Could I get any cuter? - Day 21

Day 21: Favorite picture of yourself ALL TIME*, why?

*ALL TIME in this post means that I have a digital file of said picture.

This is me on my 2nd birthday and from the looks of it, I just received the best present ever – Bedtime Bear. I love how excited I look hugging the head off that silly bear.

If any of you are curious, yes, I still have this CareBear.

I'm also super curious if the only other presents I received during this birthday were a red bucket and book tote. If so, kids these days get entirely too many pricey presents and all of my nieces and nephew need to look forward to getting red buckets for Christmas.

Family members who remember this birthday are encouraged to chime in if they remember the significance of the bucket and tote.

Grown up alert

The last two weekends have been spent drinking copious amounts of libation with different groups of friends to ring in my 29th year of life. Early and mid-twenties Erin would have woke up from those nights covered in mysterious battle wounds like these.





But alas, nothing. This leaves me to believe one of the following has happen...
• I've grown up.
• I've become more graceful in my old age.
• My friends have become better spotters of potential danger zones.
• The massive earthquake in Japan shifted the Earth's axis just enough to cause an equalizing of my equilibrium.

Anything is possible folks. Anything.

Music Monday

Since it's my birthday, today's music monday features the best song in the history of music, "Take Me Home Tonight" by Eddie Money.



You're welcome.

Happy Birthday, Jeremy!!

Bubba, Bubba, Bubba...where to begin? He and I didn't get off to the greatest start, it's a classic tale of sibling rivalry. He tried to sell me for a quarter to his classmate Michael Zerr at his 3rd grade, classroom Easter party. I'd make myself cry and blame it on him. He'd tie my shoes together in knots so that I couldn't get them untied. I invented the term "smiling me off" to get him in trouble.

I'm 4 years younger people, of course he sounds like the master of sister picking, it's hard for a kindergartner to think of good retaliations...they still make up knock knock jokes like "knock knock. who's there? ummmm....ear....HAHAHAHA!"

But somewhere over the years we started picking on the same people and it's been friendship ever since.

I love you lots, Bubba! Happy Birthday!!

Happy Birthday, Brian!!

11 months and 8,000 family birthday posts later we arrive at the second to last family birthday of the year, and perhaps, the most anticipated post by one, Brian Garrett. That's right, today is my big brother's birthday. I searched high and low, on facebook and in boxes of pictures at Mom's house and I could not find one good picture of the two of us together.

Here we are on Brian's 18th(ish) birthday where he got the latest in personal music players, a walkman. Neither of us are looking at the camera and Jeremy is overacting...fail.

Look, he was nice enough to let me try it out, but now my cute little face is blocked by his big ole hands.

This one had potential, but Brian isn't looking forward, my face is cut off and I can't decide if that is a homeless person's dress I'm wearing, or a nightgown (judging from the food left on the plates, our family tradition of birthday breakfast and my continued dislike of getting dressed before noon, I'm going with nightgown).

Perhaps God knows that a photo containing two such good looking faces would turn the world upside down or maybe neither of us sits still long enough to get a good shot. Either way, this travesty needs to be remedied tout de suite. Check back around Christmas time when Brian and I will be featured in the first ever Unfiltered Nonsense redemption photo.

Happy birthday, Brian!! I love you!

Happy Birthday Sonya!!

That's right folks, ANOTHER October birthday for the Garrett family. Today belongs to my sister-in-law, Sonya, who I've known since Kindergarden and can blame/credit for my budding owl collection.

I can't wait until she opens this years Christmas present from me!

Happy Birthday SonSon, I'm super glad you are part of my crazy family. Keep rockin' :) I love you!

Happy Birthday Kimmi!!

Today is a two-fer post because it is also my big sister's birthday! When I was in Kindergarden people used to call me Mini-Kimmi. Now they just call me Kim.

Happy Birthday, sister. When I count my blessings I count you twice :) I love you!!!!

Happy Birthday Kennel!!

I used to pride myself on the fact that I was always able to make people feel old by telling them my age. The torch has officially been passed, my oldest niece, Kendahl, is celebrating her sweet 16 today.

For reals...this little cutie

is now a full grown teenager!

Happy Birthday Kennel!!!! I'm so proud of the young lady you are becoming...now, if only we can get you to beat Bubba in a foot race :)

I Love you!

Happy Birthday Emily!!

She's super sporty,

got a heart of gold

and just a touch oneriness.

She's EMILY and it's her birthday today! She may be my third oldest niece, but she holds a very special place in my heart because she is my first and only goddaughter.

One of my favorite Emily stories is from when she was probably about 3 or 4 years old. Kim, her and I were back home at mom and dad's house and that whole weekend she had been wearing these cute butterfly jammers to bed. Dad, being dad, teased Emily every time she put them on saying, "Hey, those are my butterfly jammies." And after about the third day of this treatment, Emily had enough. Dad had gotten his hands on the jammers and was teasing her and teasing her that those were his jammies and not hers. She yanked the jammers from his hands and yelled, "I'M TAKING MY JAMMIES AND GETTING THE HELLLLL OUT OF HERE!"

Hand to God, it was the funniest thing I've ever heard a sweet little girl say. And what spawned from that was a great tradition with her and Papa, exchanging butterfly gifts they made for each other.

Happy 14th birthday, Miss Emily!! I love you!

Happy 481-month Birthday Greg!!

As many of you have pointed out recently, I've slacked in the frequency of my blog posts. So much so that I failed to post "happy birthday" messages to 2 in-laws.

Sister-in-law fail.

Since Greg is turning 481 months old today I figured it was a perfect time to share photos from his 40th birthday party last month.

Happy Birthday, Greg!

Happy Birthday Momma!!

Today is a very special lady's birthday...Momma's!!!

I thought I would switch it up and list 10 things that I love about her.

In no particular order...

1. She has shown me how to be a woman of faith.
2. She makes the best french toast.
3. She taught me how to draw and always encourages the use of my imagination.
4. For as long as I can remember her perfume has been Charlie.
5. She celebrates the small stuff.
6. She spoils me ;)
7. She's a K-State fan!
8. She makes the best spaghetti pie.
9. She knows how to make someone feel special.
10. While fixing breakfast/lunch after Sunday mass she'll hum the songs from that days liturgy. ;)

Happy birthday, Momma! I love you!

Happy Birthday Kory!!

"Who can turn the world on with her smile? Who can take a nothing day, and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile?" Well technically, this song may have originally been about Mary Tyler Moore, but I think it also applies to a pretty, little, 6 year-old who goes by the name Kory Princess.

She loves all things princess...

...but she's also has a real knack for rollercoaster building.

Happy birthday, Miss Kory, I love you!!