Madrid - Day 1

As most of you know, my roommate Sarah and I recently set out on a week long adventure to Spain.  I have received requests for updates from the trip so I have decided to blog about each day in an effort make my friends/family feel like they were there with me - whether or not that is a good thing still remains unknown.

Day 1

Our day started as expected - last minute errands to Wal-Mart to pick up things we had forgotten and a trip to the bank to exchange our US dollars to the precarious Euro. Once we were sure everything we could possibly need was packed away, we headed to the airport to start our adventure.  We met up with Jeff, Sarah's cousin and faithful travel companion.  After a quick bite at The Hangar we made our way through security and eagerly waited the boarding call.

We flew to Newark on the less than spacious ERJ and were only an hour behind, which is a small miracle when flying into that awful airport.  We met up with Sarah's former roommate, Nicole, who was also joining us on the adventure.

Kailey & Sarah excited for the beer cart!

After a quick layover in Newark we were finally on the plane to Madrid!  Luckily, United has TV screens on every chair with a pretty good selection of movies to watch since you are basically held captive for 8.5 hours.  I watched the final Harry Potter Movie and The Vow, and in between I would take naps for a few hours.  Somehow my nose recognized when food was near so I conveniently woke up in time to snag a dinner, drink, and eventually a breakfast.

Madrid from 30,000 feet

When I woke up, I was in Spain! It was about 10am there and I was rearing to go explore the city.  We grabbed our bags and trekked through the airport to get on the Metro.  A fun fact about Madrid: its not a good place to bring a giant suitcase, especially when there are more stairs than escalators.  After a few line changes on the Metro, we made it to our hostel.  It was pretty nice, as far as hostels are concerned.  There were 5 beds in the small dorm size room, but there was a balcony and it was close to restaurants and the Plaza Mayor so it worked out.

View from the bottom bunk of the hostel.

We freshened up and set out to meet up with our friend Nutty and his wife - yes, that is a nickname but I have never once called him by his real name.  Anyway, they are from the UK and were on holiday in Madrid so we met them at their hotel so we could all grab a bite to eat.  Once thing I learned in Spain is that they love to feed you.  Every time we ordered a beer, they would bring out some tapas (appetizer) for free.  It varied from a plate of olives to a tuna spread on french bread.  It was all delicious except the one the hotel gave out - I think they just gave up on being creative:

Not my favorite tapas, but I still ate it.

The 6 of us ventured over to the Plaza Mayor for more drinks and tapas, which I thought was very pretty.  They had some concert stage set up, but we were not sure what it was for.  They were testing the sound system though by playing a compilation of popular songs as sung by a female lounge singer. My personal favorite was "Like A Virgin" by Madonna....it was much slower and a little sad at the same time.

We went to La Torre del Oro, or the Bullfighting Bar for my English speaking friends. It had pictures from previous bull fights, as well as stuffed heads of slain bulls.  After seeing the graphic pictures, Im fairly certain I would not be able to survive watching one without getting physically ill.

La Torre del Oro

The weather was beautiful so we sat out on the plaza and people watched.  There were a few street performers, but performers is a huge overstatement.  Basically they wanted money for dressing up in costume and sitting there.  The most worthless one I saw was a llama looking guy with a bell on his horns.  Every time someone would walk by he would snap his head and ring the bell in an attempt to get your attention.  That was the one downside of the Plaza was that EVERYONE was fighting for your attention.  The vendors, the street performers, the restaurant owners - it was a bit much.

Please don't touch me, Mr. Llama

Finally the effects of jetlag were setting in and I desperately needed a nap.  We all went back and napped so we would be ready to go for dinner.  The people of Spain typically have their dinner around 9pm, which worked well for us so we could get a nap in and not feel rushed.  We ended up back at the Plaza Mayor for dinner, but realized we were suffering the touristy prices so we went to search for something off the beaten path. Oh, remember that stage setup I had mentioned earlier?  Turns out, there was a full orchestra and opera singers who were performing that night, it was beautiful.

Sarah's former roommate when she lived in Spain, Emily, met us there after she was done teaching and pointed us in the right direction for a non-touristy tapas bar.  We had some potato & aioli concoction which was just amazing.  We also had a bocadillo that was bread, salmon, caramelized onions, and a spread that I cant remember - what I DO remember is that is was amazing.  I finally hit my second wall and had to go to bed - they walked me back to the hostel and then they all continued to explore the city.  I just can't hang with the big kids.

My home away from home the first day in Spain.

Nutty wondering how I'm still functioning. OR questioning our friendship, Im not sure.

Sarah and Vardy enjoying the Plaza Mayor. 

In God We Trust

This past weekend was my cousin Lauren's confirmation. For all of you non-Catholics out there, its a ceremony where she is microchipped by the Holy Spirit. Baptism is when you get accepted into the club, but Confirmation is when you pledge your allegiance and they hold you to that. Forever.

It is an intense process that involves Sunday classes, homework, Bible study, community service, and prayer memorization. The whole process takes about 2 years and in the end you are rewarded with oil on your head and money from your family who have also been microchipped. The reason I am bringing all of this up is because Lauren had asked me to be her sponsor. One who walks with her and guides her on the path of the righteous.

Quit laughing.

Fast forward to the big day - actually I should preface this whole story by saying that my great grandmother's name was Cecelia, so my aunt's confirmation name was Cecilia, MY confirmation name was Cecelia (and my aunt was my sponsor), and Lauren's confirmation name was....can you guess? CECELIA. Irish Catholics tend to stick with what they know. -

Anyway, so arrive at the church (St. Cecelia's Cathedral - coincidence? I think not) around 1:30pm so we can get her robe put on and get signed in. I give them her name and they give me instructions on what to do as a sponsor: Hand card to priest. Put right hand on confirmandi's shoulder. Walk back to pew. HOLD ON, let me grab a pencil and write this all down! I had to wonder which sponsor screwed up these basic instructions so bad that going forward they thought they had to act it out in order to gain comprehension. After I assertively nodded that I understood my role, we set out to find a seat in one of the pews.

St. Cecilia's is a beautiful Cathedral but unfortunately the pews were not made with comfort in mind. Creaky wood pews and kneelers that probably still had the same padding in them from the 70s. Oh well, I thought to myself, we will only be here for an hour -I can tough it out. Hindsight tells me that my thought process was nothing more than a lollipop dream. We had arrived so early that I decided it would be an appropriate time to check my Facebook. Apparently God had other plans because there was no wi-fi available, which rendered my phone useless. Crumbs! Well then, time to play my favorite game of "stare at people as they walk in to make them feel uncomfortable" (works every time). Finally 30 minutes had passed by and it was time to get the old show on the road.

The Archbishop was there, which little did I know meant the mass was automatically an extra hour long. Everything was sung instead of spoken (think Gregorian chanting) and the homily was borderline record breaking for how long it was. I am not trying to be disrespectful with this blog post, however traditional Catholic masses can be such a drag. Fast forward TWO HOURS later and we were finally finished. We took some pictures and then headed to my aunt's house for food and drinks in order to celebrate the newest Catholic in our family.

I think the traditional Catholic mass needs to add a little spice to it, but I know that's just wishful thinking. Surely I am not the only one who wonders why we attend church when it is just a bunch of people going through the motions? I need to find a church that makes me want to be there, not feel like I have to be there because its the "right thing to do". Perhaps make Church a wi-fi hot spot, that would attract new parishioners.

20 Random Facts about THIS GIRL!

Ok so I was going through facebook and trying to delete anything posted pre-professional career and I came across a note that I wrote back in 2009. Im sure it was one of those chain emails that everyone was filling out so I turned into a sheep and did the same.
Im saving this on my blog for posterity sake - who knows when I'm going to get fed up of deleting my past and just start fresh on FB.

SRules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you it's because I want to know more about you.
25. I think the best movie score is the opening theme to Boondock Saints. A close second is the Home Alone theme.

24. I try to email or call someone from my extended family at least once a week- I love staying in touch.

23. On the way to work I crank up the heat and dry my hair while Im driving...works every time.

22. Armageddon makes me cry every time.

21. I am deathly allergic to shellfish. I cant even touch the stuff without breaking out. The worst part? I acquired said allergy when I was 21 and before I used to eat seafood like it was going out of style.

20. A girl in grade school once told me I looked like Doogie Howser. She was a brat and I didnt like her because of it.

19. Speaking of grade school, my favorite lunch was chicken patty sandwiches.

18. I took 13 years of Spanish and can barely speak it, but I understand 80% of all conversations.
17. There is a town called Dwyer Hill in Ontario named after my family.

16. I apparently enjoy working at the most random places ever - Irish gift shop, pharmacy, grocery store, research assistant for a professor studying beetles, hockey team, children's fitness center, airport marketing/customer service, and finally insurance.....I need to just chill.

15. Everyone always asks me why Tiny Dancer is my favorite song. Its hard to pinpoint the exact moment I fell in love with the song, but I remember when I was younger the song was playing in my mom's Bronco when we were driving to my aunt house and my mom was singing along to it and it always just stuck with me.

14. If given the option, I could eat mashed potatoes every day.

13. My family and really close friends call me Kailey Doll. I like it.

12. I have the ability to impersonate people's accents or mannerisms. I dont know why, I just do.
11. Me and grandma watch Walker Texas Ranger together almost every day at 7pm - we watch to see if he will get defeated, but he never does. That, and she thinks he is a hunk.

10. I have paid over $1,000 in speeding tickets.

9. I found something I wrote in 8th grade that said in 10 years I would have graduated from Notre Dame with a degree in Marine Biology, been an Olympic diver, and living in Seattle with my husband and two kids...oh, and I also said I would be 7'2. A girl can dream.

8. Getting my pilot's license was the coolest thing Ive ever done.

7. I am a Red Sox fan. I am fully prepared with reasons why and respect that not everyone is a fan, but stop trying to tell me they are the new Yankees- I will punch you in the face.

6. Billy Joel/Elton John was the best concert Ive ever been to.

5. I want to live in a house/apartment thats on the water. I dont care if its a pond, lake, ocean, whatever- just make sure there is a view.

4. I love the Golden Girls. It is hilarious and my sister and I can spend the entire day texting quotes back to each other.

3. Speaking of my sister, we have more inside jokes or just overall dumb things that have happened to us that can throw us into uncontrollable fits of laughter for hours.

2. I have an obsession with Puma shoes....its sick.

1. I have strayed off the path more times than I can count, been kicked when I was down, told I couldnt do something, and cried over things that werent worth my tears. BUT i have also been given direction, helped back up, encouraged and had a shoulder to cry on. Its for those moments that I realize what wonderful people I have in my life and it makes me smile every time.

Words with Frenemies

Words with Friends, or Scrabble for those old enough to remember it is an actual board game, is ruining my life. I have become upset over the world "jovial", excited about the word "excrement" and seriously questioned how someone found out that "vrouw" is an actual word. Come on people.

*sidenote: Vrouw is a married woman in Dutch, learn something new every day.

Every time someone gets a new smartphone and asks their friends what apps they should buy, it never fails that someone will suggest Words with Friends. I admit I was hooked when I first downloaded it and was excited to see how many friends I could play against to show my word prowess.

I played a game with my friend Matt and it went well - a close match and some great words were used in the battle. I was a little disappointed that some of my words were only 3 and 4 letters, but that's what TW and DW scores are for, amiright?!

The next game I played was with Luke, a kid I worked with back in the day down at Countryside Village. I am not friends with this kid, the only interaction we have had in the past 5 years was this Scrabble game so I thought it would go quickly. Wrong. The first day it took me about 24 hours to respond to his move and I noticed I had messages left on the board from him:

"Ur turn."

"You there"

"OMG GO"

Woah woah woah compadre, I am so very sorry. Next time I will patiently wait by my phone for you to play another 4 point word, douche. At least give me something to work with that shows you at least passed 4th grade English. I played "jogger" for 40+ points and smiled at the thought of him throwing his phone across the room in anger. About 30 seconds later he came back with "JEUX".

JEUX? What the flying crap is a JEUX?

Considering he had been playing elementary words the entire time I knew there was no way he knew what that word meant. Being the fair player that I am, I politely asked him in the messages what that word meant. He responded, "Ha, crazy right?". Yes, indeed that is crazy my four eyed recluse, but it did not answer my question. Not being one to just let things die I asked him again, "Ive never even heard of that word, what does it mean?" There was no way he was getting out of answering my prodding question (and for my avid readers at home questioning why I didn't just Google it myself, I actually did - I just wanted him to answer out of sheer principle.) He finally responded "I dunno, I just put the words in a database and that's what it came back with, geez"

I knew I smelled a rat. That little punk was cheating and I intended to beat him. It then dawned on me that the only thought he was putting in to the game was entering the letters he had and having a machine jumble them up into a gold mine of points for him. Meanwhile I was at home shuffling my letters around and using my brain like a schmuck. So I did what any American would do, I cheated too.

I'm not proud of the fact that I cheated, but I am proud of the fact that I beat him. When it got down to the last few letters I used the "lets-see-if-these-2-letter-combos-will-actually-work-so-I-don't-have-to-resign" method, which worked pretty well. Needless to say I did not accept his next game request, and I am pretty much ignoring all my other requests to play that stupid game. I like crossword puzzles better, they don't require me to make up ridiculous letter combos and hope they hold up in the court of Scrabble.

Scrabble, I hate you.

An Open Letter to Potential Suitors...

I decided to write this letter to all potential suitors, which could be viewed as my criteria or as a warning - your choice. By no means do I want a guy who is perfect on paper, just someone who, even with all his imperfections, is perfect for me.

Dear Boy,

What do I want in a guy? Well, if you are reading this then you are just as curious as I am. I should let you know up front, I am complex and confusing but I think I am worth it. However, you get to be the judge of that and you will be able to formulate your own opinion after reading this letter.

You must love watching movies (often times they are animated), taking risks, kissing in cars, and decorating for the holidays. No specific weight, hair color, or political affiliation required but would prefer a warm spirited non racist who is taller than me. Cynics, Critics, Pessimists, and "fuddy duddies" need not apply. Any similarity in look, mind set, or fashion sense to Anderson Cooper, Hugh Jackman, Aladdin, or Justin Timberlake wholeheartedly welcomed. I am dubious of politicians, felons and lawyers but don't want to rule them out entirely. Must be tolerant of cracking knuckles, tears when I'm happy and sad, Jason Mraz, and sleeping in late when given the option. I appreciate a man who isn't afraid to sing in the car, that remembers the insignificant details, and hugs me like there is no tomorrow. A man in a suit is attractive, but a man with strong convictions on any subject is beyond sexy.

I have learned that making plans just gives God a reason to laugh at you. I pray before I go to bed, make a mean deviled egg, and play the piano when I am stressed out. I was picked on in grade school, a wallflower in high school, and the center of attention in college. If you can handle that, you can handle anything.

I have odd scars , love handles, and a preternatural love of autumn. I once saw an elderly couple holding hands at the grocery store, and it made me smile the rest of the day. I fidget for at least a half hour before I fall asleep, I get sick when I see someone bleeding from the mouth, and think Beauty & The Beast is one of the greatest films of all time. All I want are rabbit kisses in the morning, peanut butter & jelly sandwiches shaped like a heart, and to make you smile until it hurts.

That's it, that's all.

Kailey

Even Ugly Dolls Need Love

I have a penchant for being attracted to ugly things. Doesn't matter what it is, if it's ugly I will love it. The first real example is a dog I had named Murphy. He was, for lack of a better word, hideous. The shelter had found him on the side of a road and he was so matted that they had to completely take all his hair off. He had to wear sweaters in the summer so his poor doggy skin wouldn't get sunburnt and when you pet him it felt like you were petting a warm ballsac. Did I mention he farted? A lot.

Turns out grandma couldn't handle Murphy and one day while I was at work she dropped him off at the shelter. Imagine my surprise when I came home to find no ugly ballsac dog to greet me! That was the first time I was ever mad at my grandma.

I told you that story for two reasons: one, because I still miss that dog and this is part of the healing process and two, it confirms that I am bat shit crazy.

Fast forward a few years....

My new obsession is going to garage sales to see all the beautiful crap people are trying to make money off of. Nine times out of ten the stuff is beyond repair or just plain useless, but if you look hard enough you find a gem or two hiding in crap. My sister and I (along with her friend who was unaware of my craziness) decided to go to the Omaha Community Playhouse prop sale to see what fun stuff we could find. Most of it was junk, but there were some cool paintings and vintage furniture that would complement a crazy cat lady's house.

While we were walking through the aisles we found a shelf that was marked "Toys: 50 cents each" and on it were stuffed animals that looked like they came from the Island of Misfit Toys. We glossed over the items and were about to call it a day when I saw a head poking out of the pile with only monk like ring of hair on it. I immediately grabbed it out of the pile and what I saw when it emerged was beyond my wildest dreams. It was the creepiest doll I had ever seen.

The doll was dressed in a pink cloth that resembled a toga, and it was clear that he used to be a clown but hard times washed away all the joy. After the initial shock wore off, I collected my thoughts and immediately searched for two quarters.

"You're not actually going to buy that, are you?" my sister questioned.

"Well of course I'm going to buy it, look how creepy he is!" I exclaimed

"That doesn't mean you have to buy it"

"....well....yes it does?"

Little sisters just don't get it. I grabbed my new treasure and headed over to the cashier, but not before picking out a new wicker sleigh for my mom because Cheryl loooves wicker. I walked up and the elderly lady at the register asked what I was purchasing for the day. "One sleigh and two creepy dolls please!" I could hardly contain my excitement. I gave the lady my money and away I went with my treasures. Finally, my precious and I were together.

When I got back to work I immediately whipped him out and tried to come up with a name. The usual creepster names came to mind: Chester, Sid, Larry, and Vladimir, but nothing seemed to fit. Then it hit me: Felipe! Not only does it sound exotic, but it rhymes with creep. Felipe the Creep was born anew, so now it was time to show him off. The general reaction to Felipe was less than welcoming, and the more he stared at you the more you realized he was gazing into your soul. Naturally I had to capitalize on this and had him keep an eye on Cheryl at work.

I plan on advertising Felipe's services if you need a special guest for a birthday party or bar mitzvah, which will come in handy if you hate your kid. Until then, sleep with one eye open!

Black Moses in the Hizzy!

Last weekend my brother Kelly and I embarked on a journey to the mountains of Denver, Colorado. There were so many memories made on the trip, thanks to good music, great friends, and a lot of booze. Of all the new friends I met on this trip though, Dennis Booker stands above the crowd. No, I'm not talking about Dennis Booker from 21 Jump Street; Im talking about Dennis Booker, CEO of D&D Transportation.




In order to adequately sing the praises of Mr. Booker we need to travel back in time to Friday evening after the concert. We were all still on a concert high and decided to go to a local watering hole to quench our insatiable thirst and continue our streak of bad decisions being made. As the night went on people slowly started to sneak out and head home, one of them being JC. He decided it was time to go and Mitch begrudingly agreed, but not before making it clear that he was not happy. The boys start walking and decide that a cab would be the best way of getting back to the apartment we were staying at so they starting looking up and down the road for their chariot. As they are walking down the street they see a well dressed man standing by an Escalade. The man tells them to 'get in' and opens the door to the Escalade. Mitch was a little hesitant about this situation but before he could voice his concerns JC had already hopped in and was ready to go. They tell Dennis where they are heading and start talking about where they are from and what brought them to Denver. Dennis must have taken a liking to these boys because he offers them a Coors Light out of the cooler he has packed away in the Escalade. These aren't just any Coors Light cans though, they are mini Coors!

Aren't they cute?

JC was so impressed by the awesomeness that is DB that he arranged for him to pick us up on Saturday for the 2nd Dispatch concert we were all attending.

Saturday:

I was still feeling the repercussions of the night before so all I wanted to do was curl up in bed and watch the trial for Caylee Anthony's mom (what a psycho). Shaina somehow convinced me to go to the concert so I threw on some clothes and headed down to the lobby to meet up with the rest of the group. I was greeted by Dennis who told us to bring some beer and hop in....sold. He had a mix CD that he made, which could have been confused for NOW 342 because there were some hot jams on it. Our fan favorite was Wiz Khalifa's Black and Yellow, which Dennis played as loud as he could while we drove down the interstate to Red Rocks. When we arrived at Red Rocks there are about a half dozens entrances for cars and limos to drop off and pick up people. Apparently Dennis had made such an impression on the Red Rocks employees that they all just let him pass through without checking out tickets or asking questions. As he was driving through the sea of people he proclaimed, 'Im the Black Moses, get out of the way!". Sure enough, people did.

When we got dropped off we set up a game plan to have him bring us back in a limo because there were going to be 8 additional friends that were meeting us there and needed a ride home. The show ended and we went out to meet up with Dennis and hop in our limo. When we find him we notice that he is still driving the Escalade, wuh oh. Apparently another group said they would pay more to take the limo so they got whisked away and we were left with 12 people to fit into a 7 person Escalade. You would think that we would just arrange for another company to come pick us up, but no way Jose- we were fitting in that damn Escalade. People were sitting on laps, in the trunk, and in the aisle on a very uncomfortable cooler. Good thing there is always a massive traffic jam after concerts because who wouldn't want to stay packed in like this?

Dennis made it all better by buying us Skol vodka and ice cream sandwiches, which we all ate immediately. Never underestimate the power of an ice cream sandwich to calm the nerves of a drunk 20something after a concert. We listened to the music at full blast, which is not as enjoyable when you have someone's elbow in your side and a styrofoam cooler on your lap, but it was still one of the best memories of the trip. We finally made it back to the hotel where Molly, Shaina, and I left to go to bed. The boys stayed with Dennis though and went to the bars to continue the good times. If you are ever in the Denver area and need a driver who will make you laugh, make you question your decisions at times, and buy you ice cream sandwiches then give Dennis a call.