My friend Ben died last month. We hadn’t been in touch since his wedding, however his influence has touched my life every day since I met him in middle school. Being friends with Ben shaped who I am. He was an example of pure joy, optimism, dedication and goofiness. He was the best of us. I traveled to Las Vegas with some other high school buds to attend his celebration of life.
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| I went to this breakfast spot twice in the Arts District because it was yum. |
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| I went to the Museum of Punk Rock and FaceTimed Josh the whole time so he could experience it too. They had a space where you could play instruments, pedals and amps that belonged to bands. Here I am doing my best to serenade Josh on Joan Jett’s guitar. |
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| The museum has the Triple Rock sign and recreated the bar. It was a trip to have a Bloody Mary at the Triple Rock again. |
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| Tikis with Eli. Need I say more? |
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| Jenny Kelly ensured we had the best Korean meal to sop up our sadnesses. What a treat to have this experience with my pals. |
And a few from the memory books:
We celebrated what would have been Ben’s 40th birthday on Saturday with close family and friends. The celebration of his life took place Sunday at the school his wife teaches at. It was a beautiful/sad/funny ceremony and I think he would have loved it. The music was gorgeous and people from all periods of his musical life came together as a band. Megan’s vocal students and alumni choir also performed.
More about Ben and his ceremony can be found here: https://sites.google.com/view/benfrankememorial/home
