Friends Like That

Ok, ok – so I ended up having a great weekend, after all.  I guess I shouldn’t be surprised; I was in Denver, and I never fail to have fun in Denver.  The thing is, I wasn’t there for one of my usual visits.  Instead, this was probably the first time I ever needed to be coerced into making the trek to Denver.  It’s not that I wasn’t excited to go back; I love my Mile-High City, even under the worst of circumstances.  It’s just that this trip involved a certain cringe-worthy pre-wedding tradition I was none too excited about… my bridal shower.

I don’t know why I was so opposed to a shower.  I knew it wasn’t going to involve nonsensical games or any of the other trite shower clichés I hate.  (I was promised.)  I guess part of me simply doesn’t like being the center of attention, so the thought of a group oohing and aahing, as I opened gifts, made me slightly panicky.  Besides, I’ve always viewed this particular tradition as being a little silly and prissy for my liking.  I’m much more of a rough-and-tumble girl than a lady-who-lunches, so I couldn’t picturing myself sitting around, discussing my wedding colors and what-not.  It just isn’t my style.  I would much rather be doing some crazy outdoor activities, or running a race, anything really.  But my Newport bestie was determined I have a bridal shower, no matter how vehemently I protested, so we packed our bags and headed off to Denver for a girls-only weekend.

Now that it’s all said and done, I will admit the shower wasn’t nearly as painful or cheesy as I thought it would be.  In retrospect, I’m not even sure what I was so scared of.  I like mimosas.  I like a good brunch.  I like hanging out with my girlfriends.  And that’s exactly what my shower was about – good drinks, good food, and an abundance of chit-chat.  And, much to my relief, the gift-opening awkwardness only lasted a few minutes.  So, I guess it’s good thing I have a friend in my life who knows what I need, even when I don’t.  It’s even better that she can ignore my unfounded protests and shove me in the right direction.  Because, if weren’t for friends like her, I would have missed out on a great weekend.