From time to time … two amazing things will come together to create something magical. Peanut butter and chocolate. Shields & Yarnell. Milk and Pepsi.

Well, last week two of my besties got the opportunity to meet in Tahoe after nearly a decade of being on each other’s radar.  And, natch!, they hit it off.

Some background on each of ‘em … first up, Deirdre.  Dre and I have been tight for over 20 years, every since the nanosecond she stumbled into my edit bay at a TV station in Des Moines and announced, “Hi, I’m new here. What are you working on?”  I was immediately smitten with her enormous grasp of the English language and infectious laugh. When she moved to Sacramento, I was devastated, until I realized I could, indeed, leave Iowa whenever I wanted to visit. No visa required. I’ve laughed, cried and kibitzed with Dre probably more than any other human on earth, save for a select few.

Mithra, meanwhile, has been my touchstone for well over a decade. She’s a brilliant, insightful voice of reason whose maternal instincts have proven invaluable to me countless times.  She’s one part Mother Teresa (nurturing and charitable), one part Mother Earth (a gardening guru and amazing cook) and one part Mother Goose (quick witted and easily amused).  I owe my love of travel, Indian food, yoga and planting flowers to her.  That and she’s singlehandedly kept me sane during some of the most stressful times of my life.

Given that they have tons in common (both have two boys, both are adventurous, both have good hair, both exude graceful serenity), it wasn’t surprising they’d bond accordingly.  The fact that the always Zen-tastic Mithra had never been to Lake Tahoe before made it just that much more special.

Alongside Dre’s hubby and kids, we spent a long lazy weekend hiking, enjoying the outdoors and drinking copious amounts of wine (or milk, if you were under 21).  Deirdre paid Mithra the ultimate compliment when she said, “She’s up for any adventure! Love her!”  Mithra took an instant liking to Dre’s kids and immediately slipped in to hip Grandma-mode. I just sat back and watched the fun unfold, and wondered why I had never brought the two class acts together before.

Any trip with Mithra or Deirdre is always a memorable one in my (passport) book … simply because I enjoy their company immensely.  Put the two together in one amazing setting … and I think I reached a new level of Nirvana.