nicole is a SISTER in every sense of the word. she has her own, actual (superfun, amazing) REAL sisters, yes, but when you’re her friend, you do not just become her friend, you become her sister a little bit, too. this has been really fun and special for me, as i don’t have any sisters (although, shoutout to my hilarious, warm, sweet brother IAN who i LOVE and would never exchange for a sister).

nicole and i met at lucky magazine when i was just a nerdy FASHION JOURNALIST (see below).

we were both granted full-time freelance seats in the fashion closet, somehow, even after nicole wore a supershort ripped denim abercrombie & fitch mini skirt to her interview, and i wore my rimless prescription glasses to seem smarter (AND left my handbag IN my interviewer’s office and had to lamely be escorted back to retrieve it). ahh, yes. below is documentation of said seat. nicole sat just over the half-wall to the right of me.  note the LIT candle – – who did i think i was?

the best part of my day was when nicole would leave me hilarious little notes like this one:

or this one, which warms my heart and soul:

when we moved in together, the notes continued on personalized stationery that her CUTE mom gifted both of us with one christmas (I NEED TO FIND MINE!):

being my teensy-bit-older soul sister, she has paved my twenties for me thus far; moving in with a boy, getting a ‘real’ (AKA non-conde nast) job, getting engaged (AND MARRIED THIS COMING WEEKEND!), and now, this: turning 30. she’s set the standard so high, and i’ve so enjoyed having a goal to reach for, walking with my too-small feet in her diamond-paved footsteps. LOVE YOU, NB!  happy birthday and so many more! xx