July Sprinkles Bring August Babies...

This past Saturday my dear friend Veronica hosted a "baby sprinkle" for Charlie and me, which is just like a baby shower, but smaller; a sprinkle rather than a full on rain shower. hah. I loved the idea because I really believe every baby should be celebrated, but I did feel tacky having a second shower for the same sex, like I did with Henry. This was a nice way to get my closest friends and family together, and even though I wasn't expecting any gifts at all, they all brought something small for the little guy. So sweet. We did brunch- Veronica's mother-in-law and my friend Marilyn made the most delicious frittatas, and Veronica also served fruit salad, donuts from our beloved local donut shop, and a green salad with chocolate olive oil dressing. So good. And as a really wonderful surprise, Veronica ordered a triple-layer cake from my favorite baker, and then handed out bags of saltwater taffy for favors. I'm telling you, she needs to go into party-planning- it's a talent! I'm so grateful to have such a kind, generous friend like her and Saturday was such a testament to what a great friend she is. My sister also helped to plan it, and I'm so thankful for her sweet heart.

The brunch was at 11am, so we all got to spend a few hours talking and just being together. After the week I had it was pretty amazing to look around and feel so loved, and be surrounded by so many friends. It was a good reminder that even when things might not be so great, life goes on, and that there's always something good right around the corner. In my case, I have a sweet boy by the name of Charlie waiting for me. I was too busy spending time with everyone to take too many photos, but here are a few to check out. Happy sprinkle, little guy!

3 Things that made me smile this weekend...

1. Orange is the New Black

Upon a friend's recommendation we started Orange is the New Black, a new Netflix series, and I'm so glad we did. It's getting a ton of buzz around the internet, and for good reason- it's fabulous. It's also Patton Oswalt approved, so that should tell you something. In a nutshell it's about a woman being sent to prison for a crime she committed years back when she lived a totally different life. It's fascinating, funny, and incredibly addicting. I've been binge-watching it every chance I get, and I highly, highly recommend it. And on a related note, if you're into reading the book first, be sure to check out the memoir! I just ordered it myself.

2. My "Baby Sprinkle"

This past week I had a mini version of a baby shower (just a sprinkle) and it was the perfect end to a sad couple of weeks. Being around my closest friends and family was medicine for my soul and I left Veronica's house that afternoon feeling so happy, and so, so grateful. I'll have a whole post dedicated to it later this week but it was definitely the high point of my weekend, and I'm still smiling.

3. This baby

I am so in love with my niece Lucy. She is seriously THE happiest baby I have ever met in my life- so smiley and so sweet- and she never fails to brighten up any room she's in. I really believe she is going to be one of those very special people who has a gift for making others happy, and I feel very lucky that I get to be her Aunt. This weekend she came up for a visit and it was so fun holding her and making her smile that big, gummy smile. I mean seriously. Look at that face! I love her.

I hope you had a wonderful weekend too- what made you smile?

xoxo

On Friendship

I had a discussion the other day with a friend of mine about getting older, and about how one of the hardest things about aging might just be figuring out how to navigate friendships as lives change and people grow and move forward. I've thought about the idea of friendship a lot- it's a topic that's been on my mind often over the past couple of years and for good reason; I think the shift in relationships as we figure our own selves out is fascinating. 

Growing up I'm sure I was like a lot of you, always surrounded by people, busy busy busy- my friends were my world. Ups and downs, my friends were the ones I went to, vented to, made a part of my everyday life. And as I got older I started to distinguish between the different kinds of friends I had formed relationships with. There were school friends, "best" friends (a term I sorely overused), work friends, sorority friends, party friends. And one of the things I really learned over the course of 10 years in my 20s was that it's okay that not all of these groups of people are my closest friends, and really, spreading myself so thin caused me to never give 100% to anyone.

And the most recent revelation- no relationship will ever fit into a box. Just because I have an idea of how something should be, doesn't mean that it should be that way, or will be that way. The kinds of friendships I had at 16, 18, 22...those are now just not possible. I don't have the time to sit and talk on the phone for an hour, or see the people I love a few times a week. I wish I did, but when I do have a free hour so many other things need to fill it- household duties, writing, emails. And so with these life changes my friendships have changed and in turn, become redefined.

This was hard for me to understand for awhile- I used to get sad that I felt so disconnected from certain people, and often felt guilty that I wasn't being a great friend. So many things change relationships- an infinite amount of things- and part of accepting that things wouldn't always be the same was accepting that I was changing too.

It's a weird thing, growing up.

And now at 31 I have a very small handful of people I consider close friends. And that's okay. A few I talk to daily, via text or a phone call here and there. Then there are the handful I might not talk to every week or even every month, but there is never weirdness. We all accept that our lives our busy, and there is no guilt, no resentment, we are happy to spend time together when we can, and all there is is love for one another when we do get to connect. And I think this is the secret to successful friendships, at least for me- the idea of quality of quantity. Of course I mean this in the obvious sense- one great friend over five not-so-great ones- but even more so in time spent. Sure, I might only get to see a close friend once every six months, but when we do get to spend time together, that time is precious and wonderful and so full of US. Less time, but BETTER time.

So that's what friendship is for me right now. Making the most of what we have. Trying to do the best we can, and when we do get to connect, making sure that time is of the best quality. Accepting this, and each other, for the very separate lives we all lead, and knowing that just because we aren't able to see each other as much as we'd like doesn't mean that it has to change the way we feel.

Whatever your age, where are you at right now in your friendships? Do you have a ton of solid pals you can count on for everything? Or a handful of close friends? Are you in yours 20s or 30s? How has friendship changed for you over time?

So many questions. Can't wait to read about your experiences.

xo

This town and these friends.

Sometimes I take a step back and look at my blog and realize that I talk about the same thing all of the time. Seriously...ALL of the time- but then I don't mind too much because that's just my life. And as I began this post I was going to write "I love this little town of mine," and then thought about how I must have said that before, so I decided to do a google search to see how many times I've said it...and yes, it's definitely been more than handful. But oh well, because you know what? I do love this little town of mine. I enjoy living in a place that completely embraces the holidays, a place where any place we go we are guaranteed to see no less than four people we know. It's that kind of small town. And I adore it.

If you would have spent the day with Henry and me, you would probably be just as tired as I am right now. It was one of those days where at the end of it, I feel like I've run a marathon. It also didn't help that I pushed Henry's nap almost two hours later, which isn't something that works well for a boy who naps like clockwork, and something I never, ever do. It was such a fun day though, filled with out of town friends, good pizza, and great ice cream. Henry and his buddies ran around all over downtown as us Moms tried to get some adult conversation somewhere in between the "NO! Don't climb on that!" and the "Get down from there, right now!" that was constantly going on. Kids are crazy.

And now I'm sitting here, looking at these photos from our day and thinking about how much I love this town. And thinking about how much I say that, and how much I really never expected to either one, love this town so much, or two, say it as much as I do. Time went on though, and I somehow fell in love with a place that I never expected to end up in, and here I am now, inviting our friends to come up and visit as much as possible. I'm also thinking about friends, and how lucky I feel to have all sorts of people in my life- those I talk to on the regular, those I talk to much less frequently, and those I really just keep in touch with online. All important, all wonderful.

So I'm thankful tonight, for a handful of different things. For this town and these friends, and for a day so full of LIFE that I'm crawling into bed feeling like I couldn't go another minute.

xoxo