Happy Birthday Monica!

Happy birthday friend!

I've known you for almost as long as I can remember. Hopefully, I'll know you for as long as I am no longer ABLE to remember you or anyone else for that matter.

One cannot replace a life long friend. The new, fresh-from-the-package kind of friendships don't have bumps, bruises, and worn out parts. But they also don't feel like your grandma's writing chair. Or your fuzzy blanket. Or taste like macaroni and tomatoes on a rainy, cold day.

This kind of friendship just has to stew. You throw in the good with the not-so-good. And somehow, what you end up with is something pretty darned decent and, by the way, nearly impossible to replicate. Maybe not a culinary delight but a jambalaya that is as comforting as it is evolving. A dish to count on during times of joy and of despair.

So here's to you and that golden spike Missy.

Happy birthday!!!!