tabal2023

[tabal2023]

Sneakers and reselling

As I grew up I became highly fascinated with shoes and loved knowing about the different versions, colorways and collabs that were coming out. I first got introduced to sneakers by playing basketball and fell in love with them ever since. I remember one of my first pairs of bball shoes were 2014 nike hyper dunks that I created on nike id. I picked the colors and added my name to the shoes. They were bright and stood out every time I wore them. After having my first shoe I decided to expand my taste and I got into KD 7s which were Kevin Durant's signature shoe at the time. With every season of basketball I was always getting new sneakers and this eventually turned into me wanting to buy shoes for casual wear. I got my first pair of Jordan 11 72-10s. This was my first real pair of sneakers and this is what made me get into buying shoes a lot more. Eventually I got on to the yeezy trend and that's mainly what my shoes consisted of at the time. Getting these shoes was hard as they used to be super limited and would sell out within seconds. I was able to get at least 1-2 pairs of the new colorway that came out for retail and immediately they were worth 2 times their original price of $220. I began buying jordans, yeezys, nike basketball shoes to resell and make profit. In the time doing this I used an app to list and post my sneakers for hundreds of people to view. Within a few months I collected a bunch of sneakers and sold them which gave me a profit of a few thousand. I'm not really into shoes like I used to be as I don't buy them to sell anymore, I just have personal everyday shoes and a couple exclusive pairs. 

[tabal2023]

Dunking

 

As I stopped playing basketball for school and sports in general I still had some love for the sports and missed them to a certain extent. In the past two years I have casually played in my driveway or in gym class and found something I've loved to do. Dunking a basketball is one of the hardest things to do as an athlete especially when you are short like me being 5 '8-5' 9. It requires a lot of strength, work and time to see major improvements in your jumping ability. I have made major improvements over the last 2 years from barely being able to touch the 10 ft rim, to hanging on it, and eventually being able to put a pull through. It's a long journey that feels like you're not going anywhere with results and you get fatigued which slows you down. I've learned how to maintain my legs and knees as jumping creates terrible pain in those areas if over done or done too much. This took me awhile to figure out a jumping routine, warm up and cycle of days where I jump with max intent. This year currently I have been working in gym class and now at home as it gets nice out with dunking and trying new things. A great way to increase your jumping skills as well as the ability to finish the dunk is to practice on low rims and make your finishes difficult. I like to warm up with doing trick dunks on low rim such as windmills, 360s, backscratchers and more. Its allows you to get more comfortable jumping with the ball and finishing it. People's hardest thing when dunking is they can get high enough to do so but their hands are too small to palm the ball or don't have the right technique to transfer it. I have personally ran into this issue and currently am still struggling with it as jumping without the ball and with it is a major difference. I can easily dunk smaller balls like the women's balls or volleyballs but when it comes to the mens I haven't gotten one yet. My goal is to keep training and to not give up even when the journey is long, slow and tiring. Having this passion has allowed me to stay active and have fun outside. 

[tabal2023]

Vikings

Earlier this year I attended my first and only vikings game with my sister and aunt/uncle. Vikings and football has always been in our family and to an extreme extent. My parents and Uncle both have two season tickets right next to each other. We have had four total seats every season for over 20 years. The love and joy that football brings into our family and to people is strong and is a different type of love for a team. Even with Minnesota's struggles in previous seasons and hard times our family has always supported the team and attended most of the home games. In the beginning of our family's time supporting the team my dad and his brother bought a truck. It's a lowrider truck that was nothing special but they turned it into something iconic and known in the vikings tailgating community. We talked the trucks to games and tailgate prior to the games usually if it's not too cold. On christmas day we went to watch the vikings play the giants in a close and important game. We didn't tailgate or do anything prior to arriving as it was christmas day and we traffic was terrible getting down there. After a long ride and waiting in the downtown traffic we got parked and headed to the stadium. We hurried to get in the stadium and we did just in time as we sat down in our seats as kickoff was happening. The game was entertaining,exciting and brought back memories of going to games when I was little. This was my first game in a few years as I don't really opt in to go much and I was glad I did so. The game was close all game long and wouldn't stop one of the giants wide receivers. The fourth quarter came and the game was tied. The vikings held the ball in the last possession and got within field goal range. With 3 seconds left the vikings hiked the ball and kicked a team record 61 yard field goal to win the game as time expired. The joy and excitement was electric in the building and was a great christmas day win. I loved going to a game this year and hope to make it to one next year. 

[tabal2023]

Cats

When I was a freshman I really wanted to get a cat as I loved my uncle's cat and wanted my own.  Myself, my mom and my sisters are allergic to cats but that didn't stop me from convincing my mom to visit and buy a kitten. I begged her for months and tried to persuade but I wasn't getting as far as I wanted. I found a kitten online that was located near us and with being hypoallergenic I convinced my mom to go look at it. We arrived at the lady's house and she had multiple kittens from a litter. We talked to the lady and played with each kitten to decide which one we wanted. We ended up taking home the kitten and named him Timber. This was my first cat and I was very excited to have my own cat that was my “pet”. I fell in love with this cat and was my best friend as he followed me everywhere, slept with me and was my personal cat. We had him for a few months before his life was cut short due to failure in the vets procedure neutering him. I was devastated and sad that he was gone but there was nothing we did wrong and it wasn't our fault. As a few weeks passed I wanted to get another cat as I missed having one and always want one to be living with me. We took a long bit to decide if it was right to get another cat and we agreed we could. I found a breeder in becker mn and we took a trip out there. There were multiple cats to choose from and we picked “Mango” which we renamed him Pablo. We have had pablo for over three years and I couldn't be any more happy with getting him as our 2nd cat. I enjoy playing with him and when he is nice and decides to lay with me. I would recommend getting a cat even if you don't like them necessarily as they make great pets and companions. 

[tabal2023]

Valley fair

Last summer I went to the valley fair for the first time in a few years with my girlfriend and 2 other friends. Valley fair has been one of my favorite places to go as a kid and has always brought fun and joy to me. I can't stand sitting in lines or waiting to go on a ride that takes an hour to get on. We originally just had a regular admission ticket but once we realized how many people were there we decided to buy the fast pass. The fast pass costs an additional $80 but it's well worth it as you can get on every ride you want whenever with basically a 0-5 minute wait. We got there at 11am in the morning and we stayed until close at around 10pm. We went on all of our favorite rides multiple times which includes steel venom, the extreme swings and the wild thing. After the first few hours of being in the hot sun we put suits on and went to the water park. The water park was refreshing and fun as there was the lazy river and the large drop slides. My personal favorite thing about the water park are the slides as they are the most intense and fast ride you can go on. The slides are angled basically straight down and send you flying to the bottom within just a few short seconds. The speed of going down and the adrenaline mixed together is a fun experience.  After the water park we went to the dinner restaurant to eat food. This restaurant is probably the best place to eat at because they have good food like burgers, chicken fingers and fries. The food is pricey but well worth it during the long day. After dinner we continued on with the rides and hit the last few rides we wanted to go on. The day was long and well worth it in the end. I had fun and enjoyed spending time with my girlfriend at a place we both like.

[tabal2023]

Senior Spring break.

The best part and most memorable thing I did this year was go to the Dominican republic with my two best friends for a week. This was my 3rd or 4th time going to the Dominican and it was just as exciting as the first time going. The country is very beautiful as it is very warm, prettiest oceans and the way of life there is unique to me. Going to a new country gives me a point of view of life that I didn't have before and allows me to realize how grateful I am to be on a trip and living in a well developed country.  We had the trip planned for months in advance and I still had issues going because my passport was supposed to come the day before I left but It never came that day. I was supposed to leave Friday morning but my passport didn't come until Saturday so I left Sunday. It was very annoying but in the end I got on the plane and went to the Dominican midday Sunday. My two friends had been there since Friday so I was a little late but I didn't miss much at all. The first day getting there I just kind of figured out the resort with where everything was and what there was to do. We spent one our of days on a catamaran that took on a 2 hour boat ride to an island where we had lunch and spent time in the ocean. The trip was long and well worth the price we paid per person. The ocean here was so blue and pretty it was one of my favorite spots I've been to. We spent most of our days by the pool, playing basketball and eating as much food as we wanted. The resort was all inclusive so we could get whatever we wanted and whenever so that was nice. We spent our last day eating lunch at a restaurant by the beach and swimming in this part of the ocean that was like enclosed by a wall. I had a lot of fun even though I missed a few days and my favorite trip in the last few years. 

[tabal2023]

Sports

Sports have been a big part of my life since I was little and I have always had a passion for them. I started playing both Basketball and Baseball when I was just in kindergarten and I developed a passion and love for them. I think I enjoyed Baseball a lot more as a younger kid and through middle school but once I was in high school I turned to Basketball more. My dad was my coach through all of my life and pushed me to train and get better every single day or practice. He coached me for a few years of travel ball before we got to the high school league. It was one of the best things to have your dad by your side supporting you and having your teammates like him as well. He was the fun coach that everyone liked and wanted to be around and that's what I remember about his role as a coach. Once I got to being a sophomore I had lost all my love to keep continuing sports because my dad got sick and wasn't there to support at games or anything. I decided to quit sports to be around more and spend the remaining time I had left with him. I will never regret quitting both of the sports because without him it was nothing to be and it allowed me to be there as his time came to end. He played a big role in my sports life and made me make the decisions I did with almost everything. Today I like to play basketball in my free time and just use it as a way of peace and exercise. 

[tabal2023]

Senior year

 

My senior year has been a long, tiring and stressful year. School is not something I enjoy at all and I have a hard time completing course work and staying on pace. The year has been quite boring and is not like most senior years for other schools. Our school at Mound Westonka is spread out and people are not really connected besides their personal cliques. This just shapes our grade in a way where people are disconnected from each other and creates problems within groups. There just isn't any excitement in attending our school and the atmosphere isn't the best. This overall year has just been a grind for me just trying to get by and making it to graduation. I have done a decent job at getting my school work done as this is my last course I'm working on to finish. I feel like this should be the best year of school but in reality it's just been long and exhausting. I write this with only 4 days left of Highschool and I couldn't be happier to be done. I am ready to move on from this school and the people here. I'm trying to find my path and purpose in what my life holds ahead in front of me and how I will get to where I want. My senior year has been nothing but hanging out with my closest friends and trying to stay on top of my work. I'm ready for the summer and to spend my last real summer with my close friends and have a good time. I am finishing out this course and I will be accomplished when I do so and fulfill my requirements to pass high school. 

[tabal2023]

Las Vegas

Las Vegas

A few years ago I took a trip to Las Vegas with my dad for a baseball tournament and it's a lifetime memory I won't forget. Vegas might not seem like the best place to go when you are young but there was a lot to do and see when I was younger. It was my first time going to Las Vegas and I was super excited to play baseball in a warm state with different scenery. Our games took place at a complex that had the mountains surrounding the outfield. It was definitely one of the coolest places I ever played baseball at and something that will always be memorable. Besides playing baseball there were many things to do and see. One of my favorite things was eating at the Bellagio as it was all you can eat crab which is my favorite food. The hotel and walking through the Bellagio was cool as there is much art and sculptures hanging that catch your attention.  After we went to dinner there we walked through the strip and watched a fountain show. It's a common attraction and many people go to watch the good show. I enjoyed it and just being outside with my dad in a different state. We visited Urban Necessities which is a huge sneaker store and this was when I was into shoes a lot more and resold them. It was a super cool experience meeting the owner and his wife as well as seeing all of the exclusive sneakers they had. I didn't buy anything from the store as they over charge actual market value but It was definitely worth checking out.  The last thing I did was go on a helicopter ride over the city of Vegas and this was probably my favorite thing of the entire trip. It was my first time in a helicopter and the ride was over 30 mins. We got to see the whole city and the crazy rides they have hanging off buildings. Allowed me to see the city from a different perspective and enjoy the scenery. This whole trip was my favorite trip I've taken and one of the memories I hold with my dad.