Galentine's Day

If you're a fan of the show, Parks and Recreation (which, like, who isn't?), then you know that GALentine's Day is just around the corner. It's a holiday invented by Leslie Knope, played by the always-brilliant Amy Poehler, which celebrates the friendship of gals. Here's the breakdown:

Via

While I'm sad to say that it is not yet recognized as a national holiday, I'm definitely holding out hope for the future of Galentine's. Today I celebrated this sacred day a bit early with some of my favorite women in all of New York City. Here are their faces:

My face is also in this one.

We enjoyed a truly scrumptious brunch from the good people at Boulton & Watt, and we talked about the French language, cheap manicures, and some of our life's greatest ambitions. It was wonderful, something I've been looking forward to all week, and in honor of this gathering, I made my lady friends some crafts (I crafted!).

True story: I had planned on stopping at a drug store on the way to buy a bunch of candy to put in these jars, but as always I was running late, so I just told them to fill them with their hopes & dreams. Thankfully, they were good sports about it.

Having a strong female community is literally one of my favorite things about being a person, and I am so glad to have had an opportunity to celebrate these lovelies. My life has been powerfully impacted by the encouragement of women, so to my friends all over the world of the female variety who have dazzled me with your friendship --

Happy Galentine's!

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Speaking of great gals, I'm excited to introduce you to Ashley who blogs over at Mint Sparkles!

First off, it should be noted that when I visit Ashley's blog, I just immediately get happy. Seriously, go there now because it has to be one of the most cheerful blog layouts ever! I'm a sucker for bright colors and sparkly goodness, so her aesthetic is right up my ally.

What I love about Ashley is that she has an eclectic combination of interests. She writes on a seriously impressive array of topics, but one of my favorites is her series called "Student Sessions". She's currently a student now, and she offers some awesome insights into how to make the most of your college experience. I definitely wish I could have had someone like this girl guiding me through college life (and on that note, I also wish I had a time machine to take me back to those good old days because, guys, college is awesome. Ashley, if you're reading this, stay in school forever.)

Another series you shouldn't miss on Mint Sparkles is "Techie Tuesdays" where Ashley introduces you to all of her favorite apps & gadgets while also providing some much-needed tech tips and tricks. If you're trying to decide which iPhone photo editing app to use, you should probably check out this post. If you want to know when the cheapest time to buy a flat screen TV would be, Ashley's got you covered with this post. Basically, anything tech-related -- this girl is writing about it in a super fun way. 

So seriously, if you're looking for a blog written by someone fun, smart, and down to earth (Ashley loves spending time watching instant Netflix and shopping in the dollar-section at Target...just. like. YOU!), do yourself a favor and hop on over to Mint Sparkles now. Tell her Christy sent you!