Una Fiesta en Madrid con mi prima!

 That's how you say it, right?

I am sorry that I have been such a terrible blogger- it has been a week, I believe, since my last post! I promise I have some good ones in store for this week, since Daniel and I just got back from Madrid!

Ashley y Kiko

My (2nd? 3rd? 8th? We can never really figure it out) cousin, Ashley, lives there with her love, Kiko, and after 9 months of us talking about visiting them, we finally did...and had one of THE BEST weekends ever. First of all, words just can't even describe how wonderful it is to see family whilst living an ocean away from loved ones. Second of all, we just had a really fun time together, eating, drinking, clapping (flamenco!), and meandering through Madrid.

Side note: I love how Ashley and Kiko met. In Texas about 5 years ago, there were terrible budget cuts to education. Ashley, being a new teacher, was one of the thousands of teachers to lose her job, since she was the last hired. Being one of the most adventurous people I know, Ashley decided that she wasn't going to stress about finding a new job, but instead, was going to travel Europe until she ran out of money. Then she would go back to Texas and worry about finding a job. As I told her, I remember having this whole conversation with Ashley a few months before she left. She was so dead set on going to Europe, no matter what advice other people told her to save her money and try and find another job in Texas. Now several years later, we can say we know why she was so determined to go: it was God leading her to her true love!  So, she bought a one way ticket to Dublin, and from there, by herself might I add, travelled to Scotland, France, Italy, Eastern Europe, Greece, and then to Spain (I'm probably missing a country or 4). She wanted to save Spain for last, as she just knew that it would be her favourite (destiny, I believe). Since she was limited on funds and wanted to see as much as possible, she slept on people's couches along the way (via couchsurfing.org). Well, guess whose couch she slept on in Madrid? Kiko's. She spent the next 17 days exploring Madrid with this stranger, sleeping on his couch, and the whole time thinking "This guy is cute. And so, so nice. I think I have a crush on him". But, as her travelling funds began to run dry, she realized it was time to go back to the real world in Austin. She hugged him good bye, got on the plane saddened to leave this man that she had grown to know and really enjoy spending time with, and flew back home. As she lands in Austin, she turns on her phone to tell her loved ones she had landed, but alas, she finds a long email from Kiko, professing to her his amor. So over time, they were long distance, then he moved to Austin, and then she moved to Madrid to live with him. And THAT is why my Austinite cousin lives in Madrid currently!

Wow, that was long winded! I think I am going to stop talking and just show some random pictures of the trip that don't fall into the other categories I want to write about!

An old Jamon leg...Ashley and Kiko buy a whole leg and eat the meat off of it!

  

  

From Jardin de Secreto...a really cute cafe we went to on our first day. SUPER ecclectic- I want to meet the person who decorated the place! 

And you know what...I am going to leave it at that, for now. I'll write again tomorrow about all of the comida y sangria that was consumed on this trip...don't read it while hungry!