Welcome to Ruth Lillian!!
I am so excited for this week’s guest writer, my friend Lilly. I’ve known Lilly for close to nine years now, and oh boy have we been through it together. Lil and I used to host a Lizzie McGuire podcast, and we saw it through to the fireworks in Rome. Way back when, we used to carpool to RUF ministry team, and then complain about people on the way home. Lilly is the first person I call when I’m having a bad day, and I know that I’m not the only person in her life that would say this. One of our good friends was talking about how Lilly walked through a tough season with her, and she said that Lilly would take this friends shoes off for her when she just couldn’t find the strength after a long day. And I think that perfectly encapsulates Lillian as a friend, she’s the type of person who takes your shoes off for you when you just can’t.
It’s really special to me to think back on the early days of our friendship. And if you had told me in 2012, that in 2021 I would be talking to Lilly everyday, and that that would also be the year we both date bald guys, I can’t say I would have believed you. That’s the wonderful thing about life-friends, you get to see all the ways that God has been and continues to be at work. All the happy little surprises.
You can follow Lilly on Instagram here. You can buy her book here. Also, feel free to comment on this post.
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This sentence now has links to the my instagram, and old issues of the newsletter. And here is a picture of me and Lilly, the ultimate travel companion.
Lilly, introduce yourself
Thanks Katherine for letting me guest-write this week! Even though Katherine is one of my best friends, being able to write for the newsletter makes me feel ~famous~. I truly look forward to reading this every week and I like to evangelize about the newsletter when I can because it's like Katherine automatically becomes your friend even if you're not really friends...and I know from experience that Katherine is a great friend to have. So...all this to say that y'all better be doing the Lord's work and sharing the newsletter with your homies.
Okay and now on to my Five Things this week...
Number One: Girlfriend Collective
Listen, I know that we are big Outdoor Voices fans around these parts, but let me just incline your ear for a second about Girlfriend Collective. Girlfriend Collective is an activewear brand like Outdoor Voices, but all of their materials are made ethically from recycled water bottles, polyester, fishing nets, and other waste. I just did a quick google search, and Girlfriend Collective is also slightly less expensive than Outdoor Voices! They have inclusive sizing and models which I also really appreciate. I am absolutely obsessed with their high-rise biking shorts, these running shorts that have pockets, this sports bra, and I recently bought their version of an exercise dress. I've heard great things about their leggings as well!
Number Two: Supper Club
My group of friends in Dallas recently decided that we wanted to start doing a supper club once a month. Supper Club is just a fun way to say "lets intentionally cook each other a meal together at someone's house". My roommate and I came up with this idea after I bought myself the New York Times Essential Cookbook and cooked our friends lamb shank back in the winter. I loved cooking something I had never cooked before, and I love being able to share that experience with people I enjoy most. I wanted to continue to cook fancy and interesting meals from that cookbook so what better way to get my use out of it than by trying something new once a month! We had our first official Supper Club a few weeks ago, and it was a blast. Here's to hoping that it's not a one time thing that we never do again ;)
Number Three: Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?
It's technically not our Shania year (#ouryearofFaith) anymore, but dang do I love this song. I think I love it so much because it gives me sweet nostalgic memories of singing into a hair brush or candlestick or wooden spoon with my mom at the age of 6. I had no idea what it meant for a man's boots to be under someone else's bed or why it was bad, but dang did I really love to belt about it. I'm still not sure if I really resonate with the song now at the age of 27 but it's still a bop.
Number Four: The Jesus Storybook Bible
I have had two close couple friends give birth this month and I gave both of their babies the Jesus Storybook Bible. I have a copy myself and I sometimes like to read it as a little devotional. The first couple pages of the book always make me cry. The way that Sally Lloyd-Jones beautifully presents the gospel and the overarching story of redemption in the Bible is truly a masterpiece. If I know that a couple who is about to have a baby doesn't have this book, I've made it my personal responsibility to purchase it for them.
Number Five: Set your single girlfriends up with your other single guy friends, if you don't have any of those then run someone else's dating profile for them
This may be something Katherine wants to talk about in another edition of the newsletter, but over the last few months both Katherine and I have managed each other's dating profiles. We all know that dating online is literally the worst. I don't really need to explain why it's the worst to you, just go look at the millions of Tik Toks about it. It was really fun and refreshing to have someone else managing the profile for me, and it is also fun to be involved with finding your friends potential dates as well! It's the modern version of setting your friend up on a blind date. The key here is to be open and honest that these guys aren't actually talking to your friend, and also to have a list of "qualifying" questions for each suitor you talk to (because at the end of the day the goal is to get them talking with your friend not to be chit chatting with you for days). I think I can speak on behalf of singles (who want to be dating) that all they really want is to know that their friends are in their corner and have their back when it comes to finding that MOG or P31. That can look a lot like setting them up with your single friends (if you think it would be a good fit) or running their dating profile. Overall, it's been a pleasant experience for both of us. It's because of Katherine that I am now in a relationship, so now I owe her big time to find a cutie with a good credit score (note from Katherine: must also be a good driver) :) If you know any men in the KC metro area...I would say you should let me know but actually you should let Katherine know because this is her newsletter.