Thursday, January 17, 2013

Vajanuary

Welcome to Vajanuary, the very special month I invented back when I was the only girl on the staff of an outdoors high school in South America, enduring a never ending onslaught of flaunted muscles, man-fests, bonfires, shirt-lessness and bearded men who were forever declaring their love for whiskey and driving with one elbow out the window NO MATTER HOW COLD IT WAS.
(Why did I leave that place?) (What is it with men talking about whiskey?)

Vajanuary was my antidote to this unending Movember- a month dedicated to spending time outside in the company of ladies, doing essentially whatever you want to do and ordering your drinks extra girly with a twist.  It's a holy month. And I began this year's in Missoula, where Nici and I indulged in all good girlfriend activities.
Late at night, we lay side by side on the living room floor and wrote, both pushing our deadlines to the breaking point. We were constantly interrupting one another's concentration with just one more thing- one more thing we have to discuss about writing or life before I swear, I'll let you work, and she kept putting a fresh martini in my hand until, sometime around midnight, I couldn't figure out what the hell I'd been sad about lately. Life was fantastic!

The thing is, at Nici's house, life is fantastic. I'm tossed awake up from a very peaceful sleep to Margot and Ruby jumping on the bed and pulling away the covers, and Andy puts a double espresso in my hand and then we go sledding. Sledding is followed by more coffee, and food, and card games and books and writing and talking and writing and talking. Then we go to sleep and do it all again.

And my God, but that woman makes a good Martini.
On Monday evening, Nici gathered up her girlfriends and we met a brewery for the things girls do best: talking. At length. About everything. Telling stories about ourselves and everyone we know. Leaving the table only to get another pint of beer, chasing it with red wine and the best burgers in Montana. Becoming louder, our laughter out of control, waving our hands around to get the point across.
No simpler way to say it: I love that woman and her sweet, chill, gorgeous family. I love the way she invites me so warmly into the workings of her household, the way she generously shares her friends with me around a wooden table covered in peanut shells, the way she gets me all liquored up on Montana Juniper and forces me to confront my fear of olives.

Happy Vajanuary! Are you celebrating?

9 comments:

SmithShack71 said...

Happy Vajanuary to you! I read Nici, and I think hanging with her would be a blast.
I left you a comment a bit back, but I think my computer freaked and it didn't go through, and I had to leave. So, here I'm saying again... I found your blog a long while back, then lost it. I read a comment of yours somewhere, maybe at Dig's?, and thought -I like this person. I clicked on your name and it led me back to this blog, and I was so stoked!
So, hello. I'm Angie and I really enjoy your writing and stories.

Catherine said...

OK, so now you really have to write a post about your olive fear... you got us all scratching our heads (you have mentionned that a couple of times before already...).

Nici said...

You are always welcome here where, apparently, you will NEVER be thirsty!

Happy to have been a part of your Vajanuary.

xxoo

Anonymous said...

Let me preface this comment with I'm not sure what is and is not appropriate to blog/ comment about. So yea, I hope this isn't wrong to write on your Blog, blog BLOGGGG- what an awful sounding word…

If you want Vajanuary to spread faster than movember you should have ladies shave a mustache into their meh hem's as a take that now you have to deal with something gross for the next month too.

It could also help to have a killer cause to promote. But ladies, I don't think you should update your Facebook profile pictures, there are probably other websites that would appreciate anonymous cooch shots.

CV

Baby By The Sea said...

Waking in her house is so good. It's free and, seriously, the most chill home of friends I've had the pleasure of staying at. So glad she could bring joy, get you back on track to laughter and ladies and relaxing.

Melina said...

Hi Angie, I did get your comments before- blogger has this way of making people think their comments have disappeared. sorry about that!

I'm so glad you're reading along and that you found me- again!

Good to meet you and I hope i hear from you more!
xoxo
melina

Sara, Plain and Tall said...

Solid female friendships are hard to find. I have a couple that I hold in a death grip, after being disappointed over so many others. I love that I'm not the only one whose filled to the brim with lovin' on my closest friends kiddos. As a single girl, sometimes just getting the 'love waves' (my dear friend's 4.5 year old Marie calls them that) is enough to put the bandaid on a bleeding heart. Thanks for naming the month I've been savoring. :)

Our Home Grown Adventures said...

I love the idea of Vajanuary!

I envy the relationship you and Nici have.. Oh to have a girlfriend where we could sit and talk and write and laugh... I dream of it :)

Hope you're having a great weekend
Liane x

adventurekate said...

What a fantastic new holiday! I'm fully adopting it. I've been a reader for a few years now, and I'm completely hooked. I can't remember how I found your blog, and I have fallen into the "no comments! She doesn't know you!" trap for a long time! You are the voice of the twenty-somethings, holding the huge uncertainties and huge opportunities and somehow making the tension between the two poignant and hilarious. Thank you. Katie