Today was our first official day in Spain.

As always, the adventure continues and I will give my take on it from the last couple days.

Leaving Calgary was pretty surreal, as all the years of planning and preparing were finally coming to fruition.  It's amazing how difficult it is too pack for a year long holiday.  I know we left half the stuff we need at home, but that's okay, we brought twice as much crap as we need with us.  Apparently when you are packing for winter, and your from Calgary, you have a weird idea that winter is cold.  We have more cold weather gear than we need and not nearly enough +30 degree summer gear. I think we have the only down filled parka's in Spain, and I can definitely guarantee you that no one has long underwear on...(I have even taken mine off!).

The flight to Amsterdam (dubbed Hamsterdam by Brae) was uneventful, except that neither kid slept the whole flight.  It made for some pretty tired kids on arrival.  We touched down at 8:00 am local time, making it midnight back home, All of us were pretty tired, but we decided to head into the city to do a quick walk as opposed to sitting in the airport for the 9 hour lay over.  I cost us 20 euro for the train ride, (1 stop) and we had no idea where to go, what to see, or even if we could stay awake long enough to enjoy anything.  After 30 minutes walking, we were all pretty baked, so we wanted a quick bite and a rest.  Guess what they sell at the coffee shops and bakeries!!!!! I had thought it might be a couple shops hidden from the main area, but I was wrong.  They sell pot in Amsterdam, and a lot of it.  The first cafe we thought about going into...420 cafe, it was Jaedyn's choice.  I am really looking forward to returning there to do some real exploring when we are rested and relaxed :).

The next flight was pretty calm as well,  I slept from take off, to almost touch down, as I was sitting across the aisle from the family.  Jaedyn slept most of the way, sprawled across Kris and half the aisle, I dont' know if Brae slept...I was asleep.  Arrival in Spain and no Customs, as we cleared in Amsterdam.  We landed and followed the crowd to the baggage area, making jokes and taking bets how many bags we would lose.  We checked 7 and I figured at least one would be missing.  Have you ever sat and in the baggage area and watched every bag come off the plane, the area empty out of all but a couple people, and not have a single bag come out?  I guessed wrong, we had lost of them.  I was quite funny, as we weren't even mad, just tired and drained....one more issue we would find a way to solve!!! We probably waited close to an hour, and the airport was pretty much deserted, when I went for a walk to try to find someone.  I found all our bags in this secure area about 100 meters or more away from where we were waiting.  Instead of going to get Kris, I ran in and grabbed the luggage off the carousel, and loaded them onto 2 carts.  It was then, I realized, I was in a secure area, with 7 heavy bags, and no identification or passport, and the family had no idea where I was.  I couldn't leave the bags to go get them, nor did I have anyway of contacting them to come help me. Not the best start to a foreign country, but not the worst either!!

I will let Kris talk about the long taxi ride to the hotel from the airport,

CIAO
Shane.

So far today...which I suppose includes yesterday, but doesn't seem like it when you have not slept yet, we woke up in Canada, stripped beds and washed sheets, did last minute house cleaning, did super last minute changes to packing, and shuffled weight around to get all bags weighing in at 49 pounds, said last minute goodbyes to friends and family, lunch at airport, 9 hour flight to Amsterdam, took the train to city center, walked the streets, took the ferry, explored the canals and stopped for a beer, then took the train back to the airport where the kids have finally crashed after being awake for over 24 hours. Now we wait for a 4 hour flight to Malaga, where I will be so grateful to check into a hotel and sleep. Tomorrow we will go find paradise and hopefully it will all be worth it. Kids are troopers (and Shane too)! Let the adventures begin!
 Kris

So happy we are moving to Spain in two days, this is gonna be good. Its sad that it takes twenty four hours to get there. We are stopping in Amsterdam for 9 hours.  This is my first entry and my dad is being meen.
BRAE

Today, I walked out of work for the last time for one full year.  Kristin and I do not return to work now until August 26 2017.  It was a really cool feeling, and I could feel the stress just slough off me as I drove away.  I know I will miss my crew, as they have been a ton of fun the last year and a half, but I won't be missing the nights, the stress, and the unpleasentness that we sometimes deal with.

Although the stressors from work are now shed, there is still a little stress before we leave.

-How do we fit a years worth of stuff in a small car over there?
-Will the kids get enrolled in school (still pending).
-How difficult will the language barrier be?
-What hidden problems are yet to spring up before we leave.

and a multitude of other issues.

I think all these will sort itself out as we get over there, and if not, oh well, that's half the fun of planning something like this.

Shane

Hello All.

If your reading this, it must mean that you know all about the adventure we are about to embark on.  1 year in Spain.  This is the first entry, and the test of our blogging account.  Keep checking back, as we hope to make it a habit of posting something quite often while we are away.

CIAO