5 things I miss about California

With only 20 days until we fly back to California (and Utah) for the Summer, I thought I'd write about the 5 things I miss, and am therefore looking forward to about being home!  Keep in mind, we LOVE that we are here & that we get to come back... It's just the final countdown (doo-doo-doo-doo ... doo-doo-doodoodoo) & this is the only thing I can think about!

5.  The weather (wearing sandals everyday)

    People in Madrid say they have "9 months of winter and 3 months of hell". Other than a nice day or 2, we definitely skipped Spring and went straight to sweating while we sleep and shower.

4.  Good food! (& good beer)  (Umami Burger, Daisy Mint, Hulas, In N Out)

      There are a couple of things I could say I like to eat here, but other than that, nada!  In my opinion, Spain ain't got nada on the food in the States & anywhere else for that matter! Ha! Overall, it is lacking in flavor, especially SPICINESS! There are signs to warn you of spice and hotness, but to the spicy hater... seriously, you would laugh!  (Plus, peanut butter is practically non-existent and where they do have it, a 6oz container is about $8!) 

     Spanish beer is NOT good at all! Our 2.5 days in Germany/Austria back in December was my last taste of great beer, not that that's a bad thing for my waistline, I'm just excited to put my lips to a frosty glass of a delicious micro brewery/brewpub delight.

3.  Playing soccer

    In a country where soccer is HUGE, excuse me, where futbol is HUGE, you'd think I'd have played by now.  Well, soy una mujer ... and they don't really let the girls play with the boys here.  Needless to say, we'll see what I can do about that next year!

2.  Charger

    Our puppy dog!  Lucky for us, Brian's parents have blessed us by taking care of him for the time we've been here.  They've sent us videos of him almost every week.  We are excited to bring him to Madrid with us in September! (yes, you read that right, we're putting him on the plane. You can ask Brian more about this one as he's the one who wants him here with us... guess who's gonna be the pooper scooper?! ha!)

1.  Being known, I mean really known.  (friends & family)

This could be it's own blog post really, but for now I'll keep it to a minimum.

    Our travels and 'Hostel Babb' have hindered our ability to really dig in and find community. We have been going to a great church and I've even been leading worship, however the ex-pat community is very transient and that can be challenging. This really has been the hardest part about living abroad these last 7 months (more for me than Brian).  I really miss my girl friends and those types of relationships. We have thought about and prayed for our family and friends so much more than before. I am getting teary even writing this, as I think about you all.  I value my relationships so much and I'm so thankful God created us to be in community. I am grateful to be on this journey with my husband; He has truly become my best friend. This has been an AMAZING time for us in our marriage and we are so grateful for it!  

    We have met some great people here and we're excited to go deeper in relationships when we return in September.

Until then, California here we come... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzjKuQa03gU