Dear Danielle

Today you turn thirty.

It's not clear what happens when this all burn out.

You are here...

I miss this view.

...and I am here.

But this one is nice too.

I am currently 443 miles away, but I really would walk the 5 days and 15 hours google tells me it would take to get to you if I could.

And I would walk 500 miles and I would walk 500 more.

I'd buy you some of these...

Bianca is my favorite.
It's the only thing Serena and I have in common.

...make you one of these...

And you know it would be epic.  Once upon a time
I was falling in love, now I'm only falling apart.

...bake you some of these.

Sugar free, of course.

We'd listen to this...

...or this...

...while eating this...

I'd let you get all the flavors cuz it's your birthday. 

...or this...

Probably not homemade on account of the fire.

...or these.

Turns out everyone likes them.

I'd take you here...

To hang with Clooney and the gang.

...or here.

To see Pauly D and Clinton Sparks. 

So we could do this...

I'd make this face the whole time.  I wouldn't get many dates, but you would laugh.

...or this...

Our thighs would totes be that skinny.

...and a little of this...

Bottle service, bitches.

...or even, just this.

My favorite thing to do with you.

I miss you all the time and wish that you would please just move to DC already.  I can't tell you how sad I am that I don't get to celebrate with you today.  This planet has been better off for the last thirty years that you've been on it.  I hope that in my absence you take the time to celebrate fabulous, inspiring, phenomenal you.

And then, do a little of this...

You deserve it.  And you look damn good doing it.

Happy 30th, Ms. Festino.  I love you more than Disney musicals and fancy shoes.

xo kate

The last days of my twenties

I'm turning thirty next week.

Yep. I'm horrified too. And thus, I'm stocking up on retinol, vitamin d, and fish oil.  I'm also hoping to buy that neat meatloaf magic thing, but that is neither here nor there...

A friend told me that now is the time to take pause and reflect on the journey that was my twenties;  I should think about how I've grown, changed, and found my true self.

Hrmph. That sounded dull and cliche, so instead I just putzed around on Facebook and stumbled upon this gem on Melissa's page...

They say that a picture worth a thousand words, and I think this shot, taken around the time of my 21st birthday, sums it alllll up.  Wouldn't you agree?

So let's just crack on, shall we?  Ready or not, thirty--here I come. 

To blog or not to blog.

Guys. I've been M.I.A from the blog. The reason for my absence and lack of wordsmithing is that I hurt my upper back. And you are not going to believe how...

I sneezed.

Yep. Pathetic.

I'm healing and spending more time with the laptop and will be back to posting next week.

In the meantime, how have you been you old so and so?

Greatest Hits: If you join, he will come

So, as you may have guessed from our co-authored blog, D and I are besties.  We have been friends for almost nine years.  We went to college together.  At Wellesley.  We have spent many a drunken night at Bell in Hand (I miss you, Boston).  In short, we love theychuothers.  So it is with nothing but the spirit of that love that sometimes even I have to laugh at the crazy antics Danielle gets herself into with boys.  This hilarious post chronicles her online correspondence with some less-than-worthy-of-her-wonderful suitors.  It cracks me up and is one of my very favorites from the first year of W&W.

Revisit it for yourself here.

xo kate

Ghetto superstar, that is what you are...

People know me:  http://www.nextlevelboston.com/information.html

Yep.

It's someone's special day!

My very favorite wildcat is celebrating her birthday today!  To honor this momentous occasion, I'm going to share with you some of the things that I love about my co-author extraordinaire.

The birthday girl with her birthday dessert.
You can't tell from the picture, but the birthday dress was entirely gold sequins.
And she looked phenomenal.  

Besides being a fantastic wildcat -- as evidence by her wit, charm and sophistication on this blog -- the birthday girl is also one of my best friends.  Danielle is also one of those unique, fun-loving souls that can make everything feel like an adventure.  Even the most mundane and boring chores (like dorm meetings or studying) are fun when you're with her.  And she can make seemingly ordinary outings -- like stopping for hummus on a Tuesday night in January -- feel like an event.  For reals, I'd even go to the DMV or the dentist with this chick.  She's that much fun.  And she can dance like nobody's business.  Which probably wouldn't be very useful at the DMV or the dentist but I felt like it was worth mentioning.

But, this convivial spirit is not all just fun and fireworks.  She is also a loyal, trustworthy friend and the kind of person that you want on your side.  Danielle is the first person to reach out when a friend is in need, and she comes running in, armed with whatever you may need: a listening ear, sage advice, a snarky comment, hard liquor, a big hug or all of the above.

When I first met Danielle, I couldn't understand why she was still surrounded by so many people from her past -- she is remarkably close to her family and childhood cohorts, as well as dorm mates and friends from all avenues of her life -- but as I got to know her, I realized that she's the kind of person that once she's in your life, you can't imagine ever being without.  You know, like the way you feel about your iPod, or indoor plumbing.

Danielle and I first met in college, where pretty much every person on campus wanted to be in her wolfpack.  I'm so happy that I'm one of the lucky ones who gets to be.  Happy Birthday, wildcat.  Here's to many more.

xo kate