In February of 2008 I stepped onto a Quantas flight from LA to Australia and unloaded my books and crosswords in the seat back pocket in front of me. Little did I know that this pocket belonged to the seat of one of my soon-to-be dearest friends, Vanessa. Vanessa and I studied abroad in Australia for 5 months together, exploring Sydney University, running the streets of the city, vacationing in New Zealand and eventually continuing our friendship back in the states.

Yesterday, I was lucky enough to be back in her presence during her vacation to the Bay Area with her boyfriend from their home in NYC. Let’s just say that we are two peas in a pod and it always feels great to be back with your counterpart. It’s hard being so far apart from one another, but we shared a wonderful evening over Thai (an old favorite in aussie land) and comedy.

Dave’s brother-in law is one part of the comedy duo, the Sklar Brothers. They were performing at the famous Cobbs Comedy Club, so we of course took our guests to experience a very traditional San Francisco night of comedy.

It was a great day from start to finish, because not only did I get to see people I care for, but I also made up a fabulous new smoothie recipe that I can’t wait to share with you.

Sunshine in a Glass

1/2 a banana

1/2 cup of carrot juice

1 scoop of vanilla protein powder

a few cubes of frozen mango 

splash of almond milk

A great color and an even better taste!

Did anyone else reunite with an old friend this weekend?