a weekend in the countryside.

it is march. MARCH. no me lo puedo creer! i sincerely apologize for my lack of blogability. no good at this. maybe it is a good sign, however. maybe it is a demonstration of the way that life has been in this place. right? excuses. but good ones. :) 

i have too much to write about. too many stories to share with you. i hope that i can sum them up with enough hudspah, enough heart, enough truth. i will try. 

two weekends ago erin and i had a chance to get out of cádiz and visit our friends in sevilla (a town about two hours north of here). we met them last semester-- they are true gems of this country [they're rollerskaters! when they aren't working they spend their time rollerskating on the streets and in the plazas. now this is a crazy and really popular past-time of tons of spaniards...] a few times have had the chance to go visit them again. [not quite vicky, christina, barcelona style--we're much tamer than that. but, maybe along the same sentimental line. quizás.] a normal visit goes like this: meet up, get a drink, see the city, get some more drinks, see more of the city, meet up with friends, and come back to cádiz. its a flash. a quick sensation of the vibe of the city. and it is always great. but this time... well this time it was different. one dear friend, javi, lives out in the country-- about a half hour away from the city. he owns his beautiful country home fit with gardens and a pool and neighbors with chickens. fit with three sweet little dogs (well, two sweet little dogs and one little devil-of-a-thing). fit with a beautiful, strong, chocolate-brown horse. fit with guitars and outdoor seating and hospitality. you see, these friends are amazing. so erin and i had the chance to go visit javi and the gang two weekends ago! this time, instead of feeling the hearty pulse of the city, we got to enrich ourselves in the smooth tranquility of the country. we relaxed by the pool (its in the seventies here? that shit's crazy). we spent the morning riding off-road motorcycles through the country-side (scenery fit with wild horses, rivers, cliffs, and barbecues). we stopped by the river and skipped rocks. [come back in a few weeks and, see that rope over there? we'll jump on in the river!] we played the guitars and sang. we cooked THE MOST INCREDIBLE (pardon my excitement, it is truly sincere) lunch. we napped in the shade and listened to the chickens do their chickiting. we made plans to return, we made plans to be alive, we made plans to certainly spend more days feeling that air. 

let me tell you, that weekend of february fourteenth? better than any. life to date. as much as i love cádiz (and am even more in love with it since my sister and mom came to visit), it always feels good to step into a new environment. to get out of the city for a bit. but even more thanthat, it always feels good to be reminded of what beautiful things you are living for in this life. for such great friends, for such experiences and adventures, for such amazing views and days. the country always does that to me. i'm a sucker for that place. and, oh man, what a great breath of air. 

  

in other news-- i dropped one of my classes. best. decision. ever. maybe javi and the gang enlightened my outlook on school once again. or my momma. whoever is to receive the thanks: thank you. 

we got back from a month-long vacation in january. we had class for a week or so. we went to sevilla. had a few more classes. and ohhhhh myyyyy goooooodnesss that was just tooooo much school. so we had vacation again. :) this past week has been carnaval.

car...na....val.....i just don't know where to begin about carnaval. so i will write about it later. tomorrow. stay tuned. because you are going to want to hear about carnaval. 

with all of my love.