Flamenco anyone?

Several weeks ago we joined a group of folks from the base and went to a restaurant in Jerez for dinner and a flamenco show. Yes, I spelled the word correctly... It's F-L-A-M-E-N-C-O... not F-L-A-M-I-N-G-O. And there's a very distinct difference in the two. Look it up if you don't believe me.

We thought it would be fun to check out this unique cultural experience, so we asked a few other couples if they were interested in joining us. As it turned out, four couples said yes to our invitation, and we all joined a bus full of complete strangers and headed to Jerez for a very interesting evening.

So are you at all familiar with flamenco? I thought I was, but quickly figured out I had no idea what it was all about. I googled "flamenco," and found this description provided by www.spain-info.com to be very accurate...

"Flamenco is a folk art, around 200 years old. It is from Southern Spain and is individualistic, yet structured. Song, dance and guitar are blended into passionate rhythms which are often improvised and spontaneous. Flamenco will have any imaginable theme, from up to date stories, to politics, to love, to history, to humor, etc. Often however, the tragic lyrics and tone of flamenco reflect the sufferings of the gypsy people from whom it originated."

Here are a few scenes from our evening...

This is where it all went down.


Here's our group, waiting for dinner to begin, followed by the show.


This was the main course for dinner... beef and veggies in a sauce (comparable to beef stew) with patatas fritas (fried potatoes, like French fries).


Dessert tasted like a type of flan or custard.


Dinner is rolling right along, and the flamenco show is about to start on the stage at the end of the table.


Okay... the entertainment is beginning. There are four dancers, one guitarist and one singer, although all of them sing from time to time. I was surprised at how small the stage was!


I loved this lady's dress, but it was totally unlike what I'd expected. I had it in my mind that all the dresses were going to be red and black. Why? I guess because that's all I'd ever heard about... I don't know.


I guess it was at this point in the show that we got really tickled. This woman looked very serious and determined throughout her dance routine, to the degree that she looked to be in pain. It was rather funny, and someone asked, "Is this a Saturday Night Live skit?" That's all it took for several of us to get the giggles. You know what it's like when you're trying to stifle a laugh, particularly when it comes at a very inappropriate time and place, like church, or in our case, in the middle of a Spanish flamenco performance. Of course it was only funny to us because we were clueless as to what was happening. We didn't know it was supposed to be so serious.


I really liked this dancer's dress and her style of dancing most of all.


I suppose this lady's dress is what I expected all dancer's dresses to look like. I remember this particular dancer really stomping her feet, and I kept thinking that my feet would never be the same if I were attempting to do what she was doing.


The singing was unlike anything I'd ever heard. It was more like chanting, and of course it was in Spanish, so I didn't understand any of it. Rather reminded me of going to an Italian opera. The music alone is very confusing to someone who doesn't speak the language, but combined with the visual aspect of what's happening on stage, it makes a little more sense. I believe the underlying theme of tonight's flamenco performance was a woman scorned, thus the serious faces and stomping of feet.


At times the ladies danced in pairs.


I'm glad we had the opportunity to see an authentic flamenco show firsthand. I feel a little more cultured. Is it my favorite form of entertainment? Honestly? No it isn't, but I'm still glad for the experience.

Retail Therapy for Bloggers

I recently discovered there is a huge retail market for blogging-related gifts. I know, I've been living under a rock. But really, who could have imagined that blogging would become such a phenomenon? From "Cafe Press" to "One Horse Shy" to "T-Shirt Humor"... there's something for everyone! Here are just a few of the unique findings available on the internet today...











Of course these are only a few of the myriad of T-shirts I've seen. There are lots of other items to spend your money on too...

In need of a baby gift for that shower you got invited to attend? This might just be perfect for your needs! I should send this to my new niece. She's totally blog worthy!

In to ball caps? Try this one on for size...

If you're a blogger and anything like me, you need one of these babies to help you remember what you wanted to blog about. I seriously have to jot down notes about blog topics or else my feeble mind draws a blank the minute I sit down in front of the computer.

Wanna share your love of blogging with everyone you meet, even on the highways and byways of life? How about a license plate or a sticker to put in your window?


I saw this graphic on T-shirts, mugs, an apron...


Well, what the...? How did THIS make my blog? I mean, WHO would dare say that about MY blog?

We out of meet

I have it from a reliable source that the white sign on the left was spotted in the window of a Burger King located in Detroit, MI. So... upon reading the sign, do you think patrons of this particular establishment are going to race back anytime soon? Inquiring minds wanna know.

A Whoopie Cushion Christmas

We want to thank the family members responsible for sending the boys whoopie cushions for Christmas. They have enjoyed many hours (Yes, HOURS) of entertainment with these little jewels. See for yourself... (And if you're currently listening to my music, scroll down to the red box on the right side of the page to turn it off before you click on the following video.)




Really, who would have thought two inexpensive gifts like whoopie cushions could bring two boys such joy and laughter? They want to say thank you in their own special way...




Unfortunately, whoopie cushions are not made to withstand overuse. Our boys know this from personal experience. Overuse eventually results in what is known as irreparable whoopie cushion "blow out." Ah... and there's the rub, because how does one simply refrain from overuse of the whoopie cushion? Seriously. They're just too much fun!

Christmas in Spain

This was my first Christmas in Spain, as well as the first spent outside the United States. I have to admit that as much as I complained last year about the overcrowded stores and commercialism, I actually missed some of that this year. That's not to say I didn't enjoy Christmas in Spain, because I did, very much so, in fact. It's just that it was "different," and I longed for the hustle and bustle of the Christmas shoppers in the malls, the beautiful decorations in the stores, the Christmas songs on the radio... You get the picture.

But rather than focus on what I missed, I'm going to focus on what I experienced during the Christmas holiday season, and invite you to join me as I reminisce about Christmas 2008...

Early December found the Women of the Chapel celebrating the Christmas season by hosting "Tables for Ten," where tables of ten women sat together for dinner. Each table had a different theme, and therefore different types of food. The theme at our table was "Twas the Night Before Christmas Pajama Party" and we all wore our jammies and enjoyed comfort food... a breakfast casserole, hashbrown potato casserole, muffins, cinnamon rolls, etc. After we ate, we sang Christmas carols. It was a very enjoyable evening of Christian fellowship with some wonderful women.


Of course mid-December found us enjoying a long weekend in Paris, our first major trip since moving to Europe four months ago. It was great being there during the holiday season, seeing the decorations and even a few (and only a few) snowflakes. We had a blast!


My sweet, handsome husband and I were attending a Christmas party in San Fernando hosted by the Spanish admiral in this photo. I'm always happy to be on my favorite guy's arm, even if it means having to dress up when I'm not in the mood. We enjoyed several parties throughout the holiday season.


This photo was taken at the same event. The ladies in our party were sharing a goofy moment, posing with a throne, as if we're royalty.


The men wouldn't be outdone, as they decided to pose for a photo in the same spot. The woman sitting on the throne is our Navy Skipper's wife. The Navy Skipper is sitting to her left (your right).


The Air Force Christmas party was held at a very nice hotel on the beach in Rota, Playa de la Luz. Here my hubby poses with the local Spanish gentlemen who happen to be the owners/operators of the local moving company and are just about the nicest people ever.


I can't remember the last time I'd sat on Santa's lap!

We went to a couple of Christmas parties at the homes of friends, but didn't take any photos there. The boys also enjoyed their individual classroom holiday parties at school.

We attended a nice Christmas Eve worship service at the base chapel. We sang lots of Christmas carols, there were skits and scripture readings and a reflection on what Christmas means. It was really very meaningful and I'm thankful we were a part of it.

Even though our base house is much smaller than our previous house in Virginia, we still had room for our big Christmas tree, and I'm glad we brought it with us as decent live trees are virtually impossible to find in Spain. The many gifts shown under our tree are proof that we were blessed with generous family, friends and of course Santa.


Christmas morning brought great surprises and tons of fun for our boys (us too). They received these whoopie cushions from relatives and they were definitely a hit. More about those in a future post.


I was a very good girl this year, and if you doubt that, just look at all the loot Santa put in my stocking. See? Told ya so!


Santa brought each of the boys a watch...
... as well as a Nintendo DS. Santa totally rocks!


Mom and Dad mostly gave the boys boring clothes (You KNOW how parents are!), however, a Steelers shirt was actually a pretty cool gift.


This guy wouldn't have been happy with a Steelers shirt, however a Colts shirt works for him. Thank goodness the NEX has a somewhat decent team sport selection!


My sweetie is sporting his new shirt and shows off an indoor/outdoor thermometer he received.

I'd show you a photo of me, but I wouldn't want you to be jealous of my great beauty upon rolling out of bed on Christmas morning. Sorry, but it's my blog and that means I can include and/or omit whatever photos I choose. It's called "blogger's prerogative."

The rest of Christmas Day was spent enjoying a delicious dinner of chicken we received as a gift from Spanish friends, as well as a host of favorite side dishes. We relaxed and took inventory of our many gifts, talked to family at home in the States and later joined friends at the home of neighbors for dessert, drinks and conversation around the fire pit, a very common occurrence in our neighborhood.

We went on a couple of walking excursions in local towns and saw lots of these beautiful banners. Translation = "God Is Born... Merry Christmas!"


Nativity scenes are plentiful in our area. We saw large ones like this... ... and small ones like this... There's a fantastic live nativity held in Arcos de la Frontera every year, however, it's a one-night event only, and wouldn't you know we had plans on that night. Maybe we can go next Christmas.


We saw a few beautifully decorated storefronts.


We saw streets bright with color both day... ... and night...


We braved a huge crowd of people in downtown Rota for the annual Three Kings Parade on the night before Epiphany, which is the big day of celebration for the Spanish.


Here one of the Three Kings is featured on a parade float, throwing candy to the children along the streets. Notice the hands in the lower half of the photo, reaching to catch candy as it's thrown. I'll show you more photos of the parade in a separate post. It was truly a pleasure to see and experience this cultural holiday event.

That pretty much wraps up our Christmas holiday season. We felt both privileged and blessed to have participated in such a wide array of events. Hope your Christmas holiday season was bright, merry and blessed too.

Show me the money!

We carry two sets of currency on us at all times, American and European. We use our American currency here on base, and the European currency off base. It's not difficult to tell the difference between the two types of paper money because they are very different. The first time I saw euro bills, I thought they looked like Monopoly money. What do you think? Am I right? They don't look real to me! I guess that's because I've been accustomed to looking at these all my life... I have a divided area in my wallet where I can stash each type of bill, so I know dollars are on one side and euros are on the other. No problem!

It's a little more difficult to distinguish American coins from euro coins, and it's not that they necessarily look that much alike...

This...

versus this...
See, the thing is, I only have one section in my wallet for coins, and once the two different types of coins are mixed, it takes too long to pick out the right ones at the right time. So for a while I was carrying this to hold my euro coins... Yeah, that's right... it's a Ziploc baggie! I couldn't fine a coin purse I really liked and until I did, I was content to use a baggie. I quickly became a target of ridicule within my circle of so-called friends. Can you believe that? All because I carried my coins in a baggie!

Well, I'm here to tell you that, thanks to my husband and kids, I'm no longer the laughingstock of the neighborhood, now that I'm sporting my new Dooney & Bourke coin purse I received for Christmas. That's right... now I'm stylin' with this in my purse... Thanks, guys, for saving my reputation!

Could we have healing powers?

These plants are in our front yard, growing along the driveway.


They recently started blooming, probably sometime in mid-late November.


The blooms started out like this one, only they were green in the beginning, and gradually turned this bright, reddish color.


The blooms open up little by little...


... by little...


... until it blooms out completely like this!

We really had no idea what this plant was. We thought it might be some kind of cactus, however, after further investigation, we now believe we have aloe growing in our yard. I understand aloe is native to Africa, but Spain is very close by, so it makes sense that it can grow here as well. Of course aloe is supposed to have healing medicinal powers for certain ailments, particularly cuts and burns. Could we have healing powers in our front yard? Hmmm... Regardless of whether or not this is actually an aloe plant, or if it has healing powers, it's been interesting to watch the blooming process and we're enjoying the beautiful color in our yard.