Dig Deeper 9.0

The overused saying from Transformers saying “there’s more than meets the eye” is very true. Often times we go past things in our lives and don’t truly take them for what they are.

An adventure that I went on a couple years ago was to a abandoned library. The beginning of this trip was very confusing though. I meet up with so friends but we only had to drive a couple of minutes to get to our destination.

We adventured in the buildings filled with books and history treasured away from sunlight

Roting Ruins 8.0

Roting Ruins 8.0

I have been to many abandoned sights and there have all gone through the test of time different. Some buildings have maintained all structure integrity and others seems to be barely standing. Sadly abandoned builds having many negative reprocussions other than just being barely standing and I have witness all of them.

A large concern with buildings that have been left to rot is the waste of resources that it had consumed. One time I found an abandoned college in the Santa Cruz mountains. They were huge building with rows of lockers, class rooms, and a gymnasium. It was truly a sight to see, so much just left there for no reason. The adventure took multiple hours because there was so much to explore and the campus was fairly spread out. But as we walkef through the many buildings cover in mouse feces and found more buildings that had been fenced off, I started to wonder was the negative reprocussions of all of this were.

Abandoned builds are magnets for crime, harvest endless rodents, and are a safety hazard to anyone trespassing. These sights are usually more tucked away so the privacy and lack of any management lead to them being extreme worn down. Many buildings that I have also been to have looked like people had living there. We see what looks like make shift beds and people personal belongings.

One time my friend and I were adventure this old navel dentist clinic in San Francisco. It was fairly easy to get into which meant that there were some people living there. Lucky we didn’t encounter anyone or they heard us before we got to them and escaped. As we walked up and down the worn down halls that used to be offices, we could see the remains of people who had spent the night and used drugs in the building. This is terrible because the building was falling apart. People should not be surrounded by aspestus and rodents for that long. As we ventured to the top floor of the dental clinic, we can to a hallway that had been completely burned through. I was intrigued by the damage and lost focus of my safety. I took a wrong step and a nail came through the bottom of my shoe. Fortunately it went right beside my pinky toe and didn’t pierce my skin. This is just a minor example of how dangerous these places can be and how they are not safe of people to be living in.

Although we absolutely love going to these ruins, abandoned buildings have many negative consequences. They hardest rodents and insects, spreading diseases that they pick up from these foul places. Homeless people use them are a unsafe place to stay. And they are a huge waste of resources.

But as long as there are abandoned buildings, adventurous people like my friends and I will go and explore. Just make sure you stay safe and know where you are going before hand so that you don’t end up in a situation that could jeopardize your health.

PC 7.0

Dad Kiteboarding 7.0

Time Management is Key 7.0

As we grow up, we become more and more busy. This can become stressful and we can become extremely invested in our jobs or what we are forced to do. This takes away from the joys of life. The point of this post is to stress the importance of being productive with your time so that you can enjoy yourself more.

My dad works twelve hours a day and is a very high stress person. He barely sleeps and spends several hours a night reading rather than sleeping. I hated to see him live his life like this. We used to argue about stupid shit and it got to a serious point where we had to have several talks about him relaxing and spending more of his time enjoying his life. My dad has always loved to ski and go on vacation but he needed to spend more time on a daily basis for himself and being happy.

We had many family meetings where my mom and I would express our feelings and how we wanted my dad to spend more time being happy.

This is where time management is critical. He started to spend more time with my mom and I and doing things he enjoyed. He would work hard on the week days so we could go kiteboarding on weekends. He would have more glasses of wine and watch tv with a glass of rum. My dad planned more vacations during the year and would take longer breaks during holidays. We spent more family time together and it brought us closer as a family. I love the time that we spend together and we had a more healthy relationship.

This can be done in anyone’s life, no matter how close you are with the people around you or how happy you are. Time management can benefit anyone. Being on top of your work decreasing stress and allows you to spend more time doing what you please.

Perhaps the craziest adventure I have been on is pleding for a fraternity. We are constantly busy and never know what is going to happening next. Time management has been extremely hard because we have to plan for things that we don’t know are going to happen. I am currently writing this while waiting with my pledge class. My stress is so high but I fill in homework and time for myself when I can. It’s been very important for me to play some video games or hangout with friends to destress. But this is not possible if I don’t get my shit done before.

Manage your time wisely so you can spend more time on yourself!

Cherish Life 6.0 and my favorite picture

Cherish Life 6.0

Life is so precious and can be filled with many beautiful moments. But the sad reality about life it that it can be taken within the matter of seconds. We often don’t realize this until it is too late and we lost a loved one.

Very recently my bestfriend Kyle passed away at the age 18 as I talked about in my fifth post. He was so filled with life and was the happiest person we all knew. He had the personality that would make everyone smile. Kyle hated being the center of attention but would always make jokes that made everyone in the room laugh. We would always go to the beach to surf and go to his favorite restaurant afterwards. Kyle was so handsome and had the best hair flow ever. He had eyes that matched the bluest skies. He was simply wonderful and I’m so glad he’s my brother.

Although this tragity crushed all of my friends, we all learned such valuable life lessons. Simply cherish life and the ones that our close to you. This doesn’t mean that you have to call all of your friends and family every day to check in on them but make sure that the ones that are close to you know how important they are. Try to stay positive with everyone and say I love you more than you think. You never know when the last time you are going to see someone is going to be.

Kyle and I always went up to views to hangout and watch the sunset. We would say that we would go chase the sun. I loved driving up the windy mountain roads as fast as we can and getting to a beautiful destination. We spend endless time up in the mountains with no cell phone service. We would talk about everything including space, tattoos, and sports. We became brothers and not a day goes by where I don’t think about him.

Make sure that you stay in communication with the ones you love and don’t let them become distant. I called Kyle most weeks and saw him all the time when I was home. The sad thing was that I tried to FaceTime Kyle the week he passed and we didn’t connect. Then he texted me saying that he would call me soon but it never happened. I still think about that but I will never forget the impact that he had on my life.

Also cherish your own life. You only get one try at it. Many people spend time being sad but there is no reason for this. Move on in your life and live everyday like it is your last.

Keep the ones you love close, stay positive, and say I love you too often. You won’t regret it!

Grain Factory 5.0

Plan for the Future 5.0

Contemplating your future is a key in life. Even if you shift from your plan it is important to have an idea of where you want to be years in advance. Also continue to make your plan work even if it doesn’t work the first time. Make your goals something you want to do so you strive to achieve it.

One of my favorite adventures I have been on took three tries to complete. It’s an abandoned grain factory in San Francisco but the property is used for cement trucks for the neighboring factory. It’s a hour drive just to get there. The first time we went there was so many trucks coming in and out that we didn’t even try to enter.

The second time we made the drive to San Francisco we had to go in to make all the time in the car worth it. We went later in the afternoon so avoid the traffic of the factory. Me and three other adventure bros walked around the back side of he property on a broken down dock to enter. We scoped our the area and made our way in. As we got towards the middle we saw workers so we ran out back to the dock. We chilled there and waited to go back in. But as we waited outside the fence, two workers came looking for us. We dipped under the dock and climbed through the water to get to safety. We had to squeeze through some tight holes to get out from under the dock. We were all muddy so we decided that it was time to call it a day.

The last time was a success because we went at night. We went around the back of the dock to enter again but made it to the center this time. We had to hop a huge fence to get to the stairs to go up the building. As we walked up the dark staircase, we cased a raccoon up the stairs. As the animal disappeared into the darkness, we heard it fall several stories and it was never seen again.

We made it to the top of the first building and had to cross a tiny bridge to get to the actual mural on the second building. We crossed and exited the second building to view the enormous skeleton that had been painted on the wall. The adventure squad took pictures and hug our feet over the 200 foot edge. After we fully exploded the graffiti and building, we made a successful exit.

This adnadoned spot was unreal. With a view of San Fran, famous graffiti work, and falling raccoons. But it took planning and several tries to get there. Me and my friends worked and made sure we were safe to execute the adventure.

Make plans and do your best to complete them.

Kyle and I 4.0

Time is of the Essence 4.0

Making the most of every occurrence you have in life is many people New Years resolution. This is very positive But I feel that it slows you down. Developing very strong friendships is more crucial. Rather than spending time talking to the mailman, go inside and spend time with your family. Spend all the time you can with the people that are closest to you because you never know when they might be gone.

I have recently been back in Santa Cruz with my group of friends giving love to our friend Kyle who was passing away on life support. While Kyle was at our mutual friends house, a condition called cardiomyopathy stopped his heart from beating. Unfortunately Kyle was in the bathroom and had gone too long without oxygen to his brain by the time my other friends found him.

At first the news was hopeful that Kyle would come out of his comma. But after he had a stroke while being unconscious, he was put on life support. All of my friends rallied together to come say our last words to our brother. We spent two days in Santa Cruz coming back and forth from the hospital. It was extreme tough but having my best friends around made it easier.

Kyle was taken too soon but we all learned valuable lessons from our loss. Take care of your friends and check up on them. I called Kyle all the time and I miss our conversations deeply. I’m glad we communicated a lot but I need to do that with more of my friends. Make sure they are doing well.

Another lesson is treat every time like it is your last. Tell people you love them. That’s such a wonderful thing to tell some one. Make sure the people you care about know that they are important to you. The last thing kyle said before he died was “Todd, I love you”. That’s so much more peaceful than otherwise.

Lastly is to see the light in the dark. Losing my best friend has been the hardest thing I have had to do. I can’t sleep and eat, and he is constantly on my mind. That’s a big reason to be sad which is ok at times but not what Kyle would have wanted. Understand that there is lessons and value in everything you do. Kyle would want all of his friends to be happy and continue on his life for him. I’m glad I was able to spend many years with him but I have to grow as a person to live without him.

Other positives are that kyle loved Santa Cruz way more than the bay which is where he passed, we were all about to say our final words to him, his last words were I love you, he loved being in the bathroom, and Erics house was where he was happiest. All of these oberservations make it seem like there was a reason for his passing.

We live and we learn, stay optimistic, and grow as a person!

#keepridingyourwave

South Point

Just Send It! 3.0

We now live in a world that moves so fast. Messages are sent and received instantly and we have the technology to see what anyone in the world is doing. These advances are a benefit to the human race because we continuously pool the knowledge of billions together. We grow everyday depending on what happened in the past. This can also be negative if you are left behind. You can be stuck in the past if you don’t keep up with the ever changing world. This means you should act while the opportunity presents itself or send it!

Being an entrepreneur is an aspiration of many including me. Being your own boss, created a business designed on how you see it, and being able to choose your hours. Creating a company, no matter the size can be challenging. It takes money, resources, time, and a profitable idea. This is a large example of chasing your dreams but it can be accomplished. Just because you may fail, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do something. Often people are held back in life because they are scared of the negative reprocussions. This also prevents people from doing things to the best of their ablitities. They use their spare time and money on the side to chase their dreams rather than diving head first.

When I go cliff jumping, I jump feet first. Cliff jumping is one of the biggest adrenaline rushes. Many of my friends wish that they could jump off 80 foot bridges into water and ask me how the hell I do it. I tell them that “I just send it”. Although I know that it is dangerous and against the law, I feel that the risks are outweighed by the rewards. I get such a rush and it makes a great video. But as I get older, I become less driven to go find bridges and rocks to jump off of meaning the opportunity is closing. This is why I’m glad I had a group of friends I could go with and kept eachother safe.

Don’t go and start a business today or jump off a bridge but challenge yourself. Live your life without fear of the judgements of others. You are in control of your life and can create anything that you want with the effort and persistence. But your dreams will never be achieved if you do not strive for them. So what are you waiting for, send it!

The Ranch