Thirty years ago, Lisa took a pottery class. She learned the basics of throwing, forming, and firing clay. Now she is an expert potter, creating pieces for stores, events, and individuals. This story is told in the third person using the present and past tenses. Important vocabulary in the story includes: “la cerámica” (ceramics/pottery), “arcilla” (clay), “barbotina” (slip: water-clay mixture), “tornear” (to throw clay on a wheel), “torno” (pottery wheel), “esmaltar” (to glaze), and “asas”...

This new season of fresh stories all about personal experiences. I love Lego sets. I have been playing with them for as long as I can remember. When I was young, I would build and stage houses. Now that I’m older, I help my sons build whatever their heart desires and make stop motion videos.   This story is told in the first person using both the past and present tenses. Important vocabulary in the story includes: “recuerdo” (I remember), “minifigura” (minifigure/Lego person), “divertirse”...

This new season of fresh stories all about personal experiences. My high school Spanish teacher had a poster of Machu Picchu on his wall. I would look at that poster and tell myself that one day I would visit those magical ruins in the mountains of Peru. That day came in the summer of 2009.   This story is told in the first person using the past tense. Important vocabulary in the story includes: “edificio” (building), pared (wall), “empinado” (steep), “altura” (height), and quechua (a native...

This new season of fresh stories all about personal experiences. I love the theater. I love acting and singing and being in front of an audience. I haven’t been on a stage in years, but I have wonderful memories from my time in the theater.   This story is told in the first person using both the present and past tenses. Important vocabulary in the story includes: comedieta (skit), obra de teatro (play), escenario (stage), palco (theater balcony) and asiento (seat).   No matter where you are...

This new season of fresh stories all about personal experiences. If you’ve been following me for a while, you may know that I am from the state of Minnesota, but I live in Colorado. So, how did I get here? It wasn’t an easy decision or experience to move to Colorado, however, I am glad to be here and couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.    This story is told in the first person using the past tense. Important vocabulary in the story includes: “entrevista” (interview), “vuelo” (flight),...

This new season of fresh stories all about personal experiences. One of the best things I ever did was spend a semester of college in Spain. I lived with families and attended La Universidad de Navarra in Pamplona. I made many friends and traveled all over. I immersed myself in the language and culture. While that experience was more years ago than I care to admit, I remember it fondly.    This story is told in the first person using the past tense. Important vocabulary in the story includes:...

This new season of fresh stories all about personal experiences. I enjoy learning about my family history. My love of genealogy was encouraged by my dad who has done a lot of research. This last week I spent some time searching for clues about my ancestors. I found multiple documents, pictures, and even a few people I didn’t know about before. Today I am going to share a few of their stories.    This story is told in both the first and third person using the past tense. Important vocabulary...

This new season of fresh stories all about personal experiences. As you have heard in previous stories, I love the outdoors. I have been on many hiking and camping trips, but it wasn’t until a few years ago that I combined the two and went on my first backpacking adventure. That trek taught me many lessons and today I am sharing those lessons with you.   This story is told in the first person using the past tense. Important vocabulary in the story includes: “mochila” (backpack), “sendero”...

This new season of fresh stories all about personal experiences. I have very fond memories of my childhood. I spent a lot of time outside with my friends and family, no matter the time of year. As a child I played, I ran, I rode bikes, I read, and I just had fun.   This story is told in the first person using the past tense. Important vocabulary in the story includes: “recuerdo” (memory), “muñeca” (doll), “afuera” (outside), and “jugábamos” (we used to play).   No matter where you are in your...

This new season of fresh stories all about personal experiences. I take my son on a lot of hikes. One time he decided to bring two of his stuffed animals on our hike in Grizzly Creek. Their names are Wolfy and Toothclaw. Toothclaw decided to take a swin in the creek and I went after him.   This story is told in the first person using the past tense. Important vocabulary in the story includes: “arroyo” (creek/stream), “sendero” (path/trail), “mochila” (backpack), and “peluche” (stuffed...

This new season of fresh stories all about personal experiences. David is one of my listeners and he recently shared his story with me. His adventures started when he joined the US navy at the age of 17 and they continue today. From playing the guitar to building his own house, David has lived a fascinating life.   This story is told in the third person using the past tense. Important vocabulary in the story includes: “marina de guerra” (navy), “inscribirse” (to sign up/enlist), “avión”...

This new season of fresh stories all about personal experiences. This is the second half of my Spring Break adventure in southern Utah. While everything did not go as planned, due to engine trouble, we were still able to have fun and enjoy Bryce Canyon National Park.   This story is told in the first person using the past tense. Important vocabulary in the story includes: “taller” (shop), “nieve” (snow), “sendero” (trail). “por suerte” (luckily) and “puesto de observación”...

This new season of fresh stories all about personal experiences. At the end of March, I decided to take my boys on a trip to some national parks in southern Utah. Unfortunately, our trip took a turn for the worse when my check engine light came on. Fortunately, we were still able to have some fun in Zion National Park.   This story is told in the first person using the past and conditional tenses. Important vocabulary in the story includes: “la primavera” (Spring), “aceite” (oil), “estrellas”...

This new season of fresh stories all about personal experiences. Living in Indonesia had a huge impact on my mother. Although she was young, she remembers much of her time there. While most of her time was spent in Kisaren, she also traveled to other places with her family. Her journey home marked a literal journey around the world that changed her forever.   This story is told in the first and third person using the past tense. Important vocabulary in the story includes: “fueron” (they...

This new season of fresh stories all about personal experiences. Many of my favorite stories of my mom’s life in Indonesia are about animals. I loved seeing pictures and hearing stories of her animal encounters. Today, I am going to share these stories with you.   This story is told in the third person using the past tense. Important vocabulary in the story includes: “lagarto” (lizard), “techo” (ceiling/roof), “cabra” (goat), “piel” (skin) and “silvestre” (wild).   No matter where you are in...

This new season of fresh stories all about personal experiences. Last episode I shared my mother’s journey from Michigan to Sumatra, Indonesia when she was eight. My mom and her family had a lot to learn when they arrived in Indonesia. Life there was quite different from life in Michigan. From school to food to shopping, nothing was quite the same. This story is told in the third person using the past tense. Important vocabulary in the story includes: “recuerda” (she remembers), “nivel”...

This new season of fresh stories all about personal experiences. Today’s story is about my mother and her family. When my mom was eight years old, she moved with her family from Michigan to Sumatra, Indonesia. I always loved hearing her stories and today I am going to share the story of her journey with you.   Today’s story is told in the third person using the past tense. Important vocabulary in the story includes: “viaje” (trip), “barco” (boat) “abuelos” (grandparents), “llegó” (arrived),...

This new season of fresh stories all about personal experiences. Today’s story is about chickens. Josh and Marya were looking for a change of pace during the pandemic and they found it by becoming the owners of a few backyard chickens. With the help of a local Chicken Guy, Marya and Josh got set up for success in their new urban farming adventure.   Today’s story is told in the third person using multiple tenses, including the present, past, and conditional. Important vocabulary in the story...

This new season of fresh stories all about personal experiences. Today’s story is about my own personal Spanish journey. As you are aware, I am not a native Spanish speaker. While you can read a bit about why I’m a Spanish teacher on my blog, a couple of listeners have asked me to share the story of my Spanish journey in Spanish. Today’s story is told in the first person using both the present and past tenses. Important vocabulary in the story includes: “viaje” (journey), “idioma” (language),...

This new season of fresh stories all about personal experiences. Today’s story is about a very talented musical family and their band, Sugar ‘n Sage. Based in Vancouver, Canada, this groups gets audiences on their feet, dancing and singing along to their toe-tapping songs. Today’s story is told in the third person using both the present and past tenses. Important vocabulary in the story includes: “juntos” (together), “agrega” (adds), “baterista” (drummer), and “cantante” (singer). Learn...

This new season of fresh stories all about personal experiences. Today’s story is one I did not write. It is a very special story of love told by someone I happen to share a name with. Camila is a native of Colombia. Her husband, Stephen, listens to this podcast to practice his Spanish, so Camila decided to write a story especially for him.   Today’s story is told in the third person using mostly the past tenses. Important vocabulary in the story includes: “hermoso” (beautiful), “conocer” (to...

This new season of fresh stories all about personal experiences. Today’s personal experience comes from Skipper. Skipper was an amazing volunteer in his community, but he didn’t work alone. Skipper trained therapy dogs. His leonberger Ransom visited people from all walks of life, bringing them love and comfort.    Today’s story is told in the third person using both the present and the past tenses. Important vocabulary in the story includes: “dueño” (owner), “entrenamiento” (training),...

Today marks a new season of fresh stories all about personal experiences. I am kicking off the season with one of my favorite travel stories. When I went to Ecuador ten years ago, I had the opportunity to snorkel twice with blowfish, sea turtles and sea lions, which in Spanish are called sea wolves. The first day was amazing, but the second was a little scary.    This story is mostly in the first-person plural (pronoun “we”) and the past tense. Important vocabulary in the story includes:...

This seventh season of Simple Stories in Spanish is updating some of my favorite episodes. Today’s remake is from Season 3, episode 13: La Leyenda del Carruaje de la Muerte. According to the legend, a “carruaje” or carriage appears in the night to carry souls to the afterlife. The carriage with its big, black horses is not meant to be seen. If you do see it, it can mean…death.   This story is told in the past tense. Repeated words and phrases include “carruaje” (carriage), “muerte” (death),...