Why you MUST have girlfriends and pool parties (W Hotels)

I recently hosted a pool party for some of my girlfriends and not only did I take a half day Friday and enjoy myself, but I reflected on how important it was to have a good set of girlfriends in my life.

Life happens, kids, marriage, and family, but the one thing that has gotten me through so many things have been my girlfriends.  I went though a break up in my 20’s where I realized that I had relied only on my significant other.  It was a tough period where I found myself alone a lot and figuring stuff out.  I had one wonderful friend help me through that difficult time and it changed my life.  When I moved to Chicago, I made it an important step to meet and surround myself with good friends that I could relate to.  Now over 5 years later, I feel lucky to have these ladies in my life.

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With balancing kids, work and everything, my favorite thing is to head out with my friends to do anything at least once a week.  Whether or not your single or a mommy, having close girlfriends to talk to is important.  I think the hardest thing as you get older is finding the right friends, but also extending yourself to create those friendships. It’s a priority to connect with them and I make it so week to week.

Jenn     |    Ali

*Side note:  These beautiful photos were shot by Brooke. She is wonderful to work with and check out her site here.

Lauren

How have I met these wonderful women? A lot was through networking, events and blogger get togethers.  I’m not afraid to set a date for drinks, dinner or a cup of coffee.  Since I’ve lived in several cities, I’ve learned to be more outgoing and to set dates.  Making new friends is almost like dating.  You have to invite others out and create those friendships and don’t be afraid to put yourself out there!

Lauren   |  Janet

 

 

Rema is my trusty social media associate and photographer 🙂 she takes most of my instagram photos.

 

 

 

Johanna    |    Lauren    |    Helen  |    Shirley    |    Janet

 

Photos by Brooke – check out her site here.

Location of all these photos – the W Lakeshore Chicago
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Feel uncomfortable reaching out to strangers after you first met? Remember, someone’s got to take the first step and grabbing a fun lunch or drinks is easy! If you met at a social function it’s ok to reach out through facebook or instagram.  It is super common these days.  But it’s also really easy to grab their emails from those sites as well.  Set a date and follow through.  Or gather a few girls that you met to do a cocktail.

 

This pool party I hosted with the W Lakeshore Chicago was a blast.  They provided the disco drinks, yummy bites, cute floaties, our flower crowns and the perfect backdrop to our Friday’s girls pool party. One of the girls at the party, Shirley, was a social media friend! I had never met her and reached out over instagram to have her join as she moved to Chicago not so long ago.  I love meeting new people and as I said above, extend an invite and you’ll meet some great people.

 

Visiting Chicago and trying to find a great place to stay? The W Hotel Lakeshore has impeccable views, not too far from all the shopping, a Bliss Spa, a swimming pool (covered so you can swim in winter too), and this awesome wet deck you see in the photos that you can see the fireworks at every Saturday.

 

Need a boost for friends.  I went to an event for this new app Peanuts (basically tinder for mommy friends), it’s a great idea to find like minded mommies to get together with.  And for those that aren’t mommy’s there is BumbleBFF.  For me, I’ve done it the traditional way just meeting people out at events, but I do go to quite a bit due to my blog.  If you moved to a new city or just having a hard time relating to those you know, take that step.

 

As Carrie Bradshaw said it, “Maybe our girlfriends are our soul mates and guys are just people to have fun with.”  My girlfriends are a MUST have in my life.

 

Thanks to Brooke for the beautiful photos, the W Hotel Lakeshore for hosting the whole party and my girlfriends for attending!

 

Janet, Johanna , Lauren, Jena, Helen, Corri, Dani & Caitlin, Jenn  , Ali, Julie, Rema, Marlena and Shirley