The Girlfriend Guide: Sarah From Sunlight After Rain

This week's edition of the Girlfriend Guide features the lovely Sarah from
Sunlight After Rain, one of the most inspirational blogs out there.  Sarah is so genuinely
kind and loving, I am so happy to call her "friend"!  I hope that you enjoy her take
on girlfriends, these girls are so lucky to have her!

Sarah
Sunlight After Rain
Honestly? I'm just a 20 year old college girl who is trying to figure out who she is.
I write a lot about my life and the people around me :)

1. Introduce us to your best friend!  When, where, and how did you meet?

You know what? I have had a lot of best friends over the years, so I hate picking just one.
So, I'm going to introduce you to a few instead!

First off is Briana. I met her when I was 11 at an acting camp. We have the same goals in
life (to move to NYC and to try and make a career in acting) and so we've just grown
together over the past nine years. I love our friendship because we can go months
and months at a time without talking and then get dinner together like no time has
passed :)

Secondly, there is Jessica. Jessica and I met when we worked at a supermarket together
in my junior year of high school. I love my friendship with Jessica because we actually
didn't talk for a whole year of our friendship. We let a fight get in between us, but after
about a year of not talking we apologized to each other and worked our issues our - and now
I don't know what I'd do without her!

Thirdly, there is Michelle. Michelle and I are newer friends - while I had always known her
as a fellow theatre major, we never really talked until we worked on a show together
last January. We bonded on a trip to Georgetown Cupcakes and haven't looked back since :) 

2. What is your personal definition of friendship?

Actually, I've thought a lot about this recently. Just a year ago, I had this strong 'group'
of friends centered around my boyfriend at the time. We were all very close and
very involved in each other's lives. However, when we broke up they weren't (and still
aren't) anywhere to be found....Life's funny that way. You think you know who your
friends are and who will be there for you, but then you see how it is. It sucks sometimes -
but, in the end, it really is worth it :) 

3. What qualities do you look for in a girlfriend?

 I really just look for maturity and reciprocity in a friendship. I'm still in college, so
many people around me have a lot of well, drama in their life. I've been lucky enough to
find a group of people who really listen and respect me - and, that's all I really ask for :) 

4. How do you balance spending time with friends and fostering 
relationships with work and family?

As a college kid, I'm very connected to both my phone and my computer. For me, it
really is as simple as sending a text or leaving a post on a wall telling someone to have a
good day or asking them how they are doing. We're lucky enough to live in a day and
age where even though texting someone can be impersonal, it can also be someone's best
tool to help you keep in touch.

5. What advice would you give other women about having healthy, 
happy friendships?

Treat people as you want to be treated. If you want a friend who will listen to you and
be there for you when you have problems, then you have to do the same for them.

6. How has having strong friendships enriched your life?

In the first year of college, I had some horrible friends who didn't really care about me. I
tried so hard to be friends with them - but it was just so destructive to me and my
self-esteem. I got my life together after that, concentrated on myself, and really just
let people come to me after that instead of trying to force it (I make friendships sound
exactly like dating - but in a way it is!) By finding my true friends, it's really helped my
self-esteem. Also, it's just fun to have people to hang out with and talk to every day! :) 

 7. What is your favorite girlfriend memory you have shared? 

My absolute favorite moment was at a friend's birthday party - we all went out to
dinner together and I remember looking around our huge table and feeling so lucky to
have all of these amazing girls in my life :) It's taken a long time to 'find' them, but I'm
so happy they're in my life! 

Thank you so much for sharing, Sarah!!  You have surrounded yourself with positive
people and your life seems to have flourished because of it!  You girls are truly blessed
to have each other!

If you are interested in participating in the Girlfriend Guide, contact me at the
email address below for more information!

vasqueztribe@yahoo.com