December 31, 2004
Thanks Marisa Cullen For A Great Night!
My 2004 birthday celebrating reached a most excellent finale last night, thanks to my long-time best friend Marisa Cullen!
Marsi and I met back in April of 1992 when she was working at a flower stand in the shopping center near my house. I went there one night to buy a flower for a waitress I liked, and Marsi helped me select it. I thought she seemed really nice, so when I was in the center a few days later, I stopped by to thank her again.
In the years ahead, I would visit Marsi at the flower stand many more times, as we both discovered we enjoyed talking with each other. Eventually we realized we had become friends, so we started hanging out together away from the stand too.
In 1997 we decided to spend Christmas Eve together at my house, to celebrate both my birthday and Christmas. I cooked filet mignon steaks, baked potatoes and sauteed mushrooms for us, and after dinner we exchanged gifts.
We spent Christmas Eve together again in 1998, and that time it was Marsi who cooked. As I recall it was the first real dinner she ever made for anyone! Since then she has become a terrific cook who has prepared many excellent meals for us. She likes trying out new recipes on me, and I love being her food guinea pig!
Marsi and I have done something together for my birthday and Christmas every year since 1997, including 2000, when she treated me to a Chargers-Steelers game during the day. We followed that by exchanging gifts later in the evening. She and I took these pictures of each other during our 2003 celebration.
As Christmas Eve approached this year, however, I had been fighting an awful cold for over a week and Marsi also had gotten sick a few days before my birthday. Since I knew neither of us would be at our best, I suggested we postpone our celebration to the 30th, and she agreed that we'd both be better by then.
Thus, last night I went to Marsi's apartment. She prepared a salad, baked potatoes and green beans for both of us, and some fish for herself (she's become mostly vegetarian since our first Christmas dinner), while I barbecued lobster tails for each of us and a filet mignon for me. Dessert was a cheesecake that Marsi topped with cherries -- my favorite fruit! The entire meal was delicious and I happily devoured every bite on my plate!
After dinner we exchanged gifts. Marsi gave me a "Baseball As America" calendar, a shirt, a bottle of Drakkar Noir, Shania Twain's Greatest Hits CD, and a box of chocolate-covered cherries. I gave her two new cookbooks for her growing collection ("Mediterranean Light" by Martha Rose Shulman and "Fish: The Complete Guide to Buying and Cooking" by Mark Bittman), Dean Martin's Greatest Hits CD, and a pedometer.
It was a marvelous night, filled with delectable food, great gifts and a bunch of very affectionate hugs! In my opinion, it was our nicest evening together ever!
Thank you Marisa Cullen, for more than 12 years of friendship, 8 years of wonderful birthday/Christmas celebrations, and dozens and dozens of tasty meals! I love you, sweet friend! You are the closest thing I have to a family of my own choosing!
Posted at 02:19 PM in Birthdays, DMG's Friends, Holidays