'The brick,' as I'd become accustomed to calling it, was virtually indestructible. I can't recall the number of times that I sent that phone whirling down a city sidewalk or the number of times I closed my eyes and tensed my shoulders in anticipation of the multiple clacks I would surely hear as my phone slipped through my fingers and hit the ground. I'd open my eyes to the sight of my phone in pieces and to my relief they were always all there. After a while, putting the brick back together became a game of speed. And boy was I good at it.
When I got the call that I was getting an iPhone in the mail - I must admit - I was ecstatic. Instagram was a new craze and although I loved my brick dearly, it just couldn't compete with the new camera technology. I gleefully rescinded my relationship and dependance on the good ol' brick.
For those that don't know, The Star. For those that do, The Star. Strong drinks. Best cabbage soup I've ever had. Flawless service. Every time I go I feel like I need to be rolled out the door.
Fast forward three years and I had not only shattered my precious iPhone and misplaced it multiple times but the screen was so cracked that by merely holding the phone to a sweat drenched cheek caused it to drown and cease living for a good two hours at a time. Turns out that a phone made out of glass is much more at risk for permanent injury than one made out of plastic. We had some good times, my iPhone and I, but everything must come to an end. In order to preserve the legacy of my infamous iPhone 4s, here are some of the most important visual documents that were on it.
2015..I think. Phx Am. Trash Talk.
Inside joke. You won't get it. Don't try.
For some odd reason, I don't remember this ever happening. But it was on my phone. And I'll cherish it forever.
When you're in Phx and mom and dad say pizza and Star Wars.
Sometime before graduation this year, I got to go to Nevada with Chrissie. We stayed with Abby and Nikki. I must say, I am pretty dang good at BMX for never really having done it before. And by 'good' I mean I can bunny hop 2 cm off the ground, carve halfway up a wall and ride backwards for .2 seconds.
Vegas, baby, vegas!
Oh, PBR, you will always have a special place in my heart.
Fremont Street. Boy, was it an experience.
The establishment that saved our lives at 2 am.
I burnt my mouth but I don't remember it. Does it still count?
South 00. For some reason I thought this was comical.
DUH
Damn!
Damn, this is a big dam.
Damn it, mom! Smile! You're at the dam!
My mom and dad came out to Arizona to see me walk the stage after taking six years to complete course work that should have been completed in four. My dad seemed to really like these two. I think he wants them to be his family.
You climb that was, girl!
Something about counting chickens or eggs..or both.
I got this picture the night of Joe's birthday. My thinking is that Joe was playing with super glue and found his hands stuck to a strongbow and a fuzzy unicorn. Gzus, the great friend that he is, was helping Joe play a word in Words with Friends and tripped over Joe's lap, accidentally opening the front facing camera while unknowingly snapping a picture. Before Gzus knew what was happening, his thumb, with a mind of its own, scrolled through Joe's contacts, picked a random number and hit 'send.' That, or they were drunk.
Yo, dawg! My new friend, Frank. Just so you know, Sport's Authority is closing down. Go get some cheap exercise stuff that you will never use again.
The lovely Mo Wilson.
When you're hungry and can't wait for someone to feed you.
I was so close to actually buying this for my future room.
P. Kelly coming in clutch as party MVP.
This one time, the boys invited me on a skate trip to Sedona. It's a day that will not soon be forgotten.
Baby Rebel, back when his name was PBR/Monchichi.
David Beckham came to camp one year and everyone flipped their shit.
Healthy appetites. Thanks for not puking in the booth.
On our first 'all-girls' backpacking trip we visited Jake. I don't think Jake is a girl though.
And we're walking. Kind of. Not really in this picture.
I heard you can eat the fruit on this cactus. I tried and ended up with multiple prickly things in my fingers.
Look at that beautiful tent! I only helped a little.
I spent the afternoon reading. I mean what else could you do, when you've realized you didn't bring enough water, and it's really hot out, and you're getting more and more dehydrated with every minute that goes by and the water that you should've had is infested with flies and mosquitoes and smells like an old man's butthole?
Super enjoyable trip, though. One for the books. We bonded.
Pippi one stocking
Scare-crow.
Little did I know, this flower would bloom into a gorgeous eggplant that I would devour!
Last year, around this time, I headed to Nevada. This is going through the lower part of Utah.
I love propane tanks.
Harley!!
There's something to be said about old friends and catching up right where you left off. Kris and I enjoying a fabulous lunch on a cold wintery-like day, where if the wind hit you just right, it made you want to rip your face off.
My forever skatepark dad/friend/mentor welcomed me into his home on my trip.
Walked the halls of my old high school up in Logan. You can't tell but I was buffer than I am now.
I so missed having this in my life. There was a time where I would sit on this ledge every single day. I didn't recognize many of the faces of those that occupy the ledge these days. Funny enough, the puddles still pool in the same place when it rains.
Alex is a very grounded individual.
Logan and Wink, thanks for everything. Literally the coolest dudes around.
Nevada. Mountains. I don't really know what to say about this one. It's pretty.
Somehow, I manage to frequently glance at my phone around this time.
Earlier pictures in this post might suggest that this photo right here wasn't my first time on Fremont. Let me assure you that this photo, right here, was the first time I'd ever laid eyes on this stretch of road. Too bad I didn't really know what I was looking at. Actually, scratch that, it's probably a good thing.
Dear guy, get out of my garden. Thanks.
Rebel, at his finest.
When the boys come to Tempe, we party.
Sometime last year I got brand new hiking boots and pants. And I sat on the roof.
Dear Moses, happy birthday. Here are some donuts by the lake. Sit with me while I fish.
I don't exactly remember the contents of the brown bag but I'm pretty sure it was actually fish bait.
Bugs, bugs, I like bugs.
Prettiest views I ever did see.
The Lower Salt is truly a place of beauty.
Oh, hey man, what's up? I'm going to pretend you weren't just digging through my garden.
There was a time when our freezer would grow icicles.
Miles, hard at work.
The perks to volunteering at an organic farm.
One Halloween, Christina found this cat on the floor of Casey Moore's. We quickly decided that the name for it would be 'frigid bitch.' Why? I have no idea.
Dwarf looking mother.
Thanksgiving. You know why I remember this? New boots. New hike. I got lost and thought I'd never make it home in time for turkey. I don't even eat turkey.
I could post 10,000 of the same pictures of the lower salt and they will all be awesome.
Friends who peck together, stay together.
You know how sometimes you see a shadow and you're like, 'Woah! That is what I look like in shadow form!' Yeah? Well, this is me and I thought I looked sick that day. Look at the cute little fishing pole sticking out behind my back.
Sometimes this path looks creepy, sometimes it looks like it belongs in a cute Disney film.
A rare sighting of snow. Flagstaff, 2016.
When the days get warmer, the trees start to bear fruit. Don't mind me.
Motorcycle graveyard on the way up to Payson.
Cali hangs with the Cali boys in the Cali wilderness.
There's a right way and a wrong way to lock up a group of bikes. This is the right way.
La Jolla water dogs. They don't bark back. Trust me.
Best buds for life.
Petrified stump in the petrified forest. Breathtaking.
I wish I could tell you what this was but I kind of forgot. All I know is we were exploring in Northern Arizona, kind of close to Flagstaff. This is in the Petrified Forest and it looked really cool.
This picture does the ground no justice. It looked like a wrinkled sheet.
This used to be a house but time destroyed it.
Slide rock. On this trip I was so surprised by the constant changes in weather with our change in altitude. One day it was freezing, the next it was so warm that we dared to say it was hot. Here's one of the warmer days in Sedona. Cass sure wished she had her bathing suit on.
The Grand Canyon Cavern tours is one of the coolest tours. Our tour guide was amazing. All the props on the property are old times and we were only slightly concerned that we were in the middle of nowhere and creepy music was playing in the background.
Back in the day, they used to charge people mere cents to get lowered into the caverns. I'd say it was a pretty good deal. I wonder why people that went in were called dopes..
Word on the street, or in this case the caverns, is that you can rent out the cavern and sleep in it. I'd be pretty spooked.
The night we got to Nevada, we headed straight to Rhyolite to explore in the dark. It was creepy to say the least. We slept in the car in Death Valley National Park. It was freezing. I think it might have been the most miserable I ever was. At one point I think I actually wanted to cry because I was so uncomfortable and cold. But this picture made me so happy.
So did this one. I mean, it's a ghost on a bike.
More ghosts enjoying a last supper. I wonder what they ate.
Waiter.
We had the bright idea of sneaking into a closed off mine. Looking back now it probably wasn't the smartest idea we'd ever had. But how many people can say they went into a spooky mine. And hey, we're still alive.
One of the afternoons we were in Vegas, we were looking to kill some time before we hit the strip and some guy we'd met suggested a small mine about 40 minutes outside of town. As you may have already guessed, we love mines. So we set off to find it. Turns out it was a wimpy 3 ft hole in the side of a big rock. We'd been lost for over an hour looking for it and had to walk for over an hour to find it. But at least Cassandra reached her step goal for the day.
Our stomping grounds for the night.
Next stop: Elko. What's there to do in Elko? Well, let me tell you! The museum! Where you can see a small replica of the Lamoille Presbyterian Church.
Where you can turn around and scare yourself with this fuzzy suit!
Where you can learn all about the first letter presses!
This, my friends, is not a replica. This is the real deal.
Ruby Mountains. Here we had a snowball fight, stepped in snow and water, froze a bit, and had a good ol' time.
Chase, for you. A tribute.
We found the hot springs! Ask me to find them again or for directions. Sorry. Can't help you. We found it out of sheer luck.
The Silver Dollar. Ugh. Home away from home. Or bar away from bar. If I lived in Elko, this would be my local bar. I'd be here every Friday night.
'Mucca sand dunes. I've never had so much sand everywhere. Right after this we went to find the springs and got some relief from the grit.
You know it's going to be a great day when you remember you have left over cabbage soup from The Star.
Pure bliss. Water was hot. Air was freezing. After being in the hot water we had to sprint to the car to avoid getting frostbite. Alright, it wasn't that cold but it was pretty cold.
After Elko we headed up to Idaho. First night there we went to a brewery. Apparently I look like I'm 8 and need a kid's menu. Everyone else got an adult menu. I mean, I'm not mad but I don want a beer and if you could bring more crayons, that'd be great.
More Basque? Okay. No need to twist my arm!
Idaho street art
Coffee. I think coffee was our excuse to get out of the cold for a bit.
Old Jail. Some pretty neat history lies within those walls.
Same. Look at Cassandra's jacket in the lower right corner. That's how cold it was. After we walked around in the cold we ate ice cream. Because that's what you're supposed to do.
I really think they should've painted the bars a more lively color. Maybe a seafoam green?
I actually think this jail cell was bigger than my room
Even more basque. Paella. If you know me, you probably know I'm a vegetarian. Because of that, I don't eat meat. Paella has meat. I got sick after eating. Do I regret eating. You must be kidding! Loved every minute of it. So did they.
If you've ever traveled with a small child, you know that they will make you stop for anything and everything. They will want to stop because they're hungry, or tired, or need to pee, or saw something cool. Cassandra is not a small child. But she was hungry. So we stopped. And lucky for us, we stopped in a gorgeous spot. Cathedral Gorge State Park, folks.
We had some time to kill so we explored.
I graduated in May and that was real cool.
Clear rivers and fish swimming up-stream? I'm there.
When it's Friday, but you get stuck in an elevator and start crying because you're drunk and need to get your dance on.
I'll never know why but I thought these three chicken wings on the ground was the funniest sight. It's like they were cold so they huddled together.
Throwing it back to the first couple of months I lived in Arizona. Ya boy, Sean, and Lolo at Lux sipping on that good good.
Xavi. 2015. Tempe Park. Phx Am weekend.
Ryrey. Phx Am. 2015.
