Happy Birthday!

Today is the birthday of one of my very best friends. To mark this momentous occasion, a few random thoughts:

1) When R. visited me in the days pre-kids we took a tour at the now-defunct brewery on West 7th. Contrary to what you may have heard (or personally witnessed) I'm not much of a beer drinker. I guess I was that day. We stayed for the tasting afterwards. We stayed until the shiftworkers came in and had a tasting. We stayed until they said to us, "Really...you should go." Then we staggered down the street to Cossetta's and I burned my tongue on some delicious pizza pie.

2) Once when we were crazy young teens, we were riding with her dad on the highway back from Kansas City. R. started singing a solo and I giggled. The car immediately swerved over to the shoulder, and her Army dad barked out, "Are you making fun of my little girl's singing?!" I was scared that he'd make me get out of the car and do push-ups on I-35. No such of a thing -- I just apologized and we left it at that.

R. is one of the rare people who has been a through-line in my life. We saw each other through gay boyfriends, parental divorces, painful break ups and bad haircuts. We also danced like you wouldn't believe to 'Xanadu' and the music from 'Hair', sang along with '1776' and wore trash bags to a bar. Despite her love of a) sci-fi, b) Air Supply and c) air guitar, I adore her. Happy birthday, Honey! May the year ahead be sweetness and light.