old friends

growing up the youngest amongst 3 of the most marvelous girls, inside and out, that you'll ever care to know had its obvious downsides. aside from the crowded bathroom and stealing clothes, the bar was set pretty high by the time i came around. and finding a separate identity or creating a space of my own from my older sisters, early on ,seemed like an up hill battle.

but sitting here as an adult lady now, i'm basking in the fullness of how i am my sisters. how they have been my muses all along. how i've desperately stolen their best and most beautiful qualities to try and pass off as my own. and how i wouldn't have it any other way.

this weekend was a thumping reminder of that...and it also reminded me of how much my sister's friendships with other gals stuck with me too.

 my oldest sister robyn and her friends taught me how to dance and sing and listen to scandalous music, like milli vanilli or warrant. angie and her friends taught me how to write and create and tape record fake radio p.s.a's or clorox commercials. and amy and her's taught me how to laugh and be uninhibited...to take pictures and see life differently and get into all sorts of wild mischief. 

two of those friends were the garber sisters, shannan and keisha. they were a constant in our house growing up...they were sweet and beautiful and wildly entertaining and inspiring to me. 

and over time that has only gotten stronger.

on saturday night, all of my muses were gathered together for the first time in maybe 20 years? maybe more?  the stratton and garber sisters painted the town. it was a last minute, slapped together, reunion over gigantic cups of coffee and cake that left my sides aching from laughing and my heart thumping from the truth that old friendships are effortless.

 we're all adults now, with babies and jobs and husbands and responsibilities and stresses and struggles. but it was really something to put that all aside for a few hours and be reminded of where we all started...why we are the way we are...and who will still be there when it's all said and done.

and in true stratton/garber fashion, we closed the place down and got into a little mischief before the night was over.