Another year is half way through and my husbands dream of going camping with the family every time seems more and more imposible..So, last week he thought it would be fun to camp indoors, since none of us were up for the real thing..

And so the quest began.. Marco and Bella helped him set the tent up while I tried to continue working.. All I could hear was don’t turn around, don’t look. but when I finally did, what I saw.. made me gasp.. At that moment my upstairs neighbor decided to drop by for an unannouced visit..

There they were, Matt, Marco, Bella and Precious all inside the tent as I went to open the door and let my neighbor in.. I could still hear her laughter in my head.. all she said, like she always says was..”These crazy Americans!!”

The tent stayed up for a couples of days, and Bella and Marco slept there.. I went in, looked around, imagined a bear coming to get me and got out as fast as I could.. My first and probably last time in a tent. hahahaa.. JK..

Yes, you read the title right, my grandmother or as I call her Yaya (a term used here in Spain by some meaning grandmother) and Marco and Bella refer to her as “The other Yaya” because they call my mom Yaya as well.. is 98 years old today.. Can you imagine?? She was born on August 27th, 1911!! She has seen several wars, and has witnessed many new advances in technology.

Unfortunately, she has what is known here as “Dementia Senile“, she recognizes my mom because she is the one who takes care of her but no one else.. Now and then she will look at you and you know she knows who you are but can’t express it..  The times I have been in Madrid to see her, she is full of joy to see me but doesn’t know why..

Today I called he to wish her a Happy Birthday and asked her if she knew who I was and she said “of course, I do you are Nuria!!“It is very rare she knows who I’m and made me very happy..

So Happy 98th Yaya, we are sure she will make it to 100 and beyond.. (Although, don’t tell that to my mom….).

The picture you see is of my grandmother in her early 20’s….

Like every year since we moved to Spain we have celebrated the Night of San Juan, right here on the beach of our very own Playa San Juan in Alicante. It is a century old tradition that lives strong in this part of the world.

It consists of getting together with your friends and family, going to the beach with lots of food and drinks, you build a bonfire and burn all the old to bring in the new. At midnight you wet your feet on the Mediterranean Sea and jump backwards 3 times, making a wish..(and many other traditions).

My yoga class along with my neighbors all gathered together this year and we had one of the best “Noche de San Juan” ever. We had every type of food, drinks, candles, incense, lots of rituals and lots of fun..

You can see all the pics HERE…..

I know, I have no excuse, other than I’m very busy with life.. Trying to do too many things at once, like I’m sure most of you are.. I think another reason I don’t write as often is because with facebook, twitter and all that other stuff, who reads blogs anymore? They are too long, people now just want a quicky..

So I wont be long today, Just to let everyone know, we are doing well, the kids are off for Spring break starting tomorrow and have most of April off…. Must be nice.. Marco brought home excellent grades which have made us very proud, and Bella too is keeping up with big brother, although she doesn’t get official grades yet.

Ok, I think I probably have gone on too long and have lost some of you.. so go back to facebook, twitter.. whatever makes you happy…

Today is my moms birthday!! She will not let me say how old she is.. Although, I reminded her that in yer facebook profile she placed her year of birth wich is 1937, so I will just let you do the math.. She looks great for her age and although she just passed through a bad cold she is all better now.

 So HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!

It seems like just yesterday I was writing the 2007 recap and here I’m again with the 2008 recap..

Not much has changed in the last year which is always good.. like they say “No news is Good news” and so I must tell you that we are still loving Spain and trying to make it here. This last year has been one of the hardest due to the crisis and other issues but we are definitely surviving and 2009 looks to be a very bright year for us.

Marco turned 7 this year, he is in second grade and is a little man. He loves, loves, loves soccer , everything soccer, the only thing he asked for Christmas was goalie gloves..He also received his green belt in Judo this year and got very good grades. He lost his two front teeth and really got taller .. What can I say about Marco he is one of the most lovable kids around..and I don’t say that because I’m his mother…

Bella turned 4 this year (turning 5 in February) and is just a little princess. For those of you who have met her and witnessed her tantrums will be glad to hear that they are all but almost gone.. She still has a very strong character and probably always will, but she is a little lady. She loves to sing and dance as well as put make up on, dress up and talk about her boyfriends.. Must I remind you she is only 4!!! She is doing great in school, straight A’s with the exception of one little note “She sometimes doesn’t respect her turn to talk…yea, tell us about it… She never shuts up..

Matt was busy with a lot of shows in the states and preparing his own songs and compositions to be revealed next year. He has been working hard on his Spanish which is coming along nicely and getting ready for 2009 which will be a big one, with many surprises for all of us.. His new website will be ready soon which I will share with all of you.

I finished a Web design course which I loved, I’m still blogging away, designing, translating and trying to keep up with the kids and Matt..I turned the big 40 this year and didn’t have much of a party because Matt was away but we are planning on doing something spectacular next year (right honey???). I’m feeling great and just loving life.

Precious is getting older and sleeps most of the day but the kids love to play with her and she had a great time in the Retiro in Madrid..

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!!! MAY 2009 BE A YEAR FULL OF LOVE, JOY AND LAUGHTER.. AND MAY ALL YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE!!!

HAPPY 2009

There is no excuse, I know, but once again this year, I will not get around to mailing everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday, Happy New year card and so I can just say, that even though you will not get a card from me, know that I think about all of you all the time and that I do wish everyone enjoys this wonderful season.

In the next few days I will take look back at 2008 and what we have in store for 2009 and write a little… Until then, may all your holiday wishes come true and may your days be filled with love, joy and peace together with all of your loved ones. I have been blessed by a beautiful family as you can see by the card above and I’m very thankful for everyday…

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Well, it’s that time of year again to Elf yourself. If you didn’t do it last year, you have to try it out this year. The folks over at officemax and JibJab have created the little dancing elfs in four different dances, Disco, Country, Charleston and Classic.

We have created our own you can view them by clicking on the links below..

The Dela Pola Country Elfs

The Dela Pola Disco Elfs

The Dela Pola Charleston Elfs

The Dela Pola Classic Elfs

Please let us know which one you like the best!!!

This year you can even download your creation for 5 bucks and keep it for ever if not your dancing elfs will expire on January 19th..