Costa del Sol, Spain

We just returned from Marbella, Spain.  We visited there during the boys' winter break.  You would think that would have been the break at Christmas but they get another week off six weeks after the New Year. Who are we to complain???
Here is a list of the top ten things we did or saw:

1. Drank sangria on the beach.
2. Toured the Royal Palace of the Alhambra in Granada.
3. Caleb and Peyton practiced their newly learned Spanish with the locals.
4. Drank sangria on the beach.
5. Drove through the "White Cities" nestled in the mountain range of the Serrania de Ronda.
6. The boys ran around the ring of the oldest Bullring in Spain.
7. Drank sangria by the pool overlooking the beach.
8. Ate the best salad that the four of us have ever had! 
9. Had coffee in Ronda over looking the sheer-sided Tajo Gorge. 
10. Had quality time with the family!

Touring the Alhambra was especially thrilling.  The boys are learning Spanish and their Spanish teacher asked them to find out why the throne room of the palace was significant to the USA.  We found out that this is where Columbus went to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to ask for support to explore the New World.  Can you imagine?  We stood in that same room. The ceiling was amazing and its design is said to symbolize the "divine power of the Sultan".
All three of my "boys" asked me not to schedule too many touristy items on our agenda.  They all wanted to rest and relax but they told me that the Alhambra was "better than we thought it would be".

Peyton on the wall overlooking the courtyard of the Nasrid Palace.

Caleb under the arches leading into the throne room.

A corner in the Throne Room.  You can see part of the ceiling and the carving on the walls. Very intricate.

The "stalactite" ceiling in the Nasrid Palace.

The Boys at the Alhambra.

Our Firsts...

I have seriously been a slogger!!!! That's a new term that a friend coined and I stole it to describe my "slow blogging". It has been a very busy few months and I have had so much to say that I kept waiting until I had a long enough time to sit down and write every thing I wanted. That large block of time has been VERY elusive. We have just returned home from a winter break vacation to Spain.  I realized that we have been experiencing so many new things and so many firsts, especially the boys!

Been in Seven countries
Flown over the ocean
Caleb joined the cross country team
Peyton tried the tennis team
Peyton joined Glee and sang in front of his school
Caleb flew to another country and stayed with a host family by himself
Skiing in the Alps
Drove on the autobahn (on my bucket list)
Had the best hand squeezed orange juice ever from a German gas station
Have four different currencies in my wallet
Have visited royal places in three different countries
Stood in the surf of the Mediterranean Sea
The boys have spoken three different languages all in one day
Taking an Asian cooking class
Joined a Writer's group

There are probably more but these are the ones that have come to mind.  Moving here has definitely offered us some wonderful opportunities!