How my mom's activities when she was young are affecting my life today

Yaaaayyy!! Kikita is posting again! :-)

'Tis the season to be busy . . . and let me tell you, work has been crazy. And when work is less than crazy, there's blogging to be done, or a video to be made, or gifts to wrap, or decorations to put up or . . . I'm getting exhausted just writing about it!

In order to maintain my sanity, I decided that this year I would make sure I kept things balanced and would do fun things for me (not just make things fun for other people - videos, decorating, etc.)

So when my dear friend, Sheila, called and asked if I wanted to go on a harbor cruise of Marina Del Rey while wine & chocolate tasting (all for a good cause), I jumped at the chance.

Yes, it all sounds so posh, doesn't it?

And it SO was! (Although, I admit, I was nervous about it being a 3 hour tour)

But once we boarded the ship and saw the chocolate spread, all nervousness quickly turned to excitement.

I. LOVE. CHOCOLATE.

We were giddy with the joys of chocolate and making our way through a SEA (ha!) of people when . . .

BAM!! A face I recognize! So, naturally, I started screaming like a girl.

It was Mia. She has known me since BEFORE I WAS BORN! She is very good friends with my cousin, Little Helen. (In fact, Helen is married to Mia's cousin Daryl - which makes Mia my cousin too! - but that's not important right now) There's more. Mami used to hang with Helen & Mia, and I believe there was even a Bruce Springsteen concert involved at some point . . . but you'd have to ask Mami, it was before my time. ;-)

I'm busy screaming and trying to explain to Sheila who this person is, but the minute she hears, "Mia" Sheila too starts screaming. Apparently, the friend that had told Sheila about the event had been telling her how she "JUST. HAD. TO. MEET. MIA!"

It was just too cool and too exciting to be written off as a "coincidence."

It was one of those amazing moments that only God could have orchestrated. 

Cruising the harbor (which was GORGEOUS with all the Christmas lights), sipping wine, tasting chocolate, talking, laughing, a bit of dancing (of course), and Mia.

It was a magical of the evening. One that wouldn't have been made possible if it weren't for Sheila, Helen del, Mami, Bruce, and Mia.  What's really fun is to think that these wheels had been set in motion waaay back in the early 80's and look where we are in the present! Yes. A present. Because this totally feels like a GIFT!

Love you, Mia!