State of the Erin Address

Hello lovas!

I returned from a fabulous trip home a week ago and while abroad in the old Commonwealth I was widely chastised for my failure to write on my blog more. The accusations are true as evidently my last entry was mid-July. My bad. It was actually really touching how many of you guys told me that you missed reading the old blog, and that you felt like you did not know what was going on in my life because I never updated anymore. All fair and valid points made by you my dear friends/family. I think my favorite request for more updates came from my Grandpa Greene who told me that after reading my last entry he came to the conclusion that "if I was not offending someone, then I was doing something wrong". Love it, so with the full force and backing of my awesome Grandfathers approval I will commence with my 'State of the Erin' address.

I recently returned home from an awesome trip home where I was able to literally accomplish every single one of my goals, and see everyone I needed to see and do everything I needed to do. I went to CNU's homecoming where I celebrated my 5 year class reunion (yeesh), I attended a baby shower for my personal hero, the crazy Stephanie Anderson who is going to pop in December, I toured my alma mater Trinity and saw all the insanely fancy upgrades they made to the place (thanks Hilary for being a fabulous and patient tour guide), I saw my high school best friends, my Williamsburg best friends, my college best friends, my parents best friends, I got to go to Ernies and celebrate my grandparents birthdays with oreo pudding and the chasing of fake turkeys named Templeton, I got to have lunch and dinners with dear friends who I never get to see, I went shopping and attended happy hours and the cherry on top was I got to spend tons of time with my parents doing silly things like making salads and watching inappropriate movies. Really fantastic vacation. Could not have asked for anything better and it was positively affirming in that I am still loved and people think I am cool and will invest time in having conversations with me :)

I have likened the difference in So. Ill Erin and Commonwealth Erin to the differences between Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus. For those who don't know I am obsessed with Hannah, the wigs and the sparkles etc. really speak to me. However, in all actuality in my current life I am much more like Miley, simple hometown girl from Tennessee. Shes the same person with lots of different aspects. I feel like sometimes I fit into both places perfectly, and then other times I feel like I don't fit into either place at all. When I am at home I enjoy my friends, family, great restaurants and activities and being in demand with people who actually want to see me, but at the same time I miss my house, and my boyfriend and being a little calmer. When I am here I just want to be there, but when I am there I just want to be here. It is all very confusing really. I hope that someday I will be able to consolidate both sides and live closer to home and not have it be such an epic adventure everytime I want to see the people that I love. *fingers crossed*

So that's something I have been mulling over for a few weeks. On the less philosophical home front Gus and I have blatantly ripped off a tradition that my parents and their "peeps" started of making big fires and sitting around them gossiping and drinking. While I was gone Gus made a little brick patio and bought an adorable fire pit and I went out and picked out 5 pink plastic Adirondack chairs and we are hoping that this fall/winter sitting around outside a fire outside will catch on and we will entertain with lots of smores and hot dogs and such. We had a few friends over Sunday night and for its inaugural run the fire went super well. Gus is still working out the dynamics of making the 'perfect fire' at one point he lit himself on fire with lighter fluid and he is currently missing much of the arm hair on his right arm :) Its cute though watching boys around a fire they all turn into cub scouts looking for twigs and criticizing the embers or what not . Hopefully there will be much bonding and ghost stories around our new toy. We have been trying to think of a good name for the fire pit experience. Since it has stars and moons on the sides of it my girlfriend Allison decided to name the firepit "Uranus" so that when I text her to come over she can reply "hurray we are going to set Uranus on fire!!!". Tragically I think the name might stick if left unchecked so I have to stop the madness soon.

Also, as you all know since I have not stopped talking about it I am currently addicted to Pinterest. If you are not on Pinterest you need to be RIGHT NOW. Seriously do it, it will change your life for the better. www.pinterest.com. Go. Make it happen. I will wait.....

Great you are signed up for Pinterest. Awesome.

Now let me tell you how it has changed my life. It is a board full of amazing inspiration, ideas, recipes, creativity, joy, beauty, brilliance, craftiness. I cannot emphasis this enough, my girlfriends told me about it and I scoffed and then joined and then became addicted. I will not lie to you, it is an addiction. Also I have found myself saying this alot "found it on Pinterest!" and then Gus rolls his eyes but he loves everything I make from it. I don't know how the world has lived so long without this site but thank the sweet baby Jesus that we no longer have to live without its aspirational perfection. I hope to see all of your boards very soon pleaseandthankyou.


Now if you are one of the naysayers that I have encountered let me just say this, the most common argument against Pinterst is that you just don't have time for it, but I say as a rebuttal you just don't have time not to Pin. There are so many great tips and ideas that you wander around thinking "why didn't I think of that???" It really is a literal lifesaver and has awakened a very long dormant creativity within myself. The glue gun is back out, I am playing with fabric and acrylic paints again. It is like a time warp back to 2005, I feel like a kid again :) Do it, you will thank me later I promise.


There is more stuff going on I am sure. I will write to you more as I remember. My grandpa asked if I needed a voice recorder to take dictation of all of my 'blog thoughts' honestly I probably do but I think that the extreme stream of conscious randomness that goes through my head daily might be too much for a shiny little machine to handle. I will try make notes on post its or some such thing. Maybe I can make a Pinterest board of blog ideas :)

Love you guys <3