Written by Karrie
June 2018
To say I was dreading my birthday this year would be an understatement. The one thing that I was excited about was celebrating my first birthday in Spain! The only request I had was to not have to be the one to plan anything for it. The day of my birthday arrived, and I went to work like normal. I had only told a couple of close colleagues that it was my birthday because the tradition in Spain is that when it is YOUR birthday, YOU bring the treats in for everyone—kind of like when you’re a kid in elementary school. I was not all together sure what types of treats I should bring, so I kept my big day on the down-low at work.
I arrived home after work and decided to take a nap. After I-don’t-know-how-long I heard Mike making quite the ruckus with the garbage and the door lock. When I opened my eyes, standing in my living room was Mike, Elle, Brian, and….MY SISTER!!!!! I could not believe it because one does not typically expect someone to fly from the U.S. to Spain for a quick weekend surprise visit! I was in total shock and felt like I was dreaming. Then Elle gave me a card that explained that the whole thing was made possible by the generosity of many of my Washington friends. I really couldn’t believe it! It was truly the best birthday gift anyone could have gotten me, and I don’t know how to ever repay or thank my friends enough for their generosity!
Here are some of the pictures of the amazing visit with my sister!

A night out for pinchos!
Enjoying one day of nice weather in Logroño
On a hike near Logroño