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Woman orders a Diet Coke at the McDonald's drive-thru, and ends up with a new best friend

Their wholesome friendship journey is everyone's new obsession.

She order a Diet Coke with a side of friendship.

Sometimes new friendships appear when we least expect them. You can be out and about, minding your own business, when suddenly a small connection becomes the spark for something truly magical. Sure, these kinds of platonic meet-cutes might not get their own Hallmark movie, but anyone who’s ever experienced them can tell you they contain their own special kind of romance.

For Raquel Benitah, that unexpected friendship came while ordering a Diet Coke at McDonald’s. This was the key ingredient to make “dirty soda”— a trendy beverage made famous by Mormon Wives which combines soda with some variation of cream. Opting for the less sugary route of Diet Coke plus a Fair Life protein shake, Benitah had planned on filming her taste-test, hence why she had been recording herself at the drive-thru.

And it was a good thing she had been recording, because otherwise we would have never been able to bear witness to the “instant connection” with her soon-to-be-new-bestie Markelya Skelly.

“Are you vlogging?” Skelly asks excitedly in the clip. Benitah confirms, sharing her plan to pour the Fair Life into the soda.

Without skipping a beat, Skelly immediately asks “Are you trying that Mormon thing?!” and they both share a laugh. As Skelly recommends the “delicious” combination of Coke Zero and root beer, and Benitah promises to try it next time and “report back,” it seriously feels as though these two have already known one another for years.

“I’m obsessed with her!!!!” Benitah exclaims while pulling out. And after she posted the video of their adorable echange, over 12 million other people were obsessed too.

“I love these types of interactions with strangers, it’s so sweet,” gushed one viewer.

“Wait you’re totally besties now the energy is matching,” said another.

After going viral overnight, Benitah drove back to McDonald’s to reunite with Skelly the next day, but sadly Skelly wasn’t working and management couldn’t give out her contact information. Benitah must have kept at it, because in a follow-up video, we see the two hit it off yet again. Skelly shares that McDonald’s corporate reached out to her, Benitah presents her with the gift of a Fair Life and jokes about starting a podcast…and of course, the two make plans to try Coke Zero + root beer.

@raquelbenitah Replying to @Vanessa IM FREAKING OUT!!!! Sorry for the screaming, im way too excited ahhhhhh. dying that @McDonald’s ♬ original sound - Raquel Benitah

Since that fateful day, Benitah and Skelly have been "inseparable," according to their interview with Today. In addition to planning little friend outings for the holidays, the two have begun creating more adorable content together, including the long awaited Coke Zero/root beer taste-test.

While Benitah confesses that she actually hates the “bubble-gum” taste of root beer, she’s clearly having the time of her life drinking it with her new pal in the video below.

@raquelbenitah Replying to @Tina ✨ BACK WITH OUR QUEEN FOR THE TASTE TEST YOUVE BEEN WAITING FOR !!!! @Persephone M. @mcdonald’s canada🇨🇦 ♬ original sound - Raquel Benitah

What a clear reminder that friendships are every bit as enchanting as a love affair, if we let them be. Because let’s be honest, no matter what way love enters our lives, it’s nothing short of a miracle…which always deserves to be celebrated—and in this case, recorded.

Grace Pettit/TikTok

Grandpa has the cutest "fit check," which went viral online.

"Fit check" is something you've probably heard multiple times if you've spent any amount of time on social media over the past year. It's something like the red carpet question of "who are you wearing?" which prompts the celebrity to rattle off their designer labels for the night. Except now it's a trend for regular folks to share info about their outfits.

It's pretty helpful if you see an influencer wearing something cute. But this grandpa has got to have the sweetest "fit check" ever and people on social media agree. Liam Ryan , who's 86, made a guest appearance in his granddaughter's TikTok, where 24-year-old Grace Pettit coaches her gramps through the process.

The video is filled with giggles from Pettit as her grandpa tries to make sure he hits all his articles of clothing. The people need to know where Gramps got his fit. When the video starts, Ryan stands in front of the camera and says, "Hi, I'm Gramps. We're doing a fit check."


Turns out, if we want to find an outfit as cool as Ryan's we have to wait for the perfect gift. After the intro, Ryan gives us the details we've been waiting for: "My jeans are a Christmas gift. My shirt is a Christmas gift. My sweater, my brother gave me. And my sneakers…" he trailed off before Pettit jumped in to assist. After she held him steady so he could show off his shoes, Pettit did her own quick fit check. The interaction is warming commenters' hearts.

One person wrote, "He is the cutest thing in the entire world."

Another commenter wrote, "Gramps is easily the coolest person I've ever seen on this app."

"I hope when I'm old, my grandkids love me like this. This is so sweet," another user wrote.

Clearly the internet has adopted a new grandpa, and he just happens to have the coolest outfit. Pettit captioned the video, "This is my new favorite video ever."

Watch the adorable video below:

@pettitgrace

This is my new favorite video ever.

This article originally appeared on 1.4.23

Photo by Nereid Ndreu on Unsplash
a group of people standing around each other

One dad who decided to go clubbing with his daughter is making our day while having the night out of his life.

Talia Schulhof (aka @taliasc) had to know she had all the makings of a viral-worthy TikTok when she posted:

“My dad wanted to go to a club so here’s how it went.”

If she didn’t know before, the now 10 million views are a sure indicator. People are loving this adorably wholesome video.


@taliasc flash warning!!! @taliascdad iconic to say the least #madrid #espana #spain #clubbing #nightlife #dadsoftiktok ♬ Low (feat. T-Pain) - Flo Rida

Dad’s ultra cool club attire consists of square rim glasses, a button-up top, and, of course, a gilet (because as we all know, the club is a notoriously chilly place).

The ensemble was, undoubtedly, a hit.

“You let him go with a vest on? Let some of the other guys have a chance,” one person wrote.

After doing the “classic dad overview of the scene” and snapping a quick selfie for the family group chat, he’s ready to party. And by party, I mean he’s ready to sip Diet Coke while the rest of the group downs tequila shots.

Flo Rida’s club classic “Apple Bottom Jeans” plays in the background, to which dad knows every lyric. He’s even seen fist pumping while checking work emails. That’s about as “dad lit” as it gets.

The last thing we see is him dancing out of the exit, which Talia explains is to “remind everyone that he’s the main character.” TikTok seems to agree. One user joked: “He is the main character and we are just living in his world.”

Finding the video oddly … relatable? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Many people in the comments had the same epiphany.

“The work emails LMAO that’s me writing discussion posts at like 11:40 while I’m out partying.”

“But that’s literally me at the club... am I? Am I? A dad??”

Talia wrote in the comments that her dad was so excited his video outperformed her mom’s (yes, she was at the club too), because apparently whenever Talia posts family videos, mom wins.


This article originally appeared on 12.5.21

A powder-saurus caught in the wild.

A father-daughter snowboarding session takes the cuteness up a notch, thanks to dad’s brilliant idea to attach a mic to his 4-year-old. Sweetness ensued.

Sporting an adorable dinosaur onesie, the “powder-saurus” glides through their “secret path,” warning dad of intruders. Cause clearly, it’s THEIR secret path.

As she does, she sings her song of resilience and courage.




“I won’t fall … maybe I will … that’s okay … cause we all fall.”

Truly powerful wisdom in such a tiny package.

One person astutely wrote in the comments, “this is the mantra we all need in 2022.” I mean … it's accurate.

Another added, “this child gave a TED Talk about the power of positive self-talk.”

Indeed, “Shredder Dad” shares footage of our loveable snowboarding dinosaur making a few face plants, but she quickly bounces back. Nothing can stop her from her “weewhoos.” Nothing.

That is, until she becomes a “stuck-asaurus.” A truly relatable moment for all ages. Aren’t "indiscernible verbal struggles" part of the soundtrack of life? Still, she takes it all in hilarious stride, laughing all the way, and the positivity is heartwarming.

This video quickly put a smile on more than 6 million faces, and even got a comment from Walmart, which agreed that “we all fall sometimes.”

Turns out that there’s even more wholesome adventure content on the family’s TikTok. They even have a very thorough guide for teaching a toddler to snowboard here.

And by the way, yes, that dinosaur outfit does come in an adult size.

Next time you’re feeling down, just think of the powder-saurus song, and you’ll be back to “weewhoo” in no time.


This article originally appeared on 02.11.22