Wednesday, July 29, 2015

What The Thread Means to Me.

There is a group of four women. Four uniquely individual women united in friendship and bound by solidarity. They have distinct strengths that make them warriors and admitted flaws that make them beautifully human.

They are for each other what every woman out there needs. A sounding board, a shoulder to cry on, an honest critic, a motivator... among other things. They are a sisterhood fueled by inside jokes and inappropriate humor but more importantly a cohesiveness bore from respect and adoration for one another.

They are, The Thread.

I first became acquainted with this enchanting group of gals back in 2012 when I started blogging. I found Brandy's blog (Mannly Mama) first and from there started to read the other ladies blogs. Initially I enjoyed reading their posts because they are all working moms like myself. But then there was something more about all of them that drew me in. Like the cool kid in class you gravitate toward because they are exciting and all the things you want to be but feel less-than most of the time.

Through eloquence, humor, or just raw real life, The Thread shares the types of things that have you nodding your head as you read because you can relate or even have you literally LOL-ing at their stories. I've learned so much from these women and I hope they know the positive impact they have on the world around them.

That might seem exaggerated but if the four of them found each other across the US and across country boarders through the power of Social Media, then the impact that the four of them have on others is also just as powerful.

From the The Thread I've learned parenting and marriage tips, the importance of being your authentic self, and even that an IUD could go missing... in your body... and have to be surgically removed. I've learned that self-confidence is beautiful and so is wearing your flaws like a badge and not giving two fucks about it.

I've gained style inspiration from Alicia thanks to her daily #officefashionshow. Plus, the way she writes, digesting her thoughts in a manner so impassioned and thought-provoking, I am just in awe of her many talents. To me she comes across as a free spirit and raising three simply delicious little girls she is clearly encouraging their authentic selves to shine as brightly as hers.

I feel I can relate very much to Kat. A "people pleaser" and ray of sunshine with an unexpected dirty sense of humor. She wrote a post called, "I always thought there'd be three" and I literally had tears streaming down my face as I held my newborn daughter in my arms trying to make heads or tails of my own child-rearing future. Then I shrieked with excitement when she announced she was pregnant with her third and quickly empathized when she admitted it was a surprise. ::raises hand:: Been there. Oh and the girl's physique?!?! fuhgettaboutit. Those Barre classes are working, sista!

Brandee is the one out of the four that I've watched from afar. We haven't had too much interaction but I've read her blog for a while. In fact, when my daughter was born I would be nursing her in the wee hours of the night and Brandee would be blowing up the twitter feeds entertaining me with dialogues on her secondary infertility. I read tweets that used humor (they were pretty darn funny) to mask the pain she was feeling. I wanted so badly to reach through the phone and just give her a hug. Not the "it will get better hug" that no one wants when it doesn't feel like things will get better, but more of the "this fucking sucks" hug that you need when something in your life just fucking sucks. When I read her announcement that she was pregnant with the infamous #sciencebaby, I welled up and wanted to then give her a congratulatory hug! It was from her posts that I learned what secondary infertility was and I can only imagine the immense help her information was for other couples struggling the same as her.

Lastly, my girl Brandy. Her humor and go-with-the-flow approach to parenting and life in general was so refreshing. She cusses like a sailor and drinks whiskey like a boss! Clearly a girl after my own heart! I slowly started to engage in some "offline" discussions with her on topics that I hadn't even talked about with my closest friends. She was always open to chat and her advice was always on point. It's hard for me to put into words how Brandy has impacted me. She puts herself out there so unaplogetically, so fearlessly in a way that a modest, insecure gal like myself admires so much. In fact, she doesn't know it (until now) she's inspired me to make some shifts within myself toward a more confident way of being. She is a breathe of fresh air and a rare gem.

The Thread is making their annual pilgrimage of friendship to Denver this week. So I will have the chance to meet them face-to-face for brunch. You guys!!! Did you hear that? I get to crash The Thread's party and do my best not to be a total buffoon around them. I wanted to share all of this here instead of in person because... AWK-ward.

So there you have it. The Thread. If you didn't know about them before, ya welcome. If you knew them already and are totally jealous of the fact that I get to meet them in person on Saturday, you should be. ;) They are four of the most badass women out there and all of us should be so lucky to have a Thread-like crew in our own lives.

Hat's off to you ladies! Here's to friendship!

And whiskey.

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