Michele and Jen

Michele is my Mike, no question about it.

Michele and I met in 1992 in college. We had an instant connection. Makes me laugh just as hard today as she did then. We became roommates in college after she studied abroad in France and we had the time of our lives. She was an accounting major and I was an English Literature bum. She'd take the 8:00 classes and my earliest class was practically noon. We were opposites, yet alike in so many ways. We have never had an argument. It's like we had our own secret language and could almost finish each other's thoughts. We were in each other's weddings, she being my matron of honor. Those were wonderful times.

Michele lost her sister tragically in 2003 and it was one of the worst days that I'll ever remember. Her sister was her hero. I learned so much from her strength during that time and I continue to learn from her. The way she values her children and makes sure they experience all that life has to offer is remarkable; she truly knows how precious each day is. She's the type of person who is always up for anything. Never too tired, never in a foul mood. She'll travel anywhere!

The best part of our relationship is that we can go 2 months without speaking and when we do, it's as if we haven't missed a beat. In fact, we talked today for about 20 minutes and it was the highlight of my day. I miss living 20 minutes away from her but she is with me every day no matter what.

Michele is my Mike and I treasure our friendship more than words can say.