Serendipity. A random occurrence of events that happens casually or unexpectedly. Not that my run-ins with Spanish bureaucrats have been serendipitous, but as I looked back on 12 years of…
Updated in May 2026, as the child mentioned below approached double digits. The 48 hours I spent in the hospital post-birth were a bit of a blur. Between doctors and…
When we returned to Western Asturias, where we took our babymoon, we had two things clear: we'd stay at Agustina and Angel's guest house, la Casona del Faedo, and we'd…
As soon as I’d said the word, I clasped my hand over my mouth. “Gracias." Not an aspirated graciaaaaaaahhhhh, the final syllable lingering like an afterthought. A full pronounced grah-cee-us.…
Staring at my 2015 planner just one year ago, I circled just two dates: August 8th, my wedding day, and August 15th, my 30th birthday. I inhaled sharply, knowing that…
The smell hits me like a pata de jamón to the head: a cocktail of bathroom disinfectant, spilled hand soap, ancient pipes and bleach. And that's only if the person before me…