Happy, happy, happy birthday to YOU!

Let this post hereby be a testament to my profound love for you…in the last 48 hours I have suffered through severe food poisoning, while hosting my in-laws, while having all the valiant boys over to my house for a “bonding” session, while caring for my small family, while trying really hard not to lose my mind (you can’t lose your mind and your lunch at the same time – otherwise it is all over).

But here I am. To tell the world that I adore you and to take this opportunity to celebrate you on your birthday!

Cara, my sweet, dear friend – you are a treasure to me. Oh, what a treasure! I am not even sure where to begin…

For those of you who may not know Cara, let me tell you just a little bit about the wonder of her.

Cara is one of the kindest most positive people I know. She is simultaneously down to earth and as real as they come. She is a person you can trust your heart to. She is a great listener – and after she listens she showers her positive goodness all over you. The reason I know how much Cara means to me is that I often long for her most when I feel totally beaten down by the world. When I am at my most vulnerable is when I find my heart aching for her. And THAT is the mark of the truest and best kind of friend.

When it is raining and horrible – she is right there with open arms and a box of tissues and when the sun is shinning and you’re ready to party – YUP! she’s there then too!

She is a total and utter BLAST. Most people spell the word fun like this, F-U-N, but I like to spell it, C-A-R-A. Holy cow, is she fun! The laughs we’ve shared together have been colossal, stupendous, ginormous. Even the simple activity of trying things on in a dressing room together can turn into Saturday Night Live. I don’t know how she does it, but she  does it. She takes the ordinary moments and makes them sparkle.

She is so considerate of people’s feelings and the needs of those around her. If ever I have faced something particularly difficult – she has always been there. Once I remember I had something really hard happening and I had gone out of town. She knew the circumstance and she called me to check in, just to make sure I was okay. That is Cara. She is so kind and so considerate.

She is also one of the best moms I know. I feel it was such a gift to have her near me when I had Millie. I called her endlessly for advice – from what color to paint the nursery, to help on getting Millie to sleep through the night. And the proof is in the pudding – her kids are remarkable. I have watched her interact with them – studied her. I have noticed that when they talk she REALLY listens to them. She lets them be who they are – I think this takes real courage. I am learning just how much courage as I have to step back and let Millie be Millie (the good, the bad and the ugly). Again, she is fun. She takes true pleasure in her kids and in DOING things with them. She also doesn’t let them get away with being turds – this helps me too, to help my kids not get away with turd like behavior.

Cara is always pushing herself to be better. She is one of the few “A -type” personalities I know who only compeates with herself.  If Cara were competitive I might feel a little intimidated by her many talents, her vast drive and her ability to do so much and do it well. But Cara never tries to be better than other people – she just tries to do her best. It  so happens that her best is pretty stink’n awesome.

Cara is a doer – she wants to get out and DO. This is wonderful for me because I am more of a talker or a sitter, as the case may be. As the words of a great mind once said, “Sometimes I sits and thinks and sometimes I just sits.” Cara took this sitter in hand, and said, “So what should we DO?!”  I really miss our adventures together, now that we no longer reside in the same town. Although, one night Cara called me on the phone and said, “Hey, you wanna go to DSW with me?” and she and I had a shopping trip via the phone. It was such fun. Classic Cara.

My dear friend, how I love you!

How I love you.

How I love your beauty – that is both internal and external. How I love your kind heart. How I love your generous nature. How I have loved all that you have taught me by your shining example.

Happy Birthday!

(Dang it! I just read through this post and it only scratches the surface of all that you are…there is always next year to try to get it right!)