Hombres G

I have a life. I have decided that I needed to go out and get one so I did. Last night, I was out until 2am at a concert with a group of Moms from Oscar´s school. It was the fiestas de Torrejon and the group Hombres G, a group that was popular in the 80s here, were playing. I knew a lot of the songs because Miguel loves the group and plays their CD a lot. So, when I was invited to go with the girls (and a couple guys), I decided, what the hey, and did it. I didn´t know all the words, nor did I know some of the songs, but it was fun to be part of a crowd and jump up and down and belt out the parts that I knew. This group of women are a kick and I really love hanging out with them. They have such energy and have such fun.

New York, New York

New York City, 13-15 June

Have I mentioned that I like the Airbus 340? Well, our latest trip was New York. Miguel´s mother, once again, flew down to take care of the kids while I went with Miguel on one of his flights. We had a great time. We got in Friday evening and went for Cuban food. Yum. We drank a couple of mojitos and then crashed. On Saturday, we met up with my University of Washington friend, Mary Tang for breakfast. After breakfast, we did some shopping (gotta love that strong Euro) and then took the subway down to Ground Zero. It was a humbling experience. We proceeded to walk through Battery Park to see the Statue of Liberty. It was hazy but we did see her. We had beautiful weather- hot but not too hot. We took our time just walking around. We caught the subway back up to Times Square and back to the hotel. We got back to the hotel just in time. A huge thunderstorm hit New York and it rained for close to three hours.

The crewbus came to pick us up and the thunderstorm followed us to JFK. It was raining so hard cars were passing through puddles that came halfway up their doors. When we got to JKF, we found the airport closed due to the thunderstorm. We sat for three hours in the airport and waited for the storm to stop. Once the storm let up, the airport started working again...cleaning the planes and unloading the luggage from the incoming flight. After loading the passengers, we sat on the tarmac for two hours waiting for our turn to take off. There were 80 planes ahead of us. Needless to say, I didn´t eat dinner because it was 2am when we finally took off. I put in my earplugs, put on the eyeshades and slept the whole flight home.

Miguel asked me if he could take New York off his list of request. Are you kidding?? There is still so much more to see and do.

Florida

Florida May 2008

I am so far behind on this blog thing that I am just going to post our photos from our trip to Florida.We had a great time even though it was hot. The stuffed animal that you see is Trufo, the mascot from Oscar´s school, that came with us to Florida. Dani, we found out, disliked the beach. Oh well, it can´t be for everyone...

On the plane. The kids were so excited about getting on the plane. Miguel and myself, on the other hand, were not. The kids were champs and did remarkably well.

We rented an apartment in Vero Beach, Florida. Oscar and Trufo are on the balcony. It was very nice. Beach access and a pool. What more could you want...

Oscar got to pet a crocodile.

We even played mini golf.

Our family on the boardwalk. Oscar and Trufo in the cockpit on the way home.

Boston

26 April. Boston. I love the Airbus 340. So many fun destinations. Last summer, Iberia opened up a direct flight to Boston three times a week. So, that means that each flight to Boston, the crew arrives one day, has a day free and then flies out the next day. Miguel´s mom offered to fly down and take care of the kids for the weekend so I could go with Miguel on his Boston flight. It was a bit close. The flight was completely full so I had to go as an extra crew, which meant I didn´t have a seat. The brother of the other copilot and I played the game of "musical chairs". We spent most the flight sitting where the flight attendents sit for take off, trying to stay out of their way.. We arrived Friday night, went to dinner at a restaurant in Quincy Market and then crashed.

The next day we played tourist. I remembered a bit of Boston, but the last time I had been there I think I was 14 or 15. One of my good friends in Madrid is from Boston and she gave us a list of places to see and eat at. We had a great time, just walking around, poking in at shops that caught our fancy and just enjoying our time together. It was a beautiful day, sunny but cool. We ended our walk at Bunker Hill and then took the MTA to Harvard. Miguel really liked the college campus even though it was a Saturday and it was empty. He said that he had seen something like it in the movies.

Sunday was shopping day. We had a long, leisurely breakfast at the hotel and then went shopping around the hotel. Miguel went back to take a nap and I had a great time food shopping at the supermarket nearby. We were picked up at the hotel around 5pm and arrived back to Madrid in time to take Oscar to school Monday morning.

The Madrid Zoo with the Borrajo-Ramos (our Neighbors)

9 April we decided to take our animals to see the animals at the zoo. I am not a big zoo fan but the kids loved it. We went with our good friends and neighbors, Luis and Maite. They brought their two animals, Diego and Raul. Diego went to pre-school with Oscar and are great friends and his brother, Raul, is only 9 months old. Here is the family photo with a panda bear. The last time I had seen a panda was when I was in Washington DC with my family. The Madrid Zoo has two bears on loan from China, with the hope of starting a panda family.

Here is a photo of the four kids: Raul is at the top, then Dani. Oscar is to the left and Diego is to the right.

Guatemala

After flying back to Spain from San Francisco, I had less than 24 hours to unpack my suitcase and then pack it up again, this time going to Guatemala with Miguel.

My mother in law and her sister volunteered to stay with the kids while I went with Miguel on one of his trips. I was excited because it was my first flight with Miguel as one of the pilots in the Airbus 340 and my first visit to Central/South America. Since it was Easter week, a lot of the crew had brought members of their families along. We were to spend two days in Guatemala and then fly to Panama, leave the flight attendents in Panama, pick up another crew and then continue back to Spain. One of the other pilots was Jesus Rosario, a good friend of Miguel´s.

It was an interesting experience. It was recommended that we hire a bus to take us around as a group instead of doing things on our own. We were twenty and we spent the first day climbing up to the lava fields of one of the active volcano (there are 33 volcanos in Guatemala) and then visiting Antigua, the old capital of Guatemala. When we got to the volcano, most of the group went up to the lava on horseback. Miguel and I (plus a couple others) opted to walk. It wasn´t a bad hike, just a bit dusty in some places.

That beer at the bottom certainly tasted good. I have never drunk so much beer in my life. We tried to stay away from anything with ice and of course, tap water. So, what did you order when you went out? Beer. It was called Gallo (which means rooster). It was actually pretty good beer.

Antigua was a surprise. When the Spaniards came to Guatemala, they settled at the base of the volcano, thinking it was only a mountain. After the first mudslide and then a couple of earthquakes, they moved the capital to the current location of Guatemala City (in the late 1800s). The city was abandoned. Only recently (last 40 years) the owners of the stores/houses have come back to bring the city back to life. Now it is UNESCO World Heritage Site. We had lunch at a famous convent and the saw the processions in the city for Semana Santa. The design you see on the ground on the right and on the borders of the walkway on the left are made of sand.

Day Two was a day to relax. Miguel went and met a contact he has at the military base close to the airport. I went into the city with a group of people to a market of local goods. We caught a taxi at the hotel and then caught another one for the trip back. The area around the hotel is safe but we went through some interesing looking neighborhoods... The market was fun and we got back in time for lunch around the hotel. The it was time to pack up the suitcase and go back to Spain.

I had a great time and everyone asks me if I would go back. Maybe some day, but there so many other places I want to visit in Central / South America.....

Madrid-London-Seattle-San Francisco-London-Madrid...without kids!

10 March 2008. It was a beautiful moment. I boarded the plane to Seattle, via Heathrow, with only my green carry on suitcase. I was kid free! I could read my book, watch a movie, sleep and actually eat my meal without having to share my dessert with a kid. It was wonderful!

Miguel was home with the kids and I was on my way to Seattle to celebrate my Mom´s birthday and to attend the Jackson School of International Studies alumni dinner.

The dinner itself was on Friday. My friend, Kara Condon, had snagged us a condo in Seattle for the weekend (friend of her mother´s). The condo was between the Seattle Art Museum and Pike Place Market, a choice location, with a view of Puget Sound and the ferry dock. The dinner that night was a lot of fun. We met up with the other people from our Task Force (which is like a senior thesis) and it seemed that we had just seen each other last week, instead of 13 years ago. Kara gave a wonderful speech and we all enjoyed each other´s company, catching up and laughing about the past.

The next day, Joe Zender, another collegue from our Task Force, brought his boat up from Tacoma, and we spent the afternoon motoring around Lake Union and Lake Washington. It was neat to see the UW from the water, plus we saw the Sleepless in Seattle houseboat. We had a wonderful afternoon and have vowed not to let another 13 years past before we got together again.

On Sunday, I packed my green suitcase again (a bit fuller..) and caught a plane to San Francisco to see my friend Teresa Mulvihill-Talbot. It was great to see her and Fabrice and see her life in San Francisco. An extra plus was that I got to be a tourist in a city that I had visited so long ago. The highlight of the trip was our lunch in Sonoma, which is close to Napa Valley. Teresa rented a convertible and we drove across the Golden Gate Bridge to the wine country to enjoy the weather, each other´s company and the feeling of freedom that a convertible brings.

Teresa and Fabrice were great hosts. I had a relaxing time, just walking around San Francisco, poking around the shops in their neigborhood and enjoying the idle life of just sitting around, doing nothing and talking.

Tuesday came too fast and once again I found myself at an airport, catching a long flight back to Europe (once again painless without kids....) I missed Miguel and my kids, Spain and my life. It is nice to escape and do something different, but nothing beats a hug from a 4 year old who says "I missed you Mama."

The Statue of Liberty at JABY

Yes, it is true. The Statue of Liberty came to Oscar´s school. Twice a month, the parents are encouraged to come and do something with the kids at Oscar´s school, JABY. Some Friday afternoon, we can come and do some songs, put on a puppet show and just enjoy spending time with the kids. My friends Eva and Maite had gone two weeks before dressed up as the class mascots and put on a play for the kids. I kinda got into the spirit and suggested to Miguel that I should go as the Statue of Liberty. My husband has a bit mouth and as soon as I suggested it, he had told Eva and Maite and I was stuck. In reality, I had a good time. When I entered the class and asked them "Do you know who I am" the answer was, "Oscar´s Mama" Ok, so I had to explain a bit about the statue, where it lived, what it represented, etc. Then I divided them into two groups and they did a big puzzle of the USA. Afterwards, they colored a map of the US.

The kids had the best time coloring the maps. They had tons of questions. They wanted to know where Oscar´s Granny and Grandpa lived, where Mickey Mouse lived and where cowboys are from.

After the maps, I taught them the Itsy Bitsy Spider Song. They had the best time with the fingers making the spiders and the action of "washed the spider out". They enjoyed the Pin the Tail on the Donkey and loved the tails that I made with their names on them (they are holding them in the last photo).

Miguel was a huge help and the kids just loved Dani. He had the time of his life. He ran around with the kids and got into everything. I am glad that I did it because it was interesting to see the classroom, the dynamic of the kids and of course, to spend some time with Oscar but boy, it was hard to do especially in a foreign languague.!!