On Friendship:

I’ve always loved a girl party.  You know those get togethers with your gal pals that you leave with sore cheeks because you laughed so hard?  The bonds we share with our girlfriends are so important! As women we wear many hats, give of ourselves, and make sure everyone else is happy. With all this, we can forget that we also need time to be real, giggle a little, and just chat!  Something I’ve learned over time is that there is no need to choose just one “bestie”.

You know that dramatic high school “bff” stage we all went through where you’re supposed to just have one “best friend” and there’s always a 3rd wheel in the friend triangle that ends up hurt?  Yeah, trust me, I remember those days and it was not fun at all! I always tell my daughters that the drama of high school will pass and be a distant memory very quickly.

We need a variety of friends in our life.  There are friends we cry with, friends we laugh with, friends we can be silly with, and friends we bare all our deepest secrets with.  I feel like society has taught young girls that they have to find that one and only “BFF”.  What if you don’t though?  What if you were meant to have a bunch of great friendships?  In my opinion, you are!  Don’t limit yourself, be open to friendships of all kinds.  Thats my motto atleast:) .

With my view on friendship, I’ve come to love all kinds of get togethers with the girls. Whether it be a baby shower, birthday celebration, movie night, pedicure and lunch date…you name it, I’m game!  Which brings me to the next part of my post:

– The Girlfriends Picnic –

 I wanted to surprise one of my girlfriends with a birthday outing and it turned out perfect! Here are the details and how our adventure unfolded:

It was a perfect Sunday afternoon girlfriends outing to celebrate the lovely Kendal.  Lets be honest, this group of friends is always looking for an excuse to get together, and if we can gussy it up for one of our birthdays we are all game!  This day was no exception and if anything it was a step above.

We started the afternoon by hopping in the car and showing up to Kendal’s house to whisk her away on her birthday adventure. We had made arrangements to have a picnic at 40knotswinery.  I can’t say enough about the customer service we received.  The original plan was to enjoy their roof top patio which overlooks the vineyard. We quickly realized that it was going to be too hot on this 30+ degree September afternoon. Quickly we found a shady spot on the grass and the staff were helpful in helping us prep the perfect location with blankets to sit on.

Off course we all had to take an insta story

CHEERS! (Boomerang off course)

San Pellegrino was the perfect pairing to our cheese tray with assorted nibbles. The beautiful Bernine had brought just the right picnic basket to complete our vision! Here is a list of what we brought for our picnic:

-San Pellegrino – Assorted grapes – Strawberries – Spreadable Brie – Crackers – Jujubes – Fig spread –    Natural Pastures cheese – fresh fruit tarts

For a mid afternoon picnic we found the assortment to be just right for our group of 6

JuJubes are a staple among this group of gals.  A gathering wouldn’t be the same without them! 

The birthday girl -Kendal- This beautiful friend is stunning, kind, and genuine!  She is also a superstar in the kitchen and whips up the best healthy meals for her family.  You really need to check our her instagram account the.moms.lunch

The next few photos are as genuine as it gets lol.  We wanted to get a group shot and managed to track down another guest to take our photo so that Bernine could join us.  That this is when the authentic belly laughs took over.  Our stand in photographer was a hoot!  She had us all laughing!

This was such a simple and fun way to show some birthday love to a deserving friend! It doesn’t have to be elaborate, expensive, or take a lot of planning to make time for friendship.  I’m a big believer in quality over quantity.  You don’t need to see your friends every single day like we did in high school; its the time spent together that means the most.  The intentional plans you make with a friend whether big or small can go a long way in building long term relationships.  We all understand that life is busy, weeks go by fast, and work/family life can be all consuming.  Friendship understands this. Friendship picks up right where you left off.

How do you celebrate friendship? What’s your Favorite way to spend time with a friend (s)?

And, if it’s been awhile since you connected with someone, today is the day! It’s never too late to reconnect:)

XO,

Karin

photography by Bernine Marie Photography