And speaking of.....

I spent the day with one of my bestest friends, Mich, accompanied by Vivi and Lu. Mich and I have been friends for about 12 years and she used to be my boss (or so they told her). 6 words to describe her: chef, mom, artist, compassionate, witty, in-charge. Every time we hang out, anywhere to be exact, there is food involved. Today is Lu's birthday so we had "Mich-made" cheesecake with nutella drizzled on it. It was perfectly creamy, the taste was succulent, rich consistancy and completely satiating. She also sent me home with some pad thai she made.

Vivi is one of my favorite little girls. She has the spit-fire spirit of her mother and even interrupts like her. It is very funny to watch Mich tell Vivi to say "excuse me" and not interrupt, when she is such a culprit herself.

Mich also has one of the most interesting homes. You can't just speed over all the memorabilia on the walls or shelves, it must be savored like these lovely Spanish dancers. Just a guess, but these came from one her grandmothers and probably directly from Spain.

We don't get to spend too much time together, but we are working on that. For my birthday, she gave me a day of her time and I am so ready. My plan is to shop for food, cook it, play in the pool and have cocktails at O'Bistro in the evening. A full, but wonderful day.

I can't exactly recall how we became friends, I think Duran Duran was involved (she gave me the opportunity to meet them - yum), but it has lasted through some hard times. Mich and her family have always opened their hearts and homes to me on many occasions including the most wonderful Christmases with the best Cuban and Italian food, a meltdown or two and the sisterhood of just having a good time. No matter what choices we have made in our lives, our friendship has been one we both hold close to our hearts. I wouldn't want to be on this journey without her and her family.

Thanks Mich!!!