Missing the Best of Friends and the Littlest of Friends

I just got back last night from a week long trip to upstate New York.

Whenever I tell people I’m going to New York they get really excited and recommend places in Manhattan to visit… but “my” New York isn’t in the city… you see a little piece of my heart moved back to upstate New York almost 6 years ago.

Looking back though, when I met my friend Joyce, almost 10 years ago, I had no idea what kind of monumental friendship, a best of friendship, we were about to embark on. Joyce is someone who matched me in uninhibited enthusiasm for the smallest things in life. Someone who understood me far better than most. And knowing she called New York her home, I pushed her away trying to break the friendship before it could really form. But God had other plans. While Joyce was back home in New York going to college, we grew ever closer by weekly phone calls and when she finally came back to California, our best of friends-ship truly began. But you see, Joyce is easy to get along with and she truly is adored by all who meet her. Her joyful attitude is just that contagious.

Flash forward a few years, a few moves, a few weddings… to the here and now… to where just 3 weeks ago she blessed us all further more by giving birth to little Emily Ann.

I had the pleasure to go up to this farm laden country side, where we spent this past week cuddling with the new babe on the couch and driving around town eating more ice cream I’ve had all year put together!

I had the best intentions to get a lot of creative brainstorming done while I was there, I even bought a brand new sketchbook for the trip and everything! And I had all these dreamy magical newborn photo ideas in my head… but instead it was nice to just *be.* I never once used my sketchbook, some days I didn’t even take a single photo! We just talked, and talked, and talked and just really cherished each moment with little Emily.

All that to say, I’m still a little heartbroken to be home, still a little jet-lagged—oh these darn headaches of mine—and still a little behind in life right now so even though I had big plans to post a ton of photos from my trip this week, I am just going to end this little introduction and follow up with more photos from my trip later on.

But of course, I have to post some sort of photo so let’s end with the last group photo from the trip… me and my bestie with her new little love.