En Route to Italy!

Last night, I laid in bed oozing with excitement about the days of travel I had ahead of me: RDU>JFK>MXP>Florence! And while I was eager to wake up and leave my bed, I knew today would be filled with crowded airports and cramped plane seats, so I really didn’t think I would make a post about my journey. However, the friendship we made today warrants one. 

Jenn and I (being the outgoing people we are) struck up conversation with the man sitting in our row on our flight to NYC. Naturally, we ask where his final destination is and he tells us the Phillippines to see his girlfriend and he has a very special surprise. We were of course ecstatic and intrigued and continued conversation for the duration of the flight. Afterwards, he invites us to lunch and we chat until he lines up to go through security for his flight to China first then the Phillippines that is much longer than ours. 

 

Jon’s photo of an international terminal at JFK airport using tilt shift for added effect

 
This man’s name is Jon, and so we exchanged Instagram and Facebook accounts. We discover that he is also a semi-professional photographer. He took that beautiful picture of us with the American flag at the top of the post to mark our last hours in America before departing for Europe. He also gave me some amazing tips on how to use my camera in manual mode (something I’ve always feared), which will be very useful in Italy and for which I am very thankful! I can’t wait to take gorgeous photos of my gorgeous model (Jenn) and breath-taking pictures of our favorite sights in Italy. 

While talking to the man sitting next to us for an hour may seem like a normal encounter for me and Jenn, I realized that not many people have the courage to talk to complete strangers like we do. And I thought that was sad. A shame if you will. So with this post, I’d like to encourage you shy people out there to smile at strangers, make small talk with people you don’t know, and be open to beginning a new friendship with someone you just met. You can learn so much about another person and even some stuff for yourself. We all plan to see each other again back in Raleigh, but even if we don’t, it was worth the first smile to have lunch with Jon and exchange our stories and passions with each other. 

[Fast forward a few hours] I’m currently sitting in JFK airport in New York City waiting for my flight that was supposed to depart at 10:20 pm but is now delayed. Only 40 minutes for now. Let’s pray it stays that way. 🙏🏽 And while I sat here (without wifi for my computer mind you) I decided to create this post because I want my message to get across to my readers, which is: do not be afraid to go outside of your comfort zone! The further you stretch it, the more it grows, and the more it grows, the more fun you will have. You can start small. I challenge you to start conversation with the person string beside you the next time you fly because you can make a new friend along the way, and that is totally worth it! 

“Groupie” with Jon at JFK

En Route to Italy!

Last night, I laid in bed oozing with excitement about the days of travel I had ahead of me: RDU>JFK>MXP>Florence! And while I was eager to wake up and leave my bed, I knew today would be filled with crowded airports and cramped plane seats, so I really didn’t think I would make a post about my journey. However, the friendship we made today warrants one. 

Jenn and I (being the outgoing people we are) struck up conversation with the man sitting in our row on our flight to NYC. Naturally, we ask where his final destination is and he tells us the Phillippines to see his girlfriend and he has a very special surprise. We were of course ecstatic and intrigued and continued conversation for the duration of the flight. Afterwards, he invites us to lunch and we chat until he lines up to go through security for his flight to China first then the Phillippines that is much longer than ours. 

 

Jon’s photo of an international terminal at JFK airport using tilt shift for added effect

 
This man’s name is Jon, and so we exchanged Instagram and Facebook accounts. We discover that he is also a semi-professional photographer. He took that beautiful picture of us with the American flag at the top of the post to mark our last hours in America before departing for Europe. He also gave me some amazing tips on how to use my camera in manual mode (something I’ve always feared), which will be very useful in Italy and for which I am very thankful! I can’t wait to take gorgeous photos of my gorgeous model (Jenn) and breath-taking pictures of our favorite sights in Italy. 

While talking to the man sitting next to us for an hour may seem like a normal encounter for me and Jenn, I realized that not many people have the courage to talk to complete strangers like we do. And I thought that was sad. A shame if you will. So with this post, I’d like to encourage you shy people out there to smile at strangers, make small talk with people you don’t know, and be open to beginning a new friendship with someone you just met. You can learn so much about another person and even some stuff for yourself. We all plan to see each other again back in Raleigh, but even if we don’t, it was worth the first smile to have lunch with Jon and exchange our stories and passions with each other. 

[Fast forward a few hours] I’m currently sitting in JFK airport in New York City waiting for my flight that was supposed to depart at 10:20 pm but is now delayed. Only 40 minutes for now. Let’s pray it stays that way. 🙏🏽 And while I sat here (without wifi for my computer mind you) I decided to create this post because I want my message to get across to my readers, which is: do not be afraid to go outside of your comfort zone! The further you stretch it, the more it grows, and the more it grows, the more fun you will have. You can start small. I challenge you to start conversation with the person string beside you the next time you fly because you can make a new friend along the way, and that is totally worth it! 

“Groupie” with Jon at JFK