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This post was sponsored by my friends at Truvia, but all opinions are my own.

A lot of times I feel like the luckiest person in the world. My best friend and I have been friends since we were 10 – a whopping 23 years. 

We’ve done EVERYTHING together. Marriages, and divorce. Grief, loss, being neighbors, going to the same college and being roommates, traveling the world together, starting our businesses together, getting pets – truly, all of the best and worst parts of life. 

I wanted to celebrate her and tell her to thank you for everything, so I surprised her with little gift! 

How I built a sweet and satisfying gift box for my bestie. 

It’s hard to surprise someone who often knows what you’re thinking! So pulling this off was pretty tough. 

I asked Katie when she’d be home, which set off lots of alarm bells. Secrets? We don’t have those? Why couldn’t I just spill the beans about why I was coming over to her house? 

I have no business in her part of town, so my gifting was sus, to say the least. 

I love giving gifts, and tailoring them to the person who is getting them, so I know I could put a few things in her basket that would be meaningful to her, and also a joy to open.

We’re both pretty obnoxious about our self-care routines, so I included a few things I knew she would love: 

• Some fancy tea sachets to make a strong black, iced tea (her fave drink)
• A cute personalized coffee mug.
• Some protein-rich bars that she eats for breakfast,
• Some fresh lavender from my garden,
• Truvia Sweet Complete Sweetener Packets she could use on the go (There’s a Monkfruit version, too!). They add sweetness with extra calories and dissolve so well in drinks!

When building a “just because” gift for your friend it’s always good to:

• Give them something useful.
• Put in something meaningful that helps them think of the good times.
• Make the gift sharable – something they can use on their own, but feel good about sharing with others. 
• Try to make it a surprise and delight – don’t spill the beans about the surprise if you can help it. 
• Write them a kind note from your heart. 

I wish that everyone had a friend like Katie. I think our friendship is one of those things that makes my life so rich, and so good. 

Check out my letter to Katie on my Instagram, and her surprise when I showed up at her door with my International Women’s Day Gift!