72 Hours of Chaos

They say the adventure starts when something goes wrong. Well, I’m very happy to inform you that we had one hell of an adventure this weekend. I guess it started on Friday night when 10pm rolled around and we still had not found a place to sleep. Yes, we considered sleeping on the side of the road. Yes, we realized it was quite illegal. And yes, we were extremely desperate. Thankfully, the camping gods heard our cries for help and there was one more camp spot available at Carpinteria State Beach in Santa Barbara. 

When we woke the next morning, we were parked on the sand and the wide open beach was there to greet us. We made pancakes, ate fruit, practiced yoga, and spent the morning relaxing on our own hidden beach. When the time came for us to pack up and head out, we hopped on the road and encountered our next adventure…. 

The car (aka George) started to overheat after a few miles of driving so we decided to pull to the side of the road, make PB&J, and let George rest it out. We wandered around and found ANOTHER empty beach and spent the next hours exploring, swimming, and napping. We decided to get on the road again before sunset so we could make it to Ventura in time to watch the sunset and make tacos out of the bed of the truck. We made it a few miles down the road before George really started to give out. We spent the next hour driving in 1 mile increments to make sure George didn’t overheat and die. At this point, the chaos really started getting real so here is the short and sweet version of what happened: 

1. We made it to a car shop but they couldn’t work on George anytime before Sunday morning.
2. Again, we didn’t have a place to sleep and we weren’t really sure where we were. 
3. On Sunday morning, the car shop reported back that the problem was “more than they were capable of fixing” and we would have to find another place to fix it. 
4. We spent the next 2 hours calling car shops, tow companies, and parents to try to find out how to save George.
5. We decided it would be best to just laugh it off (& cry a little) and take a train back to L.A. 

As of now, George is still in Ventura and we are on a train heading back to Los Angeles. George will be towed to a new shop tomorrow to be operated on. We don’t know when the next time we will see him is and we don’t know if he will live to see another adventure. We ask you to keep him in your thoughts, and to wish him a speedy recovery. We will keep you updated on his progress and the condition of his health. #GeorgeStrong #thankyou

USC RPL

This past weekend, I had the chance to go out to Mojave Desert with USC's Rocket Propulsion Lab to see two of their static fire tests. Their hope this semester is that they will be the first undergraduate team to send a rocket to space. With two successful static tests completed, they are well on their way to having their names written in the history books! Here is a video from this weekend...

Red Rock Canyon, California

Earlier this month, we were craving an adventure and itching to get out of town. Frankly, we didn’t have time on our side and our financial situation wasn’t working to our advantage. But to nobody’s surprise, we still found a way to do it. We hopped in the car, got on the road, and made our way to what seemed like the middle of nowhere. Somewhere between Los Angeles and Death Valley, we found our little getaway.

As we pulled off Highway 14, red rock mountains and lava covered hills greeted us. We spared no time and began exploring all of the creases, peaks, and caves that were in sight. We pushed each other outside of our comfort zones when tip-toeing across the side of the mountains and we enjoyed each others presence once we made it to the top. It was a day filled with sunshine, exploration, fear, and comfort. It was a day that will not easily be forgotten and a day that I will cherish forever. It was the perfect way to celebrate 3 years with the man I love and a perfect toast to the many years still to come. As the sun began to hide behind the mountains, and a golden haze set over the desert, we packed up and began to head home with dusty clothes, filled camera rolls, and smiles that lasted for the rest of the night.

Intentions

This year is going to be long, hard, stressful, and overwhelming. But it will also be rewarding, humbling, full of adventure, and surrounded with love. It will be emotional in good ways and emotional in bad ways, there will be people that come and people that go, and then there will be the days you want to erase and the days you want to repeat one hundred times over. I will cry from pain but I will also cry from laughter. There isn't necessarily a checklist of things I want to do or places I plan to go, but there are goals that I have set and intentions that I hope to keep. 

I want to do more loving, more giving, more exploring, and more connecting. I want to forgive more easily and laugh more often. I want to welcome, embrace, and accept the new people that come into my life. I want to push myself to new limits, but I also want to find more time to relax, decompress, and unwind. Although there are so many things I want to do more of, there are also things that I want to do less. I want to worry less, stress less, and overanalyze life less. I want to put less pressure on others and to handle my own pressures with more grace. I want to find the balance that will keep my on my feet but that will also continue to push my forward.

I want to prioritize the people in my life and make sure they know how important they are to me. I want to say 'I Love You' and for people to know that I really mean it. I want to hug more, kiss more, and spend more connecting to those who mean the world to me. I want to accept that hard goodbyes are wonderful because I have amazing people in my life that are difficult to leave. I want to truly take the time to realize how blessed I am by all of the amazing individuals I am surrounded by.

And through all the hectic chaos of life, I want to be sure to focus on me; What I want, what I need, and what makes me happy. I want to do more for others while still finding the time to do more for myself. I want to reflect on who I am becoming and how I am constantly changing. I want to acknowledge that I am growing up and becoming independent, but also that I am still totally and completely dependent on those around me. But most of all, I just want this year to be full of passion, smiles, love, grace, and joy. 

HAPPY 2015!

Xanadu

So the time has come for another adventure - but this time it’s different. We aren’t necessarily going anywhere or seeing anything new…YET! I’m calling it an adventure because we don’t know exactly what we’re doing and we don’t know exactly how this is going to turn out. 

Long story short, this is what happened: Brady dreamed up a big plan to build a camper on the back of his truck so we could pack up our bags whenever we wanted and head out of town whenever the urge came upon us. Now let me explain... This was not just an impulse decision to head out and buy 200 feet of steel and start building a big box on his truck. NO. We’ve been talking the big talk for over a year now. We talked about what the camper would look like, what color it would be, how I would design the inside, and of course, where we would go on our first adventure. 

I think we are both proud to say that the adventure has begun and the camper is on its way to being built. We are currently in the process of planning a long trip on the road in January so fingers crossed everything is finished by then! As for now, we will continue cutting, welding, and painting in every spare second we have. Stay tuned! #TheXanadu 

HOME

El Porto, California

As a college student, I have had a hard time figuring out exactly where my home is. People say "home is where the heart is" or "home is wherever I'm with you." Heck, some people even say "home is where the bra comes off".... well, I happen to take my bra off in a hell of a lot of places. You can see my dilemma, right?! So over the past couple years I have really struggled trying to pinpoint exactly where my home is. After much confusion and deliberation with myself, I have finally decided where my true home is. I've realized that my home is not a house, a city, or even a place. It's not where I do my laundry, or where my mom cooks for me, or even where I go to sleep at night. Home takes on a different meaning for me. Home is where my brothers bicker, where my parents hold hands, and where my boyfriend is right by my side. It's where my girlfriends and I gather for late night talks and where we consume copious amounts of calories from baked goods. It's near the beach but also up in the mountains; in the Caribbean but also in places I've never even been. Needless to say, I don't have just one home. Simply put, home is where I'm happiest. It doesn't matter what I'm doing or where I am. What matters the most are the people I'm with and the memories made along the way. So whether your home is a place, a person, or a feeling, pursue what makes you happy and find the things that feel most like home.

Hermit Falls

 Hermit Falls: Arcadia, CA. 

Since moving to Los Angeles, I have  had a constant urge to explore my surroundings. Whether it's going out to dinner at a popular restaurant or hiking in the mountains, there is never a monotonous moment in this big city. Last spring, we took to the trails and decided to explore the San Gabriel mountains. Not knowing exactly what we would find or where we would end up, we laced up our shoes and began walking...

After taking a few questionable turns and trekking our way through the woods, we finally got a peek at Hermit Falls. The water was clear, the air was fresh, and we took in this peaceful moment by sitting on the edge of a boulder and watching nature unfold around us. This quiet moment didn't last for long, as we soon realized we had a whole playground of boulders and waterfalls waiting to be explored. Curiosity kicked in and we were soon getting lost in the creases of the mountain with the sound of rushing water filling the air around us. As the day came to a close, we vowed to visit again when the weather was nice, the water was warm, and we were craving another open air adventure.