Erin,
You are 18! 18! 18! Yes, that is worthy of three exclamation points! It’s a big day indeed, one that you have coined International Erin Meak Day. And let’s be honest, your quintessential uniqueness makes you deserving of a day dedicated solely to you. Plus, I checked and the only well-known name that shares a birthday with you is Alicia Keys. I don’t think anyone would dispute her singing talents over yours, but I bet you would run circles around her on the football field. More on that in a bit.
But since this year was filled with so many iconic cultural moments, I thought a good theme for this blog would be to highlight some of the big cultural moments that directly impacted you. How does that sound? Actually, it doesn’t really matter what you think since this will have already been published by the time you read it.
So here it goes. No one will be surprised that Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour gets top billing. To say there was a lot of anticipation and excitement for the back-to-back concerts at Levi Stadium would be the understatement of the year. I think I can safely say it lived up to the hype. You knew what to expect though, watching live streams on TikTok of earlier concerts and screaming your head off when Taylor performed the surprise song. I may not be the biggest Taylor fan, but she knows how to put on a great concert.
Taylor Swift was one of MANY artists you saw in 2023. You usually went with your friends or sisters but on a couple of occasions, we went together, attending both Shania Twain and The Cure just two days apart. You’ve gotta believe we were among the few concertgoers who went to both country and punk-rock concerts. You splurged on a Shania concert t-shirt to add to your large collection and I bought a Cure one. Shockingly, you have not asked to borrow my Cure t-shirt.
At certain moments, you somehow found a way to intertwine your love of concerts with your love of sports, streaming whatever big game was happening while you were at a concert. Your fandom does not discriminate between musicians and athletes, but when it comes to sports football may be your favorite. Not only did you have Sunday and Monday night NFL watch parties with your friends, but you also once again ran a Fantasy Football League.
This leads me back to flag football. You took part in California’s inaugural season of Girl’s High School Flag Football. It was so fun watching you and your teammates learn a brand new sport and maybe even more important, have FUN. The novelty may have worn off by the end of the season but I thoroughly enjoyed cheering on the Woodside Wildcats. And flag football is having a moment. It will debut as an Olympic sport at the Los Angeles games in 2028. Like so many things, you are ahead of the curve.
You know what other sport is coming to the 2028 Olympic Games? Lacrosse! Coincidence that you play both sports? I think not. You once again showed your prowess as a great defender and had one heck of a season. It’s bittersweet knowing this is your last year playing, but maybe the Meak legacy will continue at Sequoia as Carrie tries her hand at the sport.
Thanks to your Cinemark Movie Club membership, we’ve continued watching plenty of non-comic-based films. We still have a few Oscar nominated best picture films to see, but I’m confident we’ll get there between now and the awards show, whether we stream them or watch them in the comfy stadium seats at our neighborhood theater.
While you got the movie membership, I got us a family membership to the DeYoung and Legion of Honor Museums. You may not love reading each and every description of art like I do, but you do enjoy being a museum girl. We got the membership after going to the Ansel Adams exhibit and then took advantage of it to see the Botticelli drawings on display at the Legion of Honor. And next up, is the San Francisco Fashion exhibit.
I don’t quite know what I’m going to do next year without my museum and movie buddy. Are you impressed that it took me all the way to the end of this blog to mention you will soon fly the coop and take off for college? Just as I told Olivia, I’d be more than happy for you to stay around another couple of years and go to community college, but just like her, you’ve got your sights set on a 4-year school. And while we don’t yet know whether you’ll stay in California or call another state your home away from home, know this: you will find your place wherever you go.
Now go buy a lottery ticket and register to vote.
I love you kiddo! Happy 18th Birthday!
Mom
Life as I Know It 