Grateful for...

There is a whole lot to be grateful for, some small, some big:

• My job. I really do think that I have one of the best part time jobs out there. Saturday night was the first of 25 weddings this season (I'm a banquet waitress at a country club). The bride was Ethiopian so there were some traditional elements to the wedding, like fun headdresses and tribal sounding cheers. The highlights: one table ordered 5 glasses of chardonnay, I dropped one glass on a gentlemen which then crashed to the floor...but no worries because one of the Ethiopian women came over and cheered saying that it was a blessing. Then one of my tables caught fire. (My friend and co-worker Lindsay snuck a shot of the outdoor decorations if you want a peek at where I work)
• homemade cinnamon sugar tortilla chips
• a porch full of plants
• the bluejay that steals peanuts from my neighbor
• walks in my neighborhood at dusk
• finally finally finally going to the beach this weekend. I have literally been dreaming about the ocean for months (seriously, I would wake up thinking I was at the beach only to be reminded that no, I was still in Pittsburgh and there was still snow outside). I am planning on walking around barefoot, riding my bike on the boardwalk, spending the whole day by the ocean, and collecting shells

[photos via Cuba Gallery]