#california bucket list

[solarisbliss]

beach swing

Davenport, CA

[sketchinfun]

A little comic thing since I wanted to draw out my experience with my first race, and first RunDisney event this past weekend. I ran a 10K, and coming from someone who absolutely hates running, and is winded by running one mile, I was quite nervous going into the race. However, as I started the race and maintained my planned run/walk method, I began to really enjoy running the race, especially once the race route went through Disneyland and DCA. I'm proud of myself that I finished and kept going, since there were many times during the race when I wanted to just stop. I definitely want to do another RunDisney event, and train for the next time around. It was truly one of those "magical" Disney experiences, and even though I was so much in the zone while running that I forgot like 80% of the run, it was an incredible experience!

[pallanophblargh]

The giant trees portion of my vacation is over (waves a tearful goodbye to the sequoias) and it’s safe to say that Sequoia and Kings Canyon National parks were the most beautiful place I’ve ever been. There are even more photos on the Nikon, but those will have to wait until I’ve gotten home. I only have a day and some change to explore the Bay Area before catching the train back home. I wish I had more time, even if I’ve already been gone for a good chunk of time.

[luckygirldotgov]

DD,

I had a beach day with some of my co workers. While there I didn’t realize but I completed the hardest part in my summer bucket list. I always forget that we are all 18/19 year olds craving friendships.

#50 MAKE MORE FRIENDS!

[sapphire-imeo]

I'm so so excited for it to be summer!! I will probably be posting a lot more too. I was pretty focused on school for a while there 😰

[meganlynnhostetler]

𝕬 𝖉𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖒 𝖎𝖘 𝖆 𝖜𝖎𝖘𝖍 𝖞𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝖍𝖊𝖆𝖗𝖙 𝖒𝖆𝖐𝖊𝖘 🩵

📸 Instagram: @meganlynnhostetler

📍 Disneyland

[runs-4-pinkcupcakes]

Hey bunnies! It’s been a minute. 🩷

I have spent the summer getting chubby. 😀 But it’s been worth every alcoholic beverage and vacation calorie.

I decided to spend as much of the 90 days of summer saying YES to new experiences. I had to not let my weight hold me back from all the things on my bucket list. It HAS for many many years. “So sorry, but I’m too fat to go and do this and that. Sorry! But I have nothing to wear, it’s all too tight and I’m too self conscious!” I’ve known this my whole like, but I’m trying to live it “people who love you do not see your weight as a barrier to loving you”. They invite you because they want to spend time with you. Stop saying NO. You DO want to go.

Summer 2023: It’s had some ups and downs.

I went to Lido Beach Sarasota FL. Beautiful beach. 2 days in I had COVID: took 13 days to recover. That birthday vacation ended quickly.

Tried to make it up in Vegas end of June with 108 F temperatures. So hot you couldn’t even sit by the pool. Stayed at the spa most days.

Went to my first Grateful Dead concert. Perks: I already had COVID so no mask. The Free Contact high was amazing!

I did archery for the first time! Love it .

I learned to play CRAPS.

I went white water rafting at the American River.

Camp and made s’mores.

Watched the fireworks! 🩷🩷

Taught my self to make my favorite drink: Paloma.

Went to a Fiesta party and a Disco party. YES! Dressed up: wig and all!! Salsa and 70’s music and dancing.

46 days left of SUMMA! Go get it!!! ☀️☀️☀️

BTW: I’m back on my exercise and diet plan. I Do have a threshold. 🏃🏼‍♀️🏃🏼‍♀️🏃🏼‍♀️🏃🏼‍♀️

💋

[britishchick09]

my mom wanted to print out google maps directions to la, but my dad had her put them on her phone just in case. she just texted me 'there's a chuck e cheese in goodyear!' and the cec's not visible from the freeway... so i think i know which method she's using! ;)

[kaladinsspear]

New bucket list dream:

Have the time, spoons, and money to train enough to go play at Muscle Beach in Santa Monica California.

[somedaymaybeblog]

What’s on your bucket list?

[saritarora]

It was a thrill and a sense of accomplishment reaching the top of Half Dome at Yosemite National park, with a lots of prep, support of family and company of amazing friends. The total hike was more than 22 miles and took more than 14 hours.

Half Dome has a been on the top of my bucket list for sometime. Half Dome rises nearly 5,000 feet above Yosemite Valley and 8,800 feet above sea level. It is a Yosemite icon and a great challenge to many hikers. Despite an 1865 report declaring that it was "perfectly inaccessible, being probably the only one of the prominent points about the Yosemite which never has been, and never will be, trodden by human foot".

But all that changed when cables were installed in 1919. It's also the most arduous and the daunting part of the climb. All that preparation, conditioning hikes and tips from friends who had climbed Half dome earlier, helped a lot.

A permit is required for the Half Dome hike, which turns into a 45-degree ascent along the cabled section. There are wooden planks spaced out about every 10 feet for hikers to rest and get their footing the national park service website said. But there were planks missing in the most difficult part of the cables, where the gradient was almost vertical. The climbing part of the cables was definitely the most toughest part of the hike for me.

But, to get to the dome we had to climb the sub dome which has no cables, which is as harder if not more, than climbing the cables.

It was great that all 6 of us made it to the top. The views are spectacular of the Yosemite valley from Half dome.

Coming down from the cables was much easier than I thought. Changing from the fancy climbing gloves to the $2 gardening gloves did the trick. The return journey in this long hike was straining on the tired legs, as it felt never ending, specially in the John Muir trail section.

Overall, reaching the top felt pretty emotional. and completing it a special achievement. This was surely an adventure of a lifetime!

[luckygirldotgov]

FARMERS MARKET HAUL (+prices)

Hello Kitty Canvas Tote - $5

5 Stickers - $1

4 Gold Plated Jewelry pieces - $36

Concentrated body fragrance - $30

Soap Saver Bag - $3

Eastvale Collective Farmers Market at 7155 Hamner Ave, Eastvale, CA 92880 every Friday from 6p-10p

If you aren’t in the area I definitely recommend checking out ttjewls on instagram for the jewelry and cocomac@iamcocomac.com for a fragrance!!

[casestudyhouse]

saw the US premiere of the LA dance project's romeo and juliet suite 🥰

[natalienicosia]

Salvation Mountain in California is a must visit 💙

[secular-jew]

From a real Lebanese (Phoenician).

‎I realize that when I speak my mind as a free human being, there will be responses. I can handle that.

‎However, people who are of the opposite conviction (mostly from the medieval Middle East) always respond with the same modus operandi... Every single time someone disagrees with them, they answer by calling us names like Donkey, Pig, or Dog (حمار، خنزير، كلب hmar, khanzeer, or kaleb) which they intend as big insults. They also call us either 'Zionists' or 'traitors' or 'agents'.

‎They simply have no logical answer, and they are so pathetically childish.

‎My feelings are not hurt. Far from it. But seeing so many here in the US chanting "I am Hamas" causes me to see the need to enlighten those who don't know the detailed history of the past 50 years.

‎Why do we oppose terrorist and don’t agree with their terrorism and savagery?

‎Here is the long history recap, told from my personal perspective.

‎I grew up in Lebanon with friends from all faiths: Druze, Muslim, and various Christians. We laughed and played and got along. Lebanon was generally peaceful and safe.

‎We welcomed the Palestinians as refugees to Lebanon.

‎The border between Lebanon and Israel was generally quiet compared with other Arab nations. Many Lebanese did not want war. Instead, we desired to live in peace and tranquility. We wanted prosperity, trade, tourism, and banking. The Lebanese used to be known as having joie de vie and some of the most fun people to be around.

‎Lebanon was referred to as “the Switzerland of the Middle East” for its beauty and its desire to remain peaceful and neutral and a bridge between the east and west.

‎Lebanon was also called “the Riviera of the Middle East”, "California on the Eastern Mediterranean", and “Green Lebanon” because trees covered the hills and mountains and there was no desert.

‎Beirut was known as "the Paris of the Middle East". Lebanon's Golden Age was a period characterized by its natural beauty, including snow-capped mountains, warm beaches, and a pristine coastline. Beirut was a glamorous city with luxury hotels, nightclubs, and a vibrant cultural and intellectual life. It was a popular destination for movie stars.

‎Tourists flocked to Lebanon. They went snow skiing in the morning then drove 2 hours to Beirut to water ski in the Mediterranean the afternoon of the same day. It was on everyone’s bucket list.

‎Tourists were safe and they had so much fun that they did not want to leave. Many came back year after year.

‎Over time, the Palestinians created a state-within-a-state and there were areas where they prevented even the Lebanese army from entering. Which country would accept that? Knowing the trouble it will eventually cause, the Lebanese started to become bitter about the situation.

‎Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser wanted to make Lebanon part of the United Arab Republic, causing a civil war in 1958.

‎I was in Middle School when the six-day war erupted in June of 1967. School was nearing summer break. We went out for our lunch break and heard that war has started. I saw Israeli fighter jets dog fighting with Syrian jets overhead. the Syrian jets lost.

‎Because Lebanon is very small, we could catch AM radio stations from the surrounding countries. All the Arab stations repeated the same lie: "Our forces have destroyed the enemy's air force, and we have reached the outskirts of Jerusalem." All lies and propaganda from Radio Egypt, Radio Damascus, and Radio Amman. Same garbage from each station. Propaganda in the news continues to this day. If a radio station does not toe the line, the regime will shut it down.

‎To hear the truth, we turned to Radio Israel, Voice of America, and the BBC.

‎Three years later, the PLO started fighting against the King of Jordan. Their headquarters were in Amman, Jordan and even though they were refugees in Jordan, they tried to overthrow King Hussein. The king's forces surrounded them and almost killed every single fighter. The world called for a cease fire and forced King Hussein to relent. That was a major mistake. The same mistake is being repeated these days when the world asks Israel to stop firing. When the world does that, the problem never ends. It only becomes a bigger problem. The world had repeatedly made that mistake in the Middle East.

‎The PLO relocated to Beirut. They started firing at Israel from Lebanese territory, causing Israel to retaliate against Lebanese territory. Who would blame them for retaliating?

‎Again, we did not want war. We wanted peace.

‎Knowing that civil unrest was on the horizon, I went to America to study medicine hoping that by the time I completed my studies, the situation would have calmed down. Little did I know what the future held.

‎In 1975, the PLO caused the devastating civil war that engulfed Lebanon for 15 years. My parents were displaced and lost everything. So did many families. The toll was horrendous.

‎The town where I was born was located in the mountains outside Beirut, only about 30 minutes by car. My family could not go there because of the civil war and lost access to our house for over 10 years. Because it was a house owned by Christians, it was hit on more than one occasion while other homes nearby were OK. The roof had a hole in it from artillery shells. It was repaired, yet more shells hit it, sending the message not to return to town.

‎Our orchards used to have apple trees, peach trees, cherry trees, olive trees, sumac, artichoke, pine trees, mulberry trees, fig trees, and other trees. Not being tended to nor watered, they all died. Even the stones used for terracing our orchard were looted. Thus, our neatly terraced land became a worthless desolate wasteland.

‎My brother was kidnapped, other friends died. We had an apartment in Christian East Beirut. The area was besieged for a while and there were times when there was no bread. Artillery fired from Muslim west Beirut was so intense at times that even crossing the narrow street to the bomb shelter was incredibly dangerous. My mother developed heart disease and Parkinson's from the stress and fear.

‎My family were on the run from Beirut to the Metn district, then to the Bekaa, then to Cyprus, then back to various areas in Lebanon. The war had made them nomads.

‎There were so many other stories that my family endured, but I will omit them for brevity's sake.

‎The Syrian army entered Lebanon as ‘peacekeepers’ and destroyed Lebanon. For many years, the Syrian army occupied our house in the mountains and used it as their headquarters in the town. To remain warm and acting like uncivilized primitives, they lit fires inside the house on our ornate ceramic-tiled floor in the living room.

‎In the 1980's, Hezbollah came to existence and wanted Lebanon to be part of the Iranian Islamic caliphate.

‎Syria occupied Lebanon ruthlessly. Many Lebanese were taken to Syrian jails and tortured. Many never returned.

‎The war "ended", and all factions were disarmed except Hezbollah. Syria and the Shiites were in control and dictated that. Hezbollah kept getting stronger due to intense backing from Iran. For years, Lebanon remained an occupied country. Syria plundered Lebanon and became rich.

‎Syria and Iran, using Hezbollah and their own agents, began assassinating any leader who opposed them. They killed Christians and Sunnis alike. In 2005, Bashar Al Assad 'summoned' Prime Minister Rafik Hariri (a Sunni Muslim) to Damascus and 'ordered' him to do something, threatening that if he did not toe the line, Assad would 'break his head'. Hariri did not toe the line and was assassinated in February 2005. Hezbollah were the ones who committed the act.

‎The cowardly Iranian regime had established Hezbollah as a proxy to fight Israel. In essence, cowardly Iran used Lebanon to fight Israel, causing the destruction of Lebanon while Iranian territory remained safe.

‎So back to my first thought. The opposition cannot handle the truth. The only thing they can do is call us names.

‎I have thick skin. We have gone through a lot of trials and tribulations and adversity wreaked upon us by these savage terroristic animals.

‎Thank you, Israel, for Nasrallah's demise. It may create an opportunity for peace, but only if Lebanese leaders have the courage to seize the moment.

‎I will repeat what the terrorists and their supporters don’t want to hear: The Iranian Regime, The Syrian Regime, all proxies of Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, ISIS, Al Qaeda, The PLO, Islamic Jihad, PJ, PFLP, Syrian Baathist Party, all the Communist parties, all of these and more have been CANCERS in the World. They oppress their own people and us alike. They are savage animals who are stuck in the seventh century with the mentality of brutal conquests and war.

‎Call me what you like. I was born a Phoenician, not an Arab. The terrorists took away my county, but God gave me America. I am grateful and I am blessed.

‎I'm going to have an awesome day, and the terrorists are going to get their rears kicked. Have a good night.