Eat, Pray, Work. 26/94.

Yep, I skipped a blog entry. So sue me. It's not like I have a deadline to meet or anything. Now, if anyone wants to become my agent and find a publisher for me who will agree to financial terms, then I can commit to writing an entry every day. But since Eat, Pray, Love has become a phenonmenon, I guess there is no room for me. And, although I have done more than enough eating and praying, I can guarantee you I'm not looking anywhere near the loving part. So, maybe I should re-title my blog eating and praying???? But then, will people think I am praying for my sinful eating habits? Maybe not a good idea....Don't know about that one, yet. If I had money, it could be called Eating, Praying, and Shopping. Or traveling. But funds are tight, thus there will be none of that. Oh I know, Eating, Praying, and Working. There we go. Those three words pretty much sum up my life right now. Gross. I guess this means I have officially entered the adult world. I entered with bells ringing, but no one is here to acknowledge it. Sad face.

The reason I didn't blog yesterday was because I went on a day trip with Elena and the kids. The kids father lives in what we would call a subdivision, about an hour and fifteen minutes away from the house. It's between two villages called, Sacedon and Pareja. On my first adventure to Spain, I only visited larger towns, so this was my first time seeing a village. I loved it! It was very peaceful and the scenery was beautiful.

The amazing view of Lake Entreenas. This is what I looked at during lunch!

We arrived and first went to a village called Sacedon. These villages are so neat, because everything is built around the church and the town hall. Every village has both, no matter how small they may be. We went back to the house and had lunch with some Romanian neighbors of Richard's. The neighbor, Daniel, has an amazing view of Lake Entreenas (literally meaning between the big rocks). To be only an hour outside of Madrid, it felt so far away. For lunch, we had grilled lamb chops (something I had never had before), salad, french fries, and couscous.

After lunch, we all got back in the car and drove to two different villages, Alique and Chillaron. It was so neat to be able to see villages that were built hundreds of years ago. These towns only have a few hundred residents, mainly people who are retired. The houses are very old and some are poorly built. A lot of them are abandoned because they have collapsed. I also got to see churches that were built in the 16th century!

This church was built in the 16th Century. Chillaron, Spain

One thing that the kids had been looking forward to, was seeing their dog. The funny thing is, they named the dog after me. I have been reassured multiple times that it is a compliment of the highest regards. Well, Sara the dog is wild and jumps on people. She scratched up my legs a few times. But I also must say, she is absolutely brilliant. The dog is bilingual!!!! The first time I was here, I was in awe of how dogs understood Spanish. I guess we only think that people can speak other languages, but animals have minds too. Sara understands both English and Spanish. So cool to think that animals have a smart brain too. But what do you expect. Her name is Sara after all....

Sarah and Sara

I know this is a jaw dropper, but I actually got cold last night. When were outside, visiting with some other neighbors, and I was freezing. Go ahead, close your mouth. It was 69 degrees outside, but that's a thirty degree drop for me. By the time we arrived home last night, I was dead. I checked my email and turned off my light and was fast asleep.

Today, I woke up, ate breakfast and attempted to do some homework. I finished my paper just a few minutes ago. I visited with Sol today. Getting a break from the house was nice and much needed. I also went to church tonight and it was another great worship experience. I am going on a retreat with church at the end of October. And our community groups start this week, so I'm really excited about connecting with a small group of people. I exchanged numbers with a girl named Leigh-Ann. She is here for one year and is from Ireland. My Grandpa Trainor would be proud of me for befriending fellow Irish people :) I think we are going to join the same group, so that will be nice. Things have been quite stressful this week. I have lots of things on my mind. Church was the perfect outlet tonight. Plus, I'm already shocked at how nice and supportive people from the church are.

I can't believe the weekend is over. I have yet to figure out what I'm doing with my classes tomorrow, but I always think of the best things at the last minute, so I'm not worried at all. I'm getting very sleepy. (It's 12:40 and I have to wake up early in the morning.) Hope these aren't too boring for you all. From what I hear, more people than I thought are reading these posts. Hope they're enjoyable for you!

Quote of the Day: "What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us." -Henry David Thoreau (this was actually my senior quote!)