Well, I’m back. I flew home from Spain on June 30, had an unplanned, 6-hour lay-over in Charlotte, NC, proceeded to get a monster cold on July 3, spent the 4th of July in bed and returned to work on July 5. Happily, I am all better and headed to my hometown of Los Angeles (well, Tujunga to be exact) this weekend. I am so excited to visit family and friends down there, along with a visit to the campus of the University of Southern California, where I spent many an afternoon as a kid watching epic SC Trojan football games. I am finally back in the routine of daily life after an amazing, extremely busy month in Spain.
And the trip was amazing. Although I wish I could have spent more time in Toledo with friends and family, I got to see and do many new things this year. Our trip to the Canary Islands, a weekend on the Mediterranean coast with my pen-pal and sweet friend Julie and her husband Stephen, my niece’s “graduation” from day care into “real” school (preschool), the Toledo tapas crawl, a tasty dinner with my brother and sister-in-law (featuring four kinds of gazpacho!), taking 900+ photos and perhaps the best thing – the first annual Pancake Merienda - are memories I will carry with me and blog about in the coming year.
But it’s a funny thing, coming back home. I can’t deny that I am happy to be back in my cute, cozy house and in my own bed, but nothing beats living your passion for a month. As I sit in my office on the campus of the University of Nevada, life there seems so far away, but at the same time very real as I recount the precious moments spent with people who are so dear to me, yet who I rarely see. I do treasure every moment I spend there and miss everyone who makes Spain not only an interesting place to visit, but a far-away, second home for me.
So yes, I am back, and upon my return from LA, will resume writing about my experiences and impressions of life in Spain. But for now, I’ll share this photo with you, taken at the first annual Pancake Merienda … just to give you an idea of how my pancakes went over with the family! :)
