14 Things Learned!

Before I get into some lessons, I have a few things from around here…

This meal was absolutely delicious and so easy.  I got the idea from HERE, and everything was from Trader Joe’s and so easy.

You just bake the chicken with the tomatoes for 25 minutes at 350° and then cut the chicken up, add the cooked pasta, some spinach and the Burrata cheese.  Andrew said it was a ‘home run’ meal, so we will be making it often now.

Beretta is so happy we are home.  My nephews did an amazing job taking care of her while we were gone though.

Spring felt close one day and the next…

It felt very far away. And now for some lessons that we learned in Spain:

*To throw our phones into the lake;)   We rarely saw someone on their phone there, and it was so refreshing.  You can feel how meaningful their relationships are there, and it was so good for us to see how they showed this by putting their phones away.  

*We need trains.  And a lot of them.  They were our favorite way to get around, and now I want to live somewhere with an amazing train system like the one they have in Spain.

*I also now want to move to a walkable city.  Walking everywhere and the conversations we had while we walked were the best.  

*I learned that nobody should have to choose between gelato and a macaron.  These should always be eaten together.  

*How nice it is to have tips included in the bill… I’m so over every single place we go requesting a tip here and it was so refreshing to have it be added in the bill automatically in Spain.

*We learned that the people who designed and created these incredible cathedrals are our heroes… How they did it all without the tools that we have today is shocking.

*I learned I could run a sub-3 marathon in the heat (those last few miles were so hot for me coming from Utah weather), on a flat course (my first one), and alone (my best marathons have been with friends)!  I’m not going to lie; I doubted I could when I found out I was running this race, but I’m proud I didn’t let that hold me back.  I’ve learned that I actually really love flat races and that running in the heat isn’t actually going to kill me.

*Brooke learned that jet lag feels like you have the flu.  I appreciate the lack of judgment I’ve received for how incoherent my posts are this week due to jet lag.  

*I learned that churros should never be eaten without chocolate.  

*I learned to love eating dinner later than my normal 5 pm dinnertime at home.  It was so fun to be out and about much later than I normally am at home; switching up routines and schedules feels so freeing.

*The people in Spain taught me to eat so much slower.  We are so used to shoveling our food in, but eating slowly is where it’s at.  

*Beck learned how to be potty-trained.  We have tried to talk him into potty training for a long time, and he has refused.  He refused even to attempt.  Randomly, in Spain, he decided to go for it.  I’m so proud that something there inspired him to tackle this challenge.  

*Skye learned that she is passionate about bulls.  We saw a bullfighting arena and pictures everywhere, so she pretended she was a bull for a good chunk of the trip afterward (in the image below)… We couldn’t tell her what happens at the end of the bull fights because it is just too sad.

*Every time Andrew and I travel, we are reminded of how many different beautiful ways there are to live life.  The people of Spain truly LIVE life, and it was so amazing to see.  

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Who lives in a walkable city?  Do you love it?

Any easy meals you have made and loved lately?

What’s your run or workout today?