Summer has (almost) come and gone

Bonsoir my blogilicious babes! It has been a good long while since I used that (my favorite) greeting and tonight seemed to be the perfect night to bust it out! If I'm being honest, which I am, I am a little stressed out today and want to surround my self with all manner of happy/uplifting/inspiring things. So on that note, we aren't going to dwell on the stress, but make our way right on over to the beautiful: aka my hot friends who I got to spend the weekend with.

I already told you about how Pinterest planned my party for me this weekend, and how that was quite lovely. And I briefly alluded to the fact that the party involved the best people ever, but that needs to be elaborated on. You see,last year roommate and I decided to throw an end of summer party. Actually, I decided I needed a project to keep my mind off the fact that I was unemployed (slash procrastinate my much-needed job searching) and roommate indulged me. It ended up being this crazy mix of DC/college/high school/friends-of-friends crowd. And it rocked. Hard. Or at least we thought it rocked hard. So we decided to make it a tradition and go for round two! We wound up, again, with a mix of friends (albeit different faces for the most part) and it still rocked. We had a pretty sweet food spread from chocolate covered strawberries to guacamole, funfetti dip, pesto tortellinis and various Mexican/cheese dips that my amazing guests brought with them. And then there were the drinks. I think my brother said it best when he said "Everything I'm drinking is pink. And I love it." Ok, so maybe he didn't say the second part (it was more like I need a beer) but I like to pretend he loved it. We served strawberry basil margaritas, strawberry lemonade Popsicles and pink lemonade jello shots. Pretty floral arrangements were tucked in lemon-filled vases, and dips were served in flower pots to set the summer mood. And it was 50 shades of lovely (IMHO), but nothing compared to the company. All night long I had a goofy grin on my face (ok, so the margaritas might have had something to do with that), because i just couldn't get over the fact that I was surrounded by the most caring, wonderful, hilarious friends a girl could ever dream of. And I had them all in one room, mingling and getting along. It was heaven. They came from all over to spend one last night together before everyone goes their separate ways (back to school/jobs out of state) and it made me realize that for all my worrying about moving somewhere else, I know that no matter where my career takes me, this incredible group of friends I have formed will be there for me through it all. Whether it is my brother/best friend sending me a thoughtful text when he knows I need a pick-up, my like-family roommate calling on her drive home from work to catch up or any one of "the bros" posting some ridiculous and probably only funny to us comment on my Facebook, I know these people are my rock-solid foundation. They are the friendships that outlast everything, and can be picked up from where you left off without any awkwardness. They are once-in-a-lifetime finds and I am beyond blessed to have them in my life. And this post just got real serious, real fast. Sorry, not sorry because it needed to be said. So to all of you who made my Saturday night so memorable (and to those of you who couldn't make it but I know you wanted to) I thank you for giving me another summer of unforgettable memories. I love you all more than I could ever express!

*excuse the picture overload, but like I said, my friends are hot and they deserve their five minutes of fame. yes I just elevated being on my blog to fame status. deal with it.*

Our spread! 

Pinterest-inspired decor

So this was my pinterest-inspired hair pre-party. By the time guests arrived, the bow had been nixed (it looked funny from the side) and the curls were all but gone. Apparently working in a hot kitchen is not ideal for curls. 

My wonderful pre-party helpers. It is sometimes hard for me to ask for help, which is why it is so awesome when people volunteer, and I can just say YES PLEASE! 

My gorgeous roommate et moi. I say it every time, but I love this girl to death. I am starting to get all girly and emotional about the fact that she moves in about 5 months. I will miss her so much. BUT you can be darn sure we will make the most of our remaining roommate time. P.S. Note the lack of curls. This was about 10 min into the party :( 

Roommate took pity on poor little Eli who was overwhelmed by the party-goers. He kept following me around, and roommate gave into his whimpering and cradled him like a baby for about an hour, before we decided it was Eli bedtime. I swear, we treat him way more like a child than we should. He probably has a doggie complex. 

My darlingest college roomie who drove all the way down from Delaware after working a long day! Isn't she the greatest?? 

BEST. PHOTO. EVER. I am obsessed with this pic,and the fact that I had no idea this was going on behind me. The theme of the night was definitely photobombing, but this just takes the cake. Do you see why I love these boys?? Oh and girl on the left is the most amazing party guest OF ALL TIME!! She came over early and helped me get everything ready, and then she cleaned EVERYTHING (and I mean everything) up the next morning before we were awake.  Seriously girl you ROCK! (And I love you for way more than your party-help, I just can't get over how thoughtful you were with the party.) 

Talk about feeling short. These are just a few guys from a group of friends who have given me more laughs and joy in just a few short years than anyone should be allowed to have in a lifetime. I have a special place in my heart for each of them, particularly that handsome lug on the right (aka my brother!) He's single ladies! Serious inquiries only, please :)

My beautiful Elon lovies! 

I am just surrounded by attractive men, what can I say! 

I think at this point in the evening, brother was DONE with the photo session. Matthew, I'll keep it short and sweet, but I love you with all that I have. You are my rock, my best friend and the most important person in the world to me. I believe in you 100% and I just know that your senior year is going to be your best yet. Here's to all your dreams coming true, and to me finally getting that pink Mercedes you promised... hint hint. 

So I realize that these pics are probably not remotely interesting to anyone but myself, but sometimes you just need to share little tidbits of your life, so that you can have a visual memory years later. After all, isn't that why we all started lifestyle blogs in the first place?

Bisous!