OCNJ

Okay, so I have been very busy the last few days. On Tuesday morning, I traveled to Ocean City, NJ to visit my friend from school!!  I was taking the bus there, which was a whole new experience for me. I had never taken a NJ Transit bus that wasn't a local one (Did that make sense? It was like a Greyhound bus). Needless to say, I had no idea how to get off the bus. There wasn't a string like on Septa and I couldn't ask the driver/other passengers. Good thing that someone got off before me so I realized there was a button to press. My stress level returned to normal. Then I realized I did not know where I was supposed to get off. I knew the intersection but what if I missed it? I got off a little early but my friend was able to get me anyway! We just relaxed at the beach for Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons. We had dinner on the beach (Sacko's subs--good stuff right there). I got a little sunburned; I even reapplied! The dessert on Wednesday night was delicious. It was a banana whip. My friend said it was very good for you--like two bananas. Which brought my count of bananas eaten on Wednesday up to 4. I caught the train home Wednesday night. It was a good time, very relaxing and very exciting to see my friend!

 

Even though I didn't take this picture on this trip, it's still a good one of ocnj. I probably ran by there on Wednesday morning. Look, there I am!
 

Happiness

I just finished the book The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. You can check out the related website here. Anyway, Gretchen decided to devote a year to boosting her happiness. That is probably difficult for many people who have so much going on in life. But I think anyone can benefit from this book. One thing I decided after reading it was to not spend my time reading books that I did not want to read. That is hard for me because I try to struggle through books just so I can cross it off my reading list. There is no sense wasting my time reading something that isn't enjoyable. Another aspect of the book that resonated with me was her goal of pretending to be happy which leads to actual happiness. I am no good at faking it.** But I see the value in trying to appear nice/friendly/kind. It is a challenge and an aspect of happiness is the growth aspect in your life. Maybe I can become a better me if I try to be more friendly. There are only benefits when taking a risk like this.


**I read Sartre and his views on existentialism this year. I love that he thinks you can change your ways. If you want to be happy, you can. You aren't predisposed to be anything. Your future is completely up to you--and that includes your attitude and disposition. Change is possible.


So here it goes. Here is a picture (information here) that gets me so happy every time I see it 9probably in addition to getting mail). It is a hotel that pretends to be an indoor campsite!!

from madewell.com

Raccoons

from natgeo.com

 Recently, I have been oddly obsessed with raccoons. On our trip to Knoebels, I went adventuring into the woods. I said I was "a-coon hunting." It stuck for the trip.

(lol) from fiftiesweb.com

 I wanted a coon-skin hat, like Davy Crockett.

I also saw a dead raccoon on my drive home today. RIP poor raccoon. In addition, as I was riding my bike through the local cemetery, there was a tombstone with the last name of "COON." OMG. I made up a joke on that ride. I chuckled to myself. Here it is:

**Paging Mr. Coon, Mr. Rac Coon**

lol. I never met anyone named "Rac" before though...

Knoebels

So earlier this week, we ventured to Knoebels!! For those who don't know, Knoebels is a small amusement park in Elysburg, PA. It is free admission, only charging for the rides. It is family owned and operated (I think??) and very cozy/homey. I love it. There are many old rides, like wooden roller coasters and carousal. The group we go with is much fun--my siblings and I went to grade school with some of them. So it is a friendly group in a friendly atmosphere. Enjoy some pictures from the trip. Go visit! On a side note, on my run on Tuesday, I sorta got lost and ran literally a mile straight uphill. But nonetheless, it was enjoyable.

Summertime

"I like summer--miss the summer. Tell me, what'd you do? Nothing? Me too." 

-Evening Sun by The Strokes

So that lyric perfectly described my summer up to about a week ago. What changed? Well I had a graduation party, then vacation, then another graduation party this weekend, birthday party this weekend, two Union games, trip to the beach next week...so a lot going on. I'm pretty sure my summer will revert back to doing nothing by the end of next week. It will be bittersweet. For one, I was super overwhelmed with getting everything done. There were not enough hours in one day. It will be nice to have much leisure time to read and run and relax. But two, it was nice having plans and events to go to. Made summer not feel like a waste. I guess I will just have to see how it goes.

Oh Father!

So Father's Day today. Happy Father's Day everyone who is a father. Today, a priest wished a happy day to all the fathers, godfathers, grandfathers, and...himself. Get it? He is a father. hahahah, I thought that was so funny. Anyway, today is a day to celebrate all the fathers. Like all holidays, it accentuates the loss if you don't have a father. Kinda stinks, I guess. I never had to deal with that.

On another note, I feel as if there are holidays for everyone and everything. Like multiple holidays each and every day. Kinda overwhelming. Not that I have anything against holidays as previously seen. It just seems like too much.

Well anyway, here's to you dad. I hope you enjoyed the day (he spent most of it working--yeah, I know. What the heck!).

Inspirational Speeches

Yes, I know this post is probably ill-timed. First, it is Friday--the weekend officially starts. Second, it is 10pm on Friday which means all the inspiration to get through this day is really unnecessary. But nonetheless, this video still makes me so happy and inspired to take on the world. My high school English teacher (such a funny/weird guy) showed it to us before our AP test to pump us up. Well, enjoy and feel the inspiration!!! Happy weekend!