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Keenan and Ryan
Keenan is really strong!
The Conley Family Greetings from beautiful Sevilla, where the skies are (almost) always sunny and the children (at least our's) are definitely above average.
Some highlights from the last few days. We had a great visit over the weekend from Angie's friend Rebecca, who lives and works in London. I took the kids on a hiking trip on Saturday to give Angie some girl time. The kids and I had lots of fun: we took a two-hour train ride, hiked in and through a stream where we caught tadpoles and Tommy fashioned a very effective looking fish spear; and I introduced them to hitch-hiking as we caught a ride with a nice couple in a pick-up truck up 8 kms of a steep mountain rode to a nearby village. The kids picked wildflowers for Mother's Day, and then everyone slept on the train home except Keenan.
Saturday night we all went out to dinner with Rebecca. It was a true Sevillana dinner because we didn't sit down until about 10:30. Keenan fell asleep in her chair about 11:30 and I carried her home; Angie and the boys stayed out until 1:30 with Rebecca. Naturally enough, Sunday was hard because we were
Tommy
This picture doesn't do it justice, but Tommy took a sharp cactus leave and turned it into an actual spear. all tired.
The kids have certainly had their share of homesickness on this trip. They miss their friends and cousins, Calhoun, and the routines of life in Minneapolis. Alot of their talk has to do with what they are going to do this summer when they get home. Angie and I certainly expected some of this; we've asked them for alot, pulling them away from everything that is familiar and plopping them down here where they have no friends and don't even speak the language. Most of the time they do great, but when they get tired or get bad news from home (for instance, Tommy learning that several of his friends plan to switch schools next year) the homesickness really kicks in.
Its hard watching your kids being so sad, especially when you are the cause of the sadness, at least indirectly. (They don't appreciate my motivational sayings like "No pain, no gain" or "Pain is just weakness leaving your body". I wonder why?) I can also remember being terribly homesick during summer camp and even when living in Mexico during college. (Angie claims she was never homesick, but don't tell that to her parents because they'd
Poppies
We came across the most beautiful field of poppies and other flowers on our hike. be hurt!) In the end, though, we both feel that the kids are gaining so much from this experience, and that while it is definitely hard it is also definitely worth it. We've have had many more moments of laughter and goofiness than of tears. I just hope they remember to tell their therapists that 15 years from now!!!
One other note: you will probably have noticed that Tommy and Ryan are wearing the same clothes in almost every picture. This is not because we have not properly clothed them! Rather, they choose to wear one of their soccer jerseys (Tommy: Mexico or Barcelona; Ryan: Italia) every single day. They both have clothes in their suitcases that they have not worn once in the last 8 weeks. Go figure.
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Spencer Sande
non-member comment
Spear
Hi Tommy, This is Spencer, how did you make your spear and what did you catch? Hope that you can show me how to make one when you come back. Miss you. Spencer