Happy Birthday to Her

Once upon a time, there was a young girl who moved to Central Florida. She was lured by job opportunities, boy bands and the possibilities of great adventure. The job opportunity she ended up sticking with was a minimum wage hospitality gig that required the wearing of a bonnet, and the boy bands ran their course, but boy did she find great adventure. And most of those adventures were shared with the real subject of today's post, Katie-Rado. And don't worry, that's just a nickname, her parent's didn't really name her that. I met her shortly after I arrived in town, working for the same hospitality company I did and also wearing a bonnet, although she was later moved to a new location that demanded the spiffy short and shirt combo featured in one of the pics below.Over the years, she has become so much more than a friend. She is my family. She has been on the receiving end of my 3am disaster phone calls, and has heard my "scary voice" more than any one person should. When I was in the throes of a post-divorce personal meltdown, she didn't run. She went Christmas tree shopping with me, and made sure I remembered to celebrate my kids birthdays. When we first met, she was on my list of great drinking buddies. Now she is on my list of emergency contacts at the kiddos school. Although finding that out did freak her and her hubby Luke out a bit. She is one of my bestest friends, and I can't imagine my life without her.

Happy Birthday, Katie-Rado. The kiddos and I love you!