T H O U S A N D S T E P S

I didn't always love California. I thought I should be in Utah with my cousin or somewhere else with new people and new places. But I will tell you something. I was wrong. California is the perfect place for me. I love it with every fiber of my being.

Imagine this.

|| waiting for the tide to go in and sprinting across rocks to the other side of the beach ||

|| sprinting full speed into the waves ||

|| seeing a huge wave coming and gliding over the top of it like a mermaid ||

|| doing handstands in the sand in between waves ||

|| feeling the warm breeze rush through your hair ||

|| coming out of the water feeling cleansed and purified ||

This is what I felt in the beautiful Thousand Steps Beach in Laguna Beach, California. I just adore it. The only entry to the beach is a small secluded stairway and then you feel like you just entered a little portal to Hawaii. It is gorgeous with clear water, rocks, tidepools and soft sand. I don't know how to express how much I love the beach and any water for that matter. I feel that my soul is free in water. It is magical for me.

|| this is hagen. we are water babies together & i just love that. ||

|| my sad attempt at skim boarding. ||

|| we found a long piece of kelp and played jump rope ||

Adolescence.

People say they hate society. They say they just need to get away from it so they smoke. Or they drink. Well listen up. You are better than that. When you smoke or drink you are giving in to society. Instead of escaping it you are becoming it. You are contributing to it getting worse rather than helping it. My grandpa always said "don't be a part of the problem,  be part of the solution." That is so true. This life is full of so many opportunities which require sound minds and happy people. This cannot be achieved if people keep throwing away their lives. Now is the time to turn your life around. Be the best you. I know some of you pron ably think oh Jenny's life always goes right so she doesn't have to worry about problems and coping with them. But that is anything but true. I have had my set of problems. I have hard times making and keeping friends and boys are either my friends or ignore me all together and I have questioned my existence and I have had hard days. But the difference between me and a problem teen is that I don't throw it all away. Hard days do not mean you have an excuse to give up your potential. It will be hard, but never forget it will be worth it. If i could do one thing for the world it would be to help every teen find why they are here. Because everyone comes for a reason and every person affects others in ways they never dreamed possible. So go be good people and change the reputation for adolescents. Be strong.

Hi summer.

Hi Summer! gosh, I love that word. SUMMER SUMMER SUMMER.

So summer is here and I could not be any happier!! Seriously, this year has been my hardest ever. I don't know how I made it through but it was dang stressful  But now I can just unwind & enjoy my freedom!

So yesterday, being the last day of school and such, me & mari went to Huntington Beach to play and enjoy the warmth of the sand which is one of my favorite feelings people. Its like the sand just cuddles with you as you lay there. So soothing. Anyways, we got to the beach around 2 and we first headed to rubys to eat. I got a chinese chicken salad (which I highly recommend) and she got a cheeseburger. We sat on the second floor of the diner so our view from the window was spectacular! After lunch we headed back down to the beach and on the way saw sooooo many super good surfers. The waves were firing pretty good at least in early afternoon so lots of people were out. When we got down to the beach we laid out and both of us immediately fell asleep and had a splendid nap on the sand. Just imagine it for a second cause it was so great. We wanted to stay until sunset so we could see the first sunset of the summer in all its beauty. So, we walked around the shops on main street, got hennas, played and enjoyed the sunshine. At around 8 the sunset started. It was so gorgeous. It was so beautiful as all the colors faded together. As me and mari were taking it all in, a mighty fine looking kid came up to talk to us. Long curly hair & surfer vibe. Unfortunately, me and mari both just got really nervous and totally blew it. But hey, he was cute! Me & mari didn't take any pictures together...but here is the sunset and my henna!

To my first day of summer: I LOVE YOU. ♡

Now onto the rest! 

Here are my big plans so far:

● Utah (of course)
● river trip down the Salmon in Idaho
● San Francisco
● possibly one of the channel islands (santa cruz maybe?)
● girls camp & youth conference

Those are my big trips as of now but you never know what else could come up! ♡

jband

oh! & hopefully I will get a summer romance with some hipster boy who will sing Bon Iver to me. One can only hope.

im from a little city with expensive taste

oh, hi. 

I haven't blogged in some time. 

So here ya go. 

My life has been fairly crazy lately. 

I am gonna present this like a list cause that is what I am best at.

1. Concerts.

I have been to two concerts recently and they both were very eventful! 

They were both at the Observatory OC which is a great venue in Santa Ana, CA. I love it there!

So my first concert was Youngblood Hawke with my friends Hagen + Keith. We were surprising Keith for his birthday and he loved it! {i hope} Anyways, we ate at Islands and then headed up to Santa Ana. We got there early enough to be toward the front of the pit so we got to get a pretty good view of the band! So rad. Seriously. They are one of the few bands that I actually like every single song on their album! They are just so perfectly balanced between pop and indie and rock it blows my mind. So pleaseeeeee look them up. Oh and they were freaking amazing live! Their lead singer did the cutest little dance when he moved from side to side on the stage. Me and my friends got a kick out of it. And in between songs they did the most fantastic drum interludes. Dang. Also, before the concert started I was able to meet their guitar player and he was suuuuper nice when I bought a tshirt! This was sorta my first concert for someone who I was a big fan of & it definitely lived up to my hopes. I sometimes would just close my eyes and let the music shake my heart. Probably my favorite feeling. That and jumping with the band on "We Come Running". Ahhhhh I wanna go again. On a funnier note, there was a couple standing near us who was drunker than drunk. They were such great entertainment. And a better word other than couple would be foursome. It was one incredibly wasted guy with his four ladies who he groped, made out with, and posed for in many a picture + video. Seriously I do not understand going to a concert and then not being able to remember it the next day. Dumb, yet extremely entertaining. We also had a sickeningly cute couple by us. {and by sickeningly I mean I am super jealous} They were probably in their early twenties and were the cutest things ever. Rather than getting all up in each other's business right in front of us they just held hands and swayed together and were just perfect. I hope someday I meet someone who wants to be a concert goer with me and will be so tenderly affectionate. Adorable. Oh I almost forgot! Pacific Air opened for them and they were splendid as well! They used such unique instruments which really made such a indie and fresh sound. They even had a recorder solo. I mean how cool can you get. I was a black belt recorderer {is that a word?} in 4th grade so I have some respect for my fellow recorder enthusiasts. On a scale of 1 to 10 I give that concert an 11. 

Okay concert #2. 

I saw the White Arrows. They played at the US Open of Surfing last year with Grouplove and I missed it. So dang sad. But anyways, they have a really unique surf indie rock sound that I adore so I was super pumped to see it live!I went with my friends Ashley, Chloe, and Randall. It was not as good as Youngblood Hawke but definitely a night to remember. They had two openers. Tapioca & the fleas and Avi Buffalo. Neither of them were too impressive I would have to say. They both had their moments but never really got me completely enthralled. Then, the white arrows came on! I adore them. They were definitely a tad high but they were good so that's okay right? Jk no its not. But I can't deny that they were excellent. Chloe & Randall had a little love moment but I won't go into that...(; Anyways, we left a little early to get Chloe home in time for her curfew. As we were walking out there was a hardcore kid who was on LSD or something crazy cause he was going crazy and yelling and making rash movements. cray. And here's where things get real. Many of the freeways were closed due to construction so my friend Ashley (who was driving) had to get off at an earlier exit. While waiting in stop and go traffic we suddenly were hit from behind and were smashed forward. Luckily we didn't hit anyone in front of us but it gave us considerable whiplash and was a terrifying experience. Something I hope I never have to do again. Overall, a very eventful concert. I would give it a 5 on the 1-10 scale.

2. Sickness.

Okay so it's the end of the school year and I have finals coming up. So what does my body do? Get terribly sick. So instead of signing yearbooks in the last week of school I was at home feeling awful and wondering how I would ever pass my finals. So here is where the heavens open and I tell you something extra special. So I studied as much as I could while pushing through illness when I had to take my last final, chemistry. Lemme give you some background. I have gotten an A or B+ on every single test in Chemistry. I just get it for some reason. So I figured I would be good with my final even if I was feeling foul. I get the test and literally stare. I could not remember a thing. My sickness went to my head and it literally was mush. I got a 56% on my final. A 56%!? It moved my grade down to a B+ which for getting an A all year was just unacceptable. I choked back tears as I walked away from school when I realized I had to beg. I ran back to my classroom and swung open the door my teacher immediately said, "I already did it. You were sick and you are a good student so I gave you the A." Amazing right?! I said I love you and wished her a good summer and ran from that classroom feeling like a million dollars. I love sweet teachers.

3. Summer. 

Its here! Let the adventures begin! 

That's all for now. See my next post for more summer fun//

oh! & the title are lyrics to a song by The Neighborhood called Let it go. I just adore it. So rad.

jband