Bachelorette and a birthday: one year gone by
It's funny how birthdays mark time for us, and bring us back to the reality of how quickly life passes. This year, I've been reflecting on the combined birthday+bachelorette weekend my dearest friends gave me one year ago. As a person who tends to run as far away as possible from the types of drama and other pitfalls that bachelorette parties can sometimes create, I had a bit of anxiety about whether I should even have a bachelorette, and if I did, what that would look like. Turns out, I didn't need to worry at all. My friends, who know me so well, threw me the most magical getaway weekend on the coast in Bodega Bay, one that I'm left longing to return to a year later.
The girls, a small group of my bridesmaids and closest, lifelong friends, rented a three-story house overlooking the ocean on one side and a golf course on the other in the ethereal coastal town. An indoor hot tub meant we didn't even have to go outside into the February cold to have a delightful time. We played games, told stories, and my best friend Hailey even braided my hair. It was such a pure celebration of friendship, exactly what I had dreamed it would be.
One of the ways I got to thank the girls was by presenting them with beautiful throw blankets that had their names personally embroidered on them by my talented friend Chelsea. I hand-wrote each girl a love note telling her just how much she meant to me, and read them out loud as we sat in a circle. It was a meaningful, tearful, and heartfelt experience that I will never forget.
The next day, my friends unexpectedly sent me off for a facial, to my sheer delight, at the dreamy Bodega Bay Lodge. They then indulged my love of photo shoots by heading out to the beach where we met up with a photographer, the talented Norah Burrows, who took pictures of us frolicking in the frigid surf. Our pastel dresses were perfectly offset by the floral crowns that these darling girls created as a surprise for the photo shoot. It couldn't have been a more fitting touch.
It is an emotion beyond words to know that my friends understood me so perfectly as to give me a weekend that was unlike most bachelorette parties - but just the one I needed. The whole thing may sound cheesy to some, but to me, the sweet and refreshing trip filled my heart to the brim with the type of love that only friendship can provide. I hope I have the chance in my life to make each one of these kind girls know the same feeling that they gave to me. The memories we made are irreplaceable moments I will keep with me forever, as a reminder of how lucky I am to be so cared for and loved.
