good friends

To somewhat continue my last post about the power of women, I have to say the power of their bonds to one another is intense. I was inspired to write this entry after reading my beautiful friend Hannah's blog about our weekend in NYC celebrating my upcoming nuptials. It was the absolute perfect way to celebrate both the new commitment I share with my soon-to-be husband and the bonds (my girls) that have carried me through the years until I met him.

At any rate, I've been feeling so incredibly lucky and appreciative (more so than usual that is) ever since last weekend. I was overpowered by the love and support, and amazing personalities I'm blessed to have in my life. From my amazing sister-in-law who drove down Friday to help with anything and everything needed to prepare for the parties, stayed up gossiping with me in bed deep into the night and who is always there with an understanding and gentle heart; to my generous friend Natalie who flew to the east coast all the way from San Francisco and baked cupcakes, decorated my apartment in flowers, helped with all the errands and acted as my stylist and hair dresser, not to mention her constant support via email; to my great friend Emily who has been there with me all the way, helping me find the perfect wedding dress, listening to me laugh, cry, vent or jump up and down with excitement throughout my engagement, and making sure my bachelorette party had just the right amount of raunchiness; to my dear childhood friend Hannah who has truly watched my life evolve, knows the struggles I've endured and conquered in order to get to this amazing place I stand today, whose friendship has stood the test of time beautifully healing itself after periods of difficulty....and who left her babies overnight for the first time to celebrate with me (wow!).

I felt like I had to write this down, to acknowledge these women (and I'm leaving out several more I could write about! love you all too!) and remind myself of how lucky I am. I would venture to say the bachelorette party was not your standard bachelorette party. Sure, there were raunchy penis straws and silly feather laden accessories for me to wear in public, but as my friend Hannah put it, it was really a women's retreat. It was so nourishing, intense and FUN to watch my friends get to know each other on a deep level so quickly and to also deepen my bonds with each of them in a way only women could understand. The candor and openness of this group was so unusually high.....and the topics discussed were so outrageous and quite honestly pretty steamy at times.

After this weekend I felt a solid foundation underneath me from this wonderful support system, and am looking forward to my future with my fiance Alex even more. It's amazing how a little break from reality, some perspective and a marathon venting/supporting/dish session with your girlfriends can reset things. I love you all and thank you!!