Souvenirs From Paradise - Part 2 - Erin Carroll

Okay, so all of the souvenirs I bought for my "Sensational 6" have been passed out, except for Shannon Maggi's. I seemingly misplaced hers and even went digging into 2 bags of already sealed up trash to look for it, but it was found in the ONLY location I hadn't checked... Tyson's room. Grrrrr.....

My thought process was to pick each lady out an item that matched their personalities or fit something they love or love to do.

Today it's my turn to write about Erin Carroll! Originally, I spotted some yummy rum cakes that the Bahamas are well known for. I thought these cakes would be the PERFECT gift for Erin because she too is well known for the cakes that she bakes. As time got closer and closer to narrowing ideas down, I decided I wanted to bring the guys, of our small group, something back as well, and I figured the rum cakes would be a better choice for them. So that left me with a hard decision of what to buy Erin. I was really struggling to find her something, mostly because I wanted each lady to have something different and there was quite a selection to choose from. The only problem was, it was either junk or too expensive. When you are buying for 6 people you have to stick to a budget. Anyway, I was walking down the city streets in the Bahamas and I spotted a very classy, dainty, delicate and beautiful ring made out of seashells. Those are ALL of the aspects I see in Erin. It literally took me 2 seconds to think, "That's it! That's what I am getting for Erin. It matches her persona!"

Dearest Erin,

You are every ounce of the woman that I'd love to be. You're smart, you're sophisticated, you're insanely beautiful, you're a tender wife, a loving mother, and a great listener. You contain much more modesty than I think I could ever contain even after training! :) The thesaurus uses a few synonyms for modesty and the three I like the most to describe you are constraint, innocence, and reserve. While listening, you constrain and reserve your thoughts until you think them through in entirety, exemplifying much innocence. You are closed-lipped and careful to speak out of line. I LOVE THAT quality. I NEED some of that quality in me. Thank you for being such a great example. I've said this before, but you were BORN to be a mother. You get it AND you not only like it, you LOVE it AND BETTER YET, you're so good at it. You teach your children things that I wouldn't even think could be taught or the important things in life - such as eye contact with an individual. Oh how I cannot stand when someone doesn't look at me in the eye when I am talking to them :) One of my favorite qualities about you is your ability and desire to be frugal. It's not just that you're on a budget and you need to be frugal, but you WANT to be frugal. Out of all the ladies in our group, you would be the one to be the "Extreme Couponer!" If I was a man, I would gawk over your hypnotic eyes and your contagious smile. Thank you for being a woman who is willing to share your yummy recipes with me. Thanks to you, my family's dinner menu has been a tad more diversified. Had it not been for this small group, I am not sure I would have ever been able to have this close of a friendship with you. I used to watch you sing in choir and think, "She's so beautiful", but I'm not sure I would have been brave enough to introduce myself. Thank you God for making us connect. You've given me more than just a friend. You've given me a Sister in Christ! That's one of the greatest gifts I could ever ask for. I LOVE YOU ERIN!