What a great time of year - crisp morning weather and beautiful sunny afternoons. Holidays around us … it’s a time to be grateful and thankful for what we have. I always look at Thanksgiving as a time of reflection on the year that is closing - a reset before the ‘busy’ Christmas season, and a time to start thinking about wtf I want to do in the new year …. mi encanta!!!
Quick Hits
I love leaving the coffee shop at 956a for a 10-hour massage and then being home by 1110a for breakfast. Living in the city and walking everywhere is really special.
Sometimes I go into a shop, and they ask me a question - assuming it is around helping me or needing something specific or shopping for someone else or ?? I usually just do my best to say, ‘no thanks, I’m good’ or ‘just looking’ or ‘I need a coat’ or so - I think I get the answer to them 30% of the time and the other times they look at me like I am on drugs. I’m not, I just suck at Spanish.
My father and Vicki arrived this last week. I think it’s their 5th trip here! They are here for a month - hanging on the front end, then in Seville (a fantastic city!), then back here to watch the kids as Ashley and I head on a long trip to South America. We will then take them to the Pyrenees Mountains to get the kids on skis for the first time this year ….
Hayes's Bday - Hayes turned 11 - wow. He is a mini-man, for sure. I took him and a few friends to a virtual reality arcade, then in a limo to dinner and our place for cake - he had a blast! He is starting to eat and eat and eat, but to be honest - Ellory matches him bite for bite, I think (just not as robust of a pallet). Taking Hayes to sushi is a VERY costly experience.
Ellory’s Sub11flag football team repeated their championship season from last year. I believe she led the team in TD’s - I heard from fathers every week ‘man she is skilled’ and ‘she just doesn’t miss a ball’ and ‘great effort out of her’ - maybe it's those days/nights where I’d rather do anything than go to the street and play catch - but I do anyway. She has a natural ability in sports for sure …. not sure where the fuck she picked that up from!!
Thanksgiving -
It was my first Thanksgiving out of the States. Of course, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday by 100x over any other. My typical in the States was a house FULL of friends and family, well more food than any army needed, and wine and drinks flowing all day. This year was different by far. First, it was a school day, both Thursday and Friday (of course, thanksgiving is not a recognized Spanish holiday). It was a normal Thursday where I went to the gym, and Ashley took the kids to school. A few errands, a massage, and minor food prep. Ashley brought much of the typical American Thanksgiving shiz from US when she was there last month - canned green beans, crispy onions, cream of soup, etc. She made a bomb-ass green bean casserole that went over very well! One of our amazing friends here hosted Thursday, so we wandered over to their beautiful apartment for the night with about 20 friends and kids. The evening was amazing in every way - amazing food, amazing people, amazing chats - etc. It was just quite different than I am used to. I remember walking home (I love walking after dinner!) and telling Vicki, ‘This is the least stuffed and drunk I have been on Thanksgiving in 15 years’. Of course, I could argue that is not a bad thing…and really not by force or anything. The day was just different. Instead of waking at 8am to do the Turkey Trot in Parkville, then hit mimosas, then cook and mix/pour drinks all day, eat around 130p to then sit and drink and watch football for a few hours, then hit round two of food and dessert while you continue to drink and then hit round 3 of desserts late at night - THAT is a typical thanksgiving …. not a normal day until 4, then wander to your friends (again an amazing time) to hang and eat (focus was not as much on food but on the people, conversations, and giving thanks) to then take off on a school night to get the kids to bed. Not a complaint in any way - but it was just different. Different is good…
On another note - Ashley hosted a little gathering on Friday for some girlfriends. I ordered a turkey for her to make from my chicken lady. My chicken lady (hilarious and speaks no English) needs 2 days notice to obtain a turkey. I asked for around 5 kg as the ovens here are not huge, and we didn’t need that big of one. She had it delivered (found/killed?), we went to get it and it was pretty spot on 5 kg. She had to trim a few feathers off and clip the wings. The guts were gone but not cleaned out. Never frozen, never injected with solutions or fillers, fresh. It was an amazing bird (as they all are here). Oh, and 60€ for around a 10-pound turkey! Yowzas!
For sales, they do have Black Friday but many call it ‘Black Week’ - interesting verbiage I don’t know it would go over well in the States…. jajajajajaj :) There is really no small business Saturday as I feel most businesses here are small businesses - so it’s almost a daily given that people buy from small businesses and they don’t need a given day (I loved Small Business Saturday in US!).
Bottom line - it was a great time with great food and amazing people - if we live in Europe next Thanksgiving, I’m unsure if we will be here or head back to America - if here, we will be looking forward to Eisler’s Thanksgiving Feast 3.0!
Our tradition is decorating the house for Christmas too on the Friday after Thanksgiving - Ash and Vickie jumped the gun this year and did it on Thanksgiving day (we weren’t hosting 30 people for 16 hours) and the place looks really nice. She has her things out from the Christmas Markets last year in Germany - we have a few trees, and the house just looks really nice. Christmas is not my favorite holiday, but it is a nice time of year here with all the street lights, crisp cool weather (no, it does not snow here), and the ability to ski inside a 1.5-3 hour drive.
Time in Europe
To that end - we initially committed to Barcelona for 2 full school years and then ‘we will see’ - so this loose no-rules commitment runs out this year in June. Unsure where we will be next year - Ashley and I have not discussed it. I have started dripping a few things to Hayes, though and he says he needs 2 more years to be fluent in Spanish (he has a goal to get there as he has a significant gift/prize when he is fluent). It’s a great life here - really great - we shall see.
Struggles -
Our wifi is great, but only in certain parts. All the walls are pure concrete so it’s a challenge for the system. I ordered a new system - still not the best, and the customer service is not great. Plus - they don’t speak English. So, I’m now 400$ in on add-on equipment, swapping routers, and I’m no closer to getting wifi on my terrace. We have fast wifi - just not on the terrace …. struggle.
I was getting labs drawn at Synlab (full blood panel 45€ cash) and I couldn’t interact as well with the lady at the front desk. I was passed up at #39 (I don’t think I needed a number as I had an appointment, unlike others), and I was waiting an extra 5 minutes. Not a big deal - but a struggle that I would not have had in USA.
I read an article on Travis Kelsey the other day (yes it mentioned his new girlfriend!). He had a coach forever ago that had a quote he lives by and I really like it and have been thinking about it quite a bit lately.
Everybody you meet in this world is either a fountain or a drain…
and another I have been thinking about lately..
Comparison is the thief of joy…
Next time, I’ll write on our BIG trip - and the holiday season …. and how I am trying to look differently at my bucket list … Happy Thanksgiving!