FCBarcelona

He chose the FCBarcelona Soccer Club jersey. He had such a great time and stayed for both the 2-4 year class and the 5 and up class. He managed to score a goal in the 5 and up class during a scrimmage. When the scrimmage was over he promptly stomped off the field and fell on the ground crying. I asked what was wrong and he said he didn't score enough goals. He got in big trouble for that, and will be happy with one or no goals scored from here on out.

Levi's most natural soccer skill? Taking a dive on the tackle, shot, dribble, throw-in, and just plain running. If a European club saw him they would sign him up right away. You can't teach a person to fake a good fall in soccer you have to be born with it!

Where did I put that...

A little more than a year ago Allison, Levi, Zeke (in utero), and myself were in Spain visiting my mom. It was a glorious trip (which you can re-live here).

I was reflecting on the trip a couple of days ago, and remembered that I hadn't seen the keepsake I had gotten to remind me of my time in Spain. In Toledo I purchased a very nice and relatively expensive pocket knife. This was no ordinary pocket knife, for one it hardly fit in my pocket, and two it was made by real blade craftsmen. The knife was razor sharp and the handle was made from bull horn. It was, or is, awesome.

But I can't find it. Truth be told I have only given a cursory look in several places partly because I fear a serious turning over of my house might result in me coming to grips with it being lost forever.

The problem is I can't find another knife that my brother got for me from Morocco which makes me think that I put both knives away somewhere out Levi's reach and in a protected place. They weren't in my usual protected places but I still haven't given up hope.

Flamenco y Futbol

It's been a fantastic two days. On Thursday we spent a low key afternoon in mom's town of Camarma. Levi and I went to visit mom at her school and watched Ivy (mom's dog) play soccer with all the kids during recess.

In case you don't know, mom has been here for almost a year working as a teacher for a school called Evangelical Christian Academy. She works with kids who struggle academically in school and ESL students. She plans to stay on through December and then...?

After an early meal (by Spain standards) Allison and I jetted into Madrid to see one of the shows put on during the Suma Flamenca Festival. We saw Juan Carmona perform and dance. It was really cool. Then we toured the streets of Madrid on foot taking the ambiance of the city all in. We did not however go into any of the numerous Museo del Jamon bars that were open and packed with people eating dinner (it was 11:30 p.m.). Spain has a really different eating schedule. Anyway 'Jamon' (ham) is a MAJOR staple in the diet of Spaniards and this bar was packed. Allison had had enough ham at at 30 wks. pregnant she couldn't take any more of it!

1. Flamenco dancer La Moneta during her performance.
2. The ambiance of Madrid at night (another panoramic).
3. Inside the "Ham Bar" in Madrid.

Today (Friday) was just FREAKING awesome. We took a tour of Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, which is the home field for Real Madrid soccer team. They are basically the Yankees of the Futbol world. When mom came to visit in January she brought Levi a full Real Madrid outfit and he proudly wore it on our tour (which was self guided by the way). He was greeted by the stadium staff like he was Beckham it was really cool. We got to tour the presidents box, the pitch, locker rooms, and museum. It was a whole lot of fun. If I ever fall into a several thousand dollars we don't need I would like to fly over to Europe and attend a couple of Premier league games (and play golf in Scotland on the off days...whose in?).

1. Real Madrid team photo.
2. Levi answering tough questions regarding Real Madrid's upcoming match.
3. View from the cheap seats (no uncle Brandon we aren't sneering at you).
   
4. A Soccer Mom in the making.

I am writing this at 11:00 p.m. on our last evening in Spain, and I can truly say it has been an out of this world trip (thanks mom!). We already want to come back, that's how great of a time we have all had. If we do come back we would like to try and tackle Barcelona or Sevilla. Tomorrow we are off to London to spend a few days and staying with our friend Mary and her three year old son Joseph. Unfortunately I won't have internet access at Mary's house so the "J-Wild Goes to Europe" posts won't be as frequent. I am going to try to pop into an internet cafe to get in a couple of updates if I can.

The Park and Toledo

When do you know you have taken too many pictures of your toddler? It's when you hand him the camera and he takes a picture like this one! Yes, Levi took that picture and there are three other ones that are almost as good.

Tuesday was spent at the main park in central Madrid. It was beautiful, we had a great time roaming around while Levi kept up on his cool bike that his grandma had gotten him for his visit. By the end though our feet were hurting and we were ready to head home.

Wednesday we got up and headed to Toledo (To-lay-do). This city used to be the capital of Madrid until a certain king moved it to Madrid so that the power of the Catholic Church could be taken down a notch within the political system of Spain. But the city remains famous for a beautiful cathedral whose corner stone was laid in the 1200's and for it's knives and swords. Every place you turned there seemed to be another shop selling everything from high quality pen knives, to full a full armor suit complete with sword, cross-bow, and shield. It was super cool and I picked myself up a little something as my own personal souvenir from our trip to Spain. The Cathedral of Toledo was absolutely incredible in both beauty and size. There was a room that had a painting of every Spanish Cardinal dating back to 400 AD. And several Carvagio's and Grega's.

After Toledo we drove home and then ate a delicious meal at some of mom's friends house. What was really great about this besides the food was the fact that one of the families there has a four year old and an eight year old. Levi was definitely pumped to get a little face time with kids his own age.

Some Pics:

1. Gate leaving the park in Madrid.
2. Inside one of the vestibules Cathedral in Toledo.
3. Cardinal and Bishop room in Toledo Cathedral.
4. Grandma and Levi taking pictures.
5. Panoramic of Toledo from the other side of river (it's four pics stitched together).
6. Relaxing after dinner with friends.
7. Just so you don't think Levi's picture of us was too much of a fluke.

Cerrado Lunes

Apparently it's not just the MET that is closed on Monday's. We drove up to the Valley of the Fallen and the large palace in El Escorial and they too take Monday's off. Despite all the signs, Levi was determined to get in. In the end he reported back that, "the King's not here, we can't go it." And he was right. This is the third time Mom has taken a group of people to see these impressive sites, and it's the third time they have been closed. She's never going back.

Manana (tomorrow) we are going to Madrid to spend the afternoon in Parque del Retiro which serves Madrid in the same way that Central Park serves New York. We are really excited.

Our next big day is Wednesday when we head off to Toledo. We should have some really great pics from there. I plan on finishing the book I choose for this trip called "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy by tomorrow and I definitely have some thoughts I would like to share, so that is what I hope to blog about tomorrow. Although me writing about literature might be a pretty painful thing to endure so brace yourself.

Madrid!

Yesterday we spent a beautiful afternoon in the capital of Spain, Madrid. We took a double decker bus and sat on the upper-deck in the sun and 72 degree weather. The bus tour took us all around downtown Madrid where we saw royal palaces, historical architecture, and incredibly beautiful government buildings.

But the highlight was eating paella in Plaza Mayor. It was deliciosia! The restaurant where we ordered our paella is famous for making it only after you have placed the order. Other places assemble the paella with already prepared components. So 45 minutes later the waiter arrived at our table with this! Take a second to go back and look at that. It was even better than it looks especially when it was paired with a pitcher of sangria. Levi of course loved it and we ate until we were stuffed.

You would think that would have been enough, but there was more in store for us. After walking around for an hour we went to Chocolateria San Gines where they serve only one thing, mugs of chocolate and freshly made churros. This has to be where the word decadent originated because it was absolutely incredible. I can't accurately express how great the churro and chocolate tasted so I will just let this picture speak for me.

We returned home full and exhausted. Of course that didn't keep Levi from waking up this morning (Monday morning) at 7:30 am and asking "where are we going today!" While the adults just groaned with soreness and tiredness that you can only inflict on yourself while on vacation.

Today we are heading to the Valley of the Fallen and El Escorial. Post and pictures this evening!

By the way we are six hours ahead of New York time so I am writing this at 11:30 am, while it's 5:30 am in NYC>

We Made It

We made it to Spain on Thursday evening after leaving New York Wednesday morning at 6:00 a.m. Before hand we had figured that since Levi had been born he has flown on eleven round trip plane flights. Several of those trips being from coast to coast. That experience definitely paid off because he was absolutely brilliant on the flight from NYC to London, and London to Madrid. He goes through security like a pro, and even starts taking his shoes off before we ask him too! Of course it helped that he had his own TV on the British Airways flight to London. I did pretty well too, although the aborted takeoff on our way to Madrid in London didn't really sit well. They said it was a software problem so they pulled off the runway, rebooted the computers and tried again. I bet they're running Vista!

We have now been in Madrid for three days and it's absolutely wonderful. The first day we went around the relatively small town of Acala De Henares which is near the town of Camarma where mom lives. We had tapas, ice-cream, and enjoyed the large plaza in the center of town.

Today (Saturday), we ventured off to Segovia and saw an ancient Roman aqueduct, a castle complete with armor, horses, and a huge mote, plus a great cathedral! Levi could hardly contain himself he was so pumped. There was so much we saw and took in it's hard to put into words, so here are some pictures.

1. Levi and Don Q.
2. These Roman arches are 2,000 years old, use no mortar, and Levi loved the carousel.
3. Family on the streets of Segovia.
4. Outside the Alcazar Castle of Segovia.
5. Levi and his fellow knight!
6. Levi and Grandma on the castle tower.
7. View from top of Castle towards the cathedral in central Segovia.

Since being here I have come to realize that there are really two types of Americans. Those who have been overseas, and those who haven't. For thirty-two years of my life I didn't think I was missing all that much not having left the Continent of North America. But in just the four days that I have been here I have developed an ache of regret in my heart that I had not come to Europe sooner or while I was in college. It's more than just the cool castles, cathedrals, and ancient history that's seemingly around every corner. It's the possibility of discovering what is unique and common among people who have a completely different culture, language, tradition, and history than I grew up with. So far some things make me treasure being an American even more, and other things cause me to realize how much we could learn from other countries.

Watching Levi speak Spanish to the vendors, and seeing his eyes widen as we step inside a massive castle or cathedral have further cemented the desire Allison and I have for taking our family on trips overseas. Yes it's super expensive, and it wouldn't be something we could do very often but it's just so valuable and doable that we are already scheming a way to come back before we have even left.

More updates to follow.

Thanks / Discussion Question

First of all thanks so much for everyone commenting. Everything looked really great...perhaps I should start reading books!

Anyway, I decided to go with Alex's suggestion of "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy. I had been interested in this book after I saw that Oprah recommended it. I like the Father and Son journey aspect to it.

Brandon is making me a definitive Tori Amos playlist, which I am really excited about. For whatever reason I really never latched onto her back in the day, but now I am really ready to explore her music.

Finally, Brandon is also giving me several episodes of "How I Met Your Mother." He and my sister love this show, and since they introduced us to 30 Rock I have a lot of faith that this will be really good as well.

By the way, not too long ago on Joe's "Ask Me Any Question" blog post someone asked what show on TV best represented NYC. Really hard question, but I have to say that the executive / entertainment / celebrity culture in New York is nailed on 30 Rock. This show is what SCRUBS used to be....YEAH I SAID IT, I am not afraid of the SCRUBS mafia out there. Hey guys SCRUBS is just like The Drew Carey Show except without a laugh track!

So we leave tomorrow and I won't be blogging for a few days, so I want to leave you with a topic to discuss amongst yourselves...

Believers in Progressive Education hold to two central ideas:

1. Respect for diversity - Meaning each child is recognized for their abilities, interests, needs, cultural identity, etc.
2. The development of critical, socially engaged intelligence that is often termed as "child centered."

One aspect of progressive education (I am not going to even begin to discuss the merits or disadvantages of progressive education) holds the idea that teachers or educators are on somewhat of an equal plane when it comes to discovering knowledge. One way to reinforce that to a child is by allowing them to call teachers or instructors by their first name.

This came up because a kid in the youth group talked about a teacher and called her by her first name. The other kids kind of freaked out and we had a big discussion about the practicalities of informally addressing a superior in the real world.

I am not sure what our philosophy is regarding the addressing of adults by Levi. That is to say we haven't discussed it a concrete way. I grew up with Mr. and Mrs. As did Allison, although some people could be called by their first name as long as Mr. or Mrs. was included as well.

So far every teach or adult in Levi's name has been referred to by their first name, and I like that. But I also realize some people have strong opinions on the way children should address adults. So here is my question, does it empower children when they address adults by their first name without the prefix of Mr. or Mrs. or does it put them at a disadvantage when they get out into the real world and have to work for bosses or clients?

Un poco ayuda

On Wednesday we are flying off to Spain for a visit to see my Mom. Then we are planning to spend three days in London with friends. We are so excited to get to see all the Cathedrals, eat great food, and be disconnected from our life for a while. I am planning on blogging about our trip, and since it's my first time going to Europe I am ready to be wowed!

But as many of you probably know I am not the best flyer in the world. It's sad but true that when I am in a plane I feel like we are moments away from ending up in a situation like this. I usually overload myself with stimuli so as to keep distracted. This involves numerous magazines, playlists, and other such distractions. We are flying on British Airways and I heard those plans are really cool so that will be fun.

Where you guys can help me is by suggesting anyone of the following resources for me to "engage in" over my vacation / family visiting trip. Here are my three requests:

Music:
I have some iTunes money so I am hoping for a suggestion of a good album for me to download and listen to over and over again. I am hoping that upon repeated hearings the lyrics, music, or style will become more and more enjoyable to me. Here are some samples of artists that this was the case for me so as to give you a sense of my tastes.

• The Shins
• Bright Eyes
• MuteMath
• Ray LaMontagne
• Sufjan Stevens
• Carrie Underwood
  
• Alison Krauss and Union Station
• John Mayer
• Chris Tomlin
  

Books:
My attention span favors magizines more than it favors books. The last non-fiction book I read was probably a Clancy or Grisham novel, nothing impressive I know. I did read "The World is Flat" by Thomas Friedman and I loved that book. Can anyone give me a suggestion of a book to purchase and take with me that perhaps you really enjoyed and you have been waiting to recommend it to someone who will have the time to read it?

Spiritual Resource:
This could be a book, podcast, movie, music, anything that might have a good spiritual component to it that you would recommend me spending some time with. Nothing shlocky please.

Here's the catch. I need this by Tuesday! Sorry for the late notice, any suggestion will help and I will post my reflection on each of the three things that I choose.