We made it!

So despite all the chaos and craziness of getting things sold and packed, the last few days in Minnesota went pretty smoothly. Between lending/donating stuff, dropping it off at friends' houses for their garage sales (thanks Katy and Erica!) and selling stuff, we ended up with a totally full storage unit and filled up my mom's van with one last load destined for Wisconsin. But the house was empty and clean and we had most of the day Sunday to enjoy - did Mother's Day brunch and went to the Arboretum...along with every other family in the Twin Cities metro! On Monday morning, got the cars sold, finished our packing at the hotel, and closed on the house...with plenty of time to spare, as I promised Eric all along :)

The bag-check lady at the Delta counter thought we were a little nuts as she tagged our 7 bags and the carseat and watched us head to security with 5 more carry-on's and the stroller. Flights to Paris and then on to Malaga were uneventful, although none of us got much sleep on either flight. Feared that would bite us at some point, but we managed to make it all the way without anyone melting down. The only hiccup was with our car...the leasing agency gave us the biggest one they had, but we still couldn't cram everything in. The guy ended up having to call his colleague to come meet us, and I took 2 bags and rode with her back to their garage. With some strategic efforts and the removal of part of the trunk, everything finally got squeezed in and we hit the road for the 1.5 hr drive to Granada. Thankfully Coco was sleeping for this whole process and drive!

From the minute we landed it's been unseasonably cold and rainy, but everyone promises it will finally clear up and get warm again tomorrow. We are hoping so! Our explorations so far have involved umbrellas, rain coats and rain pants, and the plastic stroller cover thingy (so glad we have that!). Coco has enjoyed chasing the pigeons through the puddles and we have to stop at every single park we see so she can try out all the slides and swings. Her new favorites are the mini-trampolines that they have at some of the plaza parks. We have spent a lot of time wandering around all the different neighborhoods around the centro, trying to get a feel for where we might want to live. There are lots of cute areas, but it seems like we may just end up living anywhere that will accept a 6 month lease. Most responses to our inquiries thus far have indicated a 1-yr minimum commitment. Or at least that's what I think they're saying, it's in Spanish!

The language is sort of coming back to us, albeit quite slowly, and Coco seems to be picking up the Spanish things we say to her a little more. As soon as we get the housing situation squared away, job #1 will be to find her a school/daycare so she can get back to spending time with other kids, as well as get immersed in the language. That will also leave Eric and I with more time to do laundry, which is a much more tedious process here - tiny washing machine and no dryer. Didn't think I'd ever miss my laundry room back in Plymouth, but it seems rather luxurious in hindsight :) We will be getting used to many things on a smaller scale...besides cars and washers, beds are smaller, streets are narrower, and the stores are tiny. Even the beers are little, and served in wine glasses. I'm still adjusting to the 'drink beer with lunch' culture, but practice makes perfect!