some love lasts a lifetime and knows no bounds

when i was a junior in college, i chose to spend my semester abroad in ghana, africa.  to say it was a life-changing experience is an understatement of epic proportions.  looking back through old journal entries i realize a repetition in my writing; scrawled away over and over, i noted that i had found my soul in ghana. and in many respects i still feel this to be true.  i don't think i had ever felt as alive, invigorated, interested, happy and soulfully satisfied as i did there.  some of my most meaningful relationships were born in that country and have continued to grow and flourish to this day.  

one of my best friends from that trip, sophie, moved away from bk to austin, tx last year and i miss her dearly.  *however, she returns to my lovely little borough THIS weekend and i simply cannot wait to laugh, eat, laugh, and eat some more with her and our other best friend, molly.  

some relationships can withstand anything, regardless of the distances and tests placed before them.  i am honored to have some magnificent friends in my life and though four of my bestBestBEST friends live at a distance (*here's winkin at you, frenchie) they are always vibrant and thriving in my heart.  that said, i've chosen to share a bunch of photos from my time in ghana so that you can have a taste of those four remarkably special months of my life.  **(just a note... most of my photos were taken on film.  here are some of the highlights that i happened to catch digitally.)**  

i hope you enjoy...

 

(a shot of me taken while backpacking around the northern part of the country)

*(see those nutty girls waving in the back left... those are annette [on the left] and sophie [on the right] they are still two of my favorite and dearest friends)*

here's the soph who will be here tomorrow!

and below is a picture of molly, a friend i met right when i got back from ghana. she was sophie's roommate throughout college and has truly been a soulmate of mine since first we met.  

here's a shot from our 1st meeting back in 2006.  it was love at first dirty joke: