Poop, Log! Poop! a/k/a Merry Christmas!

This month I have really started to learn about Catalan Christmas Traditions. I was here in Barcelona for a week at Christmastime in 2010 but I spent the entire time with Ulises' family and then in Madrid where the traditions are similar to those I grew up with. But this year as I have been working with Catalan children in their homes and adults at school I have learned so much more about their Christmas traditions....

and they are... unique!

For example, take a look at this photo:

Your first reaction night be-- how disgusting! What does this guy have to do with Christmas?! Well  friends, let me introduce you to the Caganer. You place him in the nativity set! He is present with the wise men, shepherds and holy family! He celebrates the birth of the Christ child. Now, according to Wikipedia and the Catalan people I speak with, they don't know where he came from. But there are a few ideas of his purpose in the nativity set. None are meant to be disrespectful. Here are a few of my favorites: (The extensive list can be found under Caganer on Wikipedia.)

• A fun spectacle, especially for children.
• The Caganer, by creating feces, is fertilizing the Earth. Its a customary figure in  nativity scenes because people believe that this deposit [symbolically] fertilizes the ground of the nativity which becomes fertile and ensures the nativity for the following year. Placing this figurine in the nativity brings good luck and joy and not doing so brings adversity."^[6]
• The Caganer represents the equality of all people: regardless of status, race, or gender, everyone defecates.
• Increased naturalism of an otherwise archetypal (thus idealised) story, so that it is more believable, more real and can be taken more seriously.
• The idea that God will manifest himself when he is ready, without regard for whether we human beings are ready or not.
• The Caganer reinforces the belief that the infant Jesus is God in human form, with all that being human implies.
• The character introduces a healthy amount of religious doubt to test one's faith.
• A humorous allusion to the Spanish proverb (in translation), "Dung is no saint, but where it falls it works miracles."

And Look-- Many other characters past and present real and unreal can be found in the Caganer's squatting position. Take a look at this Obama! I have also recently seen Michael Jackson, the pope, and athletes. 

And look-- The world's largest Caganer... woohoo!

So you think that Caganer guy is a little strange, eh? A little bit of poop in your holiday celebrations is healthy, right? But what about a WHOLE LOT of poop?

Take a look at this Christmas tradition......

The Text is in Catalan. It reads: 

Hello family!

I'm your Caga Tio!

The street was very cold and so I entered your house without making any noise.

Can I stay here with you?

I just need a bit of food and a blanket.

thank you very much!

this is a family I work for. They have the Caga Tio

Where is the poop you say? Well let me tell you. This little guy is cared for by Catalan children in their homes. Each home has a Caga Tio. They keep him warm, feed him and love him. He can't talk but he can see you and hear you. If you are behaving badly he takes note. He also notices when you are behaving well! Every morning Catalan children are excited to see that Caga Tio has eaten his food. They know for certain, just as I knew with Santa, that these things are accomplished through belief and MAGIC!

So after a month of feeding, warming, caring for and doting upon dear Tio, on Christmas Eve the children gently approach him and WACK HIM WITH A STICK!!!

They hit him and recite this song ( sorry for the colorful language, but it is an accurate translation) :

Caga tió song:

"Caga tió, caga torró, avellanes i mató, si no cagues bé et daré un cop de bastó. caga tió!"

Shit log, shit nougats (turrón), hazelnuts and cottage cheese, if you don't shit well, I'll hit you with a stick, shit log!

An alternate version goes something like this:

"Caga tió, tió de Nadal, no caguis arengades, que són massa salades caga torrons que són més bons!"

Shit log, log of Christmas, don't shit herrings, which are too salty, shit nougats (turrón) which are much better!

At this point the kids wack Tio SUPER hard and he poops out small gifts. (The blanket that has been covering him is removed to reveal his feces these joyful gifts) They are usually communal gifts to share. Things that I would say are stocking stuffers-- Candies and gadgets. HOW EXCITING IS THAT? Look at these books I found int he store. They tell the story of Caga Tio. It's kinda like your "The Night Before Christmas" book you grew up with. 

This is a book with CD. We mustn't neglect to pass on these songs to the new generations of children, who anxiously await Tio's deification.

This is a picture of me with Caga Tio. He is kinda cute, right?

 This is the more commercialized Caga tio. You can buy him in any store here. I took this picture at the mall the other day.

Oh... and you know when you went to the mall as a kid at Christmas time that you got to go to Santa's workshop and stand in line and then sit on his lap! You could get your pictures taken as you whispered in the ear of Saint Nick all of your heart's desires! He would of course listen, and if you promised him to behave well, he would bring you a gift from your list!

Well.... While at the mall the other day, my eye caught hold of his little area..... This is Caga tio! Notice the backdrop and the cameras. Yes-- YOU CAN SIT ON CAGA TIO! You can whisper in his ear your heart's desires, and if you are a good boy or girl, he will poop them for you! (only after you beat him with a stick--naturally!). I will have to return to the Mall when Caga Tio is open for pictures.

 So with all these crazy traditions, what are the Techera's doing?

Well, we are pretty boring. We bought a traditional Christmas tree (mini) and decorated it with  blue and silver. Ulises didn't want too much red and green because it clashes with our house (......yeah.....) Then I was informed by my sister that silver and blue are Chanukkah colors. But Jesus was a Jew so we think its ok.

I will get a better picture once we have lights. This picture was taken with my flash and so it isn't as 'magical'. We will buy lights next week.

And look, our first nativity set! It's plastic...... But it's complete! Someday we will get a really nice set but this does it for now. And look at how spacious that stable is. Jesus had vaulted ceilings!

I also made lots of snow flakes ( again the silver and blue) and hung them on our naked walls. After Christmas we might actually paint our Apartment.

 This is our heater ( think fireplace) with our stockings hanging there ( how appropriate). Now these are Red. But I was tired of just silver and blue so red it was! They are fashioned out of an old travel blanket I found in the closet. DIY christmas! hehehe. These babies will be precious to us years from now when we look back on our first Christmas together. (Also, notice Ulises red snowflake. I taught him now to make a snowflake and this is how it turned out. Cute, right? Please congratulate him)

So Merry Christmas, Friends! I hope you are enjoying this season. I am missing home and all things familiar ( Neighbors bringing sugary treats,Choirs on temple square, service projects galore, the salvation army bell ringers, stores actually playing Christmas music instead of Lady Gaga, hearing "Merry Christmas", all the old Christmas TV specials, and the list goes on) but am enjoying making memories with my husband on our first Christmas together. It's really beautiful to do things together just the two of us, and establish some traditions! I think Ulises is already getting sick of the amount of Christmas music I play here. It will be a humble, but beautiful and wonderful Christmas! Maybe Ulises will cook me 'ham' again....but that's another story for another day.....

Grateful and Thoughtful

This last month has been a diffiult one! Its been great at the same time!

cockroach infestation, locking the keys out, losing 100 Euro worth of transportation tickets, having my wallet stolen...TWICE.....Sigh

One of the most difficult things of this fall has been being far from home. Christmas is difficult to be away from home but maybe Thanksgiving is worse. I think with the focus on Christ at  Christmastime and roughly the same amount of "time off" makes the Christmas holiday somewhat more bearable. But Thanksgiving doesn't exist here! Not one reference! Of course I don't expect it-- but I missed it. I feel like Thanksgiving is about celebrating family more than anything. We meet together and serve each other food, share memories, enjoy games together.  And I missed all of that! On Thanksgiving day I worked a 10 hour day and missed talking with my family on Skype because I was caught in an unexpected English lesson. I kind of became emotionally unstable..... So Ulises and I called my family after they had eaten and I was able to recover composure. My dear Ulises was so sweet. When he saw how sad I was and how much I was missing my family he went and bought a turkey ($$$$$$) and we held our very own thanksgiving here in Spain! This is how it went down:

The night before our "Thanksgiving" Ulises studied his engineering for 5 hours as I made 2 pumpkin pies and 6 mini apple pies. I know that seems like a lot of time but I used my Grandmother Rose's secret pumpkin chiffon pie recipe that not only uses EVERY dish in the house, but also requires a lot of mixing and waiting and icing and fluffing and whipping. I also had to do a lot of clean up. But the pies turned out GREAT!

We held our celebration the Sunday after Thanksgiving and it was also held at 9:30 at night--typical Spanish dinner time. That left little time to 'relax' before having to get up for work the following morning at 6:00. not fun. But better than not having Thanksgiving at all!

Also, although my mother in law is more than completely capable of making savory, delicious meals-- I suppose I didn't leave a strong enough impression on either her or my sister- in-law that Thanksgiving is a time to PULL OUT all the stops! So for their respective assignments of Mashed Potatoes and Vegetables (what I deem pretty simple versatile options) they arrived with a box of patato flakes and a bag of frozen veggie bits.... and then proceeded to cook them on my stove. That was a little disheartening since I spent 5 hours the previous day on pie crusts and filling, and more time the next day on the turkey itself.... But it all turned out well! I was just happy they came. And that they enjoyed it!

I also was really happy that I could finally impress them with some culinary skills. The few times I have made things for the entire family I haven't really "shined." -- Not that I pride myself on being a good cook, but I would like them to think I'm not completely inept at everything... which is what it seems like most of the time!

So here, Enjoy some pictures of THANKSGIVING! Be jealous-- the pie is DELICIOUS!

We also took time to make lists of what we were grateful for. Ulises list was sweet, It included me, his motorbike, his family... and the one item that brought him to tears (note that it was not me....) was his childhood dogs.... which is actually really sweet!

IOh-- and I wont forget-- Ulises made rolls with a scripture rolled up and baked inside. When each person opened their roll they read a scripture about gratitude.

I thought it was a great thanksgiving!

But this thanksgiving also brought many tears...

My 'Uncle' Richard died the day after Thanksgiving. He was at his home in Utah when he collapsed when brushing his teeth. I'm not sure I understand the details, but because they were unable to resuscitate him quickly, his brain did not receive enough oxygen and it died. After the prognosis was given to my aunt-- that her husband was brain-dead, she chose to let nature take his course and about 2 days later he died. The family is of course grief stricken. He was only 59. He was a great advocate of family values and worked in various governmental positions supporting and advocating family values. He spoke at international conferences and at UN counsels. He was a dedicated law professor and political writer. Aside from being the smartest man I have known personally, he was jolly! He was a talented actor! He had a laugh that you could recognize across a crowded room. he had light  in his eyes. he will be sorely missed. I feel bad that I can't attend the funeral on Saturday but I know there will be hundreds there to support his family.

here is an article about him: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/entertainment2/55356433-223/wilkins-family-law-legal.html.csp

and photo gallery:  http://www.sltrib.com/csp/cms/sites/sltrib/pages/slidegallery.csp?cid=55356433&pid=4406389

But arent we grateful that the last day he spent on earth was surrounded by family and that he spent the day giving thanks to God? Is there a better time to go than after living a day entirely in Thanksgiving, surrounded by those who you love? Now of course the real mourning should be for his Family whom he left behind. They will be in my prayers continually. I hope they cling to the hope of the glorious resurrection and faith in God's plan of salvation. We are so blessed to be children of God!



Happy Thanksgiving everyone.... and please, turn on some Christmas Music!

Free Vacation!

A picture from our Free vacation- you can read about it in a paragraph further down.

First lets get some other things out of the way....Halloween was a lot of fun this year. Ulises and I held a Scary Dinner party just like we usually do at my home in the USA. Here is a link to a facebook album where the last few years of Scary Dinner are documented. I also included pictures from this year

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100649857452429.2566857.17815629&type=1&l=062277732d

Its' a costume and potluck extravaganza. This year the friends that I invited were so happy to learn some strange American traditions. So it was great! everyone was too scared to wear a costume though. Oh well.... Maybe next year!

Claudia and her pumpkins

The pumpkin Ulises bought

Ulises and I haven't carved a pumpkin yet. We were so busy with our free vacation ( I'll get to it in a moment) that we had even pushed the Scary dinner to Nov 3. So we bought our pumpkin last night. Ulises got an eating pumpkin which is really thick and dense ( because its for eating!) and when I told him it would crack if we tried to carve it he got so sad. But he was so thoughtful to try to get a pumpkin knowing it was a tradition from home I really wanted to do! So we will probably try and carve it this weekend. isn't he so sweet?  But I did get to carve some real pumpkins with the kids I work with. So I wasn't totally lacking. But I wanted to introduce the activity to Ulises!



But what about the title of this post? Free vacation? The vacation that made us change halloween to November 3rd?

Yes! We got a free vacation at a 4 star hotel in Tarragona, Spain! It was a gift from a member of our Stake. You see... There was a "Marriage Conference" being sponsored by the Stake (church). It was a chance for couples to get away and meet other couples in the Stake. The price was too much for Ulises and I to even consider. But then one afternoon Ulises got a phone call from this man saying he paid our ticket and would love for us to go! So we went! We spent 3 nights and 4 days at a wonderful conference. We had plenty of time for ourselves and enjoyed time at the indoor pool ( Outdoors was too cold to dip in the ocean or the outdoor pools) and enjoyed unlimited food ( I gained a couple kilo's those days!) The weather was lovely. We strolled through the beach town, went to the harbor, relaxed in our hotel room, and also got to enjoy meeting new people! There were mostly really ( really) old couples there. But there were a few others. Ulises and I were the youngest couple there ( aside from another couple on the committee) but we had a great time. Ulises is really great at making friends. He has a gift that I lack. He is never intimmidated by age or station. He just loves and makes friends so easily!

Now we have come back to real life, work for me and School for him. I have already started listening to Christmas music (cheers me up from the election results, too!) and looking forward to a Thanksgiving dinner that Ulises and I will try and have. Time seems to go quickly and slowly at the same time. I hope I can make the Christmas spirit last a long time.....It will make being far from home more bearable.

My dad and niece at our wedding

Me and my dad dancing!

Oh yeah... at home... My dad has been called as bishop of our congregation. Its a position that any priesthood bearing member of our congregation can be called upon to fill. Its temporary and unpaid. Its a huge time commitment and usually lasts 5 years. We are happy for him and feel so blessed that he can serve our neighbors and friends there in Utah. I think he will be a great Bishop.






well, thats it for now!

Autumn!

So many things have happened recently. I keep a list in my head of things I should write about on my next blog and then suddenly I realize too much time has passed and my list is HUGE.

So let's talk about Fall!  ( I actually like the word Autumn better) This time of year is so wonderful. It is my favorite time of year. It is a season with spices, pumpkins, leaves changing colors, Halloween, fall festivals, the fall harvest, and my church's annual general conference. Spain can't provide all of these things for me, it does a pretty good job!

I sewed in "Techera 2012"

Although it is still in the 70's most days we have had some fall showers that have given us some truly chilly 'fall' days.  we were finally able to put our quilt on our bed! I made it for Ulises' birthday last year anticipating using it for our bed.



 I still miss the fall foliage of Utah ( so many of my friends were posting pictures of the changing colors... here take a look at one!) But Ulises was sweet enough to take the motorbike for a drive in the 'canyon' in search for some leaves. We found a brown dead one and another one turning slightly yellow. It's now been a few weeks since that trip and  and hopefully this weekend we can go again and actually be successful  in our search of fall foliage.

Utah Autumn

It's difficult to find a good carving pumpkin here but the 'Halloween' tradition is becoming more popular here and I was able to find a few (tiny thing for 10 euro!).Ulises and I haven't carved one yet but I helped carved a few for a some of the children I am a nanny for.  It was more fun than I remember! Maybe cause doing it with the small children and seeing their excitement really made the difference. This will be Ulises' first year carving a pumpkin. I hope he will enjoy it! Aside from pumpkin carving, the children can sometimes find communities to "trick or treat' in. It's still new though. Here the Catalan culture celebrates "Castanyada" on Halloween 31st . Its a Holiday before All Saints day ( Nov. 1) where they roast chestnuts eat baked sweet potatoes and make these little sugar balls with marzipan. While I enjoy the fun of Halloween I also wouldn't want them to forsake their own traditions. I did some Castanyada activities with some of these kids as well- and it was quite fun!

At church tonight we held a party for all ages. Many congregation members and children dressed up. We danced, played games, and ate some food. Ulises and I are low on cash so we went the cheap way for a costume. I thought it was quite clever. I was also so happy that Ulises had absolutely no objection to my idea! we went as Crayons! I made our stickers and he engineered and cut out our hats. When we arrived NO ONE had a clue as to what we were! It was shocking really. I guess here in Spain they don't have the brand crayola. I guess I shouldn't take those things for granted. So there we were, wandering around with our new congregation trying to make friends looking like dunces. Did I mention that Ulises was given the assignment to be the congregation's "young men president"? So here he was with a cone on his head trying to earn the respect of 12-18 year old boys. I wonder if any of those boys will return to church on Sunday.........

So as you can see, Spain has been doing a pretty good job at making me feel at home. I also am planning to bring it a little further along by hosting my very own "scary dinner" with some friends here. They are excited to learn my family's Halloween traditions. Those of you who don't know what that is, stay tuned. I will write a post recapping it.

One of my favorite things about Fall ( Autumn is such a better word) is the Annual General Conference from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints! As a member of this church I really enjoy the closeness I feel with other members all over the world as we collectively tune in and listen to the Prophets speak. I have a deep love and respect for the leaders of my church and feel that they are speaking God's will. Conference is 8 great hours of discourses from strengthening family, to faith in Christ, to missionary service to helping the poor. I felt so lifted and inspired by the messages. I really enjoyed Dallin H Oaks talk on protecting children as well as Jeffrey R Holland's talk about being converted to Christ and feeding Christ's sheep. It was powerful and I felt the spirit. In a following session, Robert D. Hales gave a discourse on the same topic quoting the same section of the New testament. His sweet tender message confirmed to me that these messages are from God. It reminded me to turn to the Scriptures. It reminded me to learn more about Jesus Christ's Life.I left the conference with feelings of Gratitude and Peace.

You can watch the archives here. Choose any topic you like! (this link is the highlights): http://www.lds.org/prophets-and-apostles/unto-all-the-world/apostles-speak-october-2012?lang=eng

Fall does bring melancholy feelings. The year is coming to a close and I am anticipating being away from my family for Thanksgiving, my birthday and Christmas. But my dear Ulises takes such good care of me and we will find happiness. As soon as Halloween is over I will turn on the Christmas music and pray for snow.

Spanish, Anyone?

So I am sitting here with Ulises in one of his University courses. I came to basically 'spend time' with him and see more of him. With my work schedule and his school schedule we often don't see each other between the hours of 6:30 AM and 9 or 10 at night. I would like to comment on how this university course is... or any other number of things, but I am totally preoccupied with how badly I need to go to the bathroom. It's not that I feel like I would be a distraction to the class getting up and leaving--it's just that I went for the door two times already and its locked or something. I'm not going to be the idiot girl who can't open the door for the third time.. Furthermore, if I do go and attempt to pry the door open and they say something to me during my struggle, I imagine I would respond with some underdeveloped caveman type Spanish. "Me no can!"  "No me open!" "graaaauhlurrrmmaaaaaaaahb"

While sitting in this 2 hour (but feels so much longer with this pulsing bladder) class I have been studying Spanish. I feel more confident each day. I can understand more and more and can express myself in certain situations. It's been a different experience than learning Hungarian. I think as missionaries for the church we take for granted the Missionary Training Center where we can study a foreign language for several weeks (my Hungarian course was for 12) before entering our missions to work. The MTC gives you the all the grammar, really helps you understand basics and  also gives you those important survival phrases. I wish I had had an MTC course for Spanish before coming here. I also should take an hour to study Spanish every day like I studied Hungarian for an hour everyday when I was there. But really, all other circumstances are in my favor. When I was in Hungary I never lived with a native Hungarian. Now I live with a native Spanish speaker! We don't talk Spanish very often but he encourages me and I want to set some goals to practice together now that I have some tools in my belt. Similar to my mission in Hungary, I teach! Teaching  puts me in a situation where I am forced to use the native language. In Hungary I used Hungarian to teach lessons about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In Spain I am using my Spanish in my "English Classes". So my Hungarian was more gospel vocabulary and my Spanish is a little more colloquial. I think being forced to use the language is one of the keys to learning. If you never speak your tongue will never become trained.

One aspect of language learning that was very evident for me on my mission was that the holy spirit helped me speak the gospel to the people. I felt that frequently. God used me as a tool. He helped me learn Hungarian to teach his word. But I also know that God is on my side in learning Spanish. I may not be on a mission and my dealings with people are not the same, but God has a vested interest in me and my relationship with my husband, his family, and his ancestors. I hope that in the coming years as my Spanish language abilities progress that my relationship with his family will deepen. I also hope to be more involved in his Family History work.

It's sometimes emotionally difficult to focus on Spanish  because I feel my Hungarian skills slipping. Hungarian is a difficult, beautiful language that I have a special attachment to. But there is a time and a season for each thing and I feel confident that as I learn Spanish and make an effort to keep reading some Hungarian that I can ultimately, know both. The focus is on Spanish now. But there will be a time again when I can go back and sharpen those Hungarian skills. I am so grateful for all my Hungarian friends I made who are now my Facebook friends who write me messages and chat with me. Finding Hungarians to practice with is much harder than finding Spaniards to practice with.

Speaking of Languages.... As I have been teaching English ( which I quite enjoy) I have developed an interest in the history of the English language itself! Both Hungarian and Spanish have a  familiar 'you' (used to address your family and friends) and a formal 'you' (used to address dignitaries and to show respect to anyone-- particularly strangers who are older than you) but the English Language no longer differentiates between the intimate  'you' or the formal 'you'. (or the plural you for that matter) Some of you might be familiar with it. I am  because I grew up reading the King James bible and because in our house we always prayed in this older (late middle English)  form: Thee Thou!

 Growing up I always thought that calling my Heavenly father with "thee and thou" was distancing myself from him --but in reality "thee" is the intimate form of "you" and "you is actually the less intimate and more formal way of addressing someone. I find it beautiful that the language of prayer is one of closeness to God. I don't know how it faded out of use--but I would like to know why! And I would like to know how the different English Speaking countries have done the same independently of each other. Or maybe some of them still do it. It is fascinating to me.

Ah languages..........

fascinating!

Did I mention I am so excited that Ulises and my children will grow up truly bilingual? I met a guy the other day who was American/Spanish and it was actually kind of eerie how he spoke both English and Spanish with the correct, native accent.

Life Starts!

This is a random picture from our civil ceremony. Here we became man and wife.

So wedding season is finally over! Can you believe I still have two more CDs of wedding photos that are not yet on facebook? I should put them up because they are from the civil ceremony and also the celebration here in Spain. On one hand I feel like there are about a zillion of our wedding pictures on facebook, but at the same time I want to be sure that both celebrations are highlighted equally. So-- there is your warning. Facebook will soon provide you with another update from Mary Techera that she has posted MORE pictures.

Did I mention I still need to post pictures of our honeymoon in Utah and to NYC (we were there for a day or so. That counts, right?). Oh-- and apartment pictures! In all honesty, I do it for myself.  I love having pictures to record events! I can look at our wedding pictures all day every day. I'm sure you feel the same way about a similar event in your life. The memories are just so wonderful that you want to relive it again and again. It might also be in part because I miss my family and I love looking through the pictures and seeing the good times we had.

Ok! So how is life now that we are settled here in Spain? Well the wedding here went on without a hitch! My sisters Rachel and Sarah ( and my cousin Elise and her boyfriend!) were able to come. They were so helpful and sweet. And they were such good sports as I dragged them around Barcelona in the August heat trying to make the most of their time here. They arrived just as we found our own apartment and were patient as we struggled with a broken sink (for 4 days) and an under-supplied (no plates and no cooking pans!) apartment. But I think it went well. I hope they come back again in another time of year. Maybe early spring. But September is turning out to be very lovely! Ulises and I will be driving up in the canyon to see some leaves soon.

So Ulises and my apartment is just what we need! Its pretty small but very clean, new, well communicated to public transportation, and has plenty of storage. It is located in a part of the city called L'Hospitalet. Parts of this area are known for ''immigrants'' and ''poor people''-- And that is just what Ulises and I are! Both of us are immigrants and are poor. Ha! But in reality we live in a pretty good part of the town and we feel safe and happy here. We plan on living here for a couple years but who knows where life will take us.

The view out of one of our windows

The apartment itself has a kitchen/living space and then a bedroom and then a bathroom. Our couch in our living room is a hide-a-bed ( consider yourself invited to visit) and the bathroom is large and has a full size tub! Our bedroom has a super cool pop up bed. It lifts up and you can store things under the mattress. Then it pops down just as easily as it pops up! We have lots of closet space and Ulises even installed (with much frustration, cursing and kicking) a ceiling fan in our bedroom. It is perfect because the AC reaches only the living room. And it looks good! Also, when the sink broke our first week in the apartment it got the wood floor wet and damaged. Just last week they replaced the WHOLE floor free of cost! Ulises ( and I... I guess) got to choose the floor color ( it took him hours to decide.) and is so happy with it. We also have a new rug on the floor and our house is a 'no shoe' house so I can stick my face on the rug and not worry about what the bottom of your shoes could have dragged in! Its great!

New hardwood floors and our IKEA rug

Yes, that is a washer and dryer in our kitchen

TV: Walker Texas Ranger. My English options are limited

full size bath!

You can't see it here, but the bed pops up!

The ceiling fan that brings so much happiness

So we celebrated our wedding, found an apartment, and I found work! We have been so blessed. The economy here in Spain is struggling so much. 25% unemployment-- the majority among young workers like Ulises and myself. But because I speak english natively I have been able to find work teaching mostly little children and also adults. I work in an academy and also as a nanny and home English teacher. I have had so many offers that I have had to turn some down. It's hard to balance the hours I have accepted and schedule the travel times between them all. Its also hard to turn new offers down that offer more money but  I think we have a good schedule. It is a wonderful opportunity to allow me to work and save money while Ulises concentrates on his studies. He is the only married man in his University and we are determined to break the pessimistic expectations of many people who believe its impossible to be married and study well at the same time.


To help me arrive to work on time and to allow Ulises to travel to school efficiently and also allow us to go to and from his parents ( and anywhere else our hearts desire...) Ulises and I have purchased a MOTORBIKE! I know it sounds reckless and irresponsible. That's what I thought initially. I always thought of people with motorbikes as people who wanted a 'toy.' But after living here in Barcelona I've learned that a motorbike is not only economical but it is also the most efficient way to travel. It has a more direct route than public transportation, can be parked anywhere, doesn't take a lot of gas, and we don't have to pay a large car payment! So we left Ulises car with his parents and opted for our own little motorbike that fits our needs and our budget. Since we don't have kids yet- its the best thing for us! And it will allow me to travel between my jobs with ease.

We both ride this thing in style! :)

We feel really fortunate for all we have been given.
I miss my family, I miss many comforts of America-- but life is good. We are so blessed and so happy.

Until next time!

Married!

So I got married! We got married!

*cheers*

So let's start at the very begining: Ulises and I  were married in a Civil Ceremony in Castelldefels, Barcelona, Spain on June 16th. I was pretty emotional the week leading up to it. I was so worried that this civil ceremony was becoming some big celebration and I didn't want to make a big deal about it because our Temple Sealing that was to take place the following week was where we wanted to focus. As the civil ceremony approached the people invited grew from close family members to extended family and members of the church. Then Ulises' family started planning an open house after the ceremony, a toast with some (non alcoholic) wine. I grew more and more agitated and bothered. I didn't want the focus here. But after much crying praying and talking to my parents I realized I was being irrational. This new, lovely family of mine wanted to celebrate something important and why was I being so stubborn? Even if we celebrated something small here in Spain after the civil ceremony  that wouldn't decrease the import of the sealing ceremony and the festivities in Utah. At the time I had a hard time seeing it though. I guess I wanted to make it the least important part of our wedding because if it were something important and to be celebrated-- then it would be even more painful that my own parents couldn't be there. But I talked with my Dad and he said some things that opened my eyes. He told me that so few people understand the importance of a marriage commitment  these days that even our civil ceremony is something that should be celebrated. And that I should show respect to those wanting to wish us well and celebrate with us. Common sense, right? I just was thinking with my emotions. But with my dad saying this he not only spoke reason to my mind, but it felt like he was giving his consent to celebrate without them-- that it was all ok. And that once we came to Utah we would celebrate the next step in our life!

So we were married! And it was wonderful. My parents and siblings and Katy all tuned in on a google+ group chat! It was funny. It was also strange to get married in Spanish and  read some vow in Spanish. haha! We then had a toast at his home afterwards with church members and family. And they were so wonderful and sweet! I was sorry I had initially reacted emotionally and  I gave my apologies to his parents. And it was a good day!


Then we spend the whole night packing and preparing to fly to the USA. We flew to New York and had a day lay over. We spent some time in the city with his cousins and Uncle who live there. They were kind and took us to Time Square, the Empire State Building, Central Park and other places! We then flew to Utah and were received by my parents. A day later we went and picked up Ulises' parents and sister from the airport. The Dodge house was FULL! My sister Sarah and all her kids were there as well as all of us!

Thursday we were married! I know you want to hear all the details, right? ....No that is a little boring. I will have you watch our video instead : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hPngWnx_yo&list=UUUSRoRBi9EEd3VsDq7x6j1A&index=1&feature=plcp

Highlights from the day:

• Ulises forgetting his temple recommend that morning.
• Cheesy lines from temple workers: "You are the most beautiful couple! Can you stand in my living room so I have an example of beauty to see every day?"
• Wearing the wedding/temple dress my grandmother made in the 1930's that both she and my mother wore for their weddings. Also wearing her veil.
• Ulises and I making fools of ourselves as we tried to dance a waltz that we didn't even practice once
• My nieces and nephews in cute matching clothes.
• My grandparents coming
• The wedding cake my sister, Rachel, made for us
• our car was decorated so beautifully
• the family dancing around the car before we drove off
• my husband  ( he was so cute)
• celebrating our marriage sealing surrounded by our family and friends

So then we spent the summer in Utah. We had a couple nights at a hotel after the sealing and then spent the rest of the week at my Uncle Richards cabin in Utah. It was a nice get away. Then we spent the rest of the month of July in my parents basement. The time we spent there was so important and so precious to me. At times we felt like we were running in circles spending money we didn't have ( which is true) but we were investing time in each other and in my family. We were filling the reserves because we won't be back in Utah for a while!

Ulises helped my dad with projects. We had BBQ's went to baseball games. Played baseball games. Enjoyed Fireworks. Went to St. George and visited with my grandparents. My sisters and mom and I went to see Wicked. We went to the home ward where everyone fell in love with Ulises. We shared time with my parents and siblings and had a great time. I cried like a baby when we had to leave. But its ok!

Now we are here in Spain. My sisters Rachel and Sarah will join us for the wedding dinner we will have here on the 14th. That was a nice surprise that both of them wanted to come! It makes living far away a little easier when you know that loved ones are anxious to see you!

Now we are on an apartment search ( living with Ulises parents in this apartment is a little frustrating-- so wish us luck) We think we found one and we hope to move in this week. I also am getting my work lined up for the fall and he is preparing for school. We are living on love and Faith and little of anything else. But we are happy! We feel blessed, and have hope for the future!

I will write again

besos from Spain!

p.s here are links to wedding photos on facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100562861767479.2547963.17815629&type=3&l=1fb3e7b74c
and
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100563347449169.2548109.17815629&type=3&l=efb5fed359