sistahs, friendship, oh...and four favorites.

  2 sweet friends of mine in college - can't remember if i took it, but credit is due to esther martin photography's camera!

    Under a blanket of bright and twinkling stars, we ran to the big baseball field on our college campus. Past the dugout and bleachers, we unloaded our armfuls of blankets and 2 sleeping bags onto the green, damp turf and sat side by side in the darkness. This is where our best prayer times took place. Our most secret heart-to-hearts. The moon sometimes shining brightly above, our hands sometimes warmed by red Starbucks cups - we talked about God and our dreams, years-ago stories and mistakes made, boys we liked and questions we had. It was our spot. Come to think of it, we had the run of two whole dorm rooms and a hidden lounge, but the prayers and stories shared there in our spot were our favorite, ones of the sweetest and most precious kind.

   There's nothing like girlfriends. You know who they are. Sisterhood is beautiful, and rare. And when you've got the real thing - cherish it. Last weekend, I helped throw a bridal shower for my first college roommate. A small gathering of women who met and bonded through uniquely sharing life in a college dorm and a Bible study, and since those days have taken very different roads of life - college girls turned mamas, pastor's wives, secretaries, artists, nannies, writers. Through the ebb and flow of life, the "we haven't talked in a year!" followed by warm hugs, the ups and downs and miscommunications, hurt feelings - the intricacies of real, true, messy friendships. And the oh so sweet reconciliations, explanations, and "I forgive you"s of understanding and forgiveness that come through knowing Christ in our relationships. I sat beneath strings of lights in the decorated living room, listening to laughter and watching heartfelt smiles, taking me back in my mind to our freshman year of  late night "study parties" which turned into laughing til we cried bonding moments. How we agonized over which boy to ask to the Sadie Hawkins school event. And wondered what we would someday become. The sweet and just-right words shared and hands squeezed when "he" didn't turn out to be Prince Charming after all. And the day to day of life, living side by side for a season of time that melded our hearts in a special way.

photo credit: The Master's College SLS, 2010

  It's hiding under quilts watching rainy day chick flicks, mugs of tea in hand. Late night phone calls when you're crying and can't stop. Spontaneous beach trips. And throwing a bridal shower for a long-awaited wedding, sipping sherbert punch and passing newborn babies.....which brings us to my favorite things from this last week:

{bridal showers & friends}

{Coconut Oil - my new obsession}

 All week, I've been dying to tell you all about it. Thanks to my sweet friend Nichole over at Reserved Are The Depths Of My Heart, I decided to pick up some Coconut Oil and try it out, see what all the hype is about. And let me tell ya - if you only buy one more beauty or health product ever again....this would be the ONE.

You can even use it for cooking. And...it's very inexpensive. It maintains cholesterol levels, has antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antibacterial properties. Slather it on your skin and hair to prevent and heal dryness.

Plus...it smells incredible...sort of reminds me of the heavenly smell of surfboard wax, which I must admit I used to buy in high school just because of the scent.  (Imagine you're sitting on a tropical white sandy beach somewhere far away, under frayed palm tree leaves in the warm sun sipping your favorite drink....that's how it smells.)

   It has immediately soared to my top favorite things list, right up there with Chai tea and the color pink.  I may just dedicate a whole post to it someday. Go buy some at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods, ok? Okay, done with my rant.

All of that to say: praise the Lord for coconuts!!

 Go buy some, sistah.

Best $5 you'll ever spend.

{Being a winner. A giveaway winner, that is}

Gotta admit, I'm kind of on this crazy winning streak. (as Erin from Captivated By Grace knows :) Receieved 2 special packages within 2 days. The gorgeous necklace above, crafted by the amazing and sweet Ashley over at Women Walking Upright and this breathtaking print from JBW Photography (check out his Etsy here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/JBWPhoto)

...ahh my dreams of visiting the Empire State Building in NYC.

{a big burger & fries}

Never underestimate it's worth. In a normal diet of salads, lots of smoothies, pastas and chicken. And a week of faithful daily Pilates workouts... this hits the spot. Just sayin'.

***

Friday iPhone Photo Drop

{from instagram, to follow search: erin_sweetnessitself}

Embrace the sisterhood in your life this weekend. Call your old college roomie. Write a quick handwritten note to your best friend. Take your sister to coffee. Or like me last night - sit fireside with your grandma, eating popcorn and listening to family stories.

Happy weekend! To you and you and you.

XO

Erin

"...no eye has seen a God like you,

who works for those who wait for Him."

-Isaiah 64:4