It's like Lorin Maazel, but with one A and it's my first name

Have I mentioned that I have the most amazing and talented friends ever on the face of the entire planet? Because, well, I DO.

This being the case, I have had not one but two good friends of mine recently depart to pursue their callings as people-who-create-awesomeness-and-make-the-world-a-beautiful-place-ers. Both Mendelfriends, both altos: The section will never be the same without them.

First we wished farewell to Sally B, whose outdoor picnic farewell featured my very first tasting of a Turducken. I am still kicking myself for not getting a picture of this. And I can't find the video of Sally's reaction which I would REALLY love to share because it was quite literally the fastest I have ever heard anyone speak English in my entire life.

A few days later, a group of us, including KP and new friends Mark and Matt, ventured to Burgatory for more hilarity and gorging.

(Just to clarify the timeline, this trip to Burgatory was the day after my first adventure there with Bill the Thrill. 

No I'm not at all ashamed of myself, why do you ask?)

Bison Burger. And some slightly disappointing Rosemary Fries.

We had the cutest little waiter. His name was Tilman. Sally asked if that was anything like Wolfgang Tillmans, to which he replied:

"Yeah, but with one L and it's my first name"

So we spent the rest of the night mocking him behind his back. 

Sally is an amazing photographer who is now living in NY making her dreams come true. She is witty and hilarious and super nice and knits like a feind. My favorite memory of Sally is sitting next to her during the Holiday Pops concert when the 13 year old piano soloist came on stage dressed like a gay bellhop. Without hesitation (or precedent), we held hands to keep from bursting into laughter. My second favorite memory of Sally is purchasing all of her (and her neighbor's) VHS tapes at their first yard sale. They are currently sitting stacked in my room as a monument to our friendship. Cheers, Sally.

And then there was KP.

You may remember KP from my having mentioned her once or twice or maybe thrice.

So we invited some Mendelfriends to MaryColleen's for a cookout and a truly excellent evening.

MC's house is perfect for get-togethers because as soon as you get there, you feel like you're home.

I was completely manic about this party. I made tiramisu cups, an entire Mocha Hazelnut Swirl cheesecake, and some lemon amaretto cheesecakes squares with raspberry sauce. I needn't have. There was so much food that we were all visibly distended by the end of the evening. KP even got her own personal sack of Scott's Famous Balls. 

I love KP because she thinks mustard yellow is a neutral color, because she still gets excited by how great music can be, because she has the most winning smile, because she shows her love through bakes goods, and because she gives the best hugs in the known universe. 

And because she brings me back amazing chocolates from Austria

I am going to miss them. SO MUCH.