middle namesake

So my mom's best childhood friend (and my middle namesake) happens to be in town this week for work. 

What kind of work, you ask?  Well only about the coolest stuff ever.  Not only is she staying at the gorgeous and luxurious St. Regis Hotel, her days of "work" are spent shopping San Francisco's coolest boutique-lined streets for inspiration, listening into focus groups of her company's customers, and dining with colleagues at one of San Francisco's finest: the Slanted Door. 

Last night, she was uber generous and offered to take Stefan and me out to dinner, despite her being extra jet-lagged from a long flight from the East Coast.  We headed to the Salt House, another fav, to enjoy some delicious wine, amazing salads, and fresh fish.

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As we sipped and munched, we chatted about her high-powered career (she basically runs the show at J. Jill), heard about her two fabulous kids, and laughed over stories of when her and my mom used to chow down on milkshakes, pizza burgers, and Ding-Dongs at their weekly Friday night sleepovers as middle schoolers.

As an aside: we determined that the product-name-maker at Hostess must have had a laugh or two when deciding upon titles for those processed pastries - Ding Dong, Ho-Ho, Twinkie, Suzy Q - what kind of women did that guy date?

Anyway, the night just FLEW by, but it wasn't until my run this morning that I realized that Claire is one of those friends. 
You know, the kind you can not see for ages and just suddenly pick right back up where you left off. 
The kind spending time with is effortless, relaxed, and rejuvenating. 
The kind who you're really, really sad to say good-bye to at the end of the night.

And I'm not even the friend, I'm the daughter of the friend. 
I'd say Mom has good taste - not just in clothes and decorating and shoes, but in people. 

xoxo
KK