Best memories of summer 2021

It is good to think of good things about last summer, so I can get excited for the ones to come. 
  • May, when the swimming pool at my apartment complex opened early this year because of how warm it was. 
  • Hiking the Grand Canyon. 
  • Lying on a towel underneath a June sky at the Provo Rec Center, looking at the shapes in the clouds. 
  • Sitting under a water umbrella at the Provo Rec Center, watching the water pour down all around me. 
  • Watching the anime “Waiting in the Summer” for the first time. It really helped me feel the spirit of the season. 
  • Days spent at Lagoon, riding coasters from morning until night. 
  • Lagoon-A-Beach, challenging myself to ride all the water rides there before 2 pm. Then going to Cherry Hill, then experiencing the craziness of Classic Waterslides for the first time after that, in a summer rain. 
  • Getting soaked beyond belief on Rattlesnake Rapids.
  • Putting my feet in the water at Bridal Veil Falls. 
  • Racing the Freedom Run 10K. 
  • Playing mini golf at Palisade Park and getting shaved ice with ice cream afterwards. 
  • Running 13.25 miles almost every Saturday, followed by playing in the water fountains and buckets of Cowabunga Bay.
  • Going to different carnivals. 
  • Studying code, art, writing, and math after work. 
  • Doing pool workouts at SCERA Park after work, then riding water slides. 
  • Finishing an outdoor intern lunch consisting of delicious Hawaiian food and sitting there for a while in the warm sun. 
  • Doing lunchtime walks at different parks, discovering rivers and lovely shaded spots. 
  • Riding the Rainforest River at Splash Summit.
  • Going to Six Flags Magic Mountain and Knott’s Berry Farm. 
  • Swimming in the lake. 
  • Going to the beach and playing in the ocean. 
  • Eating snacks on my deck. 
  • Sleeping in my hammock. Finishing Skyward in my hammock. 
  • Going to splash pads and putting my hand in the water. 
  • Going to Nielsen Park, looking at the fountains, sitting on the swings, and watching the ducks and ducklings swim. 
  • Visiting Timpanogos Cave with family. 
  • Picnic lunches. Figuring out that mint spray keeps wasps away. 
  • Learning Ruby on Rails and Vue.js. 
  • Taking meandering Sunday walks in the shade. 
  • Getting ice-cold smoothies after long runs. 
  • Drinking entire Gatorades after long runs. 
  • Going to tons of different outdoor pools and aquatic centers to try out the slides and lazy rivers. 
  • Running faster than I have in a while. 
  • Running through sprinklers and splash pads.  
  • Eating lots of ice cream. Oh yes. 
  • Visiting Thanksgiving Point. 
  • Riding the golf carts at Ashton Gardens. 
  • Having a butterfly land on my bag at Thanksgiving Point. 
  • Eating a corn dog and french fries and drinking lemonade at Cowabunga Bay after spending the morning running and riding water slides. 
  • Looking at cool dinosaur skeletons. 
  • Playing in the giant indoor playground at the Museum of Natural Curiosity. 
  • Taking peaceful lunchtime walks by Utah Lake, and looking for butterflies.  
  • Looking for dragonflies at Lagoon a Beach. 
  • Taking naps in the lazy river at Lagoon a Beach. 
  • Listening to Heat Waves and Solar Power.
  • Blasting the AC. 
  • Going to the movies. 
  • Never having to wear jeans or sweatshirts. 
  • 3:00 walks around my neighborhood. 
  • Riding Double Dragons ten times in a row.
  • Going to Lagoon after work to celebrate Roller Coaster’s 100th anniversary.  
  • Visiting Pacific Park. 
  • Going to Avila Beach, Pismo, and San Luis Obispo. Walking on the piers there. Getting the newest Pokémon handbook at the Barnes and Noble. 
  • Santa Barbara! 
  • Walking up the play structure at Cowabunga Bay to get in line for a slide as refreshing water crashed around me constantly in all directions, sparkling in the sunlight. 
And here’s what I want to do better next summer:
  • Spend more time with friends
  • Game and watch TV a bit more, plus read at the park more. Gaming/TV will help if we get more thunderstorms (hope not). 
  • Have a plan for fun activities if it rains
  • More arcades 
  • Do more Legos 
  • Play in band this time (was on hiatus)
  • Sing in church choir again (though that’s usually a winter thing)
  • More imagination sessions 
  • Do more math and self-studying, and coding personal projects. 
  • Get an internship at a place that’s a bit kinder and less harsh and unforgiving than SN.  
  • Hike more.
  • Go to the park at dinner and take another walk. 
  • Go to Splash Summit more, so the big slides become easy to me. 
  • Do a full Lagoon + LAB day. 
  • Spend all day at the Santa Monica beach, and include Pacific Park, the aquarium, and the carousel. Also swim and take a nap in the sand. 
  • More Lagoon days in general. 
  • Take a trip, maybe to Vegas or Florida, in addition to my CA one. 
  • More time kayaking. 
  • Lift weights more. 
  • Not accidentally put the TPED club on hiatus.
  • Go to Yellowstone and Bear World.  
  • Update my theme park blog every time I visit one. 
  • Stick to a schedule!
  • Actually go to the zoo and aviary! I got too busy with all my water parks haha. And get ice cream. 
  • Otherwise, I’ll keep everything the same! It was awesome! 
This cold period, I hope to: 
  • Get through my coding, math, IT, ECE, and physics self-study. Or at least nail all the fundamentals. Then, start some indie app/game dev, finally. 
  • Ace my classes. 
  • Get my art good enough so I’m a regular contributor to the film AND can start doing drawing/painting commissions by the time it gets warm. 
  • Listen to lots of music. 
  • Finish Carnivile draft 1 and start revising / write a new novel. 
  • Watch horror movies in October. And more movies in general. 
  • Once theme parks close, play WAY more video games. Including NoLimits. 
  • And watch way more of my shows. Especially animes. And get back into Pokémon full force. 
  • Read a TON. 
  • Play more music. 
  • Update my theme park blog. 
  • Write more poetry and fanfiction. Read more fanfiction and get active on Serebii again. 
  • Be better at spending more time online and respond to messages and emails in a more timely manner. 
  • Visit fall festivals. 
  • Go to Lagoon every weekend in October. Then start again in March when it reopens. 
  • Run the Haunted Half. 
  • Visit indoor water parks at least once a week. 
  • Read more horror stories on the Noctrium. 
  • Lose fat and gain a lot of muscle so I’ll look awesome in time for outdoor water park season. And maybe not die alone somehow. LOL fat chance of that. 
  • Get WAY faster at running. 
  • Keep my place clean. 
  • Get to some California theme parks during Christmas. 
  • Get PLC I certified. 
  • Go to IAAPA and visit some awesome Florida theme parks! 
  • Be better at journaling. 
  • Secure a summer internship or job ASAP. 
  • Be ready for the Cornell Competition. 
  • And more than anything, get ready for next summer!!!
Photos: Blogger didn't let me upload any more than this. So, this is as good as it's going to get I guess. 

































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































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