Robyn is one hell of a woman.

She is gorgeous, smart as a whip, and the best friend you could ever wish for.

We met in our first year of university as aspiring young journalists.

I remember one of the first times we spoke, she was buying M&Ms in the cafeteria in the morning, dressed in vibrant colours, looking impeccable and holding herself tall.

She smiled and laughed with confidence as she spoke, and I thought the world better watch out for this one.

We hung out a bit in first year, but she spent a lot of time partying and socializing while I spent most of my time sewing in my room or wandering through the city trying to untangle the thoughts in my head.

But when I decided to leave for Paris she was one of my heartfelt goodbyes.  She was happy for me and her eyes lit up with talk of travel.

When the next summer rolled around and I was finishing up my time running after kids as an au pair in Paris, she came to spend a week with me.

Even though we’d spent little time together before this, we made a perfect team, walking for hours then picking up wine, salad ingredients and pastries that we would slowly enjoy on the tiny balcony of my building.

She brought matching pink striped shirts to make me laugh, made hilarious videos with me by the Eiffel tower and came home early with me when we attempted to party on the Champs Elysees but decided going back to bed would be more pleasant.

When she asked me to move in with her and another friend when I came back to school in September, I agreed.  It was one of the best choices I’ve ever made.

We spent two years together in that apartment.  Robyn quickly became my best friend, my confidante, my martini drinking partner and my shoulder to cry on.

The only thing we ever “fought” over was an ugly lamp at Value Village she wanted to bring home and I said “No way”.  Her taste was too good for the lamp anyways.

I knew then, and I know now, that our times together would and will be some of the best of my life.  The perfect mornings spent strolling through our neighborhood with coffees in hand to go buy fresh fruit and vegetables, the late night dance parties in her bedroom, our picnics in the park and our random outings to go drink martinis will always be great memories.

Luckily for me, she is still a part of my life.  She’s a plane ride away and we’ve had the chance to get together every once and a while to catch up.  She’s also one of the few people I’ll speak on the phone with for more than five minutes.

Today she is a blossoming, 24-year-old journalist with a big bright future ahead of her.  She remains a light in my life and has the arms I crave whenever I need a good hug.

Happy birthday my beautiful friend, thank you for being you.

Celebrating my 20th together

Celebrating my 21st together

Having fun by the Eiffel tower

Dancing the night away

Hosting a Christmas party at our apartment

Showing some love in France