My big kid life: Continuing the life of an adventurous "student": Happy 27th Birthday Erin....Letter to myself 365 days ago.

**posted in August because I left this in draft mode since May**

Happy birthday Erin! Happy 2-7. As you celebrate another birthday, and this time it's during a pandemic here's a letter to yourself 365 days ago.....

Another year of adventures with some pretty awesome people. This year you're going to focus on things that bring you joy and being intentional with the things you say and do. Joy and happiness are different. You are extremely happy, but this year you'll question more of what and who bring you joy. Sometimes people say "just say 'no' more", but in reality, you need to say yes more to the things that bring you joy and politely decline the things that don't bring you joy. There will be a lot of people who bring you joy here in Alaska-Jake, Michael, Tara, Hanna and many others. These are the people you spend time with because they fill you with joy.

People you care about are going to accomplish and live out their dreams this year. You don't know it yet, and neither does he but this year, you'll watch the friend you ran to the grocery store at midnight with for ice cream, or around Wash Park run in the Olympic Trials Marathon in Atlanta and become the 67th fastest American marathon male of the year. You'll watch him via live stream as he qualifies for that race.

Officiating Jake and Michael

You'll do something you've never done this year, but will instantly want to do more of it after you do. Officiating Jake and Michael's wedding on a gorgeous, sunny day in Homer will make your heart so full. Some of the words you said in the ceremony ring true now more than ever "No matter who we are, where we’re from, or what we believe, we all know one thing- loving each other is what we as people do best", "love is born from the experience of writing your own story." You'll continue watching wedding videos and toasting people saying 'I love love!'

You're on a wild ride at work but hang on tight because the story is getting good. You'll be vulnerable and have a goal to be more assertive. You'll take Sheryl Sandberg's words to heart and you will Lean In! You're going to take 26 new hires on tours of the northern half of the pipeline and you're going to make memories as you spend hours in the back of truck. You'll only spend 4 nights during September in your own bed because you'll be traveling leading those pipeline tours and celebrating other milestones with family and friends.

You'll go to more weddings and continue loving to dance to 'Shut up and Dance' even though that song was popular years ago. You'll toast at Angie's wedding and cry as you write it because you have made SO many good memories together around the world.

Ang-July 13th

The summer will bring visitors and plenty of fun trips around the state except there will be raging fires burning the size of Chicago. You're going to experience history- living in Anchorage as it experiences the hottest day on record, 90 degrees on July 6! Every store will be out of fans and water toys.

Hottest day in Anchorage- 90 degrees with Murph

You'll pick blueberries and extremely large zucchini in the summer sun. You'll go to yoga and leave saying 'gosh I should do that more often' because it's like a gift to yourself especially when it's hot yoga in the dead of winter.

You're going to spend a year in school living a dream you dreamt and wrote down when you were

Pepperdine-August 2019

in elementary school. You will LOVE school even if it brings late nights or extra time spent on a computer. You're going to meet life long friends in your program at Pepperdine even if you won't be with them physically.

Grandma glowing at the birthday bash

You'll get to celebrate Grandma's 95th birthday and Uncle Kevin's 65th at a brewery in Lewiston at a surprise gathering in September. Grandma will be her true self and give a loving toast, smile wide, and will glow in pictures taking it all in. You'll get to see them again a few weeks later and will pick a bouquet of flowers at a farm in Moscow to give to grandma as you share that bond of loving flowers. You'll arrive at her house after a red-eye and she'll have food on the table and will welcome you with open arms. She will get sick in November and it'll scare and sadden our big family. You'll break your rule of not eating in bed and have a bowl of ice cream when you find out she's in the hospital because grandma loves ice cream. The stroke will change her physical ability but the woman has lived a dang good life and she will forever be your #1 role model no matter where she is. She'll smile when you Facetime her and be excited to listen. She's here on this earth with us celebrating her 96th birthday in March.

You've been here long enough that you've made true traditions of your own- the blueberry festival in August, the state fair in September, the Merry Merchant Munch in Eagle River in December, Iditarod in March. You'll feel like a local and now feel that 'was that last year or the year before?' feeling that only comes after doing things multiple times.

Fishing the Russian River

You'll also have some firsts- your first train ride in Alaska will be in September for a charity event, first time seeing not one but two Cirque du Soleil shows in Las Vegas, first time to Joshua Tree National Park, first time playing in a company golf tournament, first time watching a movie in a cemetery in LA, first time seeing DU play hockey in Alaska, first time fishing the Russian, first (and only) time having your bike stolen but you'll recover it.

Utah Jake visits for Iditarod

You'll travel around the states visiting family and friends and people will continue to be in awe that you live in Alaska and ask you when you'll move 'back'. A pandemic will dramatically change the world as you know it. On March 8th you'll celebrate the Iditarod out in Willow on the lake and there is going to be sooo much snow. You'll play like a kid with both Jakes! That will really sink in for you on March 11 when you're supposed to be skiing with college friends in Utah that weekend but everything starts shutting down- the NBA, ski resorts, schools. This pandemic will be full of loss for a lot of people but will also be full opportunity; it will make or break some people. You thought 2020 was going to be full of great stuff, and it probably will but it's also got a pandemic raging around the globe, but you don't know that yet because it's only 2019 ;)

Above all you'll continue loving life, loving the people in it and giving thanks to all you've been given. You'll continue throwing your arms up for photos, encouraging people to smile with their teeth, and hanging on to childhood roots by playing as often as you can. Life is good Erin, I know you won't forget that.