Whiskey for my Women

A famous author once said, “Some people arrive and make such a beautiful impact on your life, you can barely remember what life was like without them.”  This gives me all the feels because I couldn’t relate to this more.  I have been blessed in so many ways in my life, but the one blessing I hold most dear are my friendships.  Whether its with my family, or friends I’ve know since I was a young girl, or friends I just met- my friendships are my most valued assets. They’re the first things I’d grab in a fire.

Throughout the written chapters in my life I have had many supporting characters there to encourage me and my crazy choices. They are the strong ones when I am weak. They are the comedian when I need a good laugh. This past weekend couldn’t have been a better example of my friendship wealth. I went away for a good ol’ fashioned girls’ weekend with two close friends- one I have known since preschool and the other I just met this year.  We ran away for a weekend to just be together and to just be well. This was our “wellness weekend.”

I’ve outgrown the weekends away in Vegas with my friends, laying poolside with a cocktail….. Especially because we all know that ends with me balls deep in a pizza yelling at the blackjack dealer that I just “took us out of a relationship on Facebook” due to the crappy cards he dealt me! YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE, JEREMY! UNCOOL. Clearly, this has happened more than once…. Anyho…. I don’t have the energy, the patience, or the room in my waistband for the weekends away of my past. My day to day dance card is already filled, I need to actually relax on my weekends.

As I’ve said before, traveling is hard on this fight. I’ve given myself some “Chubby Girl Travel Commandments” to live by but it’s not easy. That’s why I appreciate weekends like last weekend. Just a couple of good friends, in a beautiful spot, locked away and focused on the same goals- being healthy both inside and out. No, this doesn’t mean we just gnawed on vegetables and ice cubes all weekend. Instead it meant getting things done, both personally and professionally, to take our personal practices to the next level. We did just that while also eating well (think tacos, homemade flat breads, and BBQ) while sipping fun cocktails (I arrived with two different types of vodka and one bottle of whiskey. That’s a bottle a person. Do the math.).  Thankfully, gone are the days of acting like a bunch of 21 year olds experiencing their first beer. Instead they’ve been substituted with home cooked food and fun cocktails. I have finally perfected my night cap.

At the end of the weekend we threw a real grown up, family dinner. The table was surrounded by not just blood family, but also the new family we made that weekend.  We were in the middle of Nowhere Town, USA.  There was no cell reception, barely any WI-FI, and absolutely no TV.  So we invited not only other girlfriends from each of our own squads, but we also invited the women who worked on the farm to break bread with us. You’ve never seen a more efficient kitchen before. I’m impressed by what can get done when it’s only women. So we sat, ate, laughed, sipped, and we got to know not just one another, but also ourselves a little deeper.

On the final morning, as I sat on the porch of the beautiful farm we were blessed to call home for four days, I was able to really think about what the point is to this fight. Look, there have been some major ups. For example, the first five pounds I lost. There have also been some downs. For example, being stuck in those first five pounds. But besides the ups and downs there has also been a lot of learning, and not just about weight loss, but also about myself and the people I have chosen to surround myself with. Let me tell you, the metaphorical cream of my friendships have floated to the top since I started this fight, so to speak. They are the ones that have supported me through this. They’ve recognized that I am battling something and support me, no matter what that means. They get when I say “no” to things it’s not because I don’t want to see them, it’s because I want to see literally less of me.  There is zero pressure.  I like my friends like I like my cakes- guilt free, sweet, and full of ice cream.

Last weekend got me thinking that maybe it’s not just time to lose weight but maybe it’s also time to lose some metaphorical weight that has been holding me down. Meaning, maybe it’s time for a friendship spring cleaning. Now this doesn’t mean I am looking for an influx of phone calls and texts from friends seeing if this is a message to them because this isn’t to anyone in particular at all. Also, anyone who knows me well knows that I am a very direct person. So I would tell you. What I am saying is, I just need to figure out, now that I’m in my mid 30s and a lot of big things are happening in my life, who are the friends that are still supportive of my crazy ideas (like this blog life I’ve decided to take on)? Who makes it easy to call them my friend? Who just let’s me be me living my own version of my best life? Those are the people I want to surround myself. They are the frosting on my cake.

So I will end this blog as I always do- with a call to action. Mia Bella Lotta Faithful, take stock of the people in your life that you call your friends. Do a real good inventory. Look, the end of the year is coming up so this is a good time to do a little accounting. Next, who in your inventory is someone who supports you, loves you unconditionally, and is the effortless type of friendships where no work is needed but you want to put the work in? Right there are the ones that you should grab hold of and put in your MySpace Top 8. Don’t let them go.

WEIGH IN/MEASUREMENTS: 158.4 LBS, Chest 36.5, Under Boob 30, Belly Button 32.25, Below Hips 38.5, Largest Part of Butt 41.75.

SONG OF THE WEEK: “Drink You Away” by Justin Timberlake

I can’t drink you away
I’ve tried Jack, I’ve tried Jim,
I’ve tried all of their friends
But I can’t drink you away
All these rocks
I can’t swim
Out of this skin
I’m living in.

Photo by Katie Mick Photography @katiemickphotography on Instagram. She’s a genius.