Random Thoughts: Ethiopian Food + Disneyland + Styled Shoot

Hi friends!

I feel like things have been pretty bland around these parts in terms of keeping you guys in the loop about what’s going on in my life. I initially started AOME as more of a online diary as I traversed through college, but since then it’s grown to be a lot more tasty and a lot less personal. When I reached out to my readers on what they would like to read about the most, the winning choice was more behind-the-scenes and… I haven’t really been too great about keeping up with that. Oops.

So, consider this post an apology and the start of more random thoughts and life related posts. A lot of the times I don’t feel like I really have too much to write about since my days look relatively similar, but you guys asked and I shall deliver!

Let’s start with dinner last night!

Kyle has been working at SpaceX for the last few months and, since then, it’s been a struggle to spend as much time together as we normally do. I mean, when we’re back at Santa Barbara he’s at my house all the time (and shoutout to my housemates for accepting him in as one of the girls and asking “where’s Kyle?” when he doesn’t come over for a few days haha), but now he’s up at 6 a.m and isn’t home till after 7. Don’t get me wrong, we’re doing great together as usual (he’s my forever guy) and I am thrilled to see him working there, but we have to make an active effort to make the most out of his free time. To spice things up, we made plans with our old friend, Adrian, and his girlfriend to go on a double date to an Ethiopian restaurant.

I have been dying to try Ethiopian food and have been nagging Kyle about it for the last two years. We found Ibex Ethiopian Food on Yelp and I drove the 30 or so minutes from my house to get there and meet up with everyone. Unfortunately, Adrian and Sadie accidentally typed in the wrong city to their GPS and ended up close to Hollywood, so by the time they realized their mistake, they were miles away around heavy traffic time. We decided to reschedule the double date with them since it would have taken them forever to get the restaurant and Kyle and I enjoyed a one-on-one date instead.

So the food! It’s SO GOOD.

When Kyle and I initially got to the restaurant, we sat at the bar and chatted with the owner while we waited a table to open up. I asked him for his recommendation because it was my first time eating at an Ethiopian restaurant and he insisted that we try the fried trout since it was the best-selling dish there. We ended up ordering a vegetarian sampler dish that came with a fried trout and it was absolutely incredible!

After one bite, I realized that Ethiopian cuisine is full of balanced flavors and spices and incredibly fun to eat. You eat with your hands and use pieces of injera (a flat bread with a distinct sourdough taste) to scoop up the assortment of side dishes. We were served a variety of different cooked lentils as well as a salad and spiced carrots and potatos (I think?) and everything was simply amazing. For me, however, the fried trout took the cake and I was picking at the bones by the time I was through with it!

Even though Kyle and I could have easily split the vegetable sampler and trout dish, the owner and his wife, Lily, came out and insisted that they feed us one of their signature chicken entrees on the house and we couldn’t say no to trying more! While I forgot to snap a picture (too busy eating with my hands), it was perfectly cooked, full of flavor, and Kyle’s favorite dish from the night. We talked a bit more with the owners and Lily gave me her phone number and told us to give her a call the next time we plan on coming in and she would prepare a huge sampler so we could try bites from everything on their menu. Kyle and I were blown away by their generosity and kindness and can’t wait to take Adrian and Sadie there within the next few weeks!

Today (Friday) is going to be a pretty normal day for me and involves replying to emails and business inquiries, putting this post together, hitting the gym, working on lots of freelance work, and getting my photography website together. I haven’t talked about it much, but I am launching a new, revamped site up next week and it’s going to be b-e-a-utiful! This year is going to be huge for me in terms of diving head first into the wedding photography business and working with my friend, mentor, and soon-to-be business partner of sorts, Matt, to get established. I AM SO EXCITED. If you want to keep up with more of my photography shenanigans, feel free to follow my Instagram.

Tomorrow, I’m going to be spending a full day at Disneyland/California Adventures with Kyle, his little brother Adam, his girlfriend Taylor, and a bunch of friends that Kyle knows from the UCSB tennis club. Kyle’s Aunt works there and is able to get us in for free (!) and I am pumped to spend time with everyone, get my Disney on, and eat lots of junk food.

Oh! Sunday! Sunday is going to be amazing. Another local wedding photographer and I have been planning a styled bridal shoot for the past month and on Sunday, all of our plans come to fruition. We’re collaborating with a professional hair stylist and makeup artist as well as three gorgeous models to create some beautiful, portfolio-worthy art. There will be gorgeous bouquets and flower crowns from a florist, golden light, and a horse (!!) and I am so ready for our vision to be brought to life. I’ll probably recap the styled shoot on the blog, but if you want to see more behind-the-scenes from the day, follow my photography Instagram. (shameless plug round duos).

And that’s all she wrote!

I hope all of you have an amazing weekend!