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Pictures and ramblings of the day to day

The End of Summer in Andalusia

 Like in most places, the end of Sumer is waking up and pulling the cover up. The cover you've only used to make an otherwise undressed bed all summer. The end of summer is the sun setting earlier through my living room window and less gazpacho. It's also putting a long sleeved onesie pijama on my almost three-month-old for the first time. They were so big; I thought, "he won't wear this until December!" Now HE is so big. 14 pounds of cuddles in the morning. 

The end of summer means taking out the blankets, that were gifts, to put in the stroller for evening outings. It's the end of another era of my life, and fall being a new beginning. A new chapter. I now want that coffee hot, and happily welcome a long sleeve after my first summer in the south of Spain. It's also one less season before I can return home to smell the fresh cut grass and morning mist of my parents' houses in Pennsylvania.  One less season before my almost three-month-old can meet the red dirt that runs in his veins, and get to know a land that will always embrace him with open arms.

It's the end of summer. The kids are lining up outside the elementary school below my window with goosebumps on their arms, anticipating a new school year and getting a few last wears out of those shorts. They're lining up one by one new backpacks and fresh-faced.

November 1st, 2024

I just got back to my house. It's 17:45 in Ubrique, Spain, or 5:45 pm. I woke up this morning and it wasn't raining, which was so nice because it has been for the last week. Spain has flooded, Valencia is in a state of panic, 200 people have died. Here it just rained. And I worked. It was a tough week between my cold, the rain, and a lack of any desire to teach kids at all. Dante started working this week and is very happy with his job and things seem to be sliding into normalcy. He went to work at 12pm today, and I went off with his parents and the baby to take a stroll and enjoy the first sunny day we've had for a while. 

We went for a walk, had some wine, had some tapas. Dante's brother showed up. My baby spent the whole day smiling. I felt complete. I'm starting to feel complete. Dante found an excellent job, I don't love mine, but I have one. We created this tiny little guy that loves us unconditionally. I have weekends off and think of things to come and wonderful plans for the future. Christmas is right around the corner and I'm planning my first, real American Christmas in Spain. It's the first time it has been worth it to put up a tree and lights and wrap something. 

My baby loves me. My boyfriend loves me. My adopted family loves me. 

Things are moving forward and getting better one day at a time. 

Today was such a good fucking day.