Last Seen Blogs
letterstoself
Untitled
yeetkyuu
Im Asian And Im Pan So Im Basically A Wok
tonyhortoncollection
Tony Horton Collection
qualitybraindump
Quality Braindump
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Mala
“Hi, Paia Fish Market here.”
“Hi, I was just wondering if you guys had any more of your caucasian rice available?”---- Lara
It was like Astro Babe all over again. Ryley just shows his true colors when he’s not working, and I mean really not working. Not working on his house, his ministry, anything. I can’t even believe how in love we felt after the trip, but this one went deeper than Astro babe. He got to see the time I put in living on Maui, into relationships, into the Claydon‘s, into the island, into young life. He got to see where I chose to call Hawaii home forever. And it made him more in love. I got to see him love on even the most challenging people to love, and I wasn’t even surprised but I was reminded by how unbiased he is and I was reminded the reason why he struggles with ADHD, kooks, and working too much. Before he even surprised me with the flight confirmation message, Lara and I were having the best time ever when I only expected to hop over to maui to work a lot on my computer and just surf when the family surfed. Instead, I got to help her with some crazy boy updates, and we had so much fun with each other from morning till night. I can’t even begin to think what else gave me so much joy my last 10 days in Maui, one off the top of my head was the two major compliments on my surfing by Padre and by a heavy local legend. Oh my gosh and how did I not start with this, Padre asked Ryley to become the area Director of North Shore. And ryley. was. honored. And he didn’t just say it, he said he felt like he got a word during church about it. That’s right, he brought God into it. And this meant so much to me after I was complimented at the Young Life camp (coincidentally happening while i was there) by Auntie Makana. My love for young life was resparked and i have no idea what the future is but i can say if God wants ryley to be a young life leader while i ran my laundromat that would be FREAKING AWESOME
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Ohanalei
“Ok I have a plan, we’ll go surf and play volleyball at the BBQ then go to the food trucks then end the day in the hot tub.” --
Imagine going to Kauai but not seeing any waterfalls. Island hopping and not adventuring. Imagine having a friend that talks to every single person she’s next to. Elle and Holly, I’ve never met anyone like them. Where do I start, ok Holly. She is drop dead gorgeous, but she doesn’t even realize it and frankly is such a nerd. Then she says yes to every single date and doesn’t think twice about free food, free surfboards, free skydiving just because these boys are trying to win her over. Then Elle, she seems like a nerd then it turns out she has incredible style, comes from money, and was the most popular girl in school. She’s the one that doesn’t stop talking. This weekend had to have been a lesson from the Lord. I told myself this weekend was a blessing for Caroline and I guess God wanted to humble me and seriously, just make it a giving trip. Yes Caroline was just as upset about how disrespectful these girls were to locals, and upset about the fact that the girls just wanted us to meet their friends and have thrift shopping pals so we didn’t even go outdoors, but she had an incredible time. I was pissed, but these girls love the Lord and really inspired me. Three or four times Holly confidently prayed for something to happen and it did. 30 or 40 times Elle wanted to make friends in random places and she did. The last night, we didn’t surf or play volleyball or hot tub, we went to the food trucks and met a family. We talked to them probably for a total of three hours and that was the end of the trip. I was reminded of Think Eternal, surfing for more than just the hour I got at perfect Hanalei, playing waterfalls, those things don’t last for eternity. The Point Loma girls at church, Sam Potter, the Hamiltons, the Israelsen family, Sonya and Kanoa at Java Kai, Zach, Nolan, and Ryan Hakman the founder of a sustainable and ethical surf brand, these people last for eternity.
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Astro Babe Blastoff
RoRo.... do you know Ry Ry? —
I wanna keep you can I keep you?? —
Things have been hard since I’ve been back. Is it because I just had the greatest time of my life? Well let me tell you about it so you can decide for yourself.
The second half of my summer, visiting Casey in Portland then having the meeting of my life in Eugene, spending 10 days in Utah to reconnect with Ash and the fam, having the coolest 24 hours in Utah with Ryley. Driving to Zion in the rain then Grand Canyon in the sun, then a day in Lake Havasu. Then up through Ventura to Carpinteria in the sickest van I’ll probably ever own. Bonding with Ryley so much because he got to meet so many of my friends and family then I got to meet his. We both got to see where each other grew up. Hearing that you really know someone when you road trip and camp with them, and feeling even more in love with him. Remembering that God told me in brazil to just wait until mainland with Ryley to see if I really like him or not.
If I remember any amazing memories that I must add to this, I’ll add them later. But I feel these videos do the trick. Now I’m in Oahu and so many personal things are going wrong and me and Ryley feel so distant. But it’s weird to go from absolute fantasy land then back to reality, even when reality is the most beautiful place on earth with the most beautiful people. Sounds ridiculous, but I’ll say it.
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Rio
“I’m glad me and Ronaldo broke up because you and i would have never been friends.”—- The trip couldn’t start any better I’d say, with me screwing up in a hundred ways and a hundred other things coincidentally going wrong, a month and a half trip to Rio started off with more prayers than I’ve prayed in a long time, and a huuuge slice of humble pie. Now that it’s the end, it feels like the credits of a movie. So many thoughts are running through my head, like how the trip started so unsuccessful then ended so SO successful. It feels like an accomplishment and it’s so fulfilling. I got the surgery, made a new best friend, experienced Raquel’s childhood, refreshed my thankfulness for Hawai’i, made some change commitments for when I return, grew closer with Ryley, made another new friend (Coree), was an example of Christ to the Pereira’s, learned a new language, surfed different waves on different boards, and was inspired by a new culture. Ok before I forget I’m writing down those commitments I mentioned earlier: Don’t judge or confront Christians unless they specifically sinned against me, don’t be clique-y, set rules to play as self-control checkups, live sober-minded, stay modest. And from Brazil culture: Be fun, tease, smack each other and spit water, be respectful to EVERYONE, workers/greeters/beggars are human. And appreciation for Hawai’i? The fact I’m not eager to vacation means I love my home. I’m so content, I love the waves and my friends and my purpose, I don’t need a law degree or to leave my home country to be happy, and that’s such a blessing.
THE SURGERY
I woke up the day of the surgery with a God-given excitement. It felt the same as the excitement of Christmas Day. Not 9-year-old Christmas Day excited but like my age kine. Maybe I was meant to lose my glasses in the Atlanta hotel room during my 36 hours of travel to have that added excitement, since I hadn’t worn my contacts in days, and maybe also to help not take my clear sight for granted.
ESTHER AND COREE
“I’ll have… a pepperoni pizza and the texas bbq crepe… amanda do you think they’ll have ranch?” while sipping on coke..
“One time around Christmas my dad just wanted to go on a quick trip, like super fast, so we went to this island by like, mexico or something”
Just saying, I really am glad me and Ryley are the same person. I guess opposites attract so good for Coree and Esther, but I just don’t get it. I’m used to friends being so different from me though, and that’s Esther, but Coree and I really really vibed, to the point where I chose to act a little standoff-ish to avoid all the vibing with him because girls are girls, no matter how sweet Esther is I doubt she’s immune to teasing and being compared to her gal pals. Coree is incredible and his starting God conversations in the car with Amanda was a work of art, I want to adopt that expertise. “You and i would have been best friends growing up.”
RYLEY
“Call the shots and i’ll get us there.” We took turns being desperate to talk all the time, but I wasn’t mad about it because it’s too much to ask to have the exact same availability/mood/busyness. We never were upset about it and we just embraced the difficulty. And two or three times, God taught us the same lessons through our quiet times and that IS too much to ask for, yet God did that.
AMANDA
She’s so serious, we’re very different. Maintaining the friendship will be a little unnatural I’ll say it. But I love her to death and am honestly shocked by her selflessness. It’s just in her and because of that humble personality, she accepted Christ and fully gave her to life to Him. I want to be a part of her journey and I want to be an inspiration to her, so whether it’s difficult or not I’m up for the challenge.
All in all,
Hearing the door handle jiggling, gunshots and screaming from our hostel, pulling up to 2288, a favela takedown below our apartment, being in traffic from guys with shotguns and signaling to druglords in the favela, I pretty much feel like Queen of the Favelas. Don’t. tell. anyone. i said that but yeah i had a dream I was. Halfway through the trip I posted that I would feel like an absolute badass but I’ve been humbled too often and relied on Amanda too much to feel like one. Now though, I do feel like a badass. After staying so long that I got to HOST friends and show them around, and after I got to go on a walk in Niteroi by myself, know my way around, order and respond IN PORTUGUESE, nod to the gatekeeper, and feel absolute contentment with my time in Brazil.
I’ll miss walking in my Havaianas on the paralelepepedo, downshifting to please the fizcalizacao’s, and shooting chique beach towns on film.
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2020 Finale
“I’m just envoying the Jew.” -- Okay this quote wasn’t from Utah, Esther said it on our hike but where else am I going to write it down?? 2020 ended up being one of my most epic years.. literally ever. Far surpassed any year in Maui and maybe Big Island is still my funnest year ever, but that year has the spice of being independent and discovering my love for Hawai’i mixed in. If we’re measuring pure epicness, nothing compares to 2020. Would I say that on social media? No, because most the world suffered in 2020 and I would seem like a B word for saying that, but I just have to be honest. Spending most my days on the north shore of O’ahu, the land of getting famous and being rad, I became friends with pro surfers and have gotten a lot better myself, I never spent a day alone, I made big gains for World Changer and towards the laundromat, I had some fun crushes, I’ve learned so much.. And to top it off, 2020 had the best redeeming finale.
I still got un pequeño anxiety in Utah, and any anxiety sucks so bad, but it was wayyy less than usual. At least it gets me to talk to God A LOT. It really just makes me fully rely on God for heart healing because nothing else helps. For the first time in awhile I spent quality time with everyone that matters, one reason I never felt guilt for how I was spending my time was probably because I didn’t make the effort to hang with random friends like Katie, Rosalie, or any high school people. Probably just isn’t worth it anymore. I even got to be with Shea! Snowboarding, wow. I’ve gotten sooo much better from so much time surfing and I felt like I could just zoom down the mountain. Now I have the snowboarding bug and I live on a tropical island, but I’ll survive. I was also blessed with such good food and Christmas gifts, and I just didn’t really contribute enough back but I neverrrr know what to give! And I can’t cook. But I just gotta show my love in other ways. And start scheming Christmas gifts for this year right now.
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Mainland 2020
“Jenna doesn’t believe you, but this IS my peanut butter right Taryn?” -- My response to anyone at STN asking how the trip went is IT WAS SO FUN. Because it was! I got my routine anxiety on Thursday of our beach house week, but this time it hit me: What if cousin Nick’s suicide attempts when I was young left a bigger imprint on me than I thought? I’ve narrowed down that my anxiety comes from guilt of leaving my family constantly, and more specifically Sarah, but what if the severity of it is from personally experiencing my cousin attempting suicide and my childhood friend Hannah Warburton committing suicide, and my greatest worry of Sarah’s depression leading to that? On that note/bomb dropped, it gives me something to chew on and pray about to finally get over this problem. Because yes, it is a problem. It caused my last 2.5 days (out of only 7) to consist of me trying to push anxiety away and act somewhat normal. Why was the trip so fun then? Because that was 2.5 days of 24 days with wonderful people. DC showed me how awesome Chap is, seeing all the certificates and respect he earned in the military at his retirement ceremony. I don’t need to be going on any vacations to DC but it’s cool I can say I’ve been there in my adult life. Sarah was a bit moody but we were together and I love every moment with mom. Thank God Ash and Jonny went to the beach house, because the next week in Utah was running around to the dentist, to Grandma’s, to the Kaysville house to sort my stuff, to pickleball.. Oh and to rescuing Madelyn for half the day from her crazy STN homeless missions trip, she had quite the experience but that’s her story not mine ;) we spent a lot of money on food and the gender reveal party at the beach house because of Tara’s OCD planning, but I forced myself to remember it’s just money and it’s not worth stressing over. Unfortunately, Sarah was stressing over it. But my words weren’t helping and her strategic cooking got us to avoid EVER eating out and not wasting any food, which was her ultimate goal more than the money issue. Ash and Jonny are now cuter and flirtier than they were pre-marriage, which is honestly just the most adorable thing, to the point that Tara even commented. They’re such lights! And to explain the whole following week with friends would take too long, but the highlight was getting closer to Jenna and being so loved by her! It was hard for me to except her food, wine, car, but she insisted and I offer that all to my friends every day so I should be able to accept it. Seeing Great Aunt Lua’s house renovated made me want to get married, get a dog and settle down, no big deal.. and seeing my past lonely self walking the sidewalks of Santa Barbara made me ever so grateful that I got to leave that place with rich relationships, but yeah, leave that place. Note to self: next year let’s skip Santa Barbara and head to the hills, I could use another Yosemite trip asap.
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