Eric is 25!

Eric turned 25 this past Thursday and we celebrated.  I consider myself so blessed to be with Eric. He is the kindest, most patient person that I know.  I took the day off work and we slept in before heading up to the U to finish up some school stuff.  We then went to lunch at Robin's Nest, which is one of Eric's favorite places to eat lunch downtown.  I hadn't ever been there, but Eric went quite a bit during his internship.  It was delicious! After lunch, we went ice skating at the U and had a marvelous time.  I love ice skating and I'm so glad that it's something we can do together.  We were pretty tired after ice skating so we went to the Gateway and saw Gone Girl.  It was crazy but really good.  After the movie, we headed to dinner at Ruth's Chris.  It was delicious!  We started this birthday tradition last year and I think it's one we will continue for years to come.  We love it!

In honor of Eric's 25th birthday, here are 25 things that I love about Eric.

1. Eric is incredibly patient.  This is one of my favorite qualities about him, it takes a lot to get him upset or flustered.  
2. Eric is incredibly smart.  I always knew that about him, but once he found accounting he has excelled.  He graduated Summa Cum Laude with his bachelor's and is leading his master's program.  He took the most difficult section of the CPA exam last month and scored 96/99.  That score is unheard of.  
3. Eric is humble.  Even though he's the smartest person I know, he won't ever brag about his accomplishments (so I do it for him).  
4. Eric keeps in touch with his friends.  I saw this very clearly when we went back to his mission and there were so many people who he had kept in touch with even all these years later.
5. Eric loves my family.  I am very close to my family and we do a lot with them.  Eric is always on board to do things with them and we have so much fun.  
6. Eric loves his nieces.  It's been so fun to see Eric with Skylee and Ashtyn.  He absolutely adores Skylee, and Skylee loves him back.  They always play together and he can keep her calm when she's upset.  
7. Eric keeps our house clean.  I wish I was better at this, but the reason that our house is almost always clean is because of Eric.  He takes care of things. 
8. Eric lives life to the fullest.  He always has plans for things that he wants to do and he makes them happen.  This year he took golf lessons and ice skating lessons just because he wanted to learn how to.  And he's always planning fun things that he wants to do. 
9. Eric is spontaneous.   He buys lobster for no reason and will make fancy dinners.  And he never objects to spontaneous vacations. 
10. We have so much fun traveling together.  When we first got married we decided that traveling together was going to be a priority for us.  3 1/2 years later, we've been to so many fun places and we already have two vacations planned for next year. 
11. Eric always supports me.  Whenever I decide I want to try something new, Eric supports me and will do everything he can to make it a possibility. 
12. Eric is a great cook.  When we first got married neither of us were great chefs, but Eric is now wonderful.  He made risotto for dinner tonight that was sublime. 
13. Eric loves baseball.  This was something that was always very important to me, and Eric embraces everything about baseball.  
14. Eric looks for amazing opportunities.  When he heard Derek Jeter was retiring he insisted that we find a way to make it to New York for his last game in the stadium. When we travel to baseball stadiums, we go to batting practice so he can get baseballs signed. And when he heard Vern Law lived in Provo, he insisted that we pay him a visit to talk about being a Mormon in the Major Leagues.  
15. Eric is a great primary teacher.  He's been teaching primary for about a year and a half, and I've been teaching with him for the last few months.  He always teaches good lessons and keeps the kids (mostly) in control. 
16. Eric loves our cat.  She is his baby.  CC is not a very snuggly cat, but he has won her over and is the only person she will sort of snuggle with.  And she likes it when he plays with her toys with her.  They're really cute. 
17. Eric always takes the high road.  In relationships where it would be easy to get stuck in the mud, he always takes the high ground and chooses kindness over sarcasm or anger.  
18. Eric is educated.  Education is something that is incredibly important to me and Eric is one semester away from completing his Master's Degree.  I couldn't be more proud. 
19. Eric organizes our music and movies.  We have well over a thousand movies in our collection and he keeps them organized and accessible.  Earlier this year when we got our new car and cell phones we needed more music and Eric made it happen.  He's the best. 
20. Eric puts everyone else's needs over his own.  He is the most selfless person I know. 
21. Eric works hard.  Watching him study for the CPA exam makes me tired, but he takes it in stride and does an awesome job.  He believes that work is the great equalizer and always goes above and beyond. 
22. Eric makes me a better person.  He inspires me to work a little harder and be a little better and try a little more.  
23. Eric knows how to make me happy.  He'll text me just for fun in the middle of the day and let me know that he's thinking about me.  And he's always looking for opportunities to make my day, whether it's bringing home flowers or candy, or just saying nice things. 
24. Eric is my best friend.  We always have fun together. 
25. Eric is my one-and-only.  Loving him is the easiest thing in the world.