Nina & Ariel

If you know me well, then you definitely know Jessie. She has been my best friend since age 3, and she is an honorary member of our family. Our story began when our moms connected at the local Kroger in Burlington, Kentucky, where they recognized each other speaking in Russian. They then introduced us to each other at Florence Mall, and we became inseparable. As an only child at the time, Jessie became the sister I never had. Growing up, we spent every weekend together creating core memories: playing in the creek, camping out in the yard, riding bikes, catching wooly worms, going to the movies, making music videos, walking out on the frozen pond with my dad. Every summer we also spent together: jumping through the waves in Florida, riding our penny boards, or running around the orchard in Michigan. Jessie and I could be anywhere, doing anything, and she’d make sure we are having the time of our lives. She brings out my inner child, and she continues to inspire me to live life to the fullest. Even though we live far from each other now, we still make the effort to come together every few months. Jessie has the biggest heart out of anyone I've ever known. She is the life of the party. Everywhere she goes, she lights up the room with her joyful energy. I’m so blessed to have had her by my side my whole life.

In 4th grade (Mrs. Field’s class), at CHCA, Sam and I sat next to each other.
It was an instant connection, and we found that we had the same exact type of silly humor. From that moment on, I have never laughed harder than I do with Sam; I have never had more things to talk about than I do with Sam (this combination of factors got us separated from each other in class quite often lol). We have always been very aligned: same humor, same belief systems, same anxieties, same music taste, same hobbies. In middle school, we even played tennis and clarinet together. We’re so similar that we haven’t had one disagreement in our 14 years of friendship, and I don’t think we ever will. Sam and I don’t get to see each other often, but she continuously makes an effort to reach out to me on a weekly, if not daily basis, to ask me about my day. She is such a joy to talk to, and it has always been such a joy to have her by my side. She has always been an extremely great listener and an excellent communicator. She is passionate about what she believes in and always advocates for others. Her warm energy is contagious, and it makes you want to be the best person that you can be. I'm so excited for her to officiate our wedding, as Ariel and I have agreed, there is no one better for the job.

My soul sister. The type of friendship where you know you were destined to meet, and you feel like you've actually known each other for lifetimes. Camilla and I met junior year of high school, at Miami Country Day. We were both new students, and had moved to Florida that summer. We were in the same homeroom, and on orientation day, I sat next to her. We were pretty much attached at the hip until graduation. We found the fun and adventure in every moment we could find. As a teenager in a new environment, I felt completely lost, but Camilla helped me discover myself and my confidence. From the moment we met, there was a mutual understanding of unconditional support. Camilla exudes a warmth that is hard to find in this life. She has truly led me on a spiritual journey throughout our whole friendship. All of my core memories as a teenager come from experiences with her, like the Europe trip we took in the summer of 2019 with our high school, or the days we’d skip school to go to the beach (sorry Mama & Papa), or the beginning months of covid-19, where we wandered the empty streets of Hollywood together. Every moment with Camilla is pure joy. I don't know what I would have done without her.


Not to be dramatic, but our friendship literally changed the trajectory of my life. Shane and I first met on a Holland America cruise during Christmas of 2017. He lived in Hollywood, FL and I lived in Cincinnati, OH. As it turned out, we ended up moving to Hollywood 6 months later, exactly 6 miles south of Shane. He was my first friend in Florida, and he truly made me feel at home. Shane is the reason I adjusted to my new life in Florida so quickly. He invited me to everything and introduced me to everyone in his life without a second thought. Though we went to different high schools, I often felt like an honorary member of South Broward High School. 90% of the friends I made in Florida were due to Shane. We spent a lot of time together junior & senior year of high school, on the beach, at the park, exploring Hollywood, or taking weekend trips to the Keys or Orlando. Even when Shane moved to Orlando for college, we made a point to visit each other often, whether it be by plane, train or automobile. Furthermore, it was his dad that hired me at the State Park in 2020, and helped me get a position as a Park Ranger. As many know, my time at the park was some of the best years of my life, and I owe it all to Shane.

Five-year-old me and six-year-old Savannah met at an Italian restaurant called Carrabba’s. Our moms introduced us! Initially, her mom was just my tennis coach, but then our moms kept running into each other so much that they decided it was time to be friends. When I think of my childhood with Savannah, I think about our countless sleepovers. I think about the way we would hide in the closet when either of our moms came to pick us up. I think about how Savannah was the only friend who got me to play with barbies (and I enjoyed it!). I think about the fact that we both adopted a male, orange cat as a child, and they turned out to be brothers (rest in peace Palmer & Sherlow). We’ve had so many invisible strings and synchronicities like this tying us together our whole lives. Another would be the fact that Savannah was born in South Florida and then moved to Cincinnati & I was born in Cincinnati, and then moved to South Florida! Though I moved, Savannah always made the effort to come visit me- one time she flew into Fort Lauderdale in the morning to spend the day with me, and then flew back to Cincinnati that same night so she could make it to work in the morning. This is how deeply Savannah loves her friends, and how hard of a worker she is. I’m so proud of her in all that she does, and I am so grateful to have her as a lifelong friend.

My park ranger sister!!! Karina and I started working at Mizell Johnson State Park in the summer of 2020. We were the only young women working at the time, so, naturally, we found refuge with one another. Karina lived at the park with her boyfriend (now husband!) and they’d always invite me over during break and lunchtime. We truly bonded so quickly. It was so wonderful to spend so much time together. My time at the park wouldn’t have been nearly as special without Karina. From the start, we valued the park in the same way: we saw the beauty, the fun, and the magic in it; it never felt like work. These are memories I will never forget. When we’d drive around together, doing our daily tasks, it genuinely just felt like we were in summer camp. I never had a bad day with Karina. All day we’d be chatting, laughing and just genuinely having a great time. This is how I feel with Karina, no matter where we are. She always makes me laugh, she always makes me feel comfortable, and I’m always in good spirits with her. Her energy just brings that out of people. She is genuinely the kindest person I’ve ever met, and I deeply cherish our friendship.

Genuinely the coolest person I’ve ever met, and a wonderful friend. Kelsey has always been generous, kind, and supportive. She’s funny and passionate, and full of inspiration. We first met at a party in high school- Shane introduced us! We had a lot of fun adventures in high school, and even more when she started working at the park with me in 2021. We always had such a great time working together, doing our daily tasks, riding the ATVs and doing the occasional donut on the service road (shhhh). We popped a few tires together in the work vehicles and ran over a few garbage cans in the one ton truck, but, believe it or not, it happened as we were working really hard. We found the fun times in every moment. Kelsey has always been a friend that I can rely on. In fact, she helped me move from my first apartment, to my second apartment AND she helped me move out of my second apartment in preparation to move to Georgia. I’ll never forget the day that Kelsey, Ariel, my dad, & I drove around South Florida looking for empty dumpsters to unload all of our beat up furniture into. That’s a core memory, amongst many others.

Fate brought us together. Faith and I first met at Oleta River State Park, where she was working at the time. I came to the park to visit, and she was at the front gate. I told her I was a ranger as well, and there was an instant mutual appreciation for each other. We didn’t exchange numbers, and I drove into the park. We then both immediately regretted it. A couple weeks later, one of my videos popped up on Faith’s tik tok feed, and she commented! We exchanged numbers and began to hang out. I felt close to Faith after just one hangout. She’s so down to earth, but so passionate. She cares so much for those around her, and puts every ounce of her energy into providing for her family. Not long into our friendship, Faith had a baby girl, Penelope. It has been so beautiful to see her grow as a person and as a mother. She is the best mother and I am so grateful to be a part of her journey.

One of the kindest, most loyal, fun-loving, and down to earth people in my life. Kayla and I met through Ariel and Melek (her partner, and Ariel’s best man). She first connected with them at a car meet in Miami in 2023, and as time went on we all began to hang out as a group. Kayla is the easiest person to talk to, she’s super funny, and she’s a wonderful listener. She’s passionate, artistic, and she always finds beauty in the little things. We share a deep appreciation for nature and conservation, and we’ve always been aligned in our advocacy. Kayla always puts effort in to spend time with us and plan hangouts that we would all enjoy. Since Ariel and I moved to Georgia, Kayla (& Melek) has come up to visit us twice. I always have the best time with Kayla and I am so thankful for our friendship.

Ariel’s sister!!! Ivy and I first met when she was only 13 years old and now she’s 18! She is so funny and has always been so sweet with me. She’s just like her older brother in so many ways and I really enjoy seeing them mirror each other. I have so much fun hanging out with her. For a while, back at our apartment in Florida, Ariel would pick her up, bring her over, and she would braid his hair for hours. We’d talk, watch movies, eat, and chill. These were some of the coziest nights in our apartment, and I miss them very much. I am so proud to call Ivy my sister in law and I am so grateful for her <3

My sister!!! Nora has always been so much fun. She’s extremely creative, funny, spontaneous, and energetic. For years, growing up, her and I would make movies on our phones. She would come up with the plot and the script every time. We probably have thousands of hours of recordings of us being goofy and acting out different characters. Nowadays, we’re still making movies, but Ariel is filming them on his professional camera- they’ve turned out pretty amazing. Nora is incredibly talented. She carries herself in a way that I wish I could’ve in middle school. She is genuinely so confident and I am so proud of her for everything she does. She has a busier schedule than anyone I know, and she excels in everything she does. She’s awesome <3 I love her so much

My sister!!! Esther is incredibly talented, very sweet, and so much fun. She is super goofy and exceptionally kind. She makes friends with everyone, cherishes her time with them, and they really cherish her back. I will never forget when Ariel and I came to visit and her friends were all ringing on the doorbell calling for her to come play. She makes a lasting impression on people. I am so proud of her musical talents and the work she has put into violin and piano her whole life. She is a pure joy to be around and I love her deeply <3