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The last couple weeks have been godsends. First was my time in Bilbao with Eric and Dan last week. And this weekend, my former boss, turned colleague, and now long-time friend Jim came to see me. Both Eric and Jim have been roll-models for me. They came to Spain more than ten years ago to…

First, thank you to each of you who responded either privately or on the blog about the struggles I expressed last week. Sometimes, all you need is a compassionate, listening ear. Thank you. I’m home in Valencia after an amazing time in Northern Spain, visiting my friends Eric and Dan (from Boise) who go to…

What an interesting week it’s been. We had a big concert on Saturday night in Buñol, a small town about thirty minutes outside of Valencia. A lot of my friends said they’d be there. So I’ve really been looking forward to sharing my choir experience with them. We sang the 5th Symphony “Return to Middle…

My nephew Josh married his sweetheart Greta today in Minnesota. Last night, I called my brother Joel and was able to talk to Josh and his fiancé Greta, to wish them many blessings before their wedding today. Tonight while watching the closing ceremonies of the Olympics, Joel texted me. We were able to Facetime, along…

Greetings from Zaragoza. I have been wanting to see more of Spain. And lacking any friends that are willing to make a definite plan, I started planning myself. So a few weeks ago, I booked a weekend in Zaragoza…about half way between Barcelona and Madrid. I’m staying in an AirBnB with Jesus, a native of…

What an odd week. Last Saturday, I met someone with whom I really connected. We spent a lot of time together on Sunday and Monday. By Tuesday, we were agreeing that neither of us is ready for a serious relationship. We agreed to stay friends and I hope we do. He’s a smart, kind, courageous,…

The honeymoon is over. It’s been just over six months since I arrived in Spain. And I have six months more on my visa. Half way points are a good place to reflect and look ahead. What have I learned? What am I feeling? What am I thinking about the future? I haven’t told you…

I really love being a tour guide I have the coolest friends! Ken and Pab were here this week from Denver. They stayed Sunday to Wednesday. I’ll give you the rundown (with the alternative motive of inspiring you to come visit). We celebrated my six month anniversary of living in Valencia and they saw a…

I didn’t send an update last week because there wasn’t much news. But two weeks feels like too long to go without an update. We had a chorus concert on Friday, June 28. I went to beach when I had some free time…as is becoming my summer custom. The beach is my happy place! The…

Don’t let anyone tell you that vaccines don’t work. Not only was my stint with COVID limited to one week, when I added Shingles to the mix, that vaccine shortened the sick time to three days, not 3-5 weeks as is normal. So this week was full speed ahead. I didn’t meet with Dima this…