ESPANIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Whoa. What a day! (Estoy aqui en Madrid, Portugal Dad!ahahahaha-- ease off on the geography jokes.) We got here to the CCM about an hour ago. We ate...not sure what all of it was...something with clams and a different kind of melon that looked/tasted like a watermelon crossed with a honeydew. I asked what it was called and the lady said...pause for effect...melon--ahahaha-- and some yogurty pudding stuff. It is so good to be here. I talked to this lady in the SLC airport. She was Jehovah´s Witness from Denmark with her husband and they were so cool. We talked for awhile and I got to share some of our beliefs with her. Then this other lady sat down and began talking my ear off. She said she was "raised Mormon," but asked why we all had the same first names (sisters=hermanas and brothers=elders) and then asked if I was married...so, yeah, that´s about when I smelled that she was totally sloshed. That was an interesting conversation to try to get out of gracefuly and was unsuccessful. ahaha

The flight was 10.5 hours to Paris, which I know is located in FRANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!hahaha I slept a lot. It was wonderful. As we were taxiing out of SLC, I looked out the window across the plane and saw the Salt Lake Temple perfectly framed. It was a sweet moment :-) Did I mention that I may or may not have prayed for window seats and got window seats on BOTH flights today?! It was great...except that Paris was super foggy so we didn´t get to see anything :-( We almost missed our connecting flight to Madrid, but were saved by another tender mercy. Our 8-missionary group got split up because...well all I have to say is "Elders" and you all know what I mean...3 of us made it to the gate and told the guy that 5 more of us were coming, but he said that he had to shut the gate in 2 minutes and everyone else would have to catch another flight. I prayed they´d make it and you know what? That gate stayed open for the next 15 minutes and we all made it.

So when we got to Madrid, we made it out to some arrival/taxi place and the Elders wanted to run around looking for our ride. I mean seriously, I swear these kids were boy scouts, right? When you are lost, you stay together and stay put. We finally convinced them that since we had the CCM President´s cell number ON OUR ITINERARY, we should probably call to see where we should go...that opened up a whole new can of worms involving money exchange and foreign pay phones...Right about the time that I was about to use my carry-on to give some elders a "new haircut," I decided we were going to pray for help. I ended up praying alone. But, I kid you not, 30 seconds after I opened my eyes, I looked to the left and there were 2 men wearing suits walking up to us, with the CCM President and his wife right behind them. Prayers are answered...and not just because a sister missionary on the news clubbing elders with hawaiian luggage would be bad PR for the Church :-) ahahaha Ok, I am being dramatic and completely exaggerating, but I have to admit that the idea did cross my mind...once. Fleetingly. But being around elders again reminds me how much I miss my district from the Provo CCM and how amazing they were. I was so blessed and taken care of.

Connor emailed me and is teasing me because he knows my first assignment and my trainer but can´t tell me. What a bum. He´s getting a wet willy when I see him. haha But he doesn´t know that the President Earls already told me that I´m going to Zarragoza I believe and they need me there earlier than everyone else that came today. They will be here until next Tuesday and I will be leaving by Saturday at the latest--which means that I will get to go to the Temple on Thursday :-)))))))) I just knew since my 3rd week in the Provo CCM that I would make it here to Madrid and be able to attend the Temple. I am oh so excited!

They are amazing here and "making" us go to bed in less than an hour. I use the term "making" loosely. haha We are all pretty much gone already. We met one of our teachers, FINALLY a native who actually speaks the spanish they expect us to learn and speak for the next 16 months!, but he will have to reintroduce himself to me again tomorrow because I already forgot everything he said. Poor guy, but my brain´s fried. I cannot WAIT to sleep for 11 hours.

And speaking of my mind and where I lost it...I can´t remember anything else I was going to say...wow-- out of words. That´s gotta be a first. haha Well, I am so excited to finally be here and it hasn´t really sunk in or anything, but I´m sure I´ll have more to say on that note by Thursday, along with some funny stories about me butchering this language that I love so much but is always on the tip of my tongue (ba-dum-bing!). ahaha I feel almost entirely unprepared to dive into the work here, but I´m done being timid and holding back. Mistakes are not only essential to learning a language, but make great stories, right? ahaha So bring it on!

Caleb--thanks for the email bro! I wish I could have seen the curbstomp to the face spike .ahahaha I can´t wait to write and tell you about everything here. Ooh the inquiry paper. I still have mine, rough stuff. Own the short story.

Ok, we gotta go. I will write again soon! But I am safe and mostly sound (questionable) and here in Spain--the country and people that I already love...even though we can´t quite communicate yet. ahaha--just kidding. I love you all so much and pray for you daily.

Les quiero,

Hermana

(FINALLY IN SPAIN)

Dalton