This is something on my list that I have been disappointed in my ability to complete. It seems that out of 30 days in a month, I can't seem to find the time to do. That isn't even the whole truth. I can't seem to find the moment where I want to or am in the mood to volunteer. Maybe that is normal, but I really wish I had been better at this. I had such good intentions.

So when I saw an email from the Annapolis Society for the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals (ASCPA) that they needed volunteers for an event on Saturday afternoon. I sat staring at the email going back and forth in my mind. 

"I have to babysit on Saturday night..." 

"I'm not babysitting till 7:30.."

"Well I think I have something else to do..."

"No you don't..."

"Ok, I will do it..."

It was a great decision. Meet Lucille: 

She is a five year-old hound dog and a huge sweetheart. When I walked in they asked me which dog I would like to take, I had a choice between Lucille the hound dog and a Black Lab. Obviously the word "hound dog" got me. I grew up with one:

Lucille was great though. The plan was to walk around downtown for a couple hours, talk to a few people and maybe get a few donations. It was such a gorgeous day, and after all that rain, it was nice to be outside. Lucille and I had a great walk. We made our way over the drawbridge, which was somewhat hilarious because Lucille had never walked over the grates before and got a little nervous. With a little coaching she made it over just fine. 

Lucille grabbed a lot of people's attention, and ended up doing a great job by raising around $15 from donations! 

Being with Lucille also made me realize how awesome it can be to volunteer. Now I know it sounds kind of cheezy, but being with her really made me remember why I wanted to volunteer in the first place. It was 2 great hours that I spent hanging out with a dog, talking to really nice people, and enjoying the amazing weather. 2 hours I probably would have spent inside, alone, watching meaningless T.V.... like I may be doing now.

So thanks Lucille, for an amazing day!

*NOTE* As I sit here and write this next installment about our trip, I realize exactly how much we saw and did in such a small amount of time! Wow! I am also sad because it makes me miss traveling... I think another trip is in order..

After we left Parc de la Cituadella, we wandered through the narrow Barcelona streets back to our rental office to check into our apartment. 

Along the way I took one of my favorite pictures of the trip! This guy was trying to stay cool in the shade outside of his owners store.

Once we arrived at our place on Las Ramblas, we threw our stuff down and ran right back out the door! There were things to see and do! We made our way down the famous Las Ramblas and took in all the interesting sites to see. There are flower stands, gift shops, street performers and people selling art and jewelry. 

One of the most famous stops, and the place Jake was the most excited to see, was Mercat de la Boqueria. It is a market space made up of hundreds of stalls where all the locals go to buy and sell fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, cheese, candy and seafood. 

There are a handful of tapas places located right in the market and if you see and open seat, I would grab it fast! They are in high demand! We waited for a seat at El Quim, which Jake had done a little research about. It was such an amazing meal.

We ordered olives in a cava reduction, patatas bravas (aka potatoes in an amazing spicy sauce..aka my favorite thing ever), prawns in garlic and cava reduction, and thin sliced "acorn fed" Iberian ham. I had never heard of Iberian ham before, but my goodness it was amazing. Silky smooth and almost oily to the touch. The best part about the tapas place was they were about as big as a walk-in closet with about 6-7 cooks all running around making the food fresh.

After the amazing meal we decided to continue our walk down Las Ramblas where we obviously stopped and enjoyed some sangria. At the bottom of Las Ramblas you run into the port area, where there was a monument to good old Christopher Columbus. I made Jake ride the lion that was there. I mean come on, how could one resist?

Our visit in Spain was just getting started, but I already felt I had been in the city for weeks!

My road to redemption is almost complete! I am so so so excited to be sharing with you what my next volunteering adventure will be...

On Saturday I did my training to become a Society for the Prevention of Crulety to Animals (SPCA) volunteer!

The training took about 2 hours and basically consisted of reading over the rules, signing some forms, and going through a walk-through of the SPCA. The Anne Arundel County branch is literally 2 min from my apartment, and houses cats, dogs, rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs and even ferrets!

I think everyone knows I have a slight obsession when it comes to animals... especially one in particular:

Did you heart just melt? If not, get it checked...

Although I would pretty much do anything to have a bulldog, I really can't afford one right now, and it wouldn't be fair to get a puppy and not be around most of the day. Hence why I am volunteering! It is a great way to still interact without having to get one...

Then I saw that they had a bulldog at the SPCA on their medical board...and then my heart stopped...and my mind immediately went to visions of me running through a field with my new bulldog. You know, until 2 minutes later when they would drop to the ground from exhaustion. Dare to dream...

Sadly, I didn't get to see Bella because she has an infection and was not in the room with adoptable pets. But I will wait patiently until she comes back...

I plan on going to volunteer for the first time this week! Be on the lookout for pictures!!!!!