Hands

Sometimes people (myself included) do not take enough time to appreciate the simple things. One of the goals that I set for my summer in LA was to go on a double date with my beau, my forever best friend and her new husband. With time running out and no double date having happened yet we decided to have a best friends marathon that would conclude in the long anticipated double date. For the date we wanted to do something fun, different and memorable. I know it is crazy - but despite the nearly three years we have been with both of our significant others we had yet to go on a double date. My boy came up with Ethiopian in the nearby Little Ethiopia and it was quickly agreed upon and decided that it was the perfect double date.

The date was great. We spent all of our time appreciating the company and laughing loud at the simplest of jokes. Sitting in our tiny chars in a circle around the huge basket where our food would soon be placed we were not thinking about controversial topics but just about being together and happy. When everyone's food came it was all on one plate which was set in the basket which we sat around - we all took a piece of injera (the yummy squishy bread) and, with only our hands, all communally ate off of the same plate. The corresponding couples also partook in the Ethiopian tradition of feeding food to someone who you love.

It seems so simple, but sometimes the little things that you do not think about when they are happening are the things that can make you feel the most whole - like laughing with friends that live across the country as if there is not even a mile in between your friendship.

Ticket to Ride

I went to the Orange County Fair this summer and had quite a time taking pictures of the typical fair festivities. Since we went on discounted Thursdays we were there with the even more than creepy normal carnival going crowd.







At the end of the day my carnival experience was quite a good one. There is not a better day than riding kiddy rides with old friends, eating ridiculous amounts of fair food and then binging on some fatty desserts before a long ride home in the back of a tiny car with a huge stuffed dog named Poncho.

The Sound of Silence

This past week I spent a lot of time with friends. And as is expected we talked a lot. We talked about everything from relationships to Shakira's new wolf video and religion to the amount of cheese on a stick you can eat to be considered lunch. But just as we spent a great deal of our time talking we also spent a lot of time in silence.


I think friendship is the most true and honest when you can be with someone else and not feel forced to say anything at all. To just sit there in silence and be comfortable without any worries or awkwardness is one of the most satisfying feelings in the world. I encountered this multiple time with multiple people this week and am sincerely thankful for all of them. Whether it is sitting on a huge rock looking at the freezing cold lake and listening to waterfalls or just driving in the car together with nothing too important to say to ruin the quiet.

It is delightful to think about the friendship and times spent together without forcing conversation or wondering who will speak next. If silence comes the next time you are with people who you consider true friends, I encourage you to embrace it and feel an abundance of security in the absence of sound that can simply be thought of as a peaceful and cozy friendship.