Catching up...

I made a new friend. :-) I know that this is laughable to many of you as you know that I have many good friends, but it is not often that I find a friend as easily and as God-appointed as this one. Kerry was in Kandern for 5 years previous to my arrival. So we met over the 4th of July and it was obvious that God had ordained we should be friends. I am so thankful for her!

I was a wedding coordinator for my dear friends the Holidays as their oldest daughter was getting married here in Kandern. I met the Holidays the first time I went to Lithuania and they have greatly impacted my life since then! I took this photo during the rehearsal dinner... the sky was stunning.

Lindsay and Patrick are a great couple and I was thrilled to be able to help them and get to know Patrick and his family! Sadly, I have no photos... I was too busy to stop and take photos. Hopefully I can get some from the family and share them with you. There are a few on this website.. it was really beautiful and I am delighted to have been a part of it.

The day after the wedding I gathered together a group of friends and we went to dinner at a Straussi. Deb, Thad and Jana and Brad are four people who I spent a lot of time with... when we are all in town. that Sunday was the last time until probably October when all of us will be in town at the same time.

These places are open 4 months out of the year and have great atmosphere, local food and good prices. We try to find new ones all the time to try out. yes... Brad was trying to edge Deb out of the photo... or was it Deb trying to hid from the photo? I sure get a lot of amusement from this group!

Two days later, I flew to Spain to meet up with my dear friend Claudia for a 10 day holiday.

We enjoyed sun, gorgeous views, exploring old cities, hiking in dry/forested/rocky areas, swimming in the ocean with other people, swimming in lakes with fish, turtles, ducks and other people. I loved how quickly my spanish came back and I even got to help a couple by translating what they needed to a shop keeper... they wanted the horn of a bull.. .just the horn for a gift... yeah... like any souvenir shop would sell just the horn. Sooo.. here are some photos of the lovely vacation I enjoyed.

View from our balcony:

Areas we got to hike in.. this was the entrance to a water gorge... stunning!:

the town of Ronda is connected by this amazing bridge:

Antequera has too many churches to count.. this was the highest church in the town...

Where we swam with ducks, fish, turtles and people.. Spanish, Dutch, British, German:

And some of the "animals" we encountered....
Fish
Geckos
Beetles
Ducks
for more photos click here: Spain holiday 1. And here: Spain holiday 2