Espana!

Last month Anth and I were lucky ducks 

and got to skip over the pond and spend some time in Spain. 

I was feeling nostalgic (already!)

and wanted to share some pics with all you fine folks. 

So here's a great big 'ole bunch of pics from our trip. 

Cue the lights, turn on the projector, sorry if you fall asleep. 

First up, Madrid...

and our amazing view of the city. 

Thank the lord for AirBnB. 

If you're unfamiliar, 

give me a call and I'll talk your ear off about it. 

Our street was pretty great too. 

Jamon (ham) is a huge part of the diet in Spain.

Being a ham lover all my life, this meant 

I was in heaven. 

Breakfast, lunch and dinner 

were all acceptable times to eat meats and drink gin. 

It is quite refreshing when eating gobs of spiced cured meats. 

When in Spain, do as the Spanish....

I mean, I didn't want to stick out like a silly American. 

Although, as Anthony kindly pointed out, 

my Spanish accent is quite terrible. 

Oh well, even more reason to eat and drink 

as the locals in order to fit in. :-) 

The Sunday market was amazing. 

We also did some sightseeing and 

saw some of my favorite artists, Goya and Velázquez.

I had to be pretty sneaky to snap these. 

Don't tell. 

After a couple of quick days in Madrid, 

we hopped on a train, a bus and then hoofed 

it to the tiny little fishing village, Cadaques. 

Believe me, 

the trek was worth it.

We spent a couple of days relaxing in the water

and filling our bellies with tiny fishies. 

Also pretty heavenly. 

No wonder Dali and Picasso spent so much time 

in this sleepy little fishing village. 

I tried my hand at some art too....

Shadow Dinos anyone? 

Next it was off to our final spot, Barcelona. 

In the many years we've adventured together, 

we've surprisingly never had a "beach" vaca. 

Believe me, we took full advantage of the Mediterranean on this one. 

And again, markets full of meats and juices. 

(there's me, not happy at all)

The food was amazing. 

We found some great non touristy spots where we could tell the waiter 

"queremos peces" (we want fish) and plates full of tiny fishies would fill our table.

Dreams do come true. :-) 

I have to say though, 

our last day in Spain was my favorite. 

We booked a trip with Spanish Trails to hike in the Pyrenees for the day...

and it didn't disappoint. 

We almost cancelled at the last minute 

due to some crappy (literally) stuff happening at our house in Chicago, 

but I think it was just what the doctor ordered. 

We started in a tiny medieval town and saw 

an amazing Black Madonna sculpture behind the alter which is really unusual...

usually museums snatch these relics up. 

There was a service going on when we came in

and we got to partake in communion with the locals. 

We felt pretty blessed. 

Let the hiking begin! 

Have I mentioned I love mountains? 

Because I do. 

So happy I am, mmmm? 

It ended up being just Anth and I that booked

so we had our own guide for the day 

which was fantastic.

Our guide Victor was funny, chatty and 

exactly what you would want while on a day hike. 

You know those days that are eerily perfect and feel blessed? 

This was definitely one of those. 

And then there was lunch. 

Victor explained that the farmhouse they always go to for lunch

was booked for a wedding.

but....

he convinced the owner to let us dine in off the kitchen. 

Amazing. 

This was just the appetizer spread from the wedding. 

They begged us to try everything. 

This was then followed by beef cheeks and I don't even remember what else, 

because beef cheeks. 

We then chummed it up with the owners and waiters, 

drank champaign leftover from the wedding and 

took in the dreamy day we were having. 

Seriously, it was the perfect end to the trip. 

Spain, I love you. 

I want to come visit you again soon. 

High Fives to Five!

This guy and I celebrated 5 years of marriage on Friday.
Five years!

It's really flown by.

We've moved more times than I'll count now, changed,
grown and then grown some more.

And I wouldn't want it any other way.
Anth, you're my favorite person to adventure with
and I'm so happy to be doing life with you.

Maybe in year 6 we'll settle down a little? 

xoxoxo, 

KB

The past four...

1, 2, 3,  4

Gratitude lately...

So many things to be grateful for. 

I'm working on a big photo dump from our trip to Spain, 

but in the meantime, 

here's a little happy list from life lately. 

1. We moved! 

Yes, it happened in June, 

but we're still just overjoyed to be in our new place. 

More space, lots of light, 

and a front porch the size of Texas. 

(Texas Forever)

Jax doesn't mind either. 

He has officially deemed himself 

head of the Neighborhood Watch. 

Thanks buddy. 

Overall, the whole new 'hood is pretty great too. 

It's just around the corner from our old place, but feels so different. 

Everyone! Get in your cars and come visit! 

I'm serious. 

We miss you. 

Come.Ova.

2. Double Birthday parties. 

What's better than two bday parties? 

Crawfish boil bday parties! 

Not even downpours could rain on our jazzy parade. 

Luckily it didn't stick around for too long. 

Good friends hold umbrellas over you

so you can make sure your dinner is still crawling. 

hahahaha. 

Happy bday to two of my favs! 

What a great night with wonderful friends. 

3. (surprise!) Care packages from friends. 

My lovely friend Betsy sent me such a thoughtful gift from Chicago. 

Betsy and I worked together at Threadless, 

became fast friends and running buddies 

and are both training for the Chicago Marathon*** in Oct. 

She sent me a bunch of running goodies and these great shorts! 

Happy new pants dance! 

4. And finally beach days with friends. 

Why did it take me two years to drive to the shore? 

I'll probably go every weekend now. 

Cheers to gratitude and how it turns everything into enough. 

xoxoxo,

KB

***And if you like stories about running/brewdrinking/pizzaeating/toe-nailing pulling, 

Betsy and some of my favorite ladies are chronicling 

our marathon training adventures in a new blog. 

Check it out here! 

Scenes from the weekend...

My momma came to visit! 

We trekked around NYC & saw Once*, 

ate delicious foods, shopped til we dropped

and pack pack packed our house! 

Pack? 

Why do we need to pack? 

Do I get to come too? 

Jax hates moving. 

Even when we're just going around the corner. 

Since we started packing,

he hasn't left my side.

Literally sitting on my lap at the most inopportune times.

What a sweet boy. 

He quickly forgot though after getting treats 

from one of his fav friends JayZ and my momma. 

So excited. 

While we were in New York, 

we got to meet my awesome friend Ashley for lunch. 

We've built churches together in Mexico & New Orleans,  

shared cabins in Bedford, 

and I admire her courageous spirit. 

I also squeezed in an Xfit workout and did my first Murph. 

It was brutal. 

I'm still sore 3 days later. 

But also super great. 

I really love my x-fit crew.

 And what does one do when her husband is out of the country 

and she's at home packing the house? 

Call in some backup. 

Delicious, delicious, backup. 

Pro tip: 

When moving, always leave out some "packing drinks". 

I swear it makes everything better. 

It's hard to give two shits which box trinkets go into after a whiskey drink. 

Or two. 

Just sayin. 

Tomorrow is moving day! 

Wish me luck! 

*If you ever get the opportunity to see Once, 

Go.See.It.

I laughed, cried, and cried without knowing I was crying. 

So good!