Fun with my girlfriends

I went to Pittsburgh Saturday morning for one of my best friends, Jackie, in honor of her bridal shower and bachelorette party. I'm lucky enough to be one of her bridesmaids and got to help plan both of these events, and they turned out perfectly. Friday night (as you can see from earlier posts) I was grumpy and sad about staying in to cook and prepare for the weekend, but it ended up being very worthwhile. I was completely prepared for all of Saturday's events and had a blast!

I suspected that there would be lots of delicious goodies both at the shower and for the bachelorette party, so I packed accordingly. I took pumpkin pie and extra flatbread and honey that were easy to munch on while all the other women ate their cake. I also tried to bring more "finger foods" for the evening, in lieu of chips, dips, etc., so I brought hard boiled eggs, veggies, and grapes to satisfy my cravings. Although it was a little difficult to resist the buffalo chicken dip, I was pleased with myself for having "prepared for the worst."

Another important aspect of the day and evening was alcohol, of course. I came prepared with a half gallon of my hard cider, and it turned out perfectly. I enjoyed the party as much as the rest of the girls and took my cider to the bars, and I'm pretty sure it tasted better than any of their beers!

Throughout the day and night, people were very curious why I was eating and drinking different things, which sparked a lot of conversation about my project. I tend to be on the shy side of this - I don't like the attention drawn to me, and I'm always worried I'll come off as being "elitist" or "snobby" when I say I'm only eating organic local foods. I was able to talk about my project without hesitation, however, because everyone was so positively interested in what I'm doing. They asked tons of questions and are interested in pursuing similar goals. It was great to be able to guide people in their eating decisions, and I was flattered at the "role model"
position I'd assumed. Overall, the day and night couldn't have been more perfect, and I will consider it an event that marks my project's success.