Sunsets on the beach are my favorite (this was my favorite one I saw in Montanita, Ecuador)

This weekend I will be celebrating my 31st birthday. Shhh! My third graders are convinced that I am only 24.

It is my goal to celebrate my birthday with a nice meal with friends and AS MUCH SALSA DANCING AS POSSIBLE.

I thought I could also take a page from fellow blogger Jennifer Kesler‘s book, and post about 31 things I am thankful for at this point in my life (in no particular order):

1. My mom who always works so hard and still manages to help make my life easier.
2. My friends who check in with me and don’t let me become a book reading hermit.
3. Christi, my friend and grade level teaching partner who is so much fun to plan with.
4. My salsa academy (both Ashe and Performance) for introducing me to many locals and hosting fun events.
5. The gorgeous beaches of Venezuela for being a place of peace in this crazy country.
6. My current students who are so sweet and helpful.
7. Facebook for helping me to keep in touch with friends all over the world.
8. The Saturday Farmer’s Market by my apartment where I can find tons of great stuff.
9. My school/work with the most amazing supply budget I’ve ever had, great co-workers, teacher associates in every elementary classroom, and a lovely lush campus.
10. My crockpot for always having dinner ready when I get home from work.
11. Flor, the lady who helps me keep my apartment clean once a week.
12. The gym because even though I don’t go there enough it helps keep me healthy.
13. Warm weather because who doesn’t like being able to go to the beach in December?
14. Dark chocolate because I can still have something sweet and tell myself that it is good for me.
15. Coffee because the smell helps me wake up, the taste makes my body happy, and the ritual of making a fresh pot and reading my way through a cup is the best way to start the day.
16. My Kindle (and Kindle Unlimited so I can find great books for cheap) because I can fit hundreds of books on it and it is so lightweight I can take it everywhere with me and read it at any time of the day.
17. My iPad, even though I use it less now that I have a Kindle, it is still great to read magazines on, and was a fantastic backup when my Macbook Pro died.
18. My health because without it I wouldn’t be able to have great adventures.
19. Adventure because without it my life would be boring.
20. Money in the bank and being able to budget/save so I can achieve my goals.
21. My two Master’s degrees and teaching license which have helped me teach my way around the world.
22. Beautiful music that brings a joyful release (fast top three favorites: John Mayer’s “Gravity”, Adele’s “Someone Like You”, Sam Smith’s “Not the Only One”).
23. Vacations because planning my next trip always makes me happy (and this is pretty common).
24. A nice glass of wine at the end of the day to go with dinner (I’ll always have a soft spot for Oregon Pinot Noir).
25. Long weekends– we should really have at least one every month!
26. Zumba/bailoterapia– I love being able to dance and sweat off calories at the same time.
27. A good massage because they are fantastic stress release (thankfully they are pretty cheap here… not sure why I’ve only had one this school year)!?
28. Getting stuff via snail mail (packages from home, stuff from Amazon Prime, eBay, ThredUp).
29. My favorite movie that I can watch again and again, Dirty Dancing and probably inspired my love of dance.
30. Camping, hiking, walking, and being surrounded by nature.
31. Teaching Wanderlust blog where I can share my ideas with the world.

Thanks for reading!  I hope everyone has a great Memorial Day weekend!

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