Viva Martos

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Almería and Cabo de Gata

Last week we had our 2nd snow. I love getting to see snow in the winter, but I hate being cold and having to walk everywhere in it! Thankfully we live in a place that doesn't get too cold most of the time. Therefore, for the weekend we decided it was time to head down to the coast in hopes of warmer weather. We chose to visit Almería for a night and then to do a drive around Cabo de Gata, a natural park before heading home. The weekend was great. We woke up Saturday to very cold, windy weather in Martos and headed to Almería which was probably 10 degrees warmer. First stop was to find food, which for some reason is always harder than it sounds. We walked around looking for a place that served paella, a typical Spanish dish with rice and fish, since we were at the coast. We could not find this popular dish anywhere so we settled for wine and tapas. After eating we went to visit the cathedral, castle, and la alcazaba. We also visited a neighborhood that was recommended on our map only to realize it may not be the best neighborhood when we stumbled upon a group of around 12 boys who started a fire inside a house that was abandoned and were throwing rocks, trash, etc. into it to keep it going. I thought we were going to be attacked by this group but thankfully they were distracted by their work of destruction. We enjoyed our time there and even spent some time in the cafe reading and studying Spanish. We've learned a lot, but still have so far to go. Enjoy the pictures below and feel free to click on the slide show pictures above to be directed to Picasso in order to view all of our albums.

Almería

La Alcazaba

Drive around Cabo de Gata- very windy and cold!

Cabo de Gata

Yep, its on fire! I was taking the picture discreetly!

La Alcazaba

Had to know this was a bad idea- 2 seconds later my shoes were no longer dry.

Úbeda and Baeza

A couple of weekends ago we took a day trip to these 2 towns. Both of these towns are less than 40,000 people, but they are known as World Heritage Sites. They have some of the best preserved Italian Renaissance architecture in Spain. We had a great day of walking around and enjoying the beauty of this place.

Life as we know it!

Martos is such a great town. We love living here mostly because we truly feel at home here. We feel surrounded by friends and family here everyday! It’s a beautiful place to be. After we returned to Martos our friend and co-worker, Conchi asked if it would be ok for a church to do a service to honor David’s dad, as everyone knew he had passed away and they wanted to honor his life. We agreed and they had the service for him at a small church here on Tuesday. I was moved when I went into the church and saw around 25 friends and family who had come to the service. The service was short and I didn’t understand what was being said, but looking around and seeing all the people there for us, to show their love and support spoke wonderful things to me. We are so blessed to have friends here and to have people who help us out in so many ways and who truly take care of us. This is life in Martos and we absolute love it!

Juanma and Fatima

Our old roomies- Ruben & Guillermo

Sergio & Javier- David's co-workers and friends

Lucia- friend and co-worker

Leo- friend and co-worker

Our lovely Martos

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Let it Snow!

On Monday, January 16th, the unusual happened. It snowed in Martos. Martos’ weather is similar to that of Texas and it rarely snows. Monday, however, we had snow and I couldn’t help but take a few photos to remember the occasion. The snow probably lasted 15 minutes and was gone in an hour but the pictures last forever!

Our bare trees. They cut all the leaves off so that they don't have to keep raking them up.

El Parque across from our house

My Dad

Robert David Wieder

April 21, 1945-2011

The end of last November Angela and I received devastating news that my dad was in the hospital, the cancer returned. We first learned of the disease seventeen months prior, it was supposedly the worst you could get, but he took it all in stride. During chemo he was still able to make laps around the neighborhood. July 2010 we stopped everything and took time to enjoy our family. There was a trip to the coast, meal after meal, and just days together with time for fun. The following year was great, nothing was too bad, it was a miracle and we felt he was in the clear. It's a wonderful thing, my dad is an encourager, an eternal optimist.

       We continued to have hope during the beginning of October 2011 when my mom told us he was taking on radiation for a few tumors in his head. We prayed often and had a restlessness while we continued to work abroad two months until the next unforgettable phone call. That call put us on a long overdue journey home and just in time. When we arrived in the hospital Dad was laid up in bed from the cells that spread to his spine. But he smiled and only talked about the future possibilities. No complaints.
   The next week everyone stayed close and fought alongside my dad. The doctors worked hard to keep the aggressive cells at bay. My dad continued to fight until his body refused. December 8th he passed. But he didn't die, he just left. The faith we received through it all was astounding, a lesson learned while we remember what it is we're here for. Of all the blessings we can find hidden in the wake we always have optimism, the faith that the Jesus we know is the Jesus we'll continue to know. Just as my dad has already discovered.
       The night we arrived in the hospital room, Dad had planned a toast, complete with wine Mom snuck in with a thermos and syrofoam cups, courtesy of the break room. He was encouraging with the little bit of energy he couldn't afford, we all smiled and really lived. That was the last memory I hold. My dad was pleasantly waiting for us, just like the heavenly One. Before long we'll be there again.

España Nov. 2011 -Cordoba, Seville & Ronda

The pictures below are from the last weekend in Spain before returning to Texas to be with our family and Dad in the hospital. We did a last minute trip to Cordoba, Seville, and Ronda. I love traveling Spain. I am always so amazed at the beauty that surrounds us. Here are some pictures from our trip.

Jose, one of our private lesson students, along with his
girlfriend, Bea, and friend showing us around Cordoba.

We ate a traditional Spanish lunch, tortillas
de patatas, queso, y salmoreja. Absolutely delicioso.

Cordoba

Cool building in Seville.

Seville- decorated recycling bins!

Plaza de Espana

We rented bikes to tour the city. It was so fun!

Seville

Ronda- beautiful lookout

The bridge in Ronda

An amazing sight!

More pictures from this trip can be seen in our slide show above.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Halloween in Martos

Well, it may be closer to New Years, but I had to share some of my pictures from Halloween here in my classes in Martos. The kids love to hear about Halloween in America and Halloween has become much more Americanized here. Chris, another auxiliary, and myself spent 1 day going to every class and telling them about Halloween in America and the kids loved it! Check out the fun below!