Strawberry Sundays: Road Trips & Helping Friends

Every Sunday, I recap the prior week and recognize the beautiful things in my life, or the "strawberries" as I like to call them, because strawberries are my favorite fruit.

Mon, Dec. 29 - After a weekend of celebrating birthdays, accomplishments, and going to concerts, it was time for me to jump back into the work grind. I headed over to Normal Diner and plugged in my laptop and headphones. After ordering lunch, I worked away for about five hours and got so much done!
I met up with my friend Ryan to talk over drinks and cigarettes (his, not mine). I've known Ryan for a couple years now, but it wasn't until this year that we really bonded and I helped him find a band they he loves playing in. We both have had a tough year, so we got together to exchange stories and advice.

After hanging out with Ryan, I headed to North Scottsdale to meet up with Freddie and meet my new friend Ellyn, an old friend of Freddie's who was visiting town. Ellyn and I had been in contact through social media, but it was so great to meet her in person. Our friends Drew and Jon joined us, and we had a night of laughter.
Strawberries: Focusing on work in a friendly environment, meeting up with old friends, and meeting new friends.

Tues, Dec. 30 - After sleeping in until 1:30pm (whoa!) I took care of a sick Freddie by stopping by the store to stock up on soup, tea, Gatorade, tissues, and then bought myself a pizza to enjoy while Freddie was blowing his nose and chugging soup.
After taking care of him, I headed home and wrote up some blog posts and prepared for the festivities that lie ahead of me in the next few days!
Strawberries: Sleeping in, taking care of friends who need your care, and packing for an exciting trip.

Wed, Dec. 31 - I packed up my car with my overnight bag, sleeping bad, pillow, Beatles blanket, portable record player, some records, and all my warm jackets and met up with Freddie to pick up our friends Noah and Autumn and head to Payson for the New Year! Freddie's family has a cabin in Payson, so a big group of friends were going to celebrate the New Year there.
On our way up, the highway was closed for plowing, so we had to stop on the side, but we eventually got back on the road and beat the snowstorm and made it to the cabin. It was freezing cold!
Our friends Gabe, Sarah, Zach, Taylor and her brother Michael and his wife Jackalyn joined us later, and we enjoyed lasagna and salad dinner and shared our resolutions for the New Years and drank delicious wine. After dinner, we played in the snow and waited for our friends Jon and Matt to arrive. They showed up at 11:30, just in time to ring in the New Year at midnight!
Strawberries: Road trips with friends, playing in the snow, and ringing in the New Year with some of your favorite people.

Thurs, Jan. 1 - After eating a delicious breakfast prepared by Freddie's family, our friends Austin and Danie joined us in Payson and we bundled up and headed out to go sledding. We spent a couple hours on the hill going down in pairs, going off ramps, racing, going down slides, and swinging on the playground. It was like all us twenty-somethings became ten-years-old again.
After sledding, we all met with Freddie's parents and enjoyed a very delicious lunch. It was just the thing we needed after working our bodies sore for about two hours in the cold. When lunch was over and we went back to the cabin, I laid down for a nap and ended up sleeping for three hours! A nap was definitely needed.
After the nap, we played video games, ate pizza, and played Cards Against Humanity while we spun some records. Most of us were anti-alcohol from the night before, so we filled our bodies with water and soda and exhaled laughter and warmth for each other.
Strawberries: Sledding, delicious food, and playing games with people who understand your weird sense of humor.

Fri, Jan. 2 - I didn't get very much sleep the night before, so I ended up staying in bed and sleeping until around noon. While I was sleeping, all of our friends had left, so just Freddie and Noah and myself were left with Freddie's parents. We went to lunch with them at a country club and enjoyed another delicious meal.
When we got back to the cabin, we loaded up the car and headed home. On our way home, Freddie stopped along the side of the road to snap some photos of the mountainside. We listened to Fleet Foxes and I sang harmony at the top of my lungs. We got back into the valley and dropped Noah off at his home and then Freddie and I went back to his home. He worked on editing photos, I worked on blogging, and we got dinner at Paradise Bakery.
Strawberries: Sleeping in, singing along to Fleet Foxes, and watching your friend do something he loves.

Sat, Jan. 3 - Freddie and I got brunch at Butterfield's. I know I've been raving about food this post, but I've seriously been enjoying some delicious food so far this year and Butterfield's didn't disappoint. We talked about ideas for our business and discussed ways that we could make those ideas happen.
After brunch, we headed back to his place so I could help him clean. Freddie has a LOT of stuff, so we went through and decided what to keep and what to get rid of. We throw out expired food, old clothes he was never gonna wear again, and cleaned around the house.
After cleaning up Freddie's place, I headed out to hang out with my friend Mario. Mario is in a band that I am helping out with shows, so it was cool to hang out with him and talk music, life, and what it's like to be eighteen for him and twenty-four for me.
Strawberries: Brunch with your best friend, helping a friend de-clutter their home, and visiting a new friend.

Sun, Jan. 4 - After a hectic week of not really being home, I spent the day mostly in my room. I did laundry, so all my clothes were clean and folded away. I organized my records, cleaned up my desk, and put away all my Christmas and birthday things that were lying around.
One thing I noticed today is how long my nails have grown. I have been biting my nails for twenty-four years and I resolved to stop biting this year. Since taking anti-depressants recently, I haven't felt the urge to bite. It is such a relief to look at my fingers and actually SEE fingernails!
Strawberries: Having a place to call home, tidying up to prepare for the busy week, and kicking an old habit.