hola

Hi there, Welcome to my virgin blog entry! It feels a bit weird, but here we go. I am a US expat living in a tiny mountain village in Spain with my English "significant other," who henceforth will be referred to as Big Jim. Big Jim and I came to Spain to seek a life away from the corporate treadmill and find a more tranquil existence. why Spain? Well, I had studied here during university and felt an almost instant bond with the people, the life, and the beauty of the land. It may be my one true "love at first sight" experience. The Big Jim independently had been traveling here over the years and had felt a similar bond with the country and people. Finally, a practical matter, there were no quarantine restrictions for pets, so it was easy for me to bring my then 13-year-old cat (she's 16 now and thoroughly enjoying her retirement in the sun) and my precocious pup. This blog will relate our day-to-day observations, our progress as we struggle to find our place here, as well as the occasional rant about the frustrations we encounter. In just two years, we have faced many challenges that we never could have anticipated, become stronger and, we'd like to think, better people because of them. Our Spanish vocabulary has grown through the trials and tribulations of daily life ("bomba de agua" [water pump] is a good one to know when your car breaks down}. We hope that you enjoy following our journey down the "road less traveled" and perhaps find yourself questioning ways in which you can take your dreams off the backburner and start making them part of your reality. Peace.