And the verdict is...

The results are in, the votes have been tallied, and the future is clear...

Your next American Idol iiiissssss...

Oops, sorry there, I was having some Ryan Seacrest flashbacks. By the way, does anyone still watch that show anymore? With Simon gone? Isn't that like The Apprentice without The Donald? Speaking of The Donald, I saw a picture of him recently and I am sorry to say that if he came to Spain there is a 67% probability that his hair would start a new trend. Spanish men love questionable hair styles. Don't believe me? Mullets are considered high fashion in some circles, for the love of Pete.

Okay, I have stalled enough:

The Mister and I have decided to go to

 Málaga!

(after I wrote that I realized that it looks like the name of the town isn't Málaga but Málaga!, which I decided to keep because every girl needs a little panache every now and again.)

The biggest reason we decided to stay put is because we like our friends. Making friends cross-culturally and cross-lingually (totally not a word) can be pretty tricky, and we lucked out like Kate Middleton. Wiping all that away to start fresh in a new city felt a little premature after only a year, and we weren't ready to jump ship yet.

The second biggest reason, is because, uh, this is where we live:

And not to be braggy here but I think you will all understand why I'm not in a hurry to pack up and call it a day.

The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades

About a week after we arrived in Spain last summer, I looked at The Mister and said "one year isn't going to be enough."

He concurred, and we started thinking about the possibility of pushing back our planned law school start for one more year while we extend our contract here to the maximum two years. 

With that came the tough decision: to stay in Málaga or to request a placement in another part of Spain?

One one hand, we've never been the type to turn down an adventure, and it would be great to explore around a totally different part of the country, broadening our experience and adding another layer to our time here. Northern Spain is a totally different deal than where we are in the deep South, and how fun to see new scenery, eat new foods, make new friends.

On the other hand, we love Málaga.  It's got the Mediterranean almost literally at our doorstep, the Spanish sun, and most importantly a growing network of friends and volunteer opportunities that we didn't want to leave. We feel at home here.

What would you do?

We agonized over the decision for months. To explore and broaden our experience, or to stay and deepen our experience?  Finally, one rainy night, we poured ourselves a glass of wine (always good to help one think), pulled up our renewal applications on our computers, and checked a box.  As soon as we checked it, we immediately felt good about the decision.

We just received official word from the Spanish Ministry of Education: for the upcoming school year, we are officially placed in...

(to be revealed tomorrow)

(mwahahaha)