My friends and I have tried to get together for a girls’ weekend at least once a year for the past twenty-something years. (Wait, twenty-something?? How is that possible? I still feel like I’m 25…most of the time.) Of course, the pandemic threw a wrench into those plans for a while, so when we were finally able to get together again, it felt like coming home. I mean, these are the girls I can be 100% myself with…I can let my guard down and say anything — no matter how ridiculous — without fear of any judgment whatsoever.
Teasing?
Yes.
LOTS of that with this group…but no judgment.
40th Birthday Idea: Girls’ Weekend + Matching Pajamas + Party
These pics were taken a couple of months before my brain surgery (my 40th birthday, actually) and since we hadn’t gotten together in such a long time we went ALL out with the celebrating. And I mean all. Out. We all turned 40 in 2021, so while it happened to be my birthday, we were all celebrating the same milestone.
These are the girls I grew up with…the ones I’ve known for forever. It’s hard to put our friendship into words, but put simply: we’re family. We’ve shared everything from our first school dances to our first heartbreaks (some of us had more of those than others 🙋♀️), graduation and going away to college, celebrating our weddings, having babies and allll of the things in between. Our inside jokes are too many to count and our love for one another runs deep — you mess with one of us, you mess with all of us.
When my dad died they dropped everything to be by my side; they knew him and loved him too. And when I got my brain tumor diagnosis, they were there for me again with anything I needed.
satin leaf pjs (also in a shorts version)
And what I needed prior to that insanely scary surgery? Was to party.
Thankfully, my friends were all too happy to oblige.
I wanted to dress up (you know I’m fancy like that — especially after so many months inside the house) and they not only agreed but also let me book a photoshoot as well. (They really love me.)
But it wouldn’t be my birthday without a dance party. So my husband surprised me by arranging our own personal DJ (with lights and huge speakers…the whole thing) and my friends decorated our favorite local AirBnb with a ton of streamers and balloons. They also bought a ridiculous amount of food and drinks…we were set for a party of 50 but only had a handful of us. It. Was. Awesome.
We drank champagne, danced, ate lots of food (pretty much in that order) and laughed until we cried. All. Weekend. Long. It was literally the best birthday I’ve ever had.
If you know me, celebrating almost always includes matching pjs. So, of course, I bought these matching pjs as a surprise for everyone…
…but since my friends know me so well, they ALSO bought matching pjs for us. (They’re not just for bridesmaids, you guys!) They were great to crawl into after wearing our fancy dresses so long.
satin leaf pjs (also in a shorts version)
So that’s (finally) the story of my 40th birthday…if you have any big celebration coming up, I highly recommend booking a DJ and a photographer. They’re worth every penny.
(Having fun friends helps, too.)
XOXO,
Scotti
photo credit: Lahti Photography
Abby, thank you so much for capturing these moments for us! We LOVE having them!
