Gal Pals...

When I started this blog last year, it was mainly so that my friends and family in TN and WV could keep up with us on a daily basis. I think I have accomplished that. For example, every morning my grandma logs on to the internet and catches up on what has been going on in my life. (Sorry the posts have been so sporadic lately Grandma! It is harder to blog in the Summer!) Anyway, I was doing the blog for other people more than myself. I never would have guessed that in the long run, I would be the one to get the most out of it.

Besides the fact that this blog is a journal of sorts, it has also been a way to connect with others. Over these past 8 months I have met some incredible women from all over the country that I never would have known otherwise. These friendships that we have forged are as real and dependable as the ones with my girlfriends that I know from my daily life. It has been so wonderful to get to know these women and share struggles, creative ideas, laughter, and all of the ins and outs of life.

A perfect example of this is my friend Stacie. How Stacie stumbled on my blog is a mystery, but she has become a true friend in every sense of the word. She is funny, smart, a heck of a good cook, and crafty as can be. Her blog is called Park Avenue because she is a girl from the city and gettin' by in the country these days.(I'll warn you that if you visit her blog you are gonna find some ridiculously good recipes. NOT Weight Watchers ones either!) She has been especially encouraging in my efforts at losing weight, so it should not have surprised me this week when I got a package from her in the mail. I had to share this with you because it was so darn cute.

In that little striped box, she put these earrings that she MADE. Told you she was crafty. They are FABOO!
I hope this is close enough for you to read. It is a weight loss survival kit. This made me laugh out loud! Especially the little scrap of material "for next year's bikini". Such a hoot!

To all my gal pals that I have met via this blog, thanks so much for being such a special part of my life and for helping me to realize I am not alone in my day to day quest to be the best version of Mandi that I can be. I treasure you all!