Damn My Luck and Damn These Friends

After all the tears shed saying goodbye to TEC I felt joy when Doug and Gaz came to visit LA. My brother managed to get them a room at the hotel he works at. We spent days exploring the city and hanging out at beaches. It was an amazing experience. I took them to Hollywood, LA, and even though we didn't see much of the touristy Los Angeles we had a blast.We even took a trip to San Francisco! The trip was amazing we left on the 24th (MY BIRTHDAY!). We explored the city, shopped like crazy, rode the railway (we tried high-fiving as many people as we could), and just soaked in as much as we could. We ate Indian food at a really "posh" restaurant where Casey tried Indian for the very first time (she's absolutely addicted now!). It was hard leaving San Francisco. Not because I fell in love with the city, but because I knew that once we were in LA we would have to say goodbye to Doug and Gaz and say hello to responsibility and school (gag). We got to LA okay and we hanged around apartment until it was time to take the guys back to LAX. It was a teary goodbye to say the least.

(Doug, Gaz, and Casey at the Crown Plaza in Redondo Beach)

Now it's time to get back to the routine filled with research papers and notes. I have to say this time after camp and before school was just amazing. In camp we had so much responsibility. One mistake can put a kid's well being in danger. With school there's the pressure. This time, the middle, has been a weight off my shoulders. It was a time to be a stupid kid again. A time to make mistake, get piss drunk, get tattooed, and not being afraid to give someone a bad impression of yourself. It was living for the sake of living. Fuck man, that's deep!

(Me being gross and unsightly in San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf)

(Alcatraz and Fun, Fun, Fun photos by Casey)

Under Winter Skies I Will Hold On To This Feeling

Summer has been great. I don't know why I was worried about camp at the beginning. I won't lie it was scary at first, but if you put yourself out there you will not regret it. I've honestly changed so much in my short stay at Trail's End Camp. I have not only changed physically (I'm way darker and I now have a little bit of muscle on my skinny), but I've matured. I've learned to trust my instincts and to honor the values I was raised with. I also have a lot more respect for my parents. I've made so many friends and so many memories. Whether it's pitching a tent in the rain, running like a madman, telling ghost stories, laughing constantly, pranking kids, long chats in porches, motel stays gone wrong, or just acting like a dang fool, these memories will make heart feel lighter and will make smile on those horrible gloomy days. It's hard not to fall in love with such a place filled with so much warmth and happiness. A place you can call your second home, where you make lifelong friendships and are surrounded my such magnificent beauty. I hope that next year is the same. I can't wait to return.

(Luke, Jon, Mike, Scally, and I)