Mindy was one of my best friends and she was a fixture in this town. She was the most fun, adventurous and optimistic person—the kind of friend that you only find once in a lifetime.

We grew up together in the neighborhood near Bachman Park and marched together in the 1989 Los Gatos High School graduation ceremony. From an early age, she made me laugh, always. She dreamed up grand schemes, and then convinced me to go along with them. When we were in fourth grade, Mindy (a budding entrepreneur even then) decided that we should start a business. Dog walking? Lemonade stand? Too small for her dreams. No, our business empire was called "M & E Services." Our slogan was: "We will do ANYTHING for money." Amazingly, someone hired us. It was a job pulling weeds, but Mindy's first foray into the world of small business was a success.

She also possessed a flair for the dramatic. When we were kids, she convinced me to dress up in antique crinoline petticoats and fur wraps, and wear them to the Los Gatos High School football games.

Mindy showed me how to have fun, and through her frequent gentle teasing, reminded me not to take myself so seriously.

Mindy channeled her gift for performance and beautiful singing voice to not only star in local productions of plays and musicals but ultimately to win parts on television. I'll never forget watching her on MTV in a Huey Lewis and the News video and in shows such as Trapper John, M.D .

But despite her show business success, her true goal was to be a businesswoman. In high school, she described to me exactly the kind of salon she hoped to create someday. No one else I knew had any career plans at that age, but it was so like Mindy to have a practical goal in mind, and with her characteristic determination, to achieve it. Three years ago, she opened Priorities Salon on N. Santa Cruz Avenue.

Walking into the salon for the first time, I noticed how comfortable her clients were, happy to be in the vortex of Mindy's boundless energy. She cut and colored hair, dished out advice on everything from real estate to upcoming concerts, offered a glass of wine or some cookies, and ran the salon without ever missing a beat.

Mindy's clients ran the gamut: local politicians, CEOs, construction workers, friends from high school. And it wasn't just her talent that drew us. We knew that an appointment with Mindy would be an event full of laughs and chance meetings with interesting people. She greeted everyone the same, with her dimpled smile and sparkling green eyes.

Mindy was also incredibly generous. She donated to local charities, including the Mountain Winery Kids Foundation. But Mindy's generosity of spirit was most evident in her relationships with her family. She was the closest of friends to her sister and her parents. She always planned relaxing trips for them or her fiancée at her beloved cabin at Bass Lake.

And as she planned her upcoming wedding to Mike Ellenburg, I asked her about her plans. Her main concerns were that her parents be comfortable, and her friends all have a great time at the party. Not many brides adopt that attitude, but it was not surprising for Mindy.

It's hard to accept referring to someone you love in the past tense. But Mindy's innumerable gifts, and her spirit that was so positive, so much fun and so full of love, is not in the past. It is still here in Los Gatos, kept alive by all who knew her. I will miss her forever.