end we felt more comfortable with the grade school kids listening to music :)

Brugge is called the Venice of the north, and we loved walking along the cobblestone streets, frozen river, and into old churches. Brugge is the quintessential European city, and we soaked up it's charm like the young romantic Americans that we are.

We were also lucky enough to be hosted by a couch surfer. Our host was out of this world. He helped us find out way around, gave us great recommendations, and took us on a beautiful, 15.5 kilometer run though the forest. 

Sunrise just before lacing up

Home stretch

While the wintry blanket of snow was fun for a few days we were happy to come back to Madrid, where today it was 56 and sunny :) 

White Christmas in Texas

Yesterday Colin and I shuffled through the airport, and hefted our chocolate laden suitcases onto the train, through the streets and finally up six flights of two-hundred-year-old stairs into our Madrid apartment. Once we finally unpacked the last pair of Christmas socks we realized just how much we missed our family in Texas.

We got to visit Colin's family in Plano for just about two weeks over Christmas. Colin's dad, John, decided to keep our visit a secret and surprise Marilyn (mom) when we arrived. In the weeks leading up to our trip it was painful to hear Marilyn tell us how sad she was that we couldn't all be together for Christmas. When we turned up on the front porch though, everything seemed to be right again.

Colin had prepared me for watching the Lord of the Rings movies with his family. When the first DVD ended I said something like, "well, that was better than I remember. Ready for bed?" To which Colin and his dad responded, "Oh no, that's only the end of disk 1. This is the extended version!" I had to dig deep to smile and find the will power to stay awake through 2 more hours of Frodo's hairy feet journeying towards Mordor. I did it though, and by the end of movie 3 disk 1 (yes, all three movies have extended versions) I began to really feel that the fate of the world depended on one little hobbit. I felt completely involved in the battle between good and evil and I was touched by the bravery of Merry, Pippin and all the other warriors lead by Gandalf and Aragorn. Considering I fell asleep in the theatre the first time I saw LOTR, and the only thing I remembered was the trees walking and talking, I'd say this time around was a huge success!

When we weren't watching LOTR we were cycling, cooking, playing cards, or just relaxing. Being in one of Marilyn's spin classes made me feel like Frodo in his final stretch towards Mordor- weak yet determined, and completely motivated by Sam, or in my case, the desire to beat Colin (luckily on stationary bikes that might actually, subjectively, be possible). Playing cards with the Taylors can also sometimes feel as intense as the battle between good and evil in LOTR, but in the end, everyone's a winner! Right? Wrong. There can only be one winner.

Christmas Eve

I had to chance to spend a lot of time in the kitchen with Marilyn too, which was really fun. I got to know her much better, and I learned some of the family's recipes from the master. Now Colin and I will be able to carry on traditions like the cinnamon roll Christmas tree, raspberry trifle, and yorkshire pudding. Colin also took over the stove for a while on Christmas eve for another of the Taylor traditions: crepes with lemon and powdered sugar. I am happy I married into a family with such delicious traditions :)

Christmas pudding the front and trifle in the background

Colin got the chance to see a few old friends too. Between Gazeebo Burger, late night hot tubbing, Magica and Civilization it felt like old times. Just like going home to family, it's nice when you can fall back into old friendships with ease. Though John, who dislikes video games and lost a few hours of sleep thanks to the hot tub noise outside his bedroom, might disagree...

I had my first white Christmas! I never thought my first snowy Christmas would be in Texas, but there you have it. Christmas Eve night a thunder storm shook the house and woke us up then in the morning lightening flashed outside the windows and raindrops fell steadily. During a short lull Colin and I went on a run, during which we battled strong winds and eventually hail! Once we were home it started snowing! Slowly the roofs started to turn white, then the tree tops, lawns, and sidewalks were covered in a glistening blanket of soft snow. It was beautiful.

Christmas dinner deserves its own paragraph. The star of the feast was a beef roast with a port mushroom gravy that was out of this world. Supporting cast members: roasted potatoes, roasted carrots, roasted parsnips, brussel sprouts, mint peas, homemade rolls, and yorkshire pudding. Raspberry trifle, and Christmas pudding made a strong appearance at the end, and everyone's glasses were overflowing with Martinelli's bubbly.

The hats were presents from traditional English crackers

We were in town for our second wedding anniversary as well (has it really already been two-years?)! We had booked a hotel in Downtown Dallas and we got massages in our room. We also toasted a wonderful two years and ate truffles. We are so happy where we are in life right now, more in love than ever, and thrilled for whatever the future may hold.

It was with sadness that we finally packed our bags on Monday afternoon. We had an amazing trip. We love our families so much, and it was a special blessing to be with Colin's on Christmas.

We hope all of our friends and family far away were also able to enjoy the Holidays. One last time until next December, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Plaza Mayor, right behind our house

Return to England

In the first part of October we received the news that Colin's English grandmother had passed away. We were sad for her passing, but also felt grateful that we had been able to see her during the summer. We joined Colin's parents, and the rest of the English family for her funeral service. The service was beautiful, and full of memories. It was touching to hear stories from Gran's life. The passing of a loved one often causes us to think about life and death, and I feel grateful for the hope we have through Christ to live again. It is comforting and inspiring to imagine our loved ones crossing into the next life and embracing those who have gone before them. We sang a hymn in the church to say goodbye to Gran and I think we all felt that while she would be missed on earth, she was being welcomed home by her husband and daughter.

Although we were brought together by sad circumstances, it was really special to spend a couple of days with Colin's parents, aunts and uncles, and cousins. The only one missing was Ross. We had the chance to spend an afternoon with Rachel and Steve at Kew Gardens. It was proper British weather with occasional blustering winds, cold humid air, and grey skys. The Gardens were beautiful though. My favorite area was the tropical (read heated) indoor garden.

In this picture we are on the "Tree Walk," which is a bridge that winds through the trees about 60 feet above the ground. 

We stayed in Lynn and Hugh's home, and we had a great time. We especially enjoyed seeing how the older brother- younger brother dynamic between Hugh and John played out. John always seems very responsible, organized and mature when we are with him (or perhaps it just seems that way because we are his children), but around Hugh that seemed to fade away a bit and he reminded us of Ross. John was more carefree, expectant that things would just get done, and less worried about getting caught sneaking a sausage before lunch. It made us smile to see the two of them together and also made me think that no matter how much time passes, we maintain some part of our identity as a younger or older sibling. Here's to hoping that my younger siblings still take orders from me in 10, 15 and 20 years :) 

We spent an evening or two in front of the fire playing cards, and enjoying British cheese between rounds. We also went to a local pub with Hugh and Lynn. It was my first time trying Yorkshire pudding, and it was delicious. Through the grey haze outside we could see a rugby pitch from our table. Dried hops were hung around the pub, and of course, a real fire warmed the entire toom. Perfect. We loved spending the weekend with family. 

After a weekend of reflecting on and honoring Gran's life, and bonding with the family we hopped on a plane back to Spain. In typical down-to-the-minute Taylor fashion, we both got off the airplane and went straight to work with our weekend backpacks, and very little sleep. Our trip to England rounded out a very busy October in which we traveled 3/4 of the weekends. We felt blessed to be able to do so much, and ready to spend some time relaxing at home. 

Catching-up part dos (Portugal, Bilbao, Colin's Bday)

Part III

Now for our trip to Portugal. A friend of Colin's from work invited us to his house in Portugal, and this neighboring country has come to symbolize all things wonderful. If you decide to visit Portugal be sure to stay in your friend's country house, have all your meals at your friend's family's restaurant, and roast chestnuts in a brick fireplace. Also you should collect the chestnuts whilst walking through pumpkin patches and fields on a bright sunny day.

Our friend lives in a small town called Viseu. The sidewalks and pathways are a mosaic of hand laid grey stones. Trees, vines and flowers spread over the parks, walls and walkways like a scene from The Secret Garden. A church spire peaks above the skyline in the center of the town. On Friday evening shouts burst onto the streets during the Portugal v. Russian futbol match. On Saturday morning Colin and I went running. At the end of the road we ventured into the woods. At the end of the path we ran into an elderly Portuguese man herding his sheep.

After bring in Madrid, Portugal was like a completely different world. We had a great time getting to know Colin's co-workers better, exploring the countryside of Portugal, and dining on food fit for kings and queens. A huge thank you to Marco and his family for their gracious hospitality and wonderful memories.

Here are some photos taken by our friend Shen. We didn't have a camera, so I am borrowing his :)

Part IV New Jobs and Bilbao

We got back to Madrid on Sunday night. I started two new jobs the next week, and then on Thursday night we flew to Bilbao. It was a pretty hectic 4 days. 

The first job I took on is a combination of marketing, college counseling, and English teaching. I spend about 15 hours a week helping kids choose colleges to apply to, editing their essays, and get the Spanish grades/ recommendations sent to the US or UK. I'm learning as I go along, and hopefully a few of my students will get into college. the other job is babysitting for a Spanish family a couple afternoons a week. The family is awesome. Both the parents are engineering professors, and they lived in Boston last year working at MIT. They have two boys (ages 8 and 4) whose English improved a ton last year, and now I play with the boys in English. It's almost like they got to bring a piece of Boston back to Spain with them :) It's been a lot of fun getting to know their family. 

Half Marathon in Bilbao! When we arrived to Bilbao on Thursday night it was pouring rain. With both of us having had busy weeks we hadn't planned out the Bilbao trip very thoroughly, and the tentative hostel plans we made fell through. Even with the rain and mist, and the spur of the moment planning Bilbao was beautiful. 

Walking through the city

The city's main attraction use to be a steel factory that has since closed down. Now the Guggenheim get sall the attention. There are still remnants of the steel factory though, like this brick tower in the middle of the park:

We met up with Rachel and Steve on Saturday evening! They couldn't help themselves when we told them we were going to be running a half marathon :) We explored the city with them, ate some tasty pinxtos, nearly solid hot chocolate, and then some more pinxtos. 

Bilbao at night

On Saturday we visited the Guggenheim. Definitely cooler from the outside than the inside. 

Outside the Guggenheim

Saturday night we ran a half-marathon through the city! It started at the Guggenheim with fireworks. It was a really cool course. There were people out cheering almost the whole way. Colin did awesome with a time of 1:39 something. I'll spare you the details of what happened during my race, but I finished a little bit after Colin. Rachel and Steve had a fantastic race and beat their goal time! Overall it was a great experience. We loved Bilbao! 

Part V Colin Turned 25! 

Colin's birthday was the 23rd of October. I organized a surprise dinner for him with some friends, and baked him a cake at our neighbors house (turns out you can't bake cookies or a cake in the microwave, even with the grill setting). He had no idea I was planning anything, and it was good fun. My 80 year old neighbor, Teresa, really saved me though. On the night of his birthday I was dashing up and down from her house to ours checking the cake, getting ready for dinner, and trying to hide everything from Colin. Teresa really came through with candles, a cake pan, a tray, and a smile. At one point Colin came into the apartment when I wasn't expecting him, and I had to hide parts of the cake under the bed #iloveoursmallapartment. Here's a short video from the dinner. 

Happy birthday Colin! 

The next weekend we flew to England. More on that to come!

Catching up

Last post we were basking in the sun along the mediterranean coast in an economical smart car with a menu del dia in our tummies. Six/seven weeks further into our Spanish adventure a lot has happened! There have been ups and downs, but rarely a dull moment. Welcome to a small snap shot of what's it like to travel, eat, get robbed, run, see family and ultimately to be young, in love, and naive in Madrid.

Part I

The last weekend in September Colin and I had plans to go to a birthday party, and relax. On Friday afternoon I met up with a friend to walk around the city. I stayed out longer than I had planned, but didn't think much of it. I got home around 6pm. The door to our apartment was open, which was odd since I didn't expect Colin home for a couple of hours. I pushed in and our suitcase was open in the middle of the living room. I had asked Colin to retrieve a blanket from that suitcase the night before, so my first thought was that he was home and had taken the blanket out. Then I looked around. The computers were gone. The shelves and drawers had been ransacked. The camera was missing. Bank documents were strewn on the floor. Colin's wedding ring was nowhere to be seen. I started to shake a bit then immediately called Colin. A co-worker helped him call the police, and we spent the rest of the evening filing a report.

The next few days Colin and I had several debates about appropriate punishments for thieves. Colin's ranged from severe to more severe once asking why society stopped cutting thieves hands off. Trying to make the robbery seem less terrible I sometimes tried to imagine that the person who stole from us must have been desperate and needed the money very badly, maybe his or her kids are eating tonight because of us...? We've come to terms with the fact this it feels crappy to have someone break into your house and steal your stuff. But, in our case, there was no permanent damage, and worse things can happen.

Now we turn our deadbolts all four times, we always close the metal window guard, I never answer the buzzer for the mail lady (spanish still not good enough to verify it's actually her), and we hide things when we leave for the weekend. We may have been naive thinking that we were safe on the sixth floor in an apartment building on a busy street, but we won't let it happen again.

Verdict is still out as to whether or not our landlord's insurance policy will cover anything. Cue Final Jeopardy music.

Part II

Colin did a triathlon! He swam like a fish in the murky lago water, biked like Lance minus the drogas, and ran like the wind. I'm just a LITTLE proud of his triathlon debut :) I dashed between courses to capture the grueling,  sweaty moments on our sub-par phone camera.

He even looks good a swim cap

"I workout"

Drafting

Finish line!

Part III and more coming soon!