An American Lost in Granada

We went to the beach today. It was much cooler, so perfect for sunbathing. The waves were way too high for the kids to be able to body surf, so they mostly waded or stayed on the sand. Collin got sunburned on his chest. The rest of us were fine. Collin went exploring with the kids down the beach and Ian stayed with me on a towel. I put my dress over my eyes to block the sun. Ian was chattering away and then was silent. I sat up and he had disappeared. I asked the ladies next to me if they had seen where he went. I started running up and down the beach calling his name. I looked out at the water to see if his little body was floating out there. I saw Aidan and asked him if he had seen Ian and he said he was over by a fresh water stream that runs from the town into the ocean. He had walked over there by himself and Collin saw him on the way back all alone and started walking back with him. Ian got a time out for 10 minutes from me, but self-imposed a time out for 20 minutes more for himself in a chair in the shade of our white trash "beach" umbrella. I am so glad that he wasn't snatched or drowned. I am proud of myself for remaining calm and not going into full freak out mode when he was missing. I got a serious talking to by some old ladies. They told me that kids need to be watched all the time and then they told me every horrible story they knew about kids drowning or getting snatched by a stranger. Lucky for me, I only understood some of it. I feel like I am a careful mother and it scares me when Ian manages to wander of in spite of how much I hover around my kids. 

Our Bucknell appointed housekeeper came and cleaned today. Our apartment looks really nice! No offense to my English housekeeper, Moira, but Concha kicks her booty at cleaning. 

The math books arrived today in the mail along with some candy corn and balloons. THANKS SUSAN! The kids were excited about the later and not so much about the former.

I had a Primary presidency meeting tonight at church. I left early from home and caught the bus and tried to find a new language school that has Spanish classes for foreigners. It took me two hours to find it. The building was not labeled and I walked by it THREE times. I have blisters up the wazoo. Some of which popped on my way home. My feet burn. When I finally found the language school I had to wait in line three times just to get a packet of papers. And I feel like my Spanish stinks! Collin and I were going to forgo some trips so that we could each buy some clothes, but I think instead we will use the money for the registration fees for the class. We can always buy clothes in the U.S. and for much cheaper. But I do like a lot of the clothes here . . . sniff . . . Zara I never knew ye!

I was an hour late to my meeting, but it didn't really matter because they went on for another hour. The meetings are mostly social, with a little bit of Primary business. I rode the bus home with Sara, Pepi and Carlitos. Pepi paid for my bus fare before I even got on the bus. They also asked me if I wanted to go to Dunkin' Coffee with them, but I declined. I left the house around 6 pm and didn't get back until past 10:30. 

I am really enjoying Phillipa Gregory's historical fiction novels. I read The Other Boleyn Girl yesterday and am reading The Boleyn Inheritance today. I am amazed at how much faster I can read in English than in Spanish.