We met by chance. We were on our way to dinner with a big group of strangers who had one thing in common: a passion for photography. We walked into PF Changs, not sure what we were getting ourselves into, and were immediately overwhelmed by the sight of a banquet length table filled with photographers sharing stories, laughing and talking like they had been friends for years. Across from that table was one of equal length, but much quieter with only one seat filled in the massive space.
We hesitantly took our seats next to the stranger who introduced herself as Kari. From Canada. From Canada?? We were immediately fascinated. You must like hockey! Do you make your own maple syrup? Have you ever seen a mountie? Do you know Justin Beiber? Say “Eh?” for us! We quickly bonded over awful Canadian stereotypes and embarrassing photography stories, and from that moment on, Kari from Canada was officially our friend.
It was Kari from Canada’s first time in Phoenix and she was staying for a while, as her husband, Scott, is a pro golfer and came to soak up the glorious golf mecca that is Arizona. After that fateful night at PF Changs, we took advantage of the rest our time with Kari From Canada. Right away, we sent them to the one place you must eat while you’re here: Oreganos. Then we took them to Zipps, and made sure they didn’t leave before we all went out for yogurt. “Yogurt?” they exchanged puzzled glances. “Like Activia?” Kari from Canada questioned. Apparently frozen yogurt isn’t quite the phenomenon that it is in the states. We laughed and laughed as we walked them to Yogurtology, which I’m proud to say, they found more enjoyable than Activia. For the rest of their visit, we geeked out on all things photography, laughed until our cheeks hurt, and got in front of each other’s cameras. Now a days, we could’t imagine life without Kari from Canada.
The moral of the story? Be bold. Walk into uncomfortable situations. Sit next to strangers. You might just find your very own laugh-until-your-cheeks-hurt kind of friend.