Galentine’s Day

 

When I first entered the blogging world four and a half years ago, I really didn’t see myself connecting with a lot of women. I place a lot of the blame on myself being a total homebody and introvert (yes, I am super shy when I don’t know people!). I found myself not going to events because I was afraid I wouldn’t know anyone so I just stayed home and missed out on great opportunities. As an adult, I also found it very hard to create genuine friendships with other women because I have pretty high standards for those I choose to spend my time with. When I don’t feel comfortable with someone, I often feel a great deal of pressure to make that person like me (I am a total people pleaser by nature) even if I don’t see us becoming friends. I know, it’s really weird, but that’s just who I am and I’ve come to accept it. I choose my friends very carefully and I can honestly say that blogging has been the best way for me to make some of the best friendships that I have ever had.

Even in an oversaturated market, blogging is still considered niche, meaning some of your friends and family that are not a part of the blogging world don’t really understand the in’s and out’s of what it means to be a blogger. The work I put in on top of your 9-5 job, the hours I spend creating interesting content, and negotiating with brands I work with can be both exhilarating and isolating because it can feel like you’re the only one going through this since most people don’t really understand why you “do this to yourself.” This comment always infuriates me because it makes you feel stupid for doing something that you love. Plus, the bloggers I know are some of the hardest working women I know! However, I have gotten quite good at shrugging off the “non-believers,” and feel incredibly lucky to have found an extremely supportive group of women to talk about these types of things with.

As I mentioned previously, making friends with women as an adult has been challenging for me. However, blogging has almost forced me to get better at networking (social interaction!? AHHHH!) and through attending events, I have grown quite close to this group of Bay Area bloggers. It always starts off by seeing them at events, then you start chatting and realize how much you have in common even outside of blogging, and a friendship is born. If you have followed me for awhile, you know that I am exceptionally close with my friends Sarah of Sassy Red Lipstick and Veronica of Lombard and Fifth. Because of my relationships with them, I have grown so much more confident as a person since we love attending events together and just talking about everything under the sun. Sometimes we don’t even talk about blogging and this is how I knew how solid our friendships with each other were. Through both of them, I have met so many other amazing women that I would call friends. All of them are amazing in their own way and I just love when we have moment’s like this Galentine’s Brunch that Sarah hosted with Le Marais Bakery to further connect and deepen our friendships.

Okay, let’s take a step away from cheesy-ville (sorry, I just love this group of women!) and talk about this incredible Galentine’s Brunch that I experienced this week. Sarah and Le Marais Bakery were a freaking dream team and their attention to detail was impeccable. I felt so honored to be one of the women in attendance! Not only did they completely spoil us all rotten with the most delicious never-ending French food but their hospitality was amazing. They made every single one of us feel incredibly special and I was truly humbled by how much work they put into this event. If you have not been to Le Marais Bakery yet, it is a MUST stop in San Francisco. Their food is some of the best I’ve tasted and it’s definitely become a go-to spot for me to take friends and family to since they opened last year. From the croissants to the custom bowls and food boards to the decadent desserts, you really can’t go wrong ordering off this menu. Plus, the entire restaurant is so Instagram worthy that you can snap photos as you shove delicious pastries into you mouth.

Thank you Sarah and Le Marais Bakery for the most incredible day!

If you want to be inspired by this group of women on the daily, make sure you follow along on their blogs/Instagram!

Sarah, @sassyredlipstick

Veronica, @lombardandfifth

Katie, @katiedeanjewelry

Kelsey, @kelseykaplanfashion

Shannon, @shannonwillardson

LaTisha, @latishaspringer

Brooke, @excessmatters

Erika, @whiskeyandlace

Katie, @lolaandivy

Mandana, @girlandthebay

And a huge special thank you to Alexis Exstrom for capturing this event with her gorgeous photos!