Thank you Nancy! We actually call each other "brother". That's wonderful you still have a friend from childhood. I'm still connected to several people I grew up with on social media but we aren't close friends. It's still nice to keep caught up on their lives, even if it's vicariously.
I hope we can make Chicago happen next September! I've done the thing Juan is doing, I moved from Ohio to Minnesota in 1995. It's so much more difficult and expensive than people realize so we'll have to see. If nothing else there's always the option of me visiting him in DC. I wish you a wonderful rest of your week!