A Great Birthday!

This year confirmed for me yet again, that birthdays are one of my favorite days of the year! After a fantastic fiesta on Saturday to celebrate Emily and Greta here, I wasn't really expecting or needing much for my actual birthday a few days later.

Flip Cup! (It seems I'm actually regressing in age!)

However, turning 32 on a Wednesday proved to be really fantastic! Tessa and I went out with Greta and Hakan on Tuesday for their last night in BCN, along with Alex and Anne. Hakan snuck out for a few minutes while we were having drinks - little did I know he (the only one of us who doesn't speak any Spanish) went on a mission to find a little birthday cake! Having "Happy Birthday" sung to me in the elephant stirrer bar was pretty great.

Thanks, Hakan!

Although I knew my kids had something planned, they managed to throw a fantastic surprise party for me! It was so funny to watch them try and hide what they were doing (ex: "It's such a boring day today, nothing important is happening.") and stressing out when there were changes to their schedule - thanks to Tessa and Anne for attempting to calm them down! :) Like last year, I'm just so impressed, and touched, by the thoughtfulness and effort that my kids showed - although I'm sure parents helped a bit, I know it was really them that did this - so, so sweet!

preparing . . .

Singing Happy Birthday in all possible languages!

A delicious cake made my Maya

And an amazing one made by Joon Ho, too!

My favorite card - so diplomatic and so cute!

Anna sent these beautiful flowers to me - what an amazing surprise! Flowers at work are the best :) After work we went to Cup and Cake to enjoy a cupcake or two - so delicious!

Such a beautiful bouquet!

Delicious!

Finally, the thoughtful cards, FB messages, emails, etc. that I received from friends and family all over the world were so appreciated. It's so nice to hear such kind words - what a lucky girl I am! Heather sent me this  message and I love it: "May the most you wish for be the least you receive." If this proves to be the case, this next year is going to be pretty amazing!

ASB Website

ASB recently updated their website for the 50th anniversary of the school and it looks SO much better! Many of my students and I happen to be in photographs that were published on the site. Check it out!

http://www.a-s-b.com/

In Your Light

Loving this song at the moment - unfortunately, no official video yet!

Nostalgia

• Nostalgia: a bittersweet longing for things, persons, or situations of the past.

For a number of reasons, I've been feeling quite nostalgic lately. It all started with an email from someone that brought up many memories from about a decade ago - great memories! Emily and I also spent a lot of time reminiscing about the past ten years while in Croatia - our first few years in Denver, music connected to memories, our travel adventures, making the huge decision to move abroad. Last night Tessa and I watched the video Matias made after my birthday last year, which was such an unexpected and fantastic day. (If you haven't seen it, it can be found under April 2011 posts and is quite entertaining!)

I love how the definition of nostalgia includes the word bittersweet. When I think back over the past ten years of my life, there are definitely some things, people, and places that I miss and at times long for. But overall, I feel so happy when I think back to everyone I've known, the places I've been, and the experiences I've had -- it's truly been so sweet.

As the birthday that will take me "off the calendar" quickly approaches (yikes!), I imagine I'll continue to feel a bit nostalgic. Here's to the bittersweetness of it!:)

Spring Break 2012 - Croatia!

I just got back from Croatia and it was unlike any place I've been so far! As I'd been told, Croatia is a stunningly beautiful country, full of gorgeous islands, crystal-clear waters, and lots of interesting history.

In many ways, Croatia is one of the most untouched places I've been. The old town of Dubrovnik is amazingly clean - the stone streets literally seemed to shine! The buildings are all made of similar stone and the shutters are all painted the same shade of green. This, combined with the red brick roofs, create a very magical appearance. At times, Emily and I felt like we were in the backdrop to an old Shakespearean play! The jagged coastlines, 1,000+ islands, and rolling hills just added to this feeling.

Old Town of Dubrovnik, as seen from the city walls

On our way to the Elaphiti Islands

As picturesque as the city and landscape was, it was equally clear that the people and country have had some rough times. Huge battles centuries ago, a devastating earthquake in the 1600s, and the very recent war that led to Croatian independence clearly had an impact that is still felt today. It was fascinating to me to be in place that had a type of history I'd never experienced before.

We also took a day road trip to Montenegro, which was fantastic. Crossing a border by car was a first-time experience for both of us - one which we loved! Being asked if we were transporting anything, having our passports checked, all while playing "Born in the USA" was pretty amazing! We stopped in a few small towns and were definitely the only tourists there. The people, as our Croatian driver said, are a bit "wild." When you're a country of only 300,000 inhabitants, I guess that's to be expected. The huge mountains, clear waters, and old stone churches and buildings were so beautiful - without a doubt, Montenegro is one of the most naturally beautiful places I've ever been.

From the top of Perast, a small town in the Bay of Kotor

It was the last big European adventure for Emily and I, for a little while at least, as she heads off to Brazil this summer. Although this trip was quite different than our time in Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Argentina/Chile, it was as memorable as ever. Great conversation, lots of reflecting on the past 10 years, and many, many laughs. I've again been reminded of how lucky I am to be living in Europe and able to travel so easily to so many different places. And to do so with such great friends as well!

Huelga General

As most know, Spain is one of many countries facing economic struggles these days. On March 29, there was a nation-wide general strike. A number of us from school participated. I took part to show support and also because I was concerned about getting to and from school safely after last year's strike. Although I stayed away from the heart of the action, we did take a walk around to check things out. Did it make a difference? I'm not so sure. But, it was interesting to see.

People were standing at intersections in order to stop traffic from moving.

Police guarding El Corte Ingles while people were protesting the fact it was open.

Protesters everywhere!