Goodnight Irene

We said goodbye to Alex's sister, Irene, for a while. We don't know when we will be back in Spain, and since Irene can't leave the monastery, it's up to us to go see her again. I got so many images that I absolutely love on this trip. It doesn't hurt that the nuns are so sweet and playful. I always want to pick up Halel, the mother superior, and swing her around. She's the cutest thing you ever did see.

 Seeing Irene for the first time. This is what Bella does when she feels shy.

Un beso

On a nature walk. Bella is the leader, of course.

Julietta knows how to give kisses now.

Sunset and playing with Papá.

This is one of my favorite shots with Halel.

20 Houses

A few nights ago I started thinking about all of the different houses and apartments I've lived in throughout my life. I counted 20. That seems like a lot to me, especially since I lived in the same house from ages five to 18. I went a bit stir crazy after high school, I guess.

Julietta, my little "artiste", helping me unpack the arts and crafts box.

While packing up this one, I realized that each time I've packed up a house, I've been eager to get to the next place. I've never felt very attached or nostalgic. I usually even leave a few days early because I can't wait for what lies ahead. I was really caught off guard when I was hit with a sudden wave of sadness as I was tossing out old worn out clothes a few days ago.

Gripping my pant legs. "Ma ma ma ma ma"

I have not been a big fan of living here in Terramelar. To be honest, I've had to fight with my inner grump from coming out on a regular basis. I found it odd that I was feeling twinges of sadness. This house, though, spills over with memories for the short time we were here: Bella took her first steps here, we flooded the living room with a birthing pool, Julietta was born here, the café started doing really well, the economy took a nose dive, the café started to suffer, we struggled with money, we ate at Asian buffets, Alex learned how to make paella, Julietta learned to crawl, Bella started speaking Spanglish, and my photography journey began here. There were a lot of difficult times, but I know when I close the door for the last time, I will probably only remember the good stuff.

Here are some photos I took of my girls with their grandparents, or  their "Yayos". In the first few, Bella and Julietta are dressed like Falleras.( Fallas is the biggest festival in Valencia that takes place in March where all chaos breaks loose. It's an amazing festival where they burn these huge incredible sculptures that they spend all year making.)


I was experimenting with some different types of processing, so there is some variation in color, contrast...etc.

And these are from our New Years day family lunch. In Spain, the entire family gets together to have dinner on New Years Eve, and then after midnight, the party animals go out until the wee morning hours. I don't know if it's such a tradition to have lunch together on New Years Day, but it's a tradition in Alex's family. You eat shrimp for both of them!! MMM!

No, this is not an exorcism. The Yayos are very devout Catholics, and Bella likes to play with the cross.

And so does Julietta!