February is for the girls! February was pink and light and sunny and girly and silly and all things beautiful!
I’ve been hesitant to blog about the other Fellows in previous months, but I think this month deserves a peek into some of my favorite moments with the girls.
JENNA. Jenna and I snowstormed together. Side note: I was told it wouldn’t snow in Raleigh, and yet… this is the 3rd time it has snowed this year… mighty sus if you ask me. HA anyway, Jenna invited me to come stay with her at her host family’s house during the snowstorm (or actually maybe she let me come over when I asked to be invited - who’s to say!!). And honestly? It’s one of my favorite memories from Fellows! We WFHed! (I actually got to wfh a little this time!) We walked through the snow and ended up at McDonalds! We had snow-mosas! We laughed and giggled and watched the Lorax! If you are ever curious who each of the Fellows would be as a character in the Lorax, hit us up. It reminded me of high school when I would spend a week straight at my friends’ houses in the summer just ‘cause it was fun and we could! I’m a biggg quality time girl, and PGFWABF so is Jenna. It was just so sweet to be in her company those few days, and it redeemed my last snow day experience in so many ways! Jenna is warm & inviting and she expresses her love & appreciation for others earnestly and sincerely. There is no one I would’ve rather spent those snow days with!
Emma!! Something you MUST know about Emma and I is that since the first week of knowing each other, Emma and I have been bed buddies on just about any retreat we go on, it seems. On our welcome retreat, Emma and I were the last girls to arrive at the lake house and all the girls had already claimed rooms upstairs… which meant Emma and I were condemned to the DUNGEON downstairs with the boys. If you’ve ever been to Ashley’s lake house, you know which room I mean. NO windows, a full size bed, and a steam shower right when you walk in with a translucent door. Not a good sight to see when you just met someone 6 hours ago. AND to top it all off we had to share a toilet with 7 boys we just met who were in the bunk room across from us... Yeah brutal start. But I must confess that the dungeon has become one of my favorite rooms!! Emma and I have stayed in that room every time we go back! Emma is a fellow middle child, and no offense to any non-middle children out there, but it’s just a fact that middle children are the best. Emma is the most willing to go along with any random shenanigan happening, and life just feels lighter and funnier with her! She is quick to meet me where I’m at, to invite me over when I’m roaming around town on a Monday without time to go back to my own house, to laugh with me at some of my most embarrassing moments at women’s retreat, and to wordlessly step away from a moment with anyone who just needs a second away from the chaos. Emma also goes SO hard in silent disco. She would beat you all in a dance battle, I’m convinced of it. What a gift it is to be Emma’s friend!
AG. You guys ever heard of Pine Cove? It’s all the rage in Texas! I spent my first summer as a Pine Cove counselor this summer, and when I got to Raleigh I was pleasantly surprised to find out that AG was also a counselor in South Carolina! Pine Cove has a million and one dances and phrases and traditions, and I’m sure other camps could say the same for them, BUT I only know Pine Cove. All the little dances I learned this summer were SO fun but no one else ever knows them so they will stay tucked away in my brain forever because I’ll most likely never work at camp again. OR SO I THOUGHT!! At a retreat this month, AG and I somehow got in a camp mindset, so naturally we cranked some of those songs on the speaker! It was joyous!! Nostalgic! Had me running around the living room smiling and dancing just because life felt light and fun and worth a cheesy worship song cranked up loudly! It is a comfort to have a shared connection with AG! Even today we had a little side moment in class when the word “gregarious” came up as a description of God. The only reason we knew that word was from this thing we do called CQs in Pine Cove (Bryan this is my public confession that I was the one who gave you gregarious). As the only Fellow from Texas, I don’t take these shared memories for granted. AG is selflessly hospitable. She is the first to seek you out in a crowded room. She is generous and goofy and will support the things that matter to the people she cares about!! It feels like a special gift to get to know AG more and more.
TESSA. From her instagram you may be inclined to think that Tessa is a certified Insta-baddie. But I’m here to tell you that’s not the full picture! Tessa is the silliest of goofs out there and simultaneously incredibly thoughtful and perceptive! I fear Tessa and I would get into oodles of trouble if we were left alone in a room too long. The schemes we scheme!! One of my favorite things to do with Tessa is to plan pranks that will have little to no effect on whatever victim we choose, but will leave us melting with laughter and a glorious feeling of “ooo we are SO bad!!!!” Tessa, along with Lola, is also the facilitator of our girly craft nights. Crafting is not my natural inclination, although I really wish it was!! I love the way Tessa’s love for creativity and artistic expression has created a space for all of us to craft together. I am surrounded by such talented and creative women who love to knit, crochet, make shrinkydinks, draw, embroider, dance, sing, and ugh so much more! Tessa is just the coolest. Code I’m so glad to be your friend.
EVY. The thing that always comes to mind when I think of Evy is that Evy makes space for you. Evy has made space for me in all different contexts, from the craziest of my screams to moments where all I have are tears. A moment in February that I particularly cherish with Evy was an impromptu cutie girl picnic in the sun with Tessa and Lola and Jubala sandwiches that quickly and probably unexpectedly for the girls turned into a Celeste tear fest! The weight of decisions I needed to make felt far too heavy to bear, and I just remember being met with care and reassurance that my tears were welcome. Evy, you spoke some kinddd words over me that day, and I hold them dear to my heart! From the first week together, Evy has been a comforting presence, someone who builds a bridge between us to meet me where I’m at. Evy’s encouragement is sincere and her laughter is contagious! EEP it’s so fun to be your friend!
LOLA. For anyone reading this who knew me BF (before fellows), you may never believe that I’m not the most competitive person here. But it’s true! Lola has me beat for SURE!! Phew, so thank you Lola for bearing that burden for me. AHAH Lola is just so special!! I have a distinct memory from February that really encapsulates so much of who Lola is to me. Let me set the scene for you: we are at the Bolash’s for their annual Valentine’s Day party, which if you’ve never gone, you must. It’s epic. But Liz is there and asks me about my future plans (as it seems everyone these days are doing. Guys we still have a few months of the program left okay!! Stop reminding me that the end is near!) We discuss, and Liz mentions Lola’s contained excitement for me if I decide to stay in Raleigh. For the sake of the story, I have no idea what I’m doing after Fellows, and I’m feeling really torn between two places right now. Lola, knowing this, has been holding in some of her personal bias for my sake. To offer advice even if it’s not what she personally hopes for! I wish I could do it justice in words what this means to me. Lola is the fiercest encourager of us all. She selflessly shows up, and is ready to rejoice with those who rejoice or weep with those who weep at the drop of a dime. Lola is incredibly patient. She is empathetic and thoughtful and will drop any plans or personal comforts to make sure her friends are safe and cared for! Lola is capable enough and determined enough to take over the whole world, in my opinion!! Lala, this semester of deeper friendship with you has been one of my favorite things about this semester.’
To love and to be loved.
February was a gift I want to open over and over again!
See ya next month,
Celeste