My best friend, Nika, aka Pig/PiggieSmalls/Piglet/sister from dis otha mista graduated with her masters in public accounting last week from the University of Washington. One of my first posts was about Nika’s graduation from the UW Foster School of Business, and I want to take this time to thank her for giving me the push to start this blog, and remind me to do what I love. I love Nika with all my heart, and I can only hope you to find someone this close to you in your lifetimes. Whether it be a spouse, a friend, or family, cultivate that relationship and nurture it. After 18 years of friendship, regardless of distance both geographic and mental, we seem to have grown together at a similar rate, and always manage to connect with such ease. Nika’s honest, hot-tempered at times, but always on your side. When I feel like she’s the best mate someone could already ask for, she’ll surprise me with some more words of wisdom, or a simple observation that reminds me to stay focused and work hard for what you want. If everyone could have a bit more ambition and discipline like Nika, this world would be not only a more organized place, but a fuller one. Her greatest strength is the ability to always try to understand her self, and constantly improve based on what seems to be the right thing to do. Life is short, things are always changing, and we don’t have much time for second-guessing ourselves—so for those of you who have had the fortune of knowing her, I hope you see these traits of hers and learn from them. The best is yet to come, and even though you'll be farther away in flight time, NYC will be easier for us to manage our time difference. You make me so proud, and I miss you so much already.