Sevilla, Southern Spain

We took a 3 hour train ride south to visit Sevilla. This was what I had pictured Spain to look like.
They had the ivy covered alley-ways, cute little shops, and the buildings were beautiful. This is the main plaza in downtwon sevilla. The tile work was amazing! We were able to take a horse and buggy ride around the city and see what southern Spain had to offer.
Jeff served his mission in Bilboa, Spain so we had to make sure to find it on the map so he knew we were thinking of him while he was back home in the states.
Our last stop before flying home was the Madrid Temple. This was a very sentimental moment for my Mom, because they didn't even have an official church building to meet in when they arrived back in the day. It is such a blessing to be able to see the church growth world wide and it was also very wonderful to know that Jeff had also been here some years ago. It was such a wonderful experience and one I will never forget! Thanks Mom and Dad for making it possible!
(I couldn't help but post this picture. . .I know she makes an appearance on all of my family members blogs, but she is to cute not to post! She was such a good traveler and so fun to have on the trip. She only had a few moments where she was bored, but this picture shows she quickly found ways to keep herself entertained !)

Flamanco Dancing!!!

My Mom treated us to a dinner and a show... a flamaco show that is!
The food was delicious and the entertainment even better. This place
was famous for having the best dancers in all of Madrid. The wall, in fact, was covered with photos of celebrities who had come to see previous shows. We were all a little worried Ashley would get bored after a while, however she was entertained and at one point, while dancing in her own chair, became the entertainer. The rest of the trip she would break out in "manco" as she called it.



The women danced as though warning men not to mess with them... here is a sneak peak at what we were able to enjoy.
The country of Spain, at least in the big cities, had quite a night life. The streets were full of people until about 4 in the morning or later, which meant that shops didn't even open until noon the next day. I loved the streets full of little shops and places to eat on every corner. People would be out playing different instuments to crowds and it was just beautiful.
This is the Largest cathedral in all of spain... from a distance I could not fit even half of the structure in the picture.

Toledo, Spain

An hour outside of Madrid is the oldest city in spain. It was a city
built by the Romans back in 112 B.C. However most of the surviving architecture
was built by the conquering Arabs. This is a view of the city, which is built on the highest
hill in the surrounding landscape. It is famous for its gold jewelry and artwork.
Yes, I am still VERY pregnant. In fact my feet at the end of the trip were about
twice their regular size, but it was well worth all the walking!












The cathedrals in spain are breath-taking! This one took over 200
years to complete and is still functioning to this day.
This is one of the oldest surviving bridges in all of spain, which dates back hundreds of years. It is a bit scary to think they still let buses and other large vehicles drive over it!

Spain...

My Mom and her family lived in spain for three years while my
Grandpa served as the second mission president in all of spain.
We flew into Madrid the first few days to look at my Mom's old
stomping grounds.
When in Spain due as the spanish due...eat lots of shelfish?
We ordered an authentic plate called Paella which is a rice dish
full of everything you can imagine...including these little guys! I admit that
I didn't dig in, but was brave enough to at least try most of the food on the trip!
This is one of my favorite pictures of my Mom
who use to hang out in the Plaza Mayor as a teen...
she still looks great all these years later!
We went to Retiro park, which is a giant park in the center of madrid...
it is a place of great romance. This was also where my hubby Jeff use to
practice his espanol while in the madrid MTC. To this day they still send out
missionaries to hand out Book of Mormons to those passing by!

Off to new places....

Our trip began in Baltimore where Jenny, Steve and Ashley
are currently living. Being so close to our nations capital we made a few
stops to museums, monuments ets.



We happen to witness one of the largest
anti-war protest as well, which we didn't stick around for very long since the
atmosphere was a little intense.

Our final stop before leaving the country was over looking the bay where
the star spangled banner was written, it was a very patriotic moment! (if you notice
Ashley's hands in her pocket...she would not take them out the entire time)

a little family fun. . .

Jeff's Dad flew into town for the weekend so we packed in the beautiful sites of colorado! He treated us to one wonderful dinner after another so in return we treated him to the Denver botanical gardens. They are in full bloom this time of year, but it won't last long because it is cooling off fast. I however am more then ready for fall!!!