Madre mía, gentle reader. The parental invasion of 2014 is still rocking the coast of southern Spain. After a trip to Amsterdam, my parents and our good friend from Samford, Owen, flew down for the weekend. I had previously warned our Spanish friends to show no fear, not to make any sudden movements, and to laugh at every alarming joke, which luckily, they did. Everyone had a blast, and I didn’t have to use an elephant tranquilizer on my parents. We ate a lot of Spanish food, watched Cranky (Dad) test out his “fluent” Spanish, which has more Mexican terminology than normal, and drank some lovely Rioja wine while taking in the sights. It was really nice having them here.
Don’t be fooled by the smiles. The dysfunction was so thick you could’ve cut it with a knife.
See what I mean? Oh, and welcome to the family, Owen. Bless you.
They were actually quite popular with the tourists.
Shoe obsessives hit the shops. 
I think Rae liked the market!
That’s me reaching for the elephant tranquilizer tucked behind my ear……
The parental blitz was a great weekend. We converted another three to the Spanish lifestyle, and I don’t think anyone’s looking back. I blubbered like a whale when they left. Even Cat, with her tear ducts of steel, had a sparkle at the end. Thank you for coming you three!! And Owen, send me the bill for your rehabilitation sessions.
Best,
Kate and Amy, SL
Song of the Day: Sabrina | John Williams
Spanish Word of the Day: Pulgar | Thumb
Suitcase Lioness 
Many thanks to our tour guides, it was a beautiful trip with many laughs and lots of great food, architecture and weather. We needed more time! I’m still dreaming of Zara Home!
Come back, MAEEEEE.
Fantastic! I’m sure it was a great time! So glad your parents had the opportunity to visit–they are so fun! P.S. Great pics, as always. (:
They are really fun…..sometimes too fun….the kind of fun that you need to tranquilize.
Come back, Raeburn! It was so nice having you here!