"We did it!"

I remember when I first learned to ride a bike. A gray cement parking lot in New Jersey. Lit up by a setting sun. On a lazy summer weekday evening. In front of an empty playground--where I remember falling on one of the little ladders, landing on my crotch, not a good day. I can't clearly remember the whole event like a motion picture, but I do reminisce snippets of this monumental moment. Shots of my parents with the biggest grins are the first to pop up. And, most of all, I remember falling on my knee (I guess I just fell a lot by that playground), and all I can remember is that it hurt. a lot.

Today, it hurts--not my crotch, but my heart. Just a few days ago was another monumental day that my parents will oogle about for the rest of their days just as they busted out their embarrassing smiles for me when I trekked a few feet on my wheels without their support. 'I'm off, guys!' I was off to explore the world then and today--I did it. After that day, I was never able to go back and say I didn't know how to ride a back. Now, I'll never be able to say I'm a high school student (now I'm an adult--ew). 

All my life I've built great friendships only to lose them--twice in New Jersey, once in South Korea, and today, once and for all in WA. And now I'm scraping another piece of me, not my knee but my heart--ooo so sappy. Ever since I moved to tree-and-coffee-infested Washington state, I couldn't wait to head back home to the East Coast--Seattle has just been an extremely awkward place for me, but now I feel like Seattle is just as home to me as the East is. I'll have no family here when I go to college, so I don't know when or if I'll ever be on the West Coast again, but one thing is for sure, I'll be repping the Eagles, the purple and gold, and tree-and-coffee-infested Washington forever. 

(there's more at the end of this post, but because you are probably too lazy to read it, here's my effort at a conclusion:) When people are talking about Starbucks and the Mariners and the Seahawks and the Sounders (if people even do outside of WA...), you can count on me to be reppin' the good ol' WA! Whether I see you again, or if you will continue to creep on my blog without me knowing, you have changed my life for the better. God bless and take care. 

As I pick myself up from scraping my heart as I did my knee, it's time to celebrate, yeah, I did it, but I couldn't have done it without everyone I've ever known. And here's just a lil celebration via photos of some amazing people in my life that I hate to part with, but will treasure in my soul 'til I'm over the hill. 

 What I saw on my calendar/wall that morning.

(Yes, I do indeed write messages to myself.)

 I spy with my little eye a short asian girl on the screen at Safeco Field.

 

I cringe at the idea of being an adult, but at that height, who would believe that I am? Woohoo!

This photo comes off as slightly promiscuous but I am simple indulging in my friend's fluffy hair possibly for the last time. Cut me some slack.

As much as I don't like to admit that my mom is great, my mom is great. Thanks for all your support and I will miss your doing my laundry, your homemade food (what am i going to do without Korean BBQ?!?!), for hemming all my clothes and most of all, for being my mom--you are probably creeping on my blog right now, so here's your cameo!

Some miscellaneous photos from the last few days:

At my friend's grad party, I like the boiz.

Hide and seek at Target never gets old.

Photobooth photos from the all-night graduation celebration.

song of the moment -

There have been students that I simply brushed shoulders with every day on the way to the same classes, and others whom I couldn't  imagine my life without; no matter who they are, and if you're reading this, if I ever looked at you, smiled at you, hissed at you, said hi to you, you've made a difference in my life and I want to thank you.

"I've heard it said / that people come into our lives for a reason / bringing something we must learn / and we are led / to those who help us most to grow / if we let them / and we help them in return / Well, I don't know if I believe that's true / but I know I'm who I am today because I knew you...

It well may be / that we will never meet again / in this lifetime / so let me say before we part / so much of me / is made from what I learned from you / you'll be with me / like a handprint on my heart / and now whatever way our stories end / I know you have re-written mine by being my friend..."

photo thanks to Stop Action Photography, Isabelle Chu, and.. a bunch of random people at my high school! ^_^