Do you know what makes me super, super happy?! Interviewing really interesting and awesome bloggers! Erin has one of my favorite blogs (Love, Fun & Football) on the whole internet (and the internet is a big place!) and I’m quite certain I would be successful in convincing her to be BFFs with me if we lived in the same city. Just sayin’.
So, I was excited to have the opportunity to ask her a few questions and introduce her to my readers! (Even though, let’s be honest, you should really be reading her blog already!)
Let’s get into the questions.
(Oh, and since I can’t keep my mouth shut fingers from typing, I included my own answers/responses. Totally normal to basically interview myself, I think.)
—–
Which do you prefer, Christmas or Thanksgiving?
Erin: This is tough, but I’m going to have to go Christmas. While I love Thanksgiving, there is just more to DO around Christmas time. I love the festivals, the decorations, the Christmas plays, going caroling, building gingerbread houses. You name it- we do it! I’m also married to THE biggest Christmas fan in the world, so I pick Christmas by default.
Lisa: All good points, Erin, all good points. Plus, Christmas has eggnog associated with it! And if that doesn’t put it over the edge, I’m not sure what will. Personally, I love Christmas because I’m always interested in what the Husband thinks is a good idea to give me each year. We’ve gotten progressively better over the years, but it’s still a bit entertaining to see what he considers ‘romantic’.
—–
Because I’m SUPER jealous, I need to know…how did you manage to get a job with the Cincinnati Bengals, and what is the best/worst part of your job?
Erin: Don’t be jealous- I worked hard for it, I promise! After I graduated college I went through MONTHS of job searching, interviewing, doing temp work here and there before I finally found something I was looking for. I actually reached out to someone who worked with the Bengals via LinkedIn (cannot recommend that site enough!) even when there wasn’t a position open. They ended up being impressed with my assertiveness and I was hired a couple weeks later!
Best part of my job is just being surrounded by the football environment constantly. I’ve always loved it and working for my hometown team, being a part of the action and excitement is just something I can’t describe.
The worst part is definitely the grumpy customers 😉 When the team is winning, everyone is happy and loves you. But ohhhh, when the team goes 4-12 (heyyy, 2010 season!) people find everything in the world to complain about and yell at you about. It’s such a rollercoaster job, but most of the time I love it!
Lisa: Ummm I’m definitely still jealous. But it’s great advice to use LinkedIn! I haven’t really used it as a part of my job search other than to look for open positions… maybe I should get on that!
—–
And if you had to pick a second favorite NFL team, would it be the Chicago Bears?
Erin: Lisa, you can’t do that to me, you just can’t. The Bears beat us a in heartbreaking first game of the season this year, so no no no! A second favorite team might have to be the Falcons, even though they are struggling this year. Typically they are fun team to watch and I love Roddy White, when he’s healthy, of course!
Lisa: Ummmm so I guess this is where we end the interview. (Just so you feel extra bad, the Bengals are my second favorite team, since I’m originally from Cincy.)
…
…
OK, I’ve recovered from the angry feelings I just experienced there. Phew. We can now continue on with the Q&A.
—–
You have some awesome financial posts, if you had to give people a few quick tips on personal finance, what would they be?
Erin: I wish more people realized that they can LIVE ON LESS. Jared and I have really been making strides to simplify our lives and not buy something unless we really need it, or really LOVE it. So many people complain to me about all their debt, or living paycheck to paycheck etc…. but yet I see them shopping for clothes regularly, purchasing expensive coffees, paying for manicures, etc. Trust me, I love to treat myself and be pampered just as much as the next girl, but when you’re in debt- those are small sacrifices to make that will make life a lot better in the long run. You can check out the changes we’ve made in our life just in the past year over here.
Lisa: I seriously could not love this statement more. Well said, Erin! Also, if you haven’t checked out her personal finance posts, you are missing out.
—–
What adjectives would you use to describe your marriage? (And would Jared agree?!)
Erin: Fun, Authentic, Growing. I think Jared would agree on these as well. We have THE most fun together, no matter what we’re doing. We truly make each other crack up every single day— although Jared is definitely way funnier than I am. We don’t take life too seriously and don’t mind acting like kids every now and again too. Life’s way too short to not enjoy the little things! I say authentic and growing because we’re real with each other, we talk to each other about everything, we know each other better than we know ourselves some days…. but we’re still growing in that sense too! We’ve been married two and a half years, and I’m serious- it get’s better every day. It excites me to think, “If marriage can be this good in just a couple years, how incredible will it be in 5 years? In 25 years?” 🙂 Okay, okay… enough mushy stuff for one day!
Lisa: Can we all do a collective ‘awwwwww’ after reading that?! You guys make marriage look seriously easy and I absolutely love your outlook on it. I think marriage is way more fun than people make it sound and I’m glad you two seem to have the same experience. I hope we’re as happy as you guys when we’re at 2.5 years in! (So far, so good!)
—–
What are three things that are on your mind today?
Erin:
- My leftovers from Friendsgiving that are currently in the work fridge. I really wish it was lunch time already!
- The fact that there are roughly 7 gifts coming to my house today via Amazon Prime. It’s the only way to Christmas shop!
- And how excited I am to see my adorable, baby niece in just a couple short weeks!!!
Lisa: Yes, yes, and yes. I don’t know how anyone can survive without Amazon Prime! I use it for everything. Personally, I’m thinking about:
- I can’t believe I just ate an entire small block of cheese as a snack. I seriously bit into it like an apple. What the heck is wrong with me?!
- ‘Chopped’ marathons. Can’t.stop.watching.
- Now I wish I had Thanksgiving leftovers. Thanks a lot for rubbing it in, Erin!
—–
Ummm I think we can all agree that you should be following Erin from Love, Fun & Football like, immediately (even if she won’t admit that she very-secretly loves the Chicago Bears.)
Thanks for the awesome Q&A session, Erin!!
*If you’d also like to be an interviewee, we can totally make that happen.
Cheers!
