Cheers to 20 years of Friendship!
Hi homebodies,
Grab a snack because this is going to be a long one, I’m already claiming this as my favorite post of them all. 20 years ago I met my bestfriend and we have been like two peas in a pod since then. It’s so amazing to have been given a sister by God himself. I really hope you all can enjoy this post and the celebration of a great friendship with us. We planned to do something but then the making of a button up that wasn’t the exact fit I wanted was the birth of this amazing blog post.
I wish I could tell you all about everything we’ve been through but if you’ve been around for 20 years or longer you understand how much can happen in that amount of time. We have literally went from mud pies and backyard picnics to drinking tequila and road trips. To know me is to know that I hold my friends high because each one is amazing and each has a reason for being there. As much as you hate your name being displayed publicly I just want to say I love you Zahnenea Yahnelle Graves and I’m so excited for the next 20 years.
Enjoy!
***stick around for some throwback pictures***
What is a bestfriend?
Zahnenea: someone you value and can trust. Someone you can always count on no matter what the case may be. Also, someone you can have fun with and be your true self
Alexis: honestly a bestfriend is everything you need. The person that listens to you when you just need to talk and the person that encourages your personality to shine.
My bestfriend is my bestfriend because…
Zahnenea: she is awesome! Not just that, but because we share so many similarities but still are very different
Alexis: I cant imagine it any other way. She just gets it right each time, even when I feel like I don’t deserve her she’s there for me.
My bestfriend is my…
Zahnenea: listening ear when I need her to be. Even though I’m not the type who likes to express myself. But when I do she is always there for me regardless. She is also my inspiration.
Alexis: security blanket, the one person that understands that sometimes I just have to get the negative thoughts out before I can move on. She’s a HUGE support for me.
My bestfriend has taught me…
Zahnenea: to take risk. In her words “just go for it” and also to just live stress free meaning just let things play out how its going to play out and not beat yourself up trying to correct it.
Alexis: that a lot of stuff is all in my head, she has also taught me that my skills are greater than I give myself credit for.
Who is my bestfriend?
Zahnenea: Alexis Lavon McNabb who is very smart, creative, optimistic, ambitious, silly, loyal, caring, open, and very BOLD. A person who is very true to herself and has a big heart.
Alexis: my bestfriend is the most chocolatety and beautiful person. She’s so mean and tough even though she’s so kind and sensitive. Her generosity and support can’t be matched. She is the sister that my mom never gave birth to but God blessed us with. She is the person that I know I will never be without.
My favorite thing about my bestfriend is…
Zahnenea: how bold she is, meaning in her creativity, in the way she expresses herself appearance wise, vocally and how she moves in life
Alexis: its so many. I love that when she gets drunk she’s ready for a dance battle or that she gradually gets louder and louder with each drink. I love that she’s always down to have fun, or that she is always there to help out. I love that even after 20 years she still wants to be my bestfriend
What does 20 years of friendship feel like?
Zahnenea: unreal because now since times have changed its hard to find genuine people who you can trust on that level, but I’m glad I was able to
Alexis: looking back its overwhelming to realize you have honestly grown up with someone that didn’t have to always be there
What has 20 years of friendship been like?
Zahnenea: its been amazing being friends since kids and able to witness our growth and now as adults our friendship is steady growing and becoming more solid.
Alexis: its been 20 years of sleepovers, bike rides, mud pies, holidays, birthdays, laughing, crying, and everything else. 20 years of friendship has truly been a blessing you get so deeply involved in someone’s life and them with yours that it’s hard to imagine it any other way.
How have you made 20 years of friendship work?
Zahnenea: by making sure I’m present in the friendship at all times, being my silly and outgoing self, sharing laughs, tears, and making great memories
Alexis: I think we have a great balance of suffocating each other then going off to do our own thing. We went to separate colleges and I remember after we both come home after graduating we spent so much time together making up for lost time. Its about understanding each other and learning to ignore the attitudes. After 20 years you definitely have times when you bicker like an old married couple but it comes with the territory. We both have things that we dislike about each other but you either deal with it or lose your bestfriend. In a long term friend you have to learn your bestfriend, like what is the best way (and time) to get this into her head. Its really all about knowing your bestfriend and not expecting any other reactions than the ones their capable of.
What’s the plan for the next 20 years?
Zahnenea: to become great being successful in whatever career path we choose, taking trips, making more great memories and of course having good laughs. Really being truly & purely happy
Alexis: our BIGGEST plan is to walk around like were better than everybody else (lmao) no seriously in the next 20 years I’m just excited to be by her side as she crushes every goal she has planned for herself. Were also going to travel and drink ALOT!!!
Now for the details for all my homebodies that care about recreating these looks. I think you all should know by know that majority of the time I’m just winging it when it comes to this sewing thing. My dress is just a circle skirt (Circle Skirt Calculator) it had to be divided into four pieces because of the size but it was very straight forward. I added four gold grommets and gold chains for the straps. My shoes are from Fashion Nova and honestly this was my first time wearing them and I’m sad to say they are too tight. So they will definitely be making an appearance on my Poshmark. I never talk about hair but I’m still growing out my hair from a big chop and this was a quick pick up from my local beauty supply store.
Now let’s get into Zahnenea’s outfit! Those white pants were suppose to be sequin but life happened, the sequin pants will be making an appearance on my Instagram at some point tho. After numerous YouTube tutorials I finally found one that taught me how to draft up a pants pattern. The jacket, honestly I used a t-shirt for the pattern, made a belt and decided to split the sleeves because I LOVE a dramatic sleeve. Zahnenea’s hair was done by me and all accessories are from SheIN. All fabric for those looks are from FabricWholesaleDirect my dress is Neoprene and Zahnenea’s outfit is Scuba Double Knit.
Below are some close up shots of our button ups, the fabric is from Oak Fabric: Plaid Cotton Flannel, Yarn Dyed Flannel / Denim Herringbone (unfortunately it’s out of stock), and Washed Denim. If you read “My 10 Favorite Stores for Fabric” blog post you know I was raving about Oak Fabric before I even received my first order and I stand by that excitement. I used Simplicity 1538 View B and simply divided the everything to get the look I was going for.
