I´m still alive...

It´s been a far greater challenge than I ever expected to get access to the Internet. But here I am - with only about 15 minutes to write. We are well. I am well. Spain is fantastic.

However being a single mother in Spain is a lot more more challenging than I expected. There is the issue of food; the food in Spain is wonderful and flavorful - but it is not what we are used to eating. Finding meals that meet everyone´s needs and desires is time and energy-consuming. Travel by bus, subway, taxi, car, airplane - we are trying them all. And we are only in the first week. What was I thinking by bringing a boy who spends 3 or 4 hours playing outside everyday to a place where there are no kids his size within blocks? And where I haven´t had a moment alone - except for in the powder room - for nearly a week? But we will figure it all out. We shall overcome.

The night before we left Charlotte - which is less than a week ago, but feels like a month already - our hamster got out of its cage, crawled down the hallway, and rolled itself into a neat little ball just outside my bedroom door. As I walked past the ball (or what I thought was a ball) it began to run. I began to scream. And everybody came running. I told a friend of mine that story on the morning of our departure, and she made a fantastic observation. My kind of observation. She reminded me that I too escape from my cage every time somebody leaves the cover off. I seem to be ignorant of the danger, or rather I ignore the danger and venture out into the big bad world of giants, of steep staircases, and of complete lack of concern about where the next meal would come from. She described me perfectly.

And here I am: a mother hamster far from home with her two baby hamsters. Missing the comforts of our nest, wishing for the familiarity of the wheel we are experts at running around in, but also off on an adventure from which we don´t yet know how we will return. Keep an eye out for us. Don´t let anybody step on us if you see us running in your direction, and leave a few seeds out for us to find. Okay, so maybe I took the analogy too far, but you know what I mean.

Keep us in your thoughts and prayers. For safety. For good food that we all like. For a good internet connection in our apartment. For fun together. And for more great stories to share. That last one is a done deal, I´m sure.

Hasta luego, amigos.