Chasing Sunsets

This summer has been good to me so far.

Today I hung out with Lucy, which gave us time to catch up and experience some good food. It's always a good time with her, and I always look forward to seeing her. We made a trip to Off the Grid in Sunnyvale for the first time, where we struggled to decide what we wanted to try, but we settled on pulled pork sliders, Thai iced tea and sweet potato fries topped with chicken tikka masala. Jokes were exchanged, creepy photos were taken, and dogs were admired from a distance.

Walking around aimlessly in Sports Basement really reminded me how much I miss playing sports. I truly do miss soccer, and I wish I continued playing when I was younger... if only my knee could be 100% again. And basketball... I miss my teammates, I miss my friends, I miss the competitive spirit. Volleyball, tennis, baseball and football. Although I never played these competitively, they're so enjoyable with the right group of people. I mean, it doesn't have to be much, but y'know, just kicking the ball around, shooting some hoops, or throwing a football back and forth. I will get back into it this summer -- it gives me so much joy and such a sense of accomplishment and it makes me wonder why I ever dared to stop.

A hula chick, Obama and Jesus accompanied us in the car.

Whenever I drive home in the late afternoon, or near nighttime, I always point out the sunset to whoever is in the car with me, or when I'm alone then to myself. However, I've never really took the time to really appreciate the beauty. When we saw the sunset on the way up the hill, Lucy stopped the car, parked near the side of the road, we got out and sprinted toward the edge, as close to the sun as we could get. When we got there, the sun may have set, but the view was still stunning. These are the moments that I want to start living for. Not the pressures, the grades, the constant expectations, but the spontaneous, the beautiful, the carefree and most importantly, the ones with friends.

I'm honestly so glad and so thankful that our friendship is still so strong even though we may not talk or text as much as we used to. It's so comforting to know that no matter how long it's been, we can always talk as if that time apart didn't exist. I'm thankful for her and inspired by her in so many ways I can't even begin to explain.

Can't wait for our next adventure.

Tidbits:

• "NO, NO, NO...."
• I'm a pretty bad storyteller, like, how have I even gotten this far in life?
• "What kind of parent do you want to be?"
• The Adam Levine collection gives me joy.

• Jumbo in a convertible. 

• Jumbo wanting to Skype.

• Good movie times with the parents. This week we watched X-Men, We're the Millers, and Lone Survivor. X-Men and Lone Survivor definitely exceeded my expectations. I would watch either of them again in a heartbeat. [However, I would not recommend watching We're the Millers with your parents if they're not cool with dick jokes]
• Been walking two miles after dinner most days with either my mom or both my parents. Enjoying the views.

• Plain yogurt + almond butter + blueberries is the best combination I've concocted. 
• Redoing my wall is a little stressful and I don't know where to start. I bought small laser-cut frames and I know I want to frame some new artwork, but I haven't decided what to paint or draw yet. I'm really digging animal skulls right now, but I feel like that might make me sad if I wake up to them. Perhaps drawings of movie stills and quotes would be a better choice.

• Working on handstands is fun and rewarding. Up to 1 minute straight now, followed by several 30 second sets.
• Got a Healthy Back/Back Anatomy book from Costco, and I love reading it. I need to start working on my own physical health.
• I guess Bread Gloves are pretty cool.
• Can't wait for more kids to start coming back from college.
• Looking forward to hike more, to play some volleyball+basketball and to go rock climbing.