It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.. (Kinda)

The winter months are approaching and in years past, this would be a time where snow is falling in the Sierras, the cold air creates frost on the front lawns in the neighborhood, and we would be bundling up in our cold weather gear to survive a short trip to the coffee shop down the road for a nice cup of hot cocoa. Not this year though. California has been being quite moody with the weather lately. A few weeks back it snowed in our hometown of Granite Bay but yesterday I was wearing shorts. That same week, it was dumping snow in Tahoe but a lot of that has seemed to melt away leaving a very thin base with dirt and boulders poking their heads out all over the slopes. Earlier this week on my first trip up to the snow, I had an unfortunate encounter with one of those boulders and did some damage to my leg. So I've been benched for a few days but won't let that stop me from having some fun.

That trip was spent with a bunch of friends from the water ski team and a few of my roommates, staying in south lake and shredding Kirkwood. I've made a video of all our fun that we had. When you're with a giant panda, tiger, and chipmunk, it sure makes for a lot of laughs and good times. Here is a link to the video Ooh Kig'em

More videos will be coming soon including a mountain biking video of my roommate and a video from a trip down to Half Moon Bay with my good friend the pilot, Kyle.

Here at Roam we wish you all a happy holiday season and that despite the moody weather, you're able to get out and have some fun wherever you are and wherever you want to go.

Happy Holidays!

Dear whoever wrote this, you are rad.

1. push yourself to get up before the rest of the world - start with 7am, then 6am, then 5:30am. go to the nearest hill with a big coat and a scarf and watch the sun rise.

2. push yourself to fall asleep earlier - start with 11pm, then 10pm, then 9pm. wake up in the morning feeling re-energized and comfortable. 

3. erase processed food from your diet. start with no lollies, chips, biscuits, then erase pasta, rice, cereal, then bread. use the rule that if a child couldn’t identify what was in it, you don’t eat it.

4. get into the habit of cooking yourself a beautiful breakfast. fry tomatoes and mushrooms in real butter and garlic, fry an egg, slice up a fresh avocado and squirt way too much lemon on it. sit and eat it and do nothing else. 

5. stretch. start by reaching for the sky as hard as you can, then trying to touch your toes. roll your head. stretch your fingers. stretch everything.

6. buy a 1L water bottle. start with pushing yourself to drink the whole thing in a day, then try drinking it twice.

7. buy a beautiful diary and a beautiful black pen. write down everything you do, including dinner dates, appointments, assignments, coffees, what you need to do that day. no detail is too small.

8. strip your bed of your sheets and empty your underwear draw into the washing machine. put a massive scoop of scented fabric softener in there and wash. make your bed in full.

9. organise your room. fold all your clothes (and bag what you don’t want), clean your mirror, your laptop, vacuum the floor. light a beautiful candle.

10. have a luxurious shower with your favourite music playing. wash your hair, scrub your body, brush your teeth. lather your whole body in moisturiser, get familiar with the part between your toes, your inner thighs, the back of your neck.

11. push yourself to go for a walk. take your headphones, go to the beach and walk. smile at strangers walking the other way and be surprised how many smile back. bring your dog and observe the dog’s behaviour. realise you can learn from your dog.

12. message old friends with personal jokes. reminisce. suggest a catch up soon, even if you don’t follow through. push yourself to follow through.

14. think long and hard about what interests you. crime? sex? boarding school? long-forgotten romance etiquette? find a book about it and read it. there is a book about literally everything. 

15. become the person you would ideally fall in love with. let cars merge into your lane when driving. pay double for parking tickets and leave a second one in the machine. stick your tongue out at babies. compliment people on their cute clothes. challenge yourself to not ridicule anyone for a whole day. then two. then a week. walk with a straight posture. look people in the eye. ask people about their story. talk to acquaintances so they become friends.

16. lie in the sunshine. daydream about the life you would lead if failure wasn’t a thing. open your eyes. take small steps to make it happen for you.

Jack of all trades

There are so many things in this world to be good at. Why not try as many as possible and become good at as many as you can. Keep life interesting. If you're good at one thing, might as well try to be good at something else. A snowboarder can be good at baseball, and a seamstress can be an avid rock climber. There is no limit on the amount of things our bodies can learn and do. The power of the human brain can take in an infinite amount of knowledge so why use it all on one subject? Applying oneself to anything can pose great results allowing anyone to be anything. Nothing should ever make someone feel like they can't do anything. Listen to Nike, "just do it." But it is not just one thing, but rather anything. Everything. Don't Stop; just go. No holding back, give it everything you've got. Put all of your heart and mentality into anything you want to do and progress will be witnessed. There is no limit to what we put our minds to. Do anything; do everything. Go anywhere; go everywhere. Roam.

22

It's official, I'm an old woman. A little over a week ago I turned 22 which is honestly kind of weird to say. It feels like the first birthday into adulthood and that's something that just seems so weird to me. This morning I had to go tire shopping (the first time I have ever done something on my own for my car) and as I was waiting for them to put the tires on I picked up an issue of Better Living magazine. I just thought I am not adult enough for this. I hope to never become one of those cookie cutter adults who goes to work in a cubicle, comes home, makes the family dinner, goes to sleep and does it all over again. I hope to always look forward to something new each and every day and to put more passion into making a life rather than making an income. No one hands you a rule book when you are born telling you exactly how to live your life but it seems that is how society expects us to live. The majority of people I know hope to have a career, be married, and have kids all within a certain time frame. Screw that. Just because that's considered "normal" does not mean it has to be followed. I am currently in my senior year of college, next year will be my super senior year, then my super super senior year and so on until (who knows when) it ends. And I could care less that I am not following the so-called "normal path." Along with going off the scholarly career path, I've also gone off the party path. Most people my age are out partying every weekend going to bars and clubs and things. I've gone the complete opposite way. I hardly ever drink anymore. I still go out occasionally and like to party here and there but lately, I've been doing so much outside during the day I just don't have the energy to go out at night like I used to. Like I said, I'm officially an old woman. So instead of going out and going crazy on my birthday all I wanted was to get my adrenaline pumping. So, I went paragliding. I wasn't really following what my instructor was saying and I had assumed I would get a little instruction before flying next to a bunch of cliffs. Wrong. I put the harness on and next thing I knew I was running towards the edge of a cliff. It was awesome, and made me feel a little less old. I'm excited about where my life is going and I'm excited to enjoy the ride between now and 23.

Elevate from Dani Nations on Vimeo.

California Summer 2013

This summer was the best summer of my life so far. Most people probably say that, and it may be way too cliche and over used, but it was true for me this year. Something about my mindset on life made me look at things much more positively and helped me seek more opportunities to have fun and enjoy life.

After loving my freshman year at Cal Poly, I couldn't see myself leaving SLO for the summer. I went home for a short week to see my old friends from high school, and was right back in school taking summer classes. It was definitely difficult to stay motivated for school while it was summer but the town was kind of lonely so I didn't have too many distractions. Throughout the period of the class I did what i could to have fun by meeting new friends and surfing and hiking multiple days out of the week. Working as well kept me busy and so I was never at a loss for something to do. Since summer didn't technically start until 5 weeks into the real summer, I put in a lot of hard work so that I could play even harder when I finished. And boy did I go wild.

Starting off the summer right, I took my final a day early and left straight to San Francisco for a concert with my best friend. The 1975 are AMAZING. Especially live. If you have not heard their new album I suggest you purchase it immediately. It will change your life. Leaving that night from SF, my friend and I went back up to Sacramento to go on a fishing trip the next day with a few of our other good friends.

The camping trip was a learning experience in planning, for the most part. We did not bring near enough food, hoping to catch all of our meals which didn't happen. We ended up having to eat mostly peanut butter out of a jar. It was a bonding experience in the least, and we will continue the tradition for years to come.

After getting back from a few days on the lake fishing, I left home and went back to SLO to leave for San Diego to visit Dani before our trip to Ireland. Ireland was one of the best trips of my life. The country is so beautiful and should be a place for everyone to have on their bucket list. You can check out the video from our trip on our Vimeo or YouTube channel.

Getting back to San Diego after our trip, I left again for SLO and decided to stay there for a few days before hopping in my car again and heading up north. While in SLO, I had a pretty serious relationship with my skateboard. I was heartbroken a few days ago when it was run over by a car. She was very loyal to me and it was sad to see her go.

Back at home in Sacramento, I got to see some more friends, spend more time with my parents, and spend time relaxing after all the long days of driving and working that I had had. I never really stopped going places, and really took the time to ROAM California this summer. My other serious relationship was with my Chicken Nugget and she rolled up and down the state so many times I've lost track.

Back in SLO, I met a lot of new people and had a great time adventuring with them out to the beach, driving places, hiking, hanging out the park, going downtown, all over. I made some great friends this summer and they made it even better.

On top of all that I had done personally, I am very excited with what my sister and I have started with Roam. We are very sorry about how long it has taken to get shirts to be available but were still working hard on it and they will be out very shortly so stick with us and stay stoked on it. Great things are coming.

To finish off the summer, I took one last trip to San Diego to visit Dani for her birthday. She's is a girl who is really up for any adventure or thrilling activity. Don't know where I'd be without her. We swam with some fish in the ocean, we slacklined, we surfed, we cliff jumped, and of course the best for last, we went Paragliding. It felt like floating, and doing quick turns high above the cliffs and ocean brought a thrilling aspect to the majestic ride. Next on my list is to feel the rush of skydiving, everyone seems to be doing it around now and its something that I need to do.

The video I made shows most of the things I did, but there is no way that I fit it all into a 4 minute video.

I hope that everyone had a great summer and even though it's over, I hope that doesn't stop the fun to be had. Get out there and Roam.



California Summer 2013 from BeeJ Nations on Vimeo.

We Are Wild

This summer has become one of my most adventurous summers yet. I have traveled further, explored more, and taken the time to open my eyes and enjoy every opportunity to have fun that presents itself. This past weekend could be the most adventurous weekend of my entire summer. It started off one evening hanging out at the park down the street with two of my friends, Luke and Buster. We had a pretty cool set up going on with two slacklines, a hammock, skateboards, and a vespa. There are endless possibilities of fun with all of that in the mix.
The next day came with an early start at 5 am to take my friend Carly out to the beach. She has been training to run a marathon for the past year and that day was a milestone for her. Carly ran the furthest she had ever run going 22 miles. That is such an accomplishment and I'm proud her for pushing her limits and making it the whole way. I peddled along side on my bike for support. 22 is incredible for a run. Way to go Carly.
After that adventure, Luke and I, grabbed our fishing poles and head out to a little reservoir on campus. The fish didn't particularly like the carnitas we brought as bait but we enjoyed snacking on it and taking a little swim in the water. We then went to pick up our friend Riley and drove out to Los Osos. The location of the best burger in the San Luis Area: Sylvester's. We scarfed down our 1/2 lb. burgers that were topped with pineapple, avocado, onion rings, fried eggs, bacon, and the one of a kind Sylvester's sauce.  Fuel for adventure.
A favorite place of mine to go to is a rope swing out in Morro Bay. It's on a hike up Black Hill and is detour that must be taken whenever we're over there. We brought the GoPro's with us for this and were all mounted up flying through the air like tarzan.
After the fun filled adventurous day, we were on such a roll that we knew we couldn't stop. We hiked Bishop's peak that night at 12am to make it to the top for an overnight camp out on the top of the world. We climbed through the fog layer, feeling separated from the world below us. It was just us, a group of friends, at the top, under the stars, enjoying a warm can of beans and staring out at the world. We fell asleep early in the morning to be woken by the sunrise. One, of the most beautiful sunrises, if I must say.
However, That still was not the end to our adventurous weekend. Hopping in the car later that morning, we took road trip down to Ventura to shop at the Patagonia HQ and a new REI that was put in in Oxnard. We shopped at Patagonia first and I don't know why but, I was drawn to the most expensive articles of clothing in the store. Things that were years out of my budget. No less it was nice to try on six hundred dollar jackets.
Our next stop was Riley's aunt and uncle's house. They have a beautiful home on the side of a hill looking out on the town and the ocean. I was in love with the place. They had a trampoline, where Luke and I practiced our flips, and a guest house where we had a heated nerf war. We climbed the family's avocado tree, and enjoyed quesadillas with homemade guacomole (my favorite). The rest stop was perfect nourishment before heading down a few more miles to make more purchases at REI. Riley equipped himself with a new tent and sleeping pad, Luke a water bottle, and I got some nylon webbing to make a new slackline. More tools for adventure.
We made the turn around and head back up north to SLO, with a quick stop for a cheeseburger at In n Out, a California road trip must.
It was a perfect weekend of adventure and fun. Taking all of the opportunities to do these things are wait made it so fun. It was long and I slept like a rock last night after we got back, but every second was enjoyable and so worth it.

Below are two separate links to the video from the weekend. The first is from our new YouTube channel: youtube.com/user/roamcalifornia
We Are Wild (YouTube)

And the second is from our Vimeo Channel: vimeo.com/channels/roamcalifornia
We Are Wild (Vimeo)

They're the same video so check either of them out!

Roam California

Passion.

The opportunity in the world today is so vast that people can make a living doing almost anything they want. Life is about finding a passion and living for everything that it represents and stands for. Life isn't livig without having something to love. Starting roam has taught me to open my eyes to the world around me. I have seen so many more businesses and ideas that people have filled with so much heart and dedication. It's taught me to take second looks at things and understand how and why. And to not judge what a person loves to do. Everyone in the world is different and no one can tell them differently what they love to do. Now that I'm starting my own life and taking charge of what I want to do with it, I take every opportunity presented to me to try something new to find new motivation and inspiration to find my true passion. I do these things to find what I love to do. And these sources of motivation can come from any source. I went to a gymnastics training conference a few weeks back and learned so many new things, not only with gymnastics but with all aspects of life. It was terrific motivation, putting all the pieces together to find inspiration to progress my life. There is no one moment that makes a life. It is so many moments, so many actions that make life amazing. Listening to champion level gymnast George Hery, he did so many incredible things throughout his life. He told me over dinner that he once did a backflip on a trampoline on the top of one of the great pyramids in Egypt. He also did a backflip on top of one of the towers of the Golden Gate Bridge. And he's 80 years old and can still do a backflip on a trampoline. That's just proof that life goes on and that life doesn't stop after one event. If you keep going, it keeps going. These stories inspire me to go out and take progressive opportunities to do things that are memorable in life. Combining this from one of my favorite short films "The Dark Side of the Lens" where a quote is stated saying that the narrator knows, "I may never be a rich man, but If I live long enough, I'll certainly have a tale or two for the nephews. And I dig that." That is passion and a love for something that nothing else can stand up to. It takes eyes and an open mind to the world around to find passion. When it comes down to it, money doesn't make the world go round. It's the passion in each individual to bring an idea to make the world the world it is. Live in the now. Making memories is more important than making money. Live the way you want to live. 

Money can't buy happiness,

happiness is made by you. 

Making a difference

Something that has always been a big part of my happiness is making a difference to others. It's always been the way that I was raised to make that little difference or go above and beyond to do something for someone. My mother was a big influence on this fact and over the years growing up it continued to be reinforced by so many of my peers and role models who make a difference in my life.

In high school my senior year, my best friend was the class president and had the main focus on having everyone do their best to make a difference to others. This could be anything from simply saying hello to someone or giving them a compliment, to helping with schoolwork or a personal problem. These little things certainly make a difference to myself and how adamant my friend was about making a difference was incredible to look up to.

Following the goal of making a difference, during my sophomore year I gave my first donation of red blood cells with BloodSource, a local blood bank dedicated to providing blood to those in need. Ever since my first donation, I have been hooked on annually donating and helping others. My senior year through student government, I headed the committee to put on the blood drive at my high school. It has become something very important to me and I hope to continue it through the rest of my life.

Last week I contributed my 16th red blood cell donation, and 4th platelet donation, over the past four years. After giving my first few red blood donations, I wanted to help further with plasma donations and platelet donations. Both of these processes take a bit longer but what is a couple hours out of your day to make the difference to save a persons life. Platelets only last about 5 days and more and more people are in need of them every day. Platelets also replenish faster than red blood cells, allowing donors to donate platelets every two weeks.

I think that giving blood is an excellent service. Since less than 10% of people who are eligible to donate, actually donate, it is crucial to have people who regularly donate their time and blood cells to ones in need. People need your help to help them survive.

If you are eligible, please sign up to donate at a local blood bank today and make a difference to someone in need.

Roam Ireland

A few weeks back Beej and I traveled to Ireland to visit our cousin Julie who has been living abroad for the past five years. We've been lucky enough to travel so many different places throughout our lives and experience different cultures, however, this was our first trip traveling abroad without our parents, getting to experience things our way.

This place is seriously unreal. No one is lying when they say Ireland is really green. Unlike America, everything is so spaced out. Everyone either has a ton of land or there are huge open fields within at least a mile of where you are standing. There are also abandoned castles everywhere. Anywhere we went there was always something knew to explore. One thing I liked about our trip was that we didn't make a checklist of things we wanted to do before we left. We knew there were certain places we wanted to see but for the most part we played our trip by ear and just planned everything day to day. In true Nations fashion, we hopped most of the fences, got to close to the edges of cliffs and almost lost Beej off the side of the Cliffs of Moher. Adventures in our genes, we can't help it. Because we were so in the moment, we often times forgot to GoPro because we were so caught up in what we were doing, making a video wasn't the priority of our trip. This video does not do the place justice. If I were you I would start planning a trip here Pronto. This place was incredible and I am so lucky to have such an awesome family to experience such cool things in life with. 

Roam Ireland from Dani Nations on Vimeo.

Sneak Peak

When Beej and I first came up with the concept "Roam California" we had originally just tossed around the idea of keeping up with this little blog. We both spend the majority of our time exploring and staying active outdoors and we wanted to share our adventures with each other and anyone else who was interested in what we were doing. I am so thankful to have a brother who is not only my best friend but who will pick up any idea and run full force with me. So, we decided to start a clothing line. Beej and I are officially small business owners and we could not be more stoked from all of the support we have been receiving about our products! We leave for Ireland this morning and will be taking a little break from working on our website to enjoy our vacation and more crazy adventures. However, when we come home we will be jumping full force into putting up our online store so all you party people can get your hands on some awesome shirts! Here at Roam we believe in having fun and enjoying life so here is a quick sneak peak of a few products we'll be throwing your way. Thank you to everyone who is constantly supporting us. We could not appreciate every single one of you enough.

Roam California from Dani Nations on Vimeo.

Night Surfing

My summer class just finished up last week and man am I excited for summer. An hour after I took my final, I was on the road for a concert in San Francisco that night. It was The 1975, my favorite band, and I was with my best friend. It couldn't get much better than that. The next day we were head up to Tahoe with a few of our other good friends for a fishing trip that ended being just a "trip." We went home empty handed but had a great time hanging out around the campfire. The day after we got back from camping, I went for a solo road trip back home to SLO, and then put my truck to the test and started my journey down to San Diego to visit my sister. While waiting for my sister to get off work, I went and visited my roommate who lives in Encinitas. We had a lovely dinner with his parents and then went out to Swami's for a night surf session. I had never night surfed before but it was awesome! Having surfed in SLO for most of my time, I had never ridden such perfect waves before. My friend Trevor even said that the conditions weren't even good for Swami's and I was in awe. I got to take the first ride on the new board that I shaped earlier in the year and there was no comparison to my old board. The board that I shaped is short, but very fat and wide so it floats like a dream. I was in heaven. And there was only one other person out so we could catch whatever wave we wanted. With long lulls in between sets, Trevor and I both ended up catching and riding the same wave together, but that just made it all the more better to be laughing and yelling at each other as we rode down the line. This has only been the first 6 days of my summer and I have already packed so many adventures into it. It has really been the best summer of my life so far. My sister and I leave for Ireland in 24 hours for a week of enjoying the rolling emerald hills.  I could not be more excited. It's gonna be a long few days but it will be more than worth it.

The Future of Roam California

Through life, every individual is given opportunities to make decisions. These decisions make us who we are whether it be having pancakes or waffles for breakfast, or something more complex as to which career path to follow. The small decisions are given to us almost every moment of every day. The big picture of who we are is the combination of our decisions on our journey to a dream. The dream of being a movie star, a doctor, or a teacher are dreams that help swing our everyday decisions to grow closer and closer to our dreams. Growing up, I never had a dream to be anything in particular. No goals to strive for something that i was passionate about. Recently, with the help of friends, family, travels, and adventure, my dreams have started to become to being seen more clearly than ever before. My dream in life is to open my own store and I have never wanted anything more than I want this dream to come true. With what Dani and I are trying to do with this project, is really starting to make my dream come true.
The goal of Roam California is to not only inform you all of what we're doing in our lives, or inspire you to get out and adventure through your surroundings. We are currently in the process of opening our own business of producing apparel that is perfect for all activities, indoors and out.We want to bring an adventurous style and comfortable style to all. We are still in our production and start up phase at the moment but look forward to the release of our new web shop with a full fall line of T-shirts and Tank Tops. With your support, we hope to bring a full line of clothing to fuel all of your adventures.
As for now, keep following our adventures, take adventures of your own, strive for your dreams, and make decisions that make you happier than you ever have before.
Follow your dreams and put all that you have into making them come true. Don't forget to be free and enjoy life as you continue on your journey.

Float Free.
Fly Straight.
Roam California.

Adrenaline is My New Medicine.

I shouldn't say "new medicine." I've always been an adrenaline junkie. Anything I can jump off of, I will jump off of, and I will try anything at least once. For some reason this summer my adrenaline kick is at an extreme high. I've been surfing bigger waves, longboarding bigger hills, snorkeling in deeper water, and jumping off higher cliffs. My body hates me. I've had more bruises and cuts on my body this summer than I can remember. Anyone who knows me knows my body is covered in scars, I've added god knows how many new ones in the past few months, and I am perfectly happy with that. However, once I get an idea in my head, I am not completely satisfied until I have completed said task. So one day as I was partaking in some dangerous activity, I decided I needed to go base jumping. It just needs to happen and I will not be satisfied until I have done this. The problem is, you can't tandem base jump and I only have one skydiving jump under my belt. The other problem, I'm poor and can only afford so many sky diving trips. So, if anyone reading this knows anywhere in the United States where they just give you a parachute and let you jump off huge cliffs, please let me know. And if anyone else wants to do dangerous activities with me, I'm always up for an adventure.

100 Love Letters for 100 Days

One thing I have been so incredibly lucky with throughout my life is the amount of love I recieve from family and friends. I am surrounded by the best people and could not feel more grateful every single day for all of the incredible people in my life. I recently came across a website that promotes writing love letters to strangers. We live in a world with a lot of hate. Just this past week I've had three different people be so rude to me simply because I was at the wrong place at the wrong time. If there's one thing the world could use more of, it's love. That's why I took the challenge to write 100 love letters for 100 days. After writing the letter I put it in my purse and hide it somewhere in the world for any individual to find. I am a strong believer in the fact that everything happens for a reason and I feel that the people who are brave enough to pick up the letters are the ones who deserve more love in their lives. Not only are you making someone elses day when you write these letters, what better way to start your day than writing a love note?

What did you do today?

What did you do today? A very simple question that just about everyone runs into on a daily basis. Whether someone is asking you, or you're just asking yourself, the question brings about a good amount of thought to think to yourself, "What did I do today?" From my perspective, a day just about goes to waste if I have sat around doing nothing for a majority of the day. I set a goal each day so that by the end of the day, if someone were to raise the question, I'd have an interesting story to tell them that they would most likely not be able to have guessed. To each his own, and if you're setting each day to find sometime to do the things you love, then there is no need to look back on the day as if wasted. Make tomorrow memorable.

So here's a secret...

Any one who knows me (or who follows me on insti) knows I spend as much time as I can in the ocean. Surfing, swimming, snorkeling, canoeing...you name it, I would always rather be doing it. What many people don't know is that I am absolutely terrified of everything that lives in the ocean. Dolphins, little harmless fish, seals, even seaweed. Anything in that huge body of water, except for sharks. I cannot wait until the day when I can swim with a great white shark, not in a cage. Anything else in the water gives me panic attacks. Not the best when you're swimming miles away from shore and freeze up with fear. Here's a video my brother and I made a while back looking for sharks to swim with in La Jolla. It took me awhile to get in there with the orange fish swimming around everywhere, but one thing I love about myself is how fast I can talk myself out of my fears. Do one thing that scares you everyday right?


Mermaids from BeeJ Nations on Vimeo.

Sandwiches.

At ROAM California., we don't just like to adventure throughout nature, we like to adventure through other wonderous necessities in this world such as... food. When someone close to you comes across some local eatery that has blown their tastebuds through the stratosphere, you want to hear about it. I do at least. A good acquaintance of mine, by the name of Jake Miller, has been visiting a local spot that has grown to be his favorite. This outstanding eatery is known as The Sal Paradise. At this one of a kind sandwich stop, you can pick from their menu of quite interesting combinations of sandwiches or completely create your own and pile high a sandwich made just to your own liking. Menu options run anywhere from something simple such as the "Uncle Andre" (turkey, ham, bacon, cheese, and the works) to something a little more complex and dangerous as "The Cardiologist" (Pastrami, roast beef, bacon, provolone, mozzarella sticks, jalapenos, BBQ sauce, and Sal's Sauce). Reading through the menu has really gotten my tastebuds antsy just to try a "Narwhal Prince" or "The Fugly Sweater." And to venture out and try all 25 different combinations, one is bound to find their true blissfully delicious, new favorite sandwich over at The Sal Palace.

Big Falls

San Luis Obispo is filled with amazing places to adventure. Yesterday, my friends and I took a trip to an awesome spot to hike and go cliff jumping. Big Falls is a small pond that has various levels of cliffs to jump from. It's a beautiful spot to check out if you've got a day to kill in SLO.

Big Falls from BeeJ Nations on Vimeo.

Mount Woodson

I think this picture shows how beautiful this hike was

"Each morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most." -Budha

My life is falling apart.

At least that's what it has felt like the past couple of weeks. It seems as if everything that could go wrong has gone wrong this past month. Along with that, it's finals week. Anyone who is a student knows how awful this week is. For me, school has never been and never will be my thing. I will never understand why I need to know how parabolas are formed, or why we need to find x and y. I haven't even made it into a college level math class yet which puts my graduation date no where in sight. But is that the worst thing in the world? No my friends, it is not! Who decided were supposed to graduate in 4 years? Some of us it could be thirty years, but who cares. Do I know where I want to be in five years? Yes. Do I know how I'll get to that point, absolutely not, but what is life if we can't learn to roll with the punches? Life isn't always going to end up exactly how we wanted, but the unknown is apart of what makes life so fun.

p.s. As I'm typing this I just got a call back that I got the internship I interviewed for last week. See, everything will always work out the way it's supposed to, all you can do is sit back and enjoy the one life you have been given, there is no evidence in the world that says it has to be taken seriously.

Something about the ocean...

There's something about the ocean, that when you are sitting out, floating, alone in the water, everything is right. Everything has fallen together in a level of tranquility unmatched by any other. It is a place to escape and let your thoughts sweep away with the tide. The beauty of the nature of the earth and its power, the power of a wave, vanquish all worries.
It happens in the ocean.

Late mothers day post

Beej and I are lucky enough to have he greatest mom on the planet. Growing up I know I was not always the greatest daughter, what teenage daughter is? I know I definitely have Karma coming back to me if ever have a daughter of my own. No matter the struggles we had when I was growing up, I really do have the best mom who I appreciate so much. When I called my mom to wish her a happy mothers day on Sunday, she told me she had gotten a present for Beej and I (she hadn't even opened the one we had given to her.) I was really confused on what this could be. Of course being our mother, she got us the greatest gift we could ask for, an adventure. Beej and I will be heading to Ireland this summer, courtesy of the greatest woman on this planet. When mom Karen told me where we were going, I started crying I was so happy. I mean what mom gives a kid a present on a day that's supposed to be all about them!? Only the greatest one. Our cousin Julie has lived in Galway for the past couple of years and we've been wanting to visit her before she moves back to America. I don't know how we got so lucky but Beej and I really hit the jackpot for a mom. Stay posted for our adventures over seas!

Thanks Chuck Palahniuk

"We all die. The goal is not to live forever, the goal is to create something that will." 

enjoy the ride

Something that I have learned over time is that when you're out in the world, you have to make your own happiness. Other people should not effect your decision to do something you love. Those things you love are what make you, you. Be yourself and find what makes you happy. Happiness is the goal to life. We are here to enjoy the activities we partake in, the people who surround us, and the adventures we pursue. Each day is about taking every moment that you can to make you happy. Goals help us find happiness in the future, memories help us find happiness from the past. Each day should be filled with happiness and celebration of the life you live. Live life to the fullest. Live every moment like it is your last. Enjoy the ride.

City of Angels

This past year and a half I have called LA my second home. One of my best friends goes to school in Playa Del Ray and I've spent many weekends traveling back and forth between LA and San Diego. Recently, our friend Robbie found out he got into Northridge and I am so excited that he will be moving down to Southern California! With two of us living in San Diego and two in LA I'm sure this next year will have even more adventures between the two cities. A couple months ago we spent the day hanging out in Santa Monica, acting like five year olds with all of the playground toys and rides on the boardwalk. I can't wait for this next year to hang out with my favorite people in some of my favorite cities before we end college and go into the real world.



We Turn It Up from Dani Nations on Vimeo.

when the surf is flat, we hike.

If you haven't heard of Best Coast..

...you're welcome.

Coachella

I have been slacking on posting this because I have a severe case of post coachella depression. It is a real and serious thing. If you've never been to coachella (or any music festival) I highly suggest you add it to your bucket list. There is nothing more amazing than going into the middle of the desert, dancing, and listening to amazing bands with your best friends. By day three I had overused the word 'magical' and was forced to take it out of my vocabulary. It's nice when you're only problem is deciding which band to see over the other. These people are amazing and as long as I can afford it, you will find me there every year.

Monday

Most people see Monday as a day not to look forward to. Me on the other hand, enjoy Mondays! It always is hard to see the weekend go, but it brings new busy excitement throughout the week. Another thing I must add is that I hardly have anything to do on Mondays so it's just like a weekend for me.
Today, I got up early and finished some chores before my good friend Wes and I went out to The Rock to go surfing. It was horrifically windy. We both felt like we were out in the open ocean, getting tossed around by the treacherously powerful waves. We only stayed out for a short while but having it be the first time back in the ocean in a couple weeks was so much fun! I also got to try out my new wetsuit which was much better than my last.
After surfing, the saltwater had made Wes and I crave some Mexican food. I heard of a restaurant in Morro Bay that served carne asada fries and right then, I had to have some! Tacos de Mexico was the name of the restaurant so if you're ever in Morro Bay go get a huge plate of Mexican French fries!

After all of that I went to class and laid low the rest of the day. I hope to continue this Monday routine cause it certainly is a good one!

Staying Busy in SLO

Being a full time student, it's imperative to find things to keep you occupied so that school work does not completely rot your brain like a year old banana. Thankfully, San Luis Obispo is the perfect place to get out of the "jail cell" dorm rooms, and out into nature. Just a short trek up Foothill, you come to the base of the mountain peak known as Madonna. Madonna is one of The 9 Sisters mountain range that splits the valley. From the top of madonna you are able to see out over all of San Luis Obispo, as well as Los Osos, and all the way out to Morro Bay.
My friend Trevor and I both did not have class until the late afternoon, so we decided to take a short adventurous hike up the mountain. We started off slowly, twisting back and forth along the trails along the mountain. Navigating through the many trails took us around 45 minutes to reach the summit. From there we stood in awe and quietly celebrated how lucky we were to be in such a beautiful, picturesque location. If only we didn't have school to keep us from exploring the area all the time.
Unfortunately, life is rough and in order to make it back for lunch and to finish our homework, we quickly hurried down a new trail. Jumping from rock to rock, we only rolled our ankles a few times coming down but we made it in record time! I highly recommend this hike and the hike up Bishop's Peak to anyone in the SLO area. On my bucket list for college is to hike all 9 of the 9 Sisters. 2 down, 7 to go!
-BeeJ

Spring Opener

With it being my first year away at school, and no longer having competitive soccer as a huge time commitment, I wanted to begin something new to occupy my time away from school work. I found refuge in the Cal Poly Water  Ski Club. This past year has been a blast, meeting new people and learning how to ski. This last weekend the team trekked up to the private lake known as Bell Acqua Lake, just outside of Sacramento, for the seasons Spring Opener hosted by the UC Davis Water Ski Team. This was the first tournament that I was able to participate in slalom, trick, and jump events. The great thing about the water ski community is that you don't have to be an amazing skier, but everyone welcomes you and encourages you to do your best no matter your skill level. It's an awesome feeling to find that sense of support from people. After the competition was over on Saturday, everyone got dressed up in their 'merica apparel and ate scrumptious burritos, played kickball, and mingled with others. It was my second tournament, but it was for sure the most fun! I can't wait to travel along the coast to compete again and meet up with all of the fellow skiers in the region, at our next tournament.
-BeeJ

Foresthill California

One of the greatest hobbies I have picked up is pulling off the side of the freeway and wandering around. You seriously find the coolest places. These pictures were taken in Foresthill right off highway 52. You follow a trail next to the river and end the hike at a waterfall. But of course we took the more adventurous route and climbed down into the river just to get lost and end up on the path we were trying to avoid. This place is gorgeous and I highly recommend if you are in Northern California that you stop and explore. 

Explore More from Dani Nations on Vimeo.

New Adventure

We are a 19 and 21 year old brother and sister. One lives in San Luis Obispo and one lives in San Diego. We don't know what we'll be doing 5 days or even 5 years from now but we know we love exploring and experiencing new things. So, here is our way of sharing our adventures with each other and any one else who stumbles across this blog.

-Dani and Beej