Aisha calls me to ask if I have a few days free. I always make time for my girl. Since Aisha and I met back in 2016 for a bachelorette party, Aisha and I have been constant confidants. Which meant it was compulsory for me to help her celebrate her 35th birthday with her nearest and dearest family.
Birthday Hike
She flies me to her parent’s place. The next day, I ride with her family the next day to meet Aisha in San Francisco. Their comfortable banter and laughter between family members makes me miss my own family. We drive into the looming grayness via bay bridge. The sun greets us again on the other side but only shortly.
Aisha waves us down at the Land’s End Trailhead where we all eat a quick homemade breakfast. At least 5 generations are together to celebrate the birth of one of their own. We were all starting off with a morning hike.
Land’s End Trail is about a 1 mile hike to Eagle Point. There you can see unmatched views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Sausalito.
All 22 of them take the opportunity to connect and play on their walk through the Coastal Trail, admiring the trees, the fog and listening to the crashing waves below.
Birthday Lunch
Strangers pass and greet us with huge smiles, maybe they feel all that energy too. When that adventure is done we all head to a restaurant for lunch where we refuel our bodies for our next adventure, a photo shoot at The Museum of Arts.
Birthday Photo Session
Aisha is treating every family to their very own mini session and a group session so that they’d all have photos to commemorate their trip together, dress code is black and white.
They are an easy group to wrangle for this shoot. Everyone playfully participates entertaining all of my posing ideas. My prompts help me identify the best chefs and drivers, and the quietest, loudest, cleanest and messiest family members.
After our exciting shoot we all meet at a restaurant on the water. Everyone sings happy birthday to Aisha. Her mom and dad hug her with tears in their eyes. The room is swollen with all the feels. I’m not crying, you are.
The next day Aisha, her friend, and I take to the city to have a quick breakfast at Mama’s on Washington Square. After our delicious meal we nap in the park before we head back to Stockton where I’d begin my journey home.
Now they have pictures of this epic adventure. They’ll all treasure the day Aisha got them together to be close, disconnected from the outside world, to really laugh together, hold each other, comfortable in their 22 person microcosm.
As always, my job is to bear witness to lives well lived, to hearts so full of love that it shows on paper, to familial bonds. And although I am but a blip in their timeline, their love will stick to me forever.
