Reporter's Notebook: Picture-perfect friends

Scrolling through my Twitter feed the other night, I came across a posting made by Sandusky resident Sara Rumbutis. A series of photos, taken by Emily Rodenhauser, captured five friends — all smiling and happy to be around one another — in popular local spots like Schade-Mylander Plaza. Intrigued about the dynamics, I reached out to Rumbutis, and she provided me with some additional background information in the pictures. • Who was pictured: Kaarri DeMarco, Samantha Jamison, Haylee Darr, Emily Roesch and Sara Rumbutis • Where they're from: They're recent graduates, between 2011 and 2016, of Perkins and Edison schools. • How their friendship formed: "Our friendship mostly started after graduation. We have all been friends for a few years. I have never had such an amazing, supportive group of friends that turned into family like these girls have." • How they've kept a tight bond with one another: "I live close to downtown so, quite frequently, we walk down to the pier and watched the sunset during the summer and into fall, and it just became a habit. We wanted to make sure we spent some quality time together before Kaarri left. She is going to an internship at Coral World (Ocean Park) in the Virgin Islands." Something like this helps you better appreciate the meaning of friendship. — Andy Ouriel