Today I’m spending the day with four of my best girl friends — having lunch, laying by a pool, and most of all, just catching up on life. In our early twenties, the five of us (plus a couple more) were thick as thieves, but since half of our group has moved away from Austin, it’s a rare occurrence for us to get uninterrupted time together sans husbands and kids, and I couldn’t be more excited. Here on the blog, we’ve celebrated friendship quite a bit over the last few of months (from kicking off our besties series, to parties like this bachelorette brunch), and it’s made me so thankful for the women in my life who are always there for me… and who always manage to make things a whole lot more fun. Since it can be hard to keep in touch with close friends as people get jobs, get married, and move to different parts of the country, I’d love to hear: how do you guys make sure that you don’t lose touch with the friends who are important to you? Leave a comment with any great ideas or traditions, and as usual, enjoy my favorite links from the past week!
This Farmer’s Market Cornbread looks so delish – a true celebration of summer!
A dreamy behind-the-scenes video that’ll make any Downton Abbey lover swoon.
Love this initiative by West Elm to support independent artists and makers. (Head over to see if you might be the perfect candidate for their grant!)
How to be more creative, just by taking a walk.
Love how this bridal shower is so beautiful without being too overdone.
The prettiest party-ready drinks topped with flowers.
*and a few fun things you may have missed!
A peek at how one super talented textile designer entertains at home.
The 10 best tomato recipes of summer.
*image via here (anyone know original source?)
I have 5 best girlfriends from college. We live all over the country – Washington state, So Cal, Texas, Colorado and Rhode Island. We try our best to have a gathering once a year, whether it’s with husbands and kids or without, and sometimes we do what we call a “guerrilla weekend” – a last minute booked trip to meet up for a long weekend. Not all of us can always make it – there’s 18 of us counting kids and men – but when we’re all together, it’s the best time.
Love the article about walking + creativity. I’m definitely taking a walk today as I have a lot to accomplish and need a boost of creativity to do so!
Great list! I enjoyed the piece about organizing your closet. Facebook and social media helps me keep in touch with my peeps. I try and take a trip back every year to see everyone too.
Two of my best girlfriends moved to California last year. FaceTime is the best. Even better after a few cocktails 🙂
Yes, it’s so tough to get out without kids. Texting is the best! Love that I can text my bestie with any random question or thought.
Friendship is so important, I’ve learned that since I graduated from college (only a year ago!). But I moved to Spain last fall after graduating and most my friends are all over the place, which has made staying in touch with friends a little more complicated. Nonetheless, something I learned during college was how important it was to take that extra time, money, and effort to go and visit your friends wherever they are, and have them come visit you. I’ve moved around a decent amount in my (still somewhat short) life-time, but what it has taught me is that your best friends last no matter where you are.
Last spring my best friend visited me in Spain and we spent a weekend in Lisbon just wandering the streets together; which definitely inspired us (really enjoyed your article on walking!), was a bonding experience, and was absolutely beautiful (the photo of the door reminds me of the endless doors we took photos in front as we obsessed over their colors and designs!).
All-in-all, I love to hear that you spent the weekend together with your best friends from college who now live in different places. It makes me hope and think about where I will meet up with my best friends in the years to come. Thanks!
Love this, Rebecca. That trip to Spain with your bestie sounds absolutely unforgettable!
My best friends from college and I have found ourselves scattered around the globe – California, DC, London, etc. It’s difficult not even living in the same time zone, and truthfully our friendships are not what they once were.
That being said, I’ve found that the best way to feel connected is to stay in touch more frequently, and to share the little things. Those hour-long, what’s-new-with-you-what’s-new-with-me conversations are great, but I’ve found that it’s the little remembrances – a text that says, “just heard that song we used to love!” – that make us feel closer. As we all get busier and busier with jobs, school and families, a few 5-minute conversations a month work much better than a super long phone call every few months.
YES – this is such great advice, and something that I want to put into practice a lot more often! Thanks for sharing.
The picture is clearly from some city in Portugal, but I don’t know the original source. Thanks for sharing.
Hi! I was pinning that very same image (your main) and wanted to know the original photographer, too. Not sure, but it may be this guy: http://mid20thcenturyman.wordpress.com/2012/03/25/porta-sessenta-e-quatro/ 🙂
I’m almost sure this is a Lisbon door, or at least in Portugal……!