Birthdays

Birthdays are a funny thing. The first birthday of your life is probably the best and worst one you'll ever have. First you're squeezed through a tiny tunnel out into the bright lights and cool air and away from your warm little cocoon of sleepy bliss. If you don't remember the day you were born, imagine sleeping (naked) in your cozy bed, then having someone rip off the covers, turn on some flood lights, pour a bucket of water over you, and then turn on a fan. You'd cry too.

But after all that horror, you get to cuddle with your mommy and daddy for the first time and, if you're like me, you love cuddling. And I still like to cuddle with my mom. Don't judge, you know you like it too. On top of all the first-time cuddling, you also get to eat food through your mouth for the first time instead of your belly button. Yup, your tongue finally has a purpose. Yummmmm food.

Last week, on Feb. 18th my 5th niece, Violet, was born. Cute name, huh? And she's adorable. I haven't met her yet. Sad. But here she is:



Happy late birthday, Violet! I hope all the cuddling and mouth eating made up for all the bad stuff.

I used to loooove my birthdays. What kid doesn't? When I was four (or was it five?) my brother gave me a stuffed Donatello (yes, the teenage mutant ninja turtle) because I was obsessed with Donnie...and had a huuuge turtle crush on him. That is probably one of the best birthday presents I've ever been given. In fact, I still sleep with Donnie every night. Poor James has to spoon the two of us. He doesn't seem to mind too much though.

Another great birthday memory I have is of my Donatello birthday cake. My mom's friend, Tammy, has some major cake decorating skills and baked me a cake in the shape of my beloved Donnie. I ate his eyes along with his purple eye mask. Love him.

After that the birthdays weren't too exciting for a while. 15 was pretty fun because I got out of school all day for a track meet. 16 was exciting for a minute because my mom got me a hamster...but it bit so I could only hold it while wearing gloves. And then my mom's dog killed it. So, in the end, not so exciting.

It started getting better around 20. I spent my 20th birthday in Mendoza, Argentina on a field trip. It was awesome. We had wine (Thanks Pepperdine!) and danced and talked and we were surrounded by gorgeous landscape. It was a pretty cool way for anyone to spend a birthday.

Then for 21 I had the birthday of all birthdays. Two friends and I took off for spring break and headed to London for a week. It is and forever will be one of my most treasured trips. I'm a big fan of celebrating a birthday week instead of just one day, and we sure did that week! One of our other friends happened to be in London at the same time so we met up with her in Notting Hill...did some shopping...drank some coffee...went to Pizza Express which is actually somewhat fancy even though the name doesn't sound like it...and then we got into a club even though everyone else on the trip was under-age...since it was my birthday they let it slide. Woo! It was a blast and I'll never forget it!

Then there was 22. I hadn't realized yet that people stop caring about birthdays after 21. On top of that fact, I'm typically one of those people who can't plan get togethers because people won't show up. I know, I'm lame. My wedding is the only thing I've ever planned that people actually showed up to. They must really like James. Anyway, for my 22nd birthday I asked a bunch of my friends if they'd like to go out to dinner and out dancing afterwards. Everyone said they were coming, so I thought I'd make it extra special and fun by getting a limo. That Saturday I got call after text after call of people canceling. Depressing. I called the limo company to cancel and ended up baaaaaaawling into the phone. Poor limo guy...he gave me a discount though so I kept the limo. That night only four of us ended up going out together and it was of course the people who were most important to me anyway (thanks guys!). That was the year that I realized I don't care about my birthday anymore. Sure I still look forward to cake and presents and everything...but I will never again expect anything fun to happen on my birthday, and I'm okay with that. I'm old. It's time to grow up and realize that birthdays aren't fun unless they are spent in bounce houses with my nieces.

This year I'm hoping for a birthday-twin niece. Come on Diana...you can hold her in for 9 more days right?

Identity Crisis

Remember that scene in Zoolander where poor, confused little Derek looks at his reflection in a puddle on the street and asks the question that every person asks at one point in their life or another: "Who am I?" Well, this weekend my identity crisis wasn't so much a "Who am I?" situation, but a "What is my name?" situation. And, also, not a crisis. Hm, possibly not related to Zoolander at all. Eh, moving on.

I am a mumbler. It's true. Lately friends have chosen to read my blog to find out about my life as opposed to calling me because they can't understand me on the phone. Just kidding. But really, I mumble. On top of mumbling, I also can't hear. My family has used the term "EES" or "Erin Ear Syndrome" to describe my inability to understand some people. An example of EES would be someone saying to me, "Let's go out for lunch," and I would reply, "Psh, I much prefer Junior Mints to Bunch a Crunch." Maybe it's like that movie "Nell", where Nell lives in isolation with only her aunt/mom/some lady who has had a stroke and can't speak properly, so as Nell grows up and learns to talk, she speaks like a stroke victim and no one can understand her. I have EES, therefore I mumble. It's possible.

Anyway, this weekend we went to Starbucks twice and here is what I got:





One is obviously a case of me mumbling, whereas the other is just due to the kid not knowing how to spell my name. My simple name. My very basic, common name. Oh well...I think being a Starbucks employee would entail a lot of pressure...especially for someone like me with EES, not to mention all the people coming in with accents and names like Boisudlfkjsd.

The moral of this post? Don't let a barista define you.

Our Rad Valentine's Weekend

Thanks to my hubs, I got to do something I've wanted to do for a long time this weekend. I remember first seeing the Lion King on Broadway commercial on the Disney Channel when I was in junior high and wishing I could go see it. After years of waiting and hoping, I finally got to see it on Saturday in Las Vegas. Woo!! Isn't my man, great? I've been asking him to take me for a while and we finally got around to doing it. And it was amazing. Don't tell James, but I even teared up at the first scene...possibly because it was so amazing...also potentially because I couldn't believe I was finally there...it's kind of embarrassing actually...oh well! It is what it is! The show was great and even James enjoyed it.





After that we wandered around for a little while and ended up at the steakhouse in our hotel. We filled up on lobster bisque, garlic mashed potatoes, sauteed mushrooms, and of course, filet minon. Yummmm! I thought the lobster bisque was especially significant because it was one of the appetizers at our wedding...James, however, does not recall that detail. Oh well! It was pretty darn tasty anyway :)

Next we took a cab to the Venetian and to see Blue Man Group. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but James had seen it before and really enjoyed it. If you haven't had the pleasure of seeing this show yet...I really can't explain it to you. All I can say is it's really cool and really weird. You definitely have to go into it with an open mind. And possibly drugs if you're into that kind of thing. Very odd. Very bizarre. Very hilarious.



It was about midnight when we got out of Blue Man and we are old farts who usually go to bed by 10:00, so we groggily made our way back to the room and passed out and hit the road first thing in the morning. We were only in Vegas for less than 20 hours but I'd say we made the most of it!! Definitely a wonderful way to celebrate Valentine's Day and to have some fun just the two of us :)

Note to Big Blue

Ode to the Cherry family big blue sectional.



Big blue, I've known you for as long as I have been alive.

You've been there through thick and thin,
Sleepy and awake,
Cuddly and lonely,
Baby and poor college grad,
The liveliness of friends and family and many a good nap.
You've been through it all, and never once have you let me down.

I have seen videos of my brother and sister jumping off of you and onto your giant plush cushions awaiting them on the ground as four and six year olds. I saw myself in the background of that video as a baby, not yet knowing the wonder that you possess and the comfort of your cushiness.

I remember building forts with your cushions and blankets and crawling through with glee. I remember using your cushions as backstops for many a make-shift hall hockey game. I remember the whole family being able to fit on you every Christmas as we opened gifts one by one. You've always been there for all of us.

No other couch is as long and wide as you are. No other couch is just as comfortable as a bed. No other couch can seduce even the most caffeinated person to slumber the way you do. No other couch can hide stains like you do. No other couch will ever measure up to your amazingness, Big Blue.

But alas, the time has come for you to leave us. You've been with me in my apartment for the last 2 1/2 years, but now I'm moving, and I just can't take you with me this time. It breaks my heart when I think about the cold black leather I will be forced to cuddle with from now on. It just won't be the same. You have touched so many lives and you will be greatly missed by us all. I make it my mission to find you the best home possible, because you, Big Blue, only deserve the best.

Any comments or memories about Big Blue are welcomed at this time.

Toothbrush

This morning I went to brush my teeth and as the toothbrush hit my teeth I noticed that it felt different than normal. I quickly pulled it out to investigate and realized that I had used James' toothbrush! Agggghhhhhh!

Typically I put my toothbrush in a drawer along with my toothpaste and James keeps his out on the counter, but since we moved I have been keeping mine on the counter as well(because there are hairs in the drawer from whoever lived here before us, grossssssss). And both our toothbrushes are blue. They are different, but similar.

Anyway, I am totally grossed out about what happened...but I've heard of couples who do that on purpose...or who don't mind sharing when for some reason one of them doesn't have a toothbrush handy. Is that like a husband-wife thing where you're supposed to be okay with sharing plaque, or is it just a freaky couples-who-are-way-too-comfortable-with-each-other thing? I love James dearly but I do not want his toothbrush in my mouth. EVER. Am I normal?

A Time to Vent

I'm not sure how much this will make sense to anyone else, but I just need to vent about work for a brief moment.

The other day Good Morning America had someone on the show talking about how everyone in life is searching for balance, but it's so hard to find. I think the person was trying to promote a new book or something. Anyway, their statement really applies to my line of work. All I want is balance, people. Give me balance and I probably wouldn't bug my clients nearly as much.

Here's the thing. I'm an auditor. I look at our clients' financial statements to make sure they are correct. When they are not, I figure out what in the world they did to screw it up, then I tell them how to fix it. So basically all day I am correcting the mistakes of incompetent bookkeepers. I'm not trying to claim that I am an all-knowing accountant by any means, but I did get an A in Financial Accounting and you learn basically all you need to know to function as a bookkeeper in that class, yet it still astounds me when my clients have no concept of debits and credits. Seriously people?? How can I fix your retarded mistakes if you don't even know what in the world you're entering into the computer??? When you are recording some revenue, you have to either book the same amount as cash or accounts receivable. The EXACT SAME AMOUNT. It's called double-entry bookkeeping and guess what its purpose is? To keep you in BALANCE.

We have performed four audits so far this year and three out of these four clients have given me financial statements that do not balance. Really, people? How is that even possible?? The first financial statement you give me is called the BALANCE SHEET for goodness sake. IT SHOULD BALANCE!! ARRRRRGGGGGH. I just can't work like this.

Just a Few Things...

Well, it's almost Valentine's Day. V-day was always my favorite holiday growing up...I think it was because I always hoped someone would unexpectedly make some huge romantic gesture towards me as I walked through the halls of my junior high or high school and alllll the other girls would be jealous and it would be just about the best thing that could ever happen to me. The closest I ever came to that during my junior high and high school years was when a boy gave me a stuffed gorilla that sang "Wild Thing." He even sprayed it with his cologne. Good effort I suppose.

But nothing ever compared to my last Valentine's Day. I mean, it doesn't get much better than being proposed to on a beach by the man you love. There was even an Oreo milkshake involved, so I just can't imagine anything more perfect. Or romantic. Ah, swoon. James is just the best and during this romantic time of year, I just wanted to share a few things that I love about him. This is by no means a comprehensive list...because, well...the list is endless really.

1. A few weeks ago I told James I wanted wavy hair. His response was, "Wavy...like bacon?" Not exactly what first comes to mind when I think of wavy hair, which makes it all the more adorable and hilarious.

2. He's extremely handy. I loooove that he can fix anything, build anything, and figure out any new technology quicker than I can even open the box. Yesterday, for example, we bought a new bed. We had to be at a friend's house for the Superbowl within an hour, but instead of waiting until we had more time to put it together, he whipped all those pieces right out of the boxes and put that thing together as if he had written the instructions himself. Amazing.

3. This goes along with being handy, but there are few things in this life that make James happier than a trip to Home Depot. He loves the place and could spend hours there. While I hate going with him and always give him a time limit before entering (usually 15 minutes...that place is so boring!) I love how happy it makes him. See photo below.



4. He looks great in uniform :)

5. He puts up with my moods. I, unfortunately, am a pretty moody person. It's not something I like about myself, so I'm working on it. But it still happens. I've never met anyone on the face of the earth who can get me out of a bad one...except for James. I really don't know how he does it or why he even bothers putting up with me. But I'm glad he does.

6. He makes me laugh without even trying. The other day we were relaxing on the couch after work and he was being sweeter than usual. I said, "You're being so tender today." As he groaned while adjusting his achy grandpa back he said, "I'm an old man, babe....tenderness is all I have to offer." Possibly one of those things that is funnier in the moment, but regardless, I loved it.

7. He has tooooons of friends and makes new friends easily. Every once in a while James will get a call from a long lost friend from junior high or someone from the Navy that he hasn't seen for years and they will just chat for an hour or so like no time has passed at all. He loves hanging out with his buddies but somehow he still manages to make me feel like his number one priority. I'm needy, what can I say?

8. Even though he's a manly man, he still lets me watch my girlie shows every now and then. He even has a favorite contestant on the Bachelor this season. And even though he groans whenever I turn on the Biggest Loser, by the end he is always making encouraging comments to all the contestants when they weigh in such as, "Good job, lady!", "Way to go!", "Wow, you worked so hard!" etc. Love it.

There are many, many more things I love about James, but these are just a few that I have been thinking about lately and appreciating :) I love my man!!