23

Over the years on my birthday, I get nostalgic and think about what I did the year before. When I turned 13 I cried because I was a teenager. When I turned 20 I cried because I wasn't a teenager anymore. And last year I cried because I thought I had no other birthdays to look forward to. Once your 21, it's all the same the next fifteen years. Or so I've heard.

But last night, I fell asleep before midnight and woke up eleven hours later to a new voicemail from my mom, Seth, and Caleb. My mom told me the same story she tells me every birthday--that I was born at 1:20 pm and there was record breaking heat of 108 degrees in Little Rock that day but the hospital was well air conditioned. 

I thought I would be sad I wasn't in the city with my friends today, but the Marriott family knows how to celebrate birthdays. I was dropped off at the beach while Cara went to the gym and the kids were at camp. Typically when I'm at the beach I have to chase kids, build sandcastles, collect seashells, and fly kites. Of course, all that is good and fun, but it makes going to the beach by yourself to relax even more enjoyable. When Claire, Drew, and Hank got home from camp, they immediately said they wanted to go swimming. We all got our swimsuits on and when I came back downstairs, they were holding giant posters they made that said, "Happy Birthday Julie! We love you!" Hank gave me $2 of his own that he got from the tooth fairy, Claire picked out a broad-rimmed sun hat that wasn't floppy, and Drew helped me blow out my birthday candles. I asked them for a hug, and Claire refused of course. The Rosenkranz family came over, along with Jen-I, who gave me cards, chocolate, and new flip-flops. All the kids gave me underwater hugs and sang happy birthday to me underwater. 

All this to say, a birthday party at work in the Hamptons with 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 10 year olds is pretty fun. I felt like a kid again at my neighborhood pool parties. 

I have a feeling this is going to be a good year. 

Nanny Diaries

Once upon a time, when I was in high school, I believed myself to be an introvert. A quiet, reserved girl who liked reading poetry and happened to be a cheerleader. But, my freshman year of college, my two roommates told me that I was undoubtedly an extrovert. I still had my suspicions. I remained a self-proclaimed introvert until my roommate Tessa, who is a guidance counselor so her opinion is legit, laughed when I said I wasn't sure if I was introverted or extroverted.

The main reason I'm discussing the two types of people in the world is because this past week I've realized I am absolutely an extrovert. I work Tuesday to Saturday in Quogue, Westhampton as a nanny for the Marriott family. When I was in Little Rock a month ago, all my friends and friend's moms squealed with jealous when I told them I was a nanny in the Hamptons. But the truth is, it's not as exciting as it sounds or looks in the movies. There's definitely no hot lifeguard or neighbor who sneaks into my room at night (unfortunately). I'm not meaning to complain about my job. I love the family, free food, queen size bed, washer and dryer in the basement, HBO on demand, the beach, and their dog Peaches. There are pros and cons to be a live in nanny, but that's beside the point of this post.

I aboslutely hate missing out on what my friends are doing while I'm at work. This past week I missed out on Harry Potter on opening night, Kat's birthday, Jo's work party, Union Pool, Royal Oak, Amanda's birthday party, and laying out on the roof. I almost missed out on seeing 500 Days of Summer, but luckily it was sold out so Kat is going with me today. Maybe I'm selfish and don't want my friends to have fun without me. Or maybe I just love my friends so much that I hate not experiencing life with them on a daily basis. Probably a little of both, which undoubtedly puts me in the extroverted category. I know some friends who would love to have a quite, peaceful house to themselves until the kids got home from Sportime camp. As for me, I read for a little, get bored, watch tv, and then wonder what I'd be doing tonight if I was in the city.