Hola from Madrid...finally!

So, I am really not doing well with blogging while I'm away. Today is my last day in Madrid and I've FINALLY sat down to post a few pics. How sad am I?

Madrid has been awesome. The city is so beautiful, the people so friendly and the food so good! (speaking of food....the oldest restaurant in the world, Botin, is here in Madrid. Unfortunately we never got to eat there but I did get a picture of it!) The weather has been FABULOUS and I'll be coming home with a tan even though I was wearing SPF 45. Yesterday morning was a litte nerve-racking due to rain but luckily patience paid off and the clouds went away and the sun came out for a beautiful afternoon. This morning has been a little wet but I'm leaving so as long as it's not raining in Paris, I don't care.

I didn't really do anything tourist-y while I was here besides the city tour I had booked for our group. Other than that we did a lot of walking. One afternoon we came across a guy that had made himself into a statue. He was covered in clay and only moved if you put money down. Over the course of our few days we came across a few instances of this live art but he was definitely the best. I think it was the way he incorporated himself into the whole scene.

The only crappy thing about this trip is I realize now as I sit here going through all my pictures is that my dad and I never took a photo together this whole weekend. No one would probably know that we were even in the same foreign city at the same time if it weren't for some group photos. Oh well, I had a great time with him nonetheless - pictures or no pictures! Hopefully he enjoyed. It seemed like he was pretty into the tennis once he figured out the scoring.

And, the tennis. The tournament was held in a bull ring!!! It was VERY cool. The matches were UNBELIEVABLE and though Team USA lost, they did a great job. Four of the five matches were so good and the doubles match - the only one we won - was probably the best match I've seen in person.

Well, I'm in the hotel lobby waiting for airport transfers for my clients. Three are gone (including Dad's) with two more to go, including mine. Opps, strike that - 4 gone and mine's next. I'll try to post some more pictures from Paris. And NOT of the Eiffel Tower. LOL!

New Travel Update

On Tuesday I'm off to Madrid as originally planned for the Davis Cup. Instead of coming home on Monday (22nd), I'm actually heading over to Paris for a few days to check out some hotels for the 2009 French Open. Now I'll be home on the evening of Thursday, September 25th.

Don't know how much time I'll have to do postcards from Madrid but I'll try. If anything, I'll take lots of pictures and post them here.

New York, New York

Well, the rest of our time in New York City for the US Open went pretty quickly. Shaun came down Tuesday morning of the second week. It was so nice to have him there. We even put him to work! :)

Later that week I got to see an old friend I hadn't seen in AGES! Merritt and I were in the 7th & 8th grade together in Monterey, California. We haven't seen each other since Christmas of 9th grade when I flew back for a visit. Now she is an architect in NYC and we crossed paths online. Unfortunately we weren't able to meet up at the tennis but we did get meet over some yummy pastries and caught up over a nice sunny walk in the SOHO area.

The tennis was great. James Blake lost to another American, Mardy Fish but Mardy made it to the quarter-finals, losing against Nadal. At least he took a set off him. Another American, Sam Querrey also did really well. Scottsman Andy Murray kicked some butt and played Roger Federer in the final. That night, Shaun and I were lucky enough to meet Andy. He was so nice about taking pictures with people even though he had just lost the US Open.

Speaking of pictures, Shaun was almost part of a paparazzi attack. The day before we left he went shopping (without me!) and found himself facing a whole bunch of cameras. He soon figured out he must've been close to someone famous. He was. Turns out he was walking right next to Nicole Richie and her daughter. I don't know if I believe him since he's in NONE of the pictures online but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. HAHAHA!

US Open

So, the US Open is going well. James Blake is onto the third round along with Sam Querrey and Mardy Fish. Bob and Mike are onto the 2nd round and hopefully Robby wins his 2nd round match.

The weather has been HOT and the sun has many clients retreating into our air-conditioned suite several days already. I have been pacing myself in the sun and watching tennis - still another week to go! Can't burn out too soon. :)

I'm very excited for Shaun to come down on Tuesday morning. He has been working like a dog and needs a mental and physical break from it all.

Okay, time to run - I've got a few more emails to do and then need to focus all my positive energy on Robby since I can't be in the stands yelling support for him.

Check this out!

Yes, that IS a BRONZE MEDAL from the 2008 BEIJING OLYMPICS!!! This is one of Bob & Mike Bryan's bronze medals from winning the bronze medal in Men's Doubles. While I really hate the picture of me, it was so cool that I got to wear it that I had to share it. Down below is a close up of the front and back of the medal.

That is probably going to be the coolest thing I got to do during this trip. And the closest I'll ever be to an Olympic medal - hahahaha!!!

Travel Update

So, I'll be hitting the road again soon. Next Sunday I'm headed down to NYC to the US Open for 2 weeks. I'm so excited because I have a pretty sweet job down there. I am the suite hostess in our luxury suite and even though I'm making sure our clients are well fed and having a great time, I also get to see some amazing tennis matches! :)

While I'm down there I'm hoping to catch up with an old friend I went to middle school with in Monterey, California. New York has proven to be a good place for me to reconnect with people from my past. First Lauren (my best friend from elementary school in Yuma, AZ) and now Merritt!!

I'm down in New York until Monday, September 8th.

USA vs SPAIN






Once I get home I'm only home for a week and then it's off to Madrid on September 16th for the Davis Cup Semi-Finals. The USA is playing Spain. It will be a TOUGH match for the USA but I am still optimistic that they'll do well.

On September 22nd I'll be home and most likely here until mid-January. :) Maybe then I can get a room or two in the house painted and some pictures on the walls.

Our dining room table

We finally got our dining room table!!! It's awesome and we're so excited about it.

It can seat up to 12ppl or 8ppl when we take the leaves out (and then it's a square table!).

Now that I'm looking at these pictures I realize how empty that room looks with nothing on the walls. I need to find something to put on the walls but even a centerpiece will help! Oh well, soon enough.

The boxes in the back of this second picture are 2 more chairs that we haven't unpacked (on the left) and on the right, 2 bar stools. Unfortunately we ordered the tall stools and needed the medium ones. :( Good thing we can exchange them!!!