all you really need are good girlfriends

Let me just start off by saying.... I am single. {wah, wah} It's probably for the best because who can compete with Jena's story from yesterday? I know a lot of girls get worked up about being single on February 14... I'm just not one of them. The way I see it: I've had great Valentines {of the male variety} in the past. But celebrating with my lady friends and a bottle of champagne ain't so bad either. And that's just what I plan on doing.

My roommate and I decided to host a fun little dinner party for several of our favorite ladies on Saturday night. Basically an excuse to celebrate each other and prove that sometimes all you really need are good girlfriends.We're gonna get dressed up, eat fondue, drink {too much} champagne and have ourselves a good ole time. Some of the ladies coming to the party are also single and some are in relationships. Which just goes to show you.... you don't need an excuse to celebrate with your lady friends.

This year, regardless of if you're single or in a relationship, show some love to your girlfriends. They'll appreciate that you took some time and thought about them. And you'll feel like a million bucks for making their day, trust me. It's always nice to know that someone is thinking about you and wants to make you feel special.

My advice to younger girls is always this--don't worry about boys so much... they'll come. What you need to worry about is the girls in your life. Men come and go, but your girls will always be there. I'm blessed to be surrounded by fabulous ladies who I can't wait to celebrate this holiday with. And I hope you are too!

Ps. I know we usually post our Poll of the Week on Thursdays. We'll be back at it next week... so there's still time to tell us what you want to see more of on S&E! Check it out here.

just one message

(via)

Last night I had another great night with a lovely group of women I consider some of the best. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Some food. Some wine. Lots of girl talk. I've learned to appreciate nights like those more and more, simply because I always leave feeling lifted up, encouraged, inspired and mostly importantly like I am exactly where I am supposed to be in life.

Which is why, if I had one message for younger girls it would be this....

Start cultivating your group of girl friends.

Weed out the bad. Stick with the good.Find girls you trust. Girls you like most importantly. Girls who share the same morals and beliefs as you. Who have fun doing nothing. Girls you can be silly with and serious with. Who encourage you and build you up when you need it.

I don't mean a large group of girls you kind of like. I mean two or three solid girls who you love like sisters, who will stick with you through thick and thin and who can laugh at you just as much as you laugh at yourself. Who will listen to you cry when you need to cry, will call you out for you bullshit when you need to be put in your place, and who will cover your ass, no questions asked, should the moment arise.

Now, more than ever, you're going to need a solid group of friends. You're not going to get the job you want one day and you'll need someone to call to bring over a bottle of wine and commiserate with you. A boy is going to break your heart and someones going to need to be there to pick you up off the bathroom floor. You're going to make a fool of yourself on New Years Eve and you are going to need someone to laugh at you for it, and then go buy McDonalds for your raging hangover.

We've all dealt with bitchy girls. Or girls who we thought were our friends only to find out they weren't. I wish that as women we can learn to lift each other up much earlier in life. But the good news is that eventually one day, you can leave all the petty drama behind and find real adult women who care about you just as much as your actual family--and sometimes you might even end up liking them more than you like your actual family.

Navigating life is just plain hard sometimes, but somehow it becomes a little bit easier when you have people to lean on and trust. And who you can commiserate with about your stomach cramps and PMS. ;)

Your BFFL,