Ronda, Spain

 Ronda is a place that we have always wanted to see. The Greens were supposed to come with us, but Shawn had a case of food poisoning from the day before so they decided to stay near their place and relax.

Ronda is where bullfighting all began. It was fun to walk around and learn more about it.

They only have a fight once a year at that ring.

 The kids pretending to be bulls.

 Where the bulls hang out before the meet with the matador.

 The rectangular metal covers on the floor open up to each of the bull stalls below. We overheard a woman talking and she said they spear the bulls through this to wear them down before they meet up with the matador.

 This is for my nephew, Tommy. This gun museum had guns from the 1500's and up. It was amazing to see!

 The gorge was amazing! The beauty can't even be captured on camera.

 Grace took this photo...thought she did a pretty good job.

 Ice cream break!

 After we got back to the resort we played golf, ping pong and badmitten.

These family times are the ones I'm going to remember the most.

Grace has been really practicing how to tie her shoes. She is determined to learn it and will do it over and over again. Time to get out the bi-colored laces so she can do it herself.

 We got calamari for dinner and AJ loved it! 

Beach Days at the Mediterranean Sea

We LOVED being at the beach! The kids couldn't get enough of the water and sand. 

One night after dinner we took a stroll along the shore and took in the beauty of the ocean and the sound of the waves.

 I love this man!

 In this picture Jackson was rolling in the sand. He was having so much fun that we all started laughing at his craziness. It was quite a sight to clean up...but definitely worth it!

Spain, Day Three

We woke up early on Monday and made the 1 1/2 hour drive to Gibraltar. We have been in the past, but the Greens wanted to check it out. Good news was our friends from Okinawa who now live in Rota made the drive to meet us for the day. It was so good to see Melinda and Lydia! The last time we saw them was over 4 years ago.

 The Rock

 Walking through the tunnel to the main walking area.

 The Okinawa gang together in Gibraltar. Oh, the traveling lives we lead!

 After the busy day we went to a beachside restaurant not far from our resort.

 Shawn had mussels...they were amazing!

 On the way back to the room we wanted to check out the indoor pool. 

Jason thought it would be fun to throw Jackson in with his clothes on.

 In he goes...

 and out he comes, soaking wet! He thought it was pretty funny.

Spain, Day Two

We checked out of our hotel and went down to the Marriott where we had a room for the next 6 days. The kids were excited to finally go to the beach and play in the sand and water!

(Sorry for picture overload. This is the day with the most.)

 We tried to get these sun beds a few times, but they are a hot commodity and were snatched up fast.

 In front of the hotel.

 The kids LOVED playing at the beach!

 Jason and I have a picture like this from Okinawa. Brings back memories of our days on the island.

After a while at the beach the kids headed up to the outdoor pool and hot tub.

 What would Spain be without a sangria? Yummy!

 Some pictures of our two bedroom apartment home for the week. It was perfect and had everything we needed!

Kids bedroom

Kids bathroom

 Me and Jason's room

The beds were amazingly comfortable! I have nothing but good things to say about this resort. 

We loved just hanging around the place and enjoying all the place had to offer. The kids played golf, badmitten, crochet and ping pong. They also had shuffle board, giant chess and checkers which they didn't get to take advantage of because they loved badmitten so much. The resort has a kids club all day with different activities going on depending on the time of day. Jackson and Grace loved being able to go to that! It was perfect for us to take the kids there and then have our time during vacation.

One night was a kids night out so me, Jason and Liz went to the boardwalk for a great seafood dinner. When it was time for the kids to get picked up, they didn't want any part of it because they were having so much fun!
We made it an early night because we had to get up and make the drive to Gibraltar in the morning.

Southern Spain for Spring Break, Day One

Spain called out name this year for a spring break trip. After being the darkest winter in Germany in 43 years, the sun was calling...no, screaming our name! 

We took advantage of my parents time share and stayed at the Marriott Marbella Beach Club. Our arrival dates were a little off so we stayed at the same resort our friends the Green's stayed at for our first night there. It was great to be in the same area as them and the kids loved being close to their friends.

The first thing we did when we checked in the room was sit on the balcony and let the sun beat down on our skin. We missed the warm sun on our bodies!

Off to the pool. The water was a little on the chilly side so the kids spent some of the time at the indoor pool.

I guess being in the sun makes Grace a little goofy.

Liz and I watching the kids play at the pool. Let the vacation begin!

AJ's Koality Chorus Performance

Jackson was part of the RES Koality Chorus Club for a couple of months. If you don't know already, Jackson loves to sing. He has always been like that as long as I can remember. He used to sing himself to sleep when he was little, sing in the bathroom, sing outside/inside-this boy just loves music!

We were able to see him perform 8 songs with the rest of the group. He did a fantastic job!