"We aren't fighting, this is just how we talk"

When I first met Spiros, truth be told, I thought he might be too soft spoken for me. And The BFF's one complaint about him when she met him at Nicki's wedding was that she could barely hear him half the time. (In his defense, he was beyond exhausted and stressed, flying in last-minute for 24 hours just to be there with me. Sweetest guy ever.)

Anyway, I figured it just wasn't his nature to be loud and brash.

Or so I thought.

When I saw him in Greece, he was a totally different person. Energetic. Effusive. Engaged. More than once I'd look at him curiously, thinking to myself, "Who is this guy?" And more than once when the conversation decibel would reach even higher highs, I'd give him a side-eye glance and say, "Be nice." To which he'd respond, "We aren't fighting, this is just how we talk."

The familial shouting from My Big Fat Greek Wedding playing out right in front of my eyes. Quite a cultural experience, I have to admit.

I was reminded of all this on Saturday night when we met some friends at a Greek restaurant frequented many times by Spiros over the past couple of years. The minute we walked and were greeted with a hearty "Yassas! Kalispera!" ("Hello! Good evening!"), his eyes lit up.

I love when he speaks Greek. It transforms him, and it's adorable.

Here's to finding some great Greek people (and food) in California. Yamas! (Cheers!)