I JUMPED OUT OF A PLANE

"Those who don't, jump will never fly." - Leena Ahmad Almashat

Sorry mom. Some bucket list sh/t happened. 

YES! I finally jumped out of a plane!!!

It was truly one of the most INCREDIBLE and HAPPIEST experiences in my life. I wanted to do this for so long. There was SOOOOO many obstacles that came up and pushed the day back. BUT the universe has perfect timing. It was a beautiful day in Camarillo, California. I'm going to be honest with you, I'm not a huge fan of roller coasters, so a lot of people don't understand why I love this but not that. Here's the thing, THEY ARE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. I personally did not get that stomach feeling at all. I absolutely love heights and great views. When I was in the tiny plane, all I kept thinking about was, "Is this actually happening?" I had no worries about the parachute not working or something going wrong. Everything just totally felt right. You can watch videos and see pictures, but there's nothing like the real thing. If you want to jump and are hesitant...just do it! You won't regret it at all. :) 

(And yes, I cannot wait to do it again.) 

Huge shout out to my awesome instructor Dan at Skydive Coastal California!

Chess Pieces, a Liver, and Chaos - Hawaii Five-0 is Back!

"Since your liver is in my body, you got no say in how I treat it." - Steve McGarrett

Season 7 Episode 1: Makaukau 'oe o Pa'ani?

Hawaii Five-0 Season 7 premiered last night with a bang, I mean the new story lines, surprise guest star, and of course it’s INTENSE action scenes. I’m beyond excited the writers finally brought someone from the original show, and what better someone than Jack Lord (the original Steve McGarrett himself)? I read a lot of comments speculating if that particular scene was a dream sequence or real. I personally think it was real. It was during the time McGarrett and Danny were in the hospital-small chapels are in hospitals, and in television no one is ever alone in hospital chapel.

Looks like we didn’t say bye to Gabriel Waincroft last season. His memory still carries on with Chin through Sara Diaz (Gabriel's daughter). I really hope this relationship between Chin and Sara grow. It would be awesome to see another child character in the mix of all the action, not to mention, she’s just adorable. Who else wants to be a part of the Kamekona Club? I absolutely love seeing the new business adventures Kamekona gets himself into each season. He lightens up the mood through all the chaos and inspires viewers to be entrepreneurs, by never giving up and constantly creating something new.

There’s no other way to start a season than with 14 dead bodies and a couple of serial killers. What a bang. Oh and how can I forget the ancient chess set? It’s obvious we aren’t going to find out who is behind the deaths until after all the chess pieces are found. The fact that a body was found in the 5-0 Headquarters, Grover’s car, AND a chess piece was left in McGarrett’s home shows that the killer is playing a game with the task force.

Okay, my favorite scene from tonight’s episode has got to be the wheelchair race between Steve and Danny. The chaos they create in the hospital is typical for both of them and I LOVE IT! The constant bantering about Danny giving Steve his liver is great. The writers definitely nail the best bromance, I think television has to offer. 

I cannot wait to see what unfolds the rest of the season. 

Did you miss the premiere? Watch it online: here

September Playlist

"Aw shit, throw some bacon on it..." - Nick Jonas

It's been such a BUSY month, these songs definitely kept me going during the long car rides, concerts, and getting ready in the mornings. :) 

What are you listening to this month?

5. Closer - The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey

4. Song for an Actress - Hoodie Allen

3. The Sound - The 1975

2. Good Thing - Jake Miller

1. Bacon - Nick Jonas ft. Ty Dolla Sign

A Work in Progress

"Because without the struggle, the triumphs wouldn't taste as sweet." - Connor Franta

Wow! Is all I can say before I collect my thoughts to write this post. Okay, let's start from the beginning. Connor Franta is one of my favorite YouTubers. In 2015 he published his memoir, A Work In Progress. I purchased this book during Christmas vacation and could not put it down. I was so immersed in Connor's memoir, until the spring semester started. I put the book on my shelf and never got back to it. With the stress of school, I was never able to finish. Earlier this month I looked at my shelf, opened the book, and couldn't put it down until I read the final words "I feel truly blessed to have you on this journey with me." Oh man, I got the chills when I read it, and typing it now. 

I am the most pickiest person ever when it comes to reading a book. Maybe it's the fact that I've been watching Connor on YouTube forever, it just felt so natural to read. When I first picked up the book, I expected details about his as a YouTuber. What I didn't expect - and should have, was the details on his childhood life including friends and family from the very beginning. (After all isn't that what a memoir is supposed to be? Clearly I read a lot of them.) While reading the book I felt like I was right there in Connor's childhood immersed within the details. In a way it was like reading a person's life backwards. Why? Because right now, I already know what Connor is like in the present (at least in his YouTube persona). Readers basically get an inside look on how Connor came to be today, through the good times and the bad times. I don't want to give away any specific details of his book (because ya'll should read it) instead here's a basic background of Connor Franta. 

Connor grew up in La Crescent, Minnesota and started his YouTube channel in August 2010. Since then, every #FrantasticMonday he has uploaded new videos to his channel. He expanded his YouTube career with a second channel posting vlogs, and joining collab channels with other YouTubers. His biggest collab channel is Our2ndLife (which is how I discovered Connor). This channel became the BIGGEST collab channel YouTube has ever seen with over 3 million subscribers. Aside from YouTube, Connor has created his own clothing and coffee brand, Common Culture. Through the endevors Connor has gone through, he's managed to stay real, honest, and humble sharing his personal life with millions of viewers. 

A Work In Progress truly inspired me to continue pursing my dreams, and never give up. This won't be the last time I open the book, in fact next time I will probably highlight all my favorite quotes. If you've never heard of Connor Franta, I encourage you to read A Work in Progress. His story is amazing. He's not just an average YouTuber and entrepreneur. I can truly see the down to Earth humble human being he is just by reading what he wrote and everything he's accomplished beyond his YouTube channel. I can't wait for the day I get to see him again. (Oh yeah! I've met him before. Did I forget to mention that earlier?! That's a story for another day.) Instead of asking for a picture next time, I'm stoked to have a meaningful conversation - maybe about coffee or something like that. :)

Check out Connor's YouTube, Instagram, and his brand Common Culture 

51 Things That Make Me Happy

"Smile, and the world smiles with you..." - Stanely Gordon West

1. Car rides with great company

2. Watermelon

3. Netflix binging

4. Spontaneous trips

5. My mom's home cooked meals

6. My grandma's home cooked meals

7. Coming home to my comfortable bed after a long day

8. Concerts

9. DNCE

10. Music

11. The city of Los Angeles

12. Food

13. Long walks

14. Writing

15. Volunteering and giving back

16. Mint chocolate chip ice cream

17. Viewpoints

18. The number 18

19. Hiking

20. Snap chatting friends

21. Telling embarrassing stories (I love laughing at myself obviously)

22. Meeting new people

23. Making a list

24. Checking things off a list

25. The smell of coffee

26. Scented Candles

27. Christmas season

28. Smoothies

29. The High School Musical movies

30. Tyler Posey, my favorite person ever.

31. Waking up to a new day

32. My converse

33. The color green

34. Journaling

35. My doggies

36. Sunsets and sunrises

37. Hand made gifts

38. Pancakes

39. Looking at old videos and pictures

40. Hand writing letters to people

41. My job(s)

42. Wearing my pjs

43. Salvadorian Horchata

44. The smell of fresh air

45. Singing to old school Radio Disney songs in the car with my sisters

46. New cloths

47. The moment when you're at a concert and everyone in the venue waves their phones with the flashlight on

48. Water (drinking and waterfalls)

49. My best friends

50. My family

51. Life

Our Story Cafe

"People who love to eat are always the best people." - Julia Child 

Yesterday I met up with my friend Sarah and we explored Montrose and La Crescenta. She found this cute hole in the wall cafe on Honolulu Ave. It's seriously our new favorite place. We spent about 30 minutes looking at the menu deciding what we wanted. There was so many amazing treats on the menu that we wanted them all! Even our waitress was helping us decide with different options. Side note, the workers there are SUPER friendly! It was such a great and chill atmosphere to be in.

Okay, back to food. We ordered the following: 

Raspberry & Mango Tea

The teas were delicious and came with a surprise treat. At first, I thought it was a random peice of cheese, but it turned out to be a bite size cheesecake - super sweet (literally & figuratively).

Bulgogi Tacos

These tacos were legit. I kid you not! They were light, tasty, and not your average set of street tacos. - I kind of felt healthy eating 'em. 

A Tiramisu Waffle

Where do I even begin?! The presentation and taste were perfection. It was truly a sweet treat topped with chocolate syrup, ice cream, and whipped cream. 

If you're looking for a new place to try out definitely hit up Our Story Cafe! You won't regret it! Check them out on Yelp here.

Also check out my friend Sarah's Instagram! She's an amazing photographer. All photos below are taken and edited by her. 

Clearly she catches my good side. 

 

August Playlist

"We don't do it for the money we don't do it for the fame

We do it for the love and it's never gonna change" - Emblem 3

Yes, it's true. I listen to other artists besides DNCE. - They deserve their own post, when the time is right. ;) 

Anyways! Here are some of my favorite songs I play at least twice a day. Fun fact, I discovered each of them from different places; Spotify, Radio, YouTube, and my friends. 

What's on your August playlist? 

5. Cold Water (feat. Justin Bieber & MØ) - Major Lazer

4. Final Song - MØ 

3. You & Me (feat. G Eazy) - Marc E. Bassy

2. Now - Emblem 3

1. Fresh Eyes - Andy Grammer