Why are we in Spain?

New posts are becoming scarce these days, and I know many of you are wondering why we are now in Spain and how our time with visitors has gone. Much has happened since Christmas, so allow me to give you quick update on where we are these days.

At the moment we are spending time with family in Spain. We've had an influx of visitors over the last month, starting with Ryan's Aunt Monica and cousin Isabel, then Ryan's parents and younger brother and now my parents. We are having a great time and we will try to do some more posts of what we've gotten to do with them in the near future. 

So... how did we end up in Spain?
We moved to Spain over Christmas. It was something that came as a bit of a surprise but turned out to be quite the blessing in disguise.

Two days before Christmas, Ryan's team in St. Vallier decided they wanted to make multiple roster changes as the season wasn't going how they had hoped. Although we didn't realize it at the time, his release from the team was an answer to our prayers. Something wasn't clicking. With a combination of injuries that left Ryan sitting half the games and the team not using him to the best of his abilities,  frustration was beginning to surface throughout the beginning of the season.

At the time of his release, we couldn't understand where the Lord wanted us, what we were going to do without a job, or how he planned to use us in the future; we couldn't see the bigger picture. But God did. He knew what He was doing. He not only sees the bigger picture, He sees the WHOLE picture. 

Two days later, on Christmas Day, the viewpoint of our "little picture" grew. We received an email from Ryan's Spanish agent saying a team in Spain wanted him and needed him in Ourense the 27th. For those of you who don't know, Spanish ball is some of the best basketball in the world. What's even better is it's a style of play that Ryan thrives in. Smart, skilled and technical. 

Through this globetrotting journey, I've never before seen so often the providential care of my Savior.  What happened over Christmas was nothing short of His care. It leaves me speechless. And yet I continually need to be reminded of it. 

Two weeks before Christmas we made a 5 hour road trip from St. Vallier to Barcelona. Here are a few shots from our time there.

Sagrada Familia

Park Guell

Casa Mila

Subway traveling is always entertaining with Vera.

Views from a cable car on the way up to Montjuic.

The Temple de Sagrat Cor on Tibidabo mountain.

The Gothic Quarter

My favorites.

I loved everything about this city. On the drive back to France I remember saying to Ryan, "I would LOVE to live in Spain. Wouldn't it be cool to live in Spain for a bit?" Little did I know what God had in store for us three weeks later.

One of the first road trips we made after moving to Spain was to Lisbon, Portugal. Portugal has been on my top five places to visit for quite a while, so the trip was a special treat.
I was thoroughly impressed by the different architecture in Lisbon. You will notice the details and variety in some of the pictures below.

Views from the Santa Justa Lift

Rossio Square

Augusta Street

Rooftops of Amalfa

The legendary Tram 28 in Lisbon

Parque das Nacoes

Campo Pequeno Bullring

Belem Tower

Jeronimos Monastery

The famous pastries of Belem

Cascais, a beach town on the outskirts of Lisbon

Sintra. I wish we could have spent more time in this enchanting town.

Pena National Palace in Sintra

Stay tuned for more updates on places we've been since arriving in Spain!