People always told me, "College is the best four years of your life. Enjoy it while you can, it flies by!" And they were mostly right; it did fly by, I learned so much, it was a whole lot of fun, and I made friends with some of the most amazing and inspiring women I have ever met. But what came after college was just as exciting. What made it all that much more enjoyable (and in some regard manageable) was having close friends to share the big moments with, to grow-up with, and to go through all the ups and downs together with that are inevitably a part of growing into a full fledged "adult". It is for this reason that my college girl-friends hold such a special place in my heart. For those of you who have college girl-friends, this post is for you. Do you remember your first year of college? Some people have awful first year memories, but I have a positive one. What most people would consider an annoying or undesirable circumstance ended up being one of the best things that ever happened to my group of friends. At our school, Mount Holyoke College, most first year student dorm rooms are scrambled into the mix of buildings throughout the campus so that different years can interact. We, however, were cramped three to multiple double rooms on the fourth floor of South Rockefeller. And because the living space was undesirable, we were a floor of mostly first year students.

It was only a matter of time before we all became incredibly close as we bonded over the pains of being away from home, high-school relationships fizzling out, and navigating the rigors of college life paired with the fun of being independent. We quickly found our footing, became active in clubs, complained about teachers we were annoyed with and those we loved, and started to develop the type of women we would like to become. Little to our knowledge we were also forming what would end up being a lasting friendships unlike any we had ever experienced before.

So as the years spun shut as we sped towards graduation, we stuck together - moving from dorm to dorm as a solid unit. Though most friendships morphed and changed, a few of us stayed connected. We experienced our last "Mountain Day", made snow-angels during blizzards, shared jokes over hot-coco, worked on thesis's, left notes on doors, and enjoyed the ease and comfort of having your closest friends only a few feet away to watch movies with when you just couldn't study any more. And then we graduated; a studio art major, a philosophy major, a chemistry major, an early childhood education major, a biology major, and an anthropology major. Diverse as they come captured for a moment in one place, and then shot back into the real world, but eternally connected. Four years later and now we're grown up. Some of us have completed graduate school, others are married, soon to be married, or thinking about marriage. A couple of us almost have a "Dr." in front of our names! We're all professionals, and we're all over the country. But when big events take place, we're all in communication. So if you have your own girl-friends; if you spend time catching up over coffee and tea, or have "girl weekend" get-aways where you reminisce about "the good ol' times", here's a gift idea for you and your ladies.

Our Merian teacups and saucers come in a set of four. Each cup has it's own unique flower, but they all go together as a set. Fill a cup with cookies, tea, or anything special for your girls. Break them out each time you all get together, or send them their cups so that they have their own "special" cup & saucer to use when thinking about the love and support you all share.