fine, fresh, fierce | 10 yrs later

Often times it is hard for me to really truly admire some women of my own age/generation.  Sure, I love all my friends and acquaintances, but for me to look at someone and not see any faults and want to be like them and to completely respect them and look up to them in a good way---well let's just say I have high standards.  The thing I can't stand is shallowness and materialism and fake conversation.  The thing I love is someone who is deep but carefree, grounded but adventurous, original but not freakish or on a soap box all the time.

Ok I almost deleted the above paragraph in fear that I will offend somebody or that you would judge me as a snot, but whatever.  My blog, my rules right?  And if you know me at all you know what I'm saying.  If you get offended then you're probably one of those girls.  Now I've got you all wondering... :)

Anyways back to my point.  I just spent a super duper awesome fun too-cool-to-describe week with some of my favorite peeps.  It was 2 years in the making, since we had to plan around pregnancies, newborns, and breastfeeders but we made it happen. And it was so worth it!

Obligatory weird face so we can be like all the young people on Facebook--if you don't have a picture of yourself on FB with this sort of face and some sort of cool hand gesture, you are just lame.

I love these girls.  I suppose we are women now.  But we started out as girls and sort of helped eachother on the way to womanhood (insert Britney Spears song here).

I'm not sure what is so different about them.  I tried to pin-point it multiple times throughout the week.

They are:

Strong.

Compassionate.

Smart.

Funny.

Hard working.

Talented.

Driven.

Passionate about what they believe.

They have character. They have quarks.

They aren't flighty or whiney or shallow.  

Instead they are independent and steadfast and wise.

They are shiny.

They are the kind of women that every mother hopes their daughter will become.  Honestly.  That's the best way I can describe them.  Sorry if it's hokey but it's true.  Coming from a mom who is in the midst of raising 2 little girls and wondering what I'm doing, if I'm doing it correct, could I do something different? Am I teaching them the right things?  What do I want them to become? How can I teach them the things that will make them happy in life?  Will they turn out ok?

I look at my roommates and think garsh, they are just what I want my girls to grow up to be. 

And that's the best compliment I could ever give any woman in this whole wide world.

 love u girls. 

 xoxo  xoxo  xoxo  xoxo  xoxo  xoxo

And for the un-mushy, more fun, bullet point version--here is what we did in list format.

• 20 mile bike ride - we went to the north end of the island and had sandwhiches. 
• flashlight walks on the beach - doesn't get any better.
• Screen Gem Studios tour.  The sets of One Tree Hill were the ones we saw- must watch that show someday, now that I feel like I know all about the behind-the-scenes.
• Favorite things party - I got headbands, bananagrams, hoity toity makeup and skin care products, puzzles, so much!
• Crafting it up - learned how to make flowers and do a funky braiding/twist thing for jersey bracelets made out of t-shirts.
• Awesome slideshow made by Kelsey--loved seeing all our old college picts
• Memories question and answer 
• Surfin and bodyboarding
• Red velvet cupcakes and runny banana pudding (accidentally bought cook and serve, instead of instant...there is a difference!).
• Staying up late, waking up late, jammies all day, whatever we want!
• Not having to clean when we left.
• Being lazy, talking about life and and marriage and motherhood and literally everything in between. Everything.
• Taking pictures using the timer--seriously, when's the last time you did that? College! Why is it so fun and why do you always get the giggles? And why does someone always put their leg up for everyone else to hold?
• Me telling them it would be h-o-t and we have a freak cold front, so they have to buy warm pajama pants--all 4 of us in the handicap dressing room at target was a sight I'm sure.
• The resurrection of Cwic = Cuddling Without Intended Commitment
• Stalking one of dear college friends, finding him on LinkedIn, realizing he was in North Carolina, then driving out on our last day to meet him for dinner.  So fun to see him!!!
• Being in the ocean with dolphins and catching a wave while holding Kelsey's hand on the last day.
• Sharing a room with Kelsey again (by choice--there was plenty of space at the beach house) and having a messy bathroom, swapping/stealing/using/sharing eachother's stuff.  And the fact she looked in one of the closets and said "hey that was your college quilt from your bed".  Who remembers that kind of stuff?
• Awesome matching shirts that we got complimented on. So hot.

They clearly did not dress for the muggy (95% humidity) weather and they paid for it dearly.

From our fortune cookies--how appropriate for each person.

Riverwalk - Downtown Wilmington

Best beach ever.

"treasured friends".