Stop Breaking Down the Doors?

 (Just realized how ironic my blog name is)

Crazy day, we get to work today and find out that our store was robbed. What a great way to start the day. The robbers got away with about 6 thousand in cash. They knew what they were doing. But for reals they knew our store a little too well. It is one serious Oceans 11 reenactment. They robbed us after a day when we had 8 cruise ships in..... yea the population of the island doubled. So frustrating. Once we got everything sorted out, we managed to open up and still have a fairly decent day. Everyone in our store handled it so well. I think it says a lot about the kind of people I have had the pleasure of working with over the past 5 months. I can honestly say I will miss them as much as I miss my family. They have been my family for the past 5 months. I can't think of anybody else who I would rather have spent my time with. The people, especially in Del Sol are incredible.

So many crazy things have happened since we have been down here, stolen wheels on a car, managers leaving, store broken into, starting a whole new line of products, all in the middle of busy season. I know I will be leaving my time on STT with my head held high. We broke countless records. I cannot thank our crew in Del Sol enough. I cannot think of any better place to work.

I belong with you, you belong with me in my, sweet home.

And what a home Del Sol St. Thomas has been.

Such a beautiful place to have called home.

Don't Stop Breaking Down the Doors...... unless you are a robber :)

-Kam

Numbered

The days are numbered the time is short. It will  be a whole new world when I get home. Some things I cannot wait for, others I hope have changed. I can't stop living in the moment. The warm sun is something I will get sparingly when I go home.

Skimming yesterday yielded lots of cuts. I can't wait to hit the beach later, to clean my wounds. The ocean is incredible. It flows in and out of every single one of us whether we know it or not. It honest to god is better than any bottle of neosporin.


Here is a video of Jake and I at Peterborg Point, there has been a huge swell in the past few days, and the cliffs we are sitting on are about 100 yards from where the ocean normally is..... and we are about 80 feet up from the normal waterline. Just to put things into perspective. Yes, we did end up getting soaked a few minutes later.

A piece of me will always be on this island.

Don't Stop Breaking Down the Doors

-Kam

Waist Deep

My main goal for moving down to St. Thomas was to find out where I want to settle later in life. Ocean or Mountains. The past few weeks I have begun to miss the ocean. Even while I am there I cannot help but think,"I won't have this in  three weeks". I can honestly say that I have not gotten any closer to an answer. I have actually widened the gap between the two. I love both way too much. Wherever I am I love being, waist deep. Waist deep in powder, Waist deep in surf, Waist deep in dust. Soon I will be waist deep in homework, and I think I am ready for it. I haven't had to think too analytically about anything for the past 8 months. It will be a shock to the system, but I will be coming back to school with a whole new mindset. I won't be thinking I should be anywhere else but the classroom, because I have honestly learned that if you want to go out and live somewhere new. YOU CAN. The hardest part is getting there, and choosing a destination.

Thinking about home is really exciting. Vegetables, Barbacoa, Cafe Rio, Family, Friends, Hockey, Skiing, No humidity, Dogs, Gym. There are so many things to do in Salt Lake. Why anyone lets themselves sit at home bored day after day is beyond me. Live where you are, when you are. For 20 more days, I have St. Thomas, and I plan to spend every waking moment soaking it all in.

It is a wasted day to be spent wishing you were somewhere else.

Don't Stop Breaking Down the Doors

-Kam

Stoke

The past 8 months have become such a blur for me recently. I know I have changed, A LOT, but I will have no way of knowing just how much I have until I return home to the life I once knew. Over the past 8 months I have become sensitized to many things I once found no more appealing than the dust between my toes. I am going to return home with a whole new set of eyes, and I am 100% ok with that. Life is about change, adaptation, a new understanding for old things. When I get back I have to find a new car, and for most this would be a hard choice, but for me it is a crazy hard choice. I honestly cannot decide what is best, a four wheel drive that will get me to and from work safely, but burns gas like an airplane, or the economical road trip car. I am honestly torn. My habitual wanderlust ways point me towards a car that will take me on a whole world of new adventures. I am pretty sure I will end up getting an average car, with average mileage, and just ride my bike a lot more. Finding a new car from 4000 miles away is not my idea of fun.

The past 8 months I have realized a lot about how little it really takes to live a full life, and have fun. I came to STT with one backpack, 3/4 full of clothes. I will be leaving with it about as empty. We should all find ways to separate ourselves from the THINGS in our life, and grow closer to people in our lives. Happiness is best when shared. My happiness is nature. No matter where I end up in life, I know I will never loose my closeness with this earth. It is the only thing that we all depend on.

When the last tree is cut,
When the last river is emptied,
When the last fish is caught,
Only then will Man realize that he cannot eat money.

Don't Stop Breaking Down the Doors

-kam

Less than a month.

Time has flown down here. I cannot believe I have less than one month left. I am super anxious to get back out on the ski slopes. Last night I had a dream about floating down some fresh pow. Apparently there isn't much snow again this year. Hopefully by the time I get back the boulders will be covered so I can get out and huck some stuff. Having said that I am really going to miss the ocean. It has really sunk in how much I love it down here. The only thing that is missing is SURF. I came down here looking to learn a few things, my main objective was to see where I want to spend the rest of my life after college, I laid the question out in with two answers. Surf or Mountains. I am leaving St. Thomas thinking, Why not both? I was raised in the swimming pool, and on the ski hill. THAT is where and what I want to keep living. I don't know where, but somehow I will accomplish that. I had a great skim session this morning, and worked on my song I have been trying to write on the uke. I need some serious help with writing lyrics. I am terribad at it. The boys will be back from church and work soon, then we are off to Sandy's again. I am getting super close to the shove-it, I have a feeling I will get it down smooth at the beach today.

It is a wasted day to wish you were somewhere else.

Don't Stop Breaking Down the Doors

-Kam

Get real.

What a weekend. Virgin Gorda one of the most amazing things I have ever seen in my entire life. One word. CONSUMED. Mother nature at her finest. There is no other place  in the world quite like the baths. I couldn't help but think "I will return someday". I will, I know without a doubt I will make the trip back. The feelings I experienced atop the four story granite boulders are like those which I had in the mountains. For me there is nothing better than the euphoric angst I get from immersing myself in nature. I love being ripped from life's hum drum days by vast spectacles in nature. I have been so lucky. I cannot thank my parents enough. They sparked the fire of adventure in me from a young age. Nothing makes me happier than the wanderlust I experience in life. I have started a one liner journal on my phone. It is sweet to reflect on your thoughts now down the road. (Mostly why I write on this blog). One of the passages says, "You might regret it if you do, but you'll definitely regret it if you don't". Live by this.

I really want to motivate people. If there was some awesome way to make a living out of it, I would. Something my dad said to me a lot when I was younger sunk in a lot, "Lead by example, not by belittling others". I think this idea has helped shape who I am today. I am nowhere near perfect, and have my fair share of flaws, but who doesn't. I have found that those who say they have no flaws, usually have the most.

If anything were ever to happen to me, I wouldn't want people to look back and think I sat in park as life drove by. I want to live a life full of pursuit, passion, and creativity. A life in DRIVE, if you will, with the occasional stop to soak in a good view. I cannot express how much I love all of my friends and family. Being away for so long helps you to realize a lot about those you love, and those you thought you loved. Time is the mortar that fills the cracks in our hearts. Friends and family are what fills it space with love.

Don't Stop Breaking Down the Doors

-Kam

Life is way to good to me.

Working at Del Sol has been a crazy cool gig. It has been surprisingly easy to lose sight of how good I have had it the past 7 months. No house payment, no car payment, no worries about plane tickets, no worries about gas money. Just when I think life can't get any easier, it does. I am not saying these things to brag, but rather to say how thankful I am for all of my opportunities. I think it is good to be able to look back on your thoughts, and for me, most of my thoughts populate my public blog. Anyways. When we accepted the management position they said we would get a paid trip to the BVI's in our contract. SICK! I have never been able to go on a trip, on my works money. (that's a lie, the past 7 months have been a trip) Corporate seems to be really happy with the job we are doing. Today they called and said that they would be paying for each of our ferry rides this Saturday to Virgin Gorda, 70$. We arranged this week for to stay in a villa for the night and it is costing us 300$. thats 75$ split four ways. and a car rental for Saturday night and Sunday, another 50. So today when we got the call from Landon, (the Caribbean sales director) saying that they were paying for the ferry, our car, and giving us each an extra 75$ for whatever. Naturally we were all stoked. AWESOME. Receiving a gift, feels amazing. This trip to Virgin Gorda will be unforgettable. I am so lucky. WE ARE SO LUCKY.

Two days ago, Jake and I got offered the management positions until May. AWESOME! I think I knew deep down in my heart that I wasn't going to accept. But the fact that corporate trusts us enough to manage their first Del Sol, that has been here for over 15 years for another 5 months speaks volumes. In the contract would be a week long trip to Puerto Rico, and a pay raise again, as well as bigger bonuses. But, money is not what I am after.

Jake and I have really been trying hard. We have gotten damn good at what we do. I never told my parents about the job offer. I know it is another burden they shouldn't have to even think about. I am ready to feel like a stranger in my own house. Coming back to Salt Lake is going to be like seeing it for the first time. I did a good job at milking Salt Lake for all it is worth when I lived there, but having spent all this time away. I am going to be able to get so much more out of home. Del Sol may be in my future, who knows. All I know is right now I am LIVING on St. Thomas. Thriving. I cannot wait to immerse myself in Salt Lake again. It is such a beautiful place, filled with so many beautiful people. My only hope is that I will bring some of my wisdom home, and never forget the pieces I picked up along the way, in Durango, and St. Thomas.

I cannot wait to see all of my beautiful friends and family when I come home. It will be in January, and I hope you are as ready as I am.

Don't Stop Breaking Down the Doors

-Kam

Stressin

The past few weeks have been a complete blur. Time is flying by. I cannot believe I have about one month left here on STT. It has been such a crazy experience. I know I will definitely never be the same. I am going to miss so many things. It has been crazy running the store with Jake and Sheryl. We got left a TON of problems from our last manager. She didn't even properly train us for 90% of what we are doing now. It has been a huge learning experience for both Jake and I. I feel like we have done a pretty decent job weathering the storm that we were gifted. I have had to work the past week 7 days straight 11 hour days. My legs are killing me.

Over the past month the room mate I share my room with has really been getting on my nerves. It has been super frustrating for me. He is a control FREAK. We asked one of our friends what she thought of the four of us and she said she thinks he is the leader. She is right, but sadly he doesn't lead for the right reasons. He leads, because we all know if anyone else were the decision maker, he would make it hell for the rest of us. I am not sure if he knows it, but he sure has a way of making people feel like shit around him. He is so passive-agressive. Everything he says is followed by "well thats the way i would do it if i were you" but not in a helpful way. I know things would be different if there was some way to escape him. It is nice back home, because if I don't like someone at work, I always have my life outside of work to get away from them. But here, there is no escaping his negativity. Everywhere I go, I am around him.

I cannot express how thankful I am to have such an awesome group of friends at home who supports me. I cannot think of one person who I would not spend a day with at home. Life is good down here. My long awaited day off is tomorrow, I have it all by myself, and oddly enough I am stoked about it. I can go out and do whatever I want, whenever I want, and not have to worry about others being lazy. Here are a few pictures from the beach today-

Don't Stop Breaking down the Doors

-Kam

Down Under

I have been in a bit of a slump recently. Living with two people you never knew can be rough. I find myself trying to escape Joel and Charles more and more. Yesterday was my chance, it was my day off with Charles, and he said he needed the car all day, so i picked a beach and he dropped me off. He usually wakes up way late, so after i dropped jake and joel off for work, i zipped on over to Hull bay. It was awesome, within five minutes of swimming I  saw a barracuda. Once i got out into the water a little farther i saw a baby sea turtle. AWESOME!

Charles woke up so i had to go home, and he dropped me off at secret beach, since visibility at Hull (the other side of the island) was poor.  SO glad i chose to spend the rest of the day on the caribbean side. I saw a cluster of lobsters, some caverns, and lots of awesome fish. I got some OK video with my gopro. It is so hard to try and keep that thing stable underwater while swimming hard to keep up with the fish.

After a long swim i rested and read on the beach. It is sweet to be able to read Into the Wild, again down here on my own adventure. I love being able to escape the warm island life for a short time, via a good book. Charles was on his way to the beach to pick me up, so i went out for a short swim again, and found my new favorite thing. I swim out to where the depth is about 20 or so feet, and sink to the bottom and lay there for as long as i can, letting fish come curiously to me. Staring up and the mercury like surface, in the silence of the ocean is so relaxing. Sometimes i know i am down there for nearly a minute. Once i get really relaxed, more fish come and i am able to stay down for a lot longer. It is awesome. Definitely something everyone should experience.

Today i have the day off again, all by myself this time, and i think i know just what i will be doing.

 

Don't Stop Breaking Down the Doors

-Kam

Just add sun

Stuff is pretty hectic down here. Our first few days at the reigns Jake and I have been able to hit our goals, and stay well above our monthly %110. We are shooting to get our big end of the month bonus. Cariloha is doing really well too. The other day I briefly went through all of the things we have to do with Joel, (Get the new Disney product, discontinue 3 mens shirts, 2 boys shirts, 3 girls shirts, and 6 womens shirts. all to put in the new Disney product, then once we get that done we have to figure out where to put, and which 4 new designs we will be ordering.) He said "Well that's good for you young guys to have to work hard like that". WHAT THE F$%#. Really?! I know this shouldn't piss me off, but it sure hit a nerve. It is super annoying, to try and hit goals on days where the odds are stacked against us so much in Del Sol, then get it casually rubbed in our face how easy it is to hit goals in Cariloha. They are fantastic salesmen, what they have done in Cariloha over the past three months is awesome, but to act like just because they are two years older than us, makes them better than us is bullshit. I will admit, I have had the same feelings growing up, But from this point forward, I am going to do my absolute best to never be discriminate of age. It is such a stupid thing to discriminate against.GRRRRR now I am just ranting.

In every one of my books I have read while I have been down here, one lesson continually comes up. ENVY. Happiness cannot coexist easily with a heart full of envy. I have been working really hard to rid myself of all the little things I envy. It is not an easy task, but i think i have come out on top a lot more recently, because i am not stuck envying everyone around me.

My goal for the next few weeks- Actively rid myself of all Envy. Just go with the flow, and figure out together with Sheryl and Jake, how the hell we are going to figure this Disney stuff out.

END RANT.

Never Stop Breaking Down the Doors

-Kam

Whirlwind

WHEW! What a few weeks it has been. Here's the breakdown- Last month as a store, we set a all time record for Del Sol St. Thomas. Jake and I as well as the local employees stepped it up.... huge. We set the highest average dollar per transaction record. (ADPT) It is pretty sweet, because this is really the only number that we can control as a store, most of our end of month totals and ship totals fall in the hands of the Port Lecturers, but how much people spend on average is really a testament to how we are doing as salesmen. We were able to achieve all of this while our managers were in and out of the store with sickness, and traveling. Last week we found out that our managers were leaving. Today..... We found out Tuesday that corporate wanted to make us (Jake Joel Charles and me) the managers of Cariloha and Del Sol. In the deal, we got a pretty sweet pay raise and an all expenses paid trip to the BVI's. We accepted of course and two days later, our managers are on a plane to Alaska and we are the new manages. HOLY #@$#. Talk about baptism by fire, busy season has officially set in as of this week, and here we are at the reins. I know we can do it.

St. Thomas has really grown on me. It has hit me down here about the same time it hit me in Durango. A little over two months into living in a new location I really begin to hit stride and see how much the location has grown on me. The local language is English (this could probably be argued). The money is American, and the people talk about Obama being president. The cars are left hand drive. That is about all that is American in St. Thomas. The USVIs are about the only place you can "live in the US, without LIVING in the US". Charles went to the beach the other day and took some beer with him, he didn't finish it all, and had to come home, so he finished the last one on the way home and left the empty beer cans in the car for days. Nowhere back home can you just leave empty liquor, and beer cans in the car, and not even have to worry, even if you get pulled over. You can literally be pulled over while drinking, and as long as you have a good story and are nice to the cop, they let you go no questions asked.

I am truly going to miss being a minority when i get home. Living on an island full of African Americans is AWESOME. It is so fun being able to joke with the local employees about my race. If they ever say "whats up", or talk like us, we always tell them that they sound super white. You find yourself daily thinking, "wow, that just sounded super white, i am an idiot." I don't know how, but we rarely get asked if we are tourists, and get honked at by taxi's anymore. Maybe it is the tan, maybe it is the scruff, maybe it is even my hair, who knows. All i know is that St. Thomas has definitely become a part of me, I hope to never forget the lessons i have learned here. We are more than half way through our internship, and time seems to be going faster and faster. Today is a long needed break for me, and I finally got a good nights rest for the first time in a week. More responsibilities and brighter days to come. Life is good.

I love and miss you all.

Don't Stop Breaking Down the Doors

-Kam

Footprints

I have realized that most of my blog posts have been really reflective. So to keep on that trend, I am going to attempt to make a list of people who i am pretty close to, or have left an impression on me. Hopefully I don't humiliate anyone in the process, and if i do forget you, don't be sad, just ask and i will tell you what i think. FROM THE TOP! (in no particular order, except descending..........)

Clint- The friend i have had since day one- Golf swings are all about what is comfortable for you.
Nate-  Second oldest friend I can recall- There is never a reason you should give up on hope completely.
Julian- My evil twin- EVERYONE deserves a second, third, fourth, etc, chance at success, because success is always attainable
Jonathan- Life is unpredictable, it's ok to be unpredictable in return.
Rhyus- Will power conquers anything.
Alex- Follow your dreams, no matter what.
Jake- Always greet people with open arms, even if you don't know them very well.
Kyle- Don't be afraid to tell your friends ANYTHING
Lindsy- Smiles are often the most beautiful thing you can give anyone
Chuck- Sometimes we should all just look out the window and watch the wind blow
Aram- There is an Olympian inside everyone
Ben- It is ok to believe in things your close friends don't agree with
Zeke- Being short is never something to be frowned upon
Jessica- Stand up for what you believe in
Emily- Love sincerely
Jason- Be comfortable in your own skin, it is the only skin you will ever have
Lincoln- Goodbyes are not meant to be pretty
Dunja- Chase your dreams, the rest will fall into place.
Kenyon- Go with the flow
Nick- You can never have too many pictures
Sarah- Be a goof, always
Jerry- Even when you are old, skiing is still the shit. all day every day
Lacey- Just when you think you have shit figured out, you don't.
Shaina- Don't leave any details uncovered
Courtney- Don't harbor hard feelings for people, it WILL make you crazy.
Jaleem- Trust your gut, Speak freely, say vibes more often.
Joel- Don't be afraid to play music in front of people.
Charles- Growing up poor can leave you with some pretty weird habits, embrace them.
Mom- Love everyone, listen, be funny. Laugh at yourself.
Dad- Be open, Do charity not to be self pleasing, but because charity is good.
Sis- Tell people how much you miss them, Listen to your family, they are all we have.

I know that this list doesn't include everyone. But it is a start. I love all of the people in my life. Life is way too short to not stand back and have fun. We can choose to be happy, so why not?

The world is at our fingertips, Go out and grasp it.

Never Stop Breaking Down the Doors

-Kam

Distance

This will be another one of my ramblings, so buckle up, sit down and shut up.

Over the past week I had the pleasure of reading The Geography of Bliss end to end. Sweet book, well worth the read. through reading i have educated myself with lots of new words, and some KILLER quotes. I had it pointed out to me recently that i am into quotes. Am I? Shit, I am. I LOVE QUOTES. My life has been one big whirlwind the past little bit. Good thing i came prepared with an open mind. Recently i have found myself thinking about the world, and seeing people as energy. This all sounds so ZEN. <---- what does that even mean?!!? I honestly have no great way of putting it, so i am going to stick to the basics.

(I promise I did not drop drugs of any form before writing this post)

I truly think that everyone emits some sort of energy, label it what you will, but for me i am finding that energy describes it best for me. For Jaleem at work, energy is the same as vibe. whenever we meet someone new, or are talking about co-workers. we talk about the vibes they give off. Everyone emits some sort of energy whether they are conscious of it or not.

I really should be more sure of myself in trying to explain what i believe in. I think that everyone should do what really feels right for them. Weigh the options, assess the pros and cons, then go with your gut. I have been flying by the seat of my pants, and making decisions based off of what feels right for the past few months and look where it has gotten me. 3160 miles from the quarter acre plot i call home. I spent a summer in Colorado too. Not a bad life, by any means. It is so obvious to others when we are struggling, i see it in others around me, and i see it in myself daily. The human element is real, we can tell when others are having an off day (most of the time), but not only that, we can see straight through people.

This past week has been CRAZY, work went great, the CEO was in as well as 5 others from Corporate, I met a girl who i think sees me for who and what i stand for, i destroyed at hooker tree (local bar game), i ran past my dream girl on the way to the beach this morning, and finally mustered up the nuts to sit down and share some laughs and conversation on the beach with her, TURNS OUT SHE IS A @#!$@#!$#$#%%^^%* CALENDAR GIRL FOR HOOTERS?!?!!? Conversation flowed easily, we were both laughing, neither one of us were looking too great. She is from Philly and we were both sweating like a fountain in a hurricane. She has only been here for about a month and is doing "Marketing" for the local Hooters, and does something part time with the Miami Dolphins. WTF? She ended up asking for my number and said she'd love to hang out. NO SHIT. I have an interesting feeling about this one,  beyond the obvious good looks, she seems super cool. She even seemed a little shy, (definitely not because of me). AS IF MY LIFE WASN'T ALREADY A PIPE DREAM....... we will see where this goes in the coming weeks, but for now. I am going to continue living my Zen, Buddhist, Hindu, egalitarian way of life and see where it leads me. I am not sure if i believe in destiny, but some crazzzzzzzzzy stuff has happened the past few weeks, that are leading me to believe that i am not some variable in a mathematical equation of the cosmos.

Sorry, I know none of this probably makes sense, and my writings are by no means ever an easy read. Oh well.

Never Stop Breaking Down the Doors

-Kam

Failure

The past week has been intense! I can honestly say I have never reflected so much on my life. The book i am reading probably has a lot to do with it. "The Geography of Bliss" -Eric Weiner. AMAZING BOOK. everyone should read it. I have learned so much the past few years. I used to always hear that I am an old soul in a young body. I used to hate the thought of it, but I have grown to love that idea. I had some customers come in a few weeks ago, from Australia. I mentioned them in a blog post earlier. What they told me has definitely stuck with me the past few weeks. They said after meeting me for a few minutes in the store that, (and I paraphrase) "you remind me of my son, he is a ski instructor too, he loves the earth as much as it loves him, you understand people and have a way of letting them understand you, you speak from within". dang, speechless.

I honestly feel like i live in some sort of fairytale. Even in my darkest hours i find myself full of joy. The other day while reading, I pondered across a strange thought. All of my room mates take either some form of sleeping pill, or anti depressant. I found myself wondering if i have some higher knowledge how to live content, or if there is my tolerance is simply higher for adverse situations. I really don't know what it is, and i am not sure that any matter of science can explain it. I am unsure if i should try to teach them to live happier lives without help from a bottle. To go along with that, would they even find the same state of happiness if i helped them? Is happiness derived from our own struggles to overcome? I honestly don't know.

All i know is that right now i am as happy as i have ever been, yes it is true that i would rather be in the mountains, but this is not such a bad place. My spirit feels free. I have been thinking a lot recently about what holds me back from success, and what i think i need in life. Failure and the chance of death. I think that everyone would be a lot happier and a lot more successful if they stopped fearing failure. Failure is a beautiful thing. many of life's greatest lessons are learned through failure.

Death, what a crazy thought. So many people I know and have met are living their lives grasping for youth, in fear of death. They have lived their entire life worrying about how great they will be when they die. Many religions have put some sort of scale upon which people measure themselves in relation to afterlife. I think this is completely backwards. The life we now know should be about living. Not about dying, after all, nobody knows what it is like to truly be dead, and never come back. My aim in life is to rid myself of fear, especially of fear from which i have no control over.

If we fear death, we fear living free.

If we fear failure, we will never taste true success.



Never Stop Breaking Down the Doors

-Kam

Free Time.

Internet is finally back online. It has been down the past few days. Our providers are crooks, but it is nice to feel off the grid sometimes. The sun comes up at 6 ish every morning, and is down by at least 630 every night. St. Thomas is not the type of place where you can just stroll around at night and go looking through shops and things. The city shuts down at sundown, except for bar's and grocery stores. The bar's suck, most of them are filled with dirty old sailors who are just itching for some young squeeze to come up and save them from their misery. For paradise, this place sure has a lot of miserable white people. The local Blacks love it, they are tied to this island, or it could be that the island is tied to them, i am not sure. You can really tell that they love to be here, the island way of life, the driving on the left, the hard days work only to come home and relax, the playing checkers outside the convenience stores.. The whites down here hate it for the most part. I haven't really put my finger on why exactly, they just seem to.

It has been a very interesting week, we have been getting ready for the CEO and other people from corporate to visit us on Tuesday. I am excited, Jake and I are on pace to break the record for Highest ADPT in the books. Our manager is definitely as excited, she is probably the most pessimistic person i have ever met. This island is literally a jail cell for her. She hates it. It is tough going to work sometimes, knowing that your manager hates it here and is going to be a raincloud all day. Jake and I have gotten a lot closer to the local employees in the past month, because they are just way more fun to talk to and hang around.

The other day Charles and I had the day off, so we decided to hit the beach (naturally). We went to lindberg, it is a fun beach. Just pearly white sand, and lounge chairs with beachy shade things all down the waterfront. It was a good day to just chill and soak up some sun, from our hard days work the day before. (Del Sol set some records we hit over 10,000 with three ships and corporate projected a highball guestimate of 6000 for the day, so we CRUSHED it). It was only the second time Charles and i had been to lindberg. There was a pretty cute girl swimming near us who we kind of had our eye on all day. She left a while before us, but by the time we decided to pack up and get over to the showers, she was just getting ready to head off. She seemed super nice, which is not natural for a local to be very outgoing. We said hi and bye and went our separate ways. Once Charles and I got to the car we noticed her walking along the side of the road and runway towards town. We decided we would pick her up and give her a ride. We pulled along side and asked here where she was going, she was going to the exact same place we were. CRAZY she was a little reluctant to get in, but me being the total fruitcake that i am, had already gotten out of the car in the middle of the road, opened my door and said "you get shotgun!" This apparently was pretty convincing, kuz she was instantly on board. We had a short conversation in the car. She is from UTAH! wtf? she is 23, and has been traveling the work for the past 7 years. She asked for our numbers and by that time we were parting our ways at Del Sol. I don't think i belive in destiny, but this shit is just too crazy sometimes. She invited me to the bar tonight to hang out and watch some of her friends play tonight at the bar. I am pretty stoked to learn more about her, I bet she has some intense stories to tell! I wish i felt like typing the whole situation out, but i don't. basically there are way too many similarities between us to not go tonight and learn a little bit more about her life.

Moral of the story. Shit's crazy sometimes, but just go along with it, because you never know who or what you will encounter if you are willing to turn the corner.

I love and miss you all. I cannot wait to go on new adventures when i return.

NEVER STOP BREAKING DOWN THE DOORS

-Kam

Seastar!!!

This week my sister came down to visit me! It has been super fun having her down here and being able to show here my life. This will be a short post. Videos and longer blog posts to come!

Follow my youtube channel if you would like to see live action of my life from the past 6 months!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRx0aprdYT7Nu8yvPS6erAA?feature=plcp

Don't Stop Breaking Down the Doors

-kAM

Cherish Everyone

Today was sweet! Woke up early to skim before work, went to work, had two customers ALL day. Two gorgeous girls who came looking for Jake and I. One works at the Ritz Carlton and the other works at the local surf shop. We had a long chat, painted nails, tried on 4XL shirts, sunglasses and free rings. We exchanged numbers. FINALLY some G dang women on this god forsaken island. After I got off work, I hit the beach for a run and a skim session again! It was good. I am really making progress this week, LOTS of cuts and creaks to show for it unfortunately. But quitting never got me anywhere.

Came home made myself another fat burrito filled with the always popular, rice, beans, and cheese. <---- so tired of this shit. I cannot wait for produce and milk when i get home. Our internet was actually working tonight and pretty fast too. Stumbledupon here i come. I have no idea how, but through the magic of random generators and other statistics garbage it led me to this page.

www.details.com/culture-trends/news-and-politics/200905/the-greatest-virginity-story-ever-told?currentPage=5

WHAT A STORY. So funny, if you have ever hung around a bunch of Downs kids, you know exactly how to imagine Otto. This is a must read story for sure. Autistic people are so sincere. Which brings me to my most recent post (besides this one of course). Maybe we all need to learn to be a little more Autistic? Go out try to achieve exactly what we want. Speak from our heart.

Forgot to mention I am picking my big/little sister in one hour!!!!!!!! SOOOO stoked. I love her to death. It will be good to finally spend some quality time with her for the first time in 5 months. These internships have helped me realize how important family is, and see just how much i love my whole fam bam.

Closing thought. Life is way too good to not have a smile on your face. Someone always has it worse than you and I. I am getting off because i am way too stoked on life. and i need to pick my sissy up from the airport.

Never Stop Breaking Down the Doors

-Kam

Open up.

Today was an average day. Wait what?!?! What the hell does average day even mean? I live on St. Thomas, 5 thousand miles from the people and things I call home. No day is average, ever. There is so much we can take away from each and every day, sometimes we just have to look harder to find it. Today was awesome. I went to work, came home and watched a movie with the crew. pretty "average" day at first glance, but today i learned a lot. i learned more today about some of my roommates than i have in the past 7 weeks. I am always looking for new things to inspire myself. Today I was inspired by Charles. Charles has been working on a poem for the past few weeks to give to someone. He is a  very open person, like myself but he didn't tell any one of us that he was working on his poem until today. It was a pretty sick poem I wont lie. It is a story of a raindrop. He sat me down and said he had to share it with me. He was ready to open up his most private thoughts with me. It was awesome. After finishing his poem he asked me in a round about way to figure out how to illustrate it for him. I was stoked, what an honor. This kid that i dont really get along with very well, is asking me of all people to help him brainstorm ideas and pictures to present his hard work in the best possible way. It was neat to see him open up and allow himself to be vulnerable to my opinion (something he NEVER does, trust me haha). After listening to the poem and quickly running some options of ways to tell the story, i was inspired to go and finish a drawing i started a few weeks ago. As with most of my drawings i didn't finish it on my first attempt, and by the time i got around to finishing it, i wasn't happy with how it ended up and rushed the finish. I find i do that a lot with my art. I get tired of my work a lot and just want to start something new, before my other thoughts are finished. This is something i definitely need to work on.

A few thoughts ran through my head while rummaging through websites today, just looking for things. not really knowing what i was looking for, just knowing that i was looking. i found some pretty neat quotes and thought provoking articles.

I found a line in a passage that i particularly liked:


You don’t have to be fearless. Just be sincere.

I really enjoyed this quote. It is something i have grown to realize over the past few years. We can get so much farther in life if we could just learn to be sincere with everyone. Everyone can sense fear, as i did tonight in Charles' voice as he was reading me his poem. But fear can sometimes lead to the most liberating moments of our life. Sometimes we just need to feel the fear, and do it anyway. Be sincere. I need to do a better job at that when i write my penpal. I sometimes get lost in stories, or write things in a certain way, for fear of being criticized by them in a return letter. i definitely am going to do a better job at focusing on myself and how i present the true me to everyone. such as this blog post. why do we use capital letters at the start of sentences. they don't tell us anything new, we know it is the beginning of a new idea, because there was a period right before. who knows, i am probably just lazy.

well i am off to bed. i am super tired. hopefully you can read my writings, i talk in circles, skip words, loose ideas, start new ideas abruptly, and misspell often. it's what makes me, well, me i guess.

Never Stop Breaking Down the Doors

-Kam 

St. John-Adventure to Remember

Story Time! - This one might be long. I will attempt to give you a day in the life of my last 24 hours.

Quick Recap to get you up to speed. Joel was away for the week because he was back home in Utah for a friends wedding. Sales were going well in Del Sol and Cariloha. We both ended up hitting our projections and corporate was super stoked, so they offered to pay for our ferry ride over to St. John while they closed the store this Saturday for us. We had to pick Joel up at the airport at 1:30 so we figured we wouldn't be able to go to St. John.

Friday night it hit me. We can still make it to St. John even if Joel isn't feeling up to it. Our managers had to make an emergency flight back to L.A. for medical reasons and left us their car for the week. If Joel didn't want to go it was no big deal because he could still get to church on Sunday because he would have a car. Jake and I did some quick research to see if there was a place we could camp on St. John for the night. We found some tent's on St. John at a beach called Cinnamon Bay. They were closed for the season.......... WOMP WOMP WOMP WOMP WOWWOWOWOWOW. When did a bump in the road ever stop me? Me being the psychotically optimistic person I am assured Jake and Charles that we could find somewhere to camp, and that if worse came to worse we could always just sleep in the car on the side of the road. (The fun is ALWAYS in the adventure) To my surprise after a little explaining of why this weekend was our window to go. They were on board. We texted Joel.

He said he was up for it. He hates camping and he had no food to take so it was awesome to see everyone get in on the adventure. I LOVE flying by the seat of my pants. Where is the fun in having a set itinerary, with a play by play of exactly how your trip should go. We picked Joel up from the airport, came home, packed our car and headed off.

We were able to hit the early ferry I was hoping for over to St. John, so that we could find a beach, hang out and figure out where the hell we were going to sleep for the night. Once we got to Cinnamon bay we found out everything was closed as advertised online, but for whatever reason the National Park Services leaves the tents up with mattresses and pillows on hand inside. (Only on an island in the middle of nowhere would this be ok) After a night of skimming, fighting off bugs, relaxing, and swimming we retreated to the car to go into town to find some dinner. I had already brought some food (pop tarts, pretzels, green tea, and sheez-it's <--- St. Thomas brand cheez-it's........ we think) We got into town and somehow found ourselves at a little pizza joint. The food was food and the service was slow, but that was the last of my worries. graphic moment coming up to skip just start reading at the next cluster of *'s...... I needed to poop, these kids kept running in front of me to was their hands after playing jenga so it took me a while to get in, but it's ok I was able to get in a little bit of light reading while I was waiting.

Once I got into the bathroom, I was in heaven. these guys were genius, they spliced the wire to the light, and rigged a fan to the wall that blew straight into your face while you were droppin the cosby kids off at the swimming pool. How ingenious! If you have ever pooped in a humid place around the equator, you know how much a fan like this is needed. End of story :) ****************

After we finished dinner we headed back to Cinnamon Bay. SKINNYDIPPIN TIME!!!!! What funny night. I definitely ran a mile down the beach and back.... in the buff. Swimming naked is probably the greatest thing ever. I think that I could probably beat Michael Phelps in a swim contest, but i would definitely have to race naked.

Once we finished skinny dippin it was time to find our camp. SKKKKKKEEEEETCHHHH the trails around the camp sites were sooo sketchy at night especially with the full moon shining just enough light to see, but not enough to see well. We found the tent closest to the water. I figured we might only have this opportunity once so lets make the most of it, or should I say moist of it. The tents were sooooooo bloody hot. Jake and I were the only ones who decided to stay in the tent. Drenched in sweat, we somehow managed to slip off to sleep for good sometime around midnight. We both woke up around 730 and headed down to the beach to take a look around. Here are some pictures of our tent, the beach, and the trails.

After the beach Jake and I headed up to the car to make sure it was still there and to see if Charles and Joel were still in it. -All was in tact. Charles hadn't slept all night and Joel was out cold. We decided to hurry and zip off to Watermelon Bay to do some snorkeling and swimming early so we could get back on a early ferry so Charles could get some sleep. The snorkeling was unreal. So many big fish, best visibility yet, and strong currents, what more could we ask for.

After Watermelon I talked Charles into 45 minutes at Hawksrest Beach, he was a little grumpy and wanted to get back so he could get to sleep, but sleep can wait haha. Besides he just went to Wendy's and didn't even roll into bed until 7.... hours after we got back. Frustrating. We caught the 12:30 ferry home. I know I am probably forgetting some of the greatest parts of the adventure, but my fingers hurt and I want to get off the computer soooo. The end. Today was awesome. Everyone who reads this should go on an unforgettable adventure ASAP. Even one as simple as going for a walk. Get out and get moving.

 

Never stop Breaking Down the Doors

-Kam

It's never too late-

Some days I find it sad that people need to be motivated to better themselves and their lives. Why do so many people struggle at going out and getting what they want out of life? Is it fear? Money? Love? I don't know but I know that recently I have not been as hungry to live every day to the fullest like I was in Durango. I am making small steps to get back to where I was. Reading, Watching, learning a new instrument. I miss school. I need to keep learning. I have a curious thirst for new knowledge right now, and recently I have found myself parched WAY too often.

I remember a customer I had in Durango who bought a ton of things. It was just her and I in the store for the better part of an hour. We talked about our lives, and her children. A song came on that she loved, and we both were singing it, and she said she saw the band live at WOODSTOCK! no way, I wish I could have attended woodstock. (throwing grammar and punctuation out the window starting now) she told me a few stories and she wanted a shirt for herself but felt bad because she didn't like many of the designs I pointed her to a shirt that has a peace sign and flowers on it. she laughed and said she was too old for that. to my surprise i instantly spoke with my heart, "It's never too late to start living" she laughed. i saw the light bulb iluminate. what i said really hit her. she looked at the t shirt like a scrapbook after that. she loved it, she kept telling me stories of woodstock and she said she was super wild  back in the day. she told me she did lots of stupid things and tasted lots of awful drugs and said it was so much fun. It was so fun to hear her story. she said she had never told her kids that she was a wild child or that she attended woodstock. I felt honored some weird way. once she got to the cash wrap she told me to never tell her kids how wild she was. (she was probably in her early 60's)

It is sales like that which drive me to keep selling boring stuff day to day. It is neat to feel like you can ignite a flame in someones life or have your own flame magnified just by selling some t-shirts. I never want to lose my creative spark.  It is what drives me.

It is never too late to start living

Never stop breaking down the Doors

-Kam

4 months left?!

Today is September 18th. One month from when I left Durango. What a month it has been. Sunday night Jake and I went down to Morningstar to skim and swim. The surf was weird and the beaches were torn from the swell the day before so we both stopped skimming shortly after starting. We found ourselves in the water just wading and watching the sunset over Hassel Island. WHAT A SUNSET. This night was exactly what I needed. I have been in a bit of a funk since I have been down here. I am so used to it just being Jake and I that it has taken some time to adjust to two completely new people and how to work our schedules around each others. I am so lucky to share these experiences with someone like Jake. We are becoming the best of friends. It is so nice to have time together just the two of us, to talk over and re-live all of the incredible adventures we have shared the past four months. He is on hell of a kid, whoever finds him will be super lucky. He always says the same about whoever I will find to marry. It is funny that we are so young looking so far ahead but it is so humbling to hear from someone that you respect a lot, that they think "whoever finds me will be super lucky". WOW, speechless

I have learned a lot the past few months. There is no right or wrong way to live life. So cliche, but honestly. I have really been able to see people of all different colors and walks of life in my travels. It is very thought provoking to see what people consider important in other parts of the world. Most of the locals here don't even enjoy the beach, or the ocean. What a sad life it seems. I can see how it would get old fast living on such a small piece of rock in the middle of nowhere.

I would like to think that I have set a high standard of living for myself. I am always looking for things to do. Down here I have lost some of my spark that I had in Durango. For whatever reason I have become content with doing less. I don't particularly enjoy it. I need to start living again. Going to the beach 4-5 nights a week is not enough. I am going to get better at going on morning runs. And spending every second I have free going and seeing something new.

I met a beautiful little lady today outside the store at lunch who works at the diamond store next door. She was so easy to talk to and the conversation was so fun. We are both bread lovers, so she is going to buy me a loaf on Friday from the best bakery on the island so that I can try some local bread. (I hope it is half as good as the bread my dad makes) She was so nice, but she said that she would never let me go to the bakery, because she knows I would be in danger. It is definitely eye opening and saddening to think that some of the best places on this island will be off limits to me just because I am white. I am so thankful for locals like her who are constantly looking out for me. Being a minority is bullshit. The fact that there is even the term minority associated with people is sickening. Why can't the world live as one?

I love and miss you all.

Never Stop Breaking Down the Doors-

-Kam

Another day, Another dollar

The past two weeks have gone by so fast. I know my time here on St. Thomas will go by so much quicker than Durango, even though I am marooned on this rock for 2 months longer than I was in Durango. Life down here is sweet. We are really starting to set in to life down here. The streets are nothing like I have ever seen in the states. There are so many hidden jems down tiny little alleys. Everything is so much bigger in the continental US. Including the people. The locals down here are so awesome. I could watch them all day every day and never get bored. The pitter patter of childrens feet running through the courtyards of the private Catholic Schools on the way to work, the constant beeping of car's horns to tell people hello, the cluck of wild chickens in the park. Everything here is so sweet. Over the past few months I have been reading Walden Pond by Thoreau. It is a super boring book, but some of the best messages I have found in a book are tucked within it's pages. I have really learned to sit back and enjoy my surroundings all the time. My life usually runs 100021203 miles per minute and I always have to be occupied by something, so it has been cool to learn how to just relax and take it all in these past few months. I have been super blessed to enjoy new beautiful surroundings along my observatory journey.

The world is so beautiful. Everyone should do their best to cherish it. I cannot think of anything more beautiful than this world. I cannot honestly think of anything greater than being captivated by nature. I am so glad that my dad used to let me huddle up to him when I was little and watch Nature, or Nova with him. My mom always taught me how to have fun outdoors. She was the one who taught me how to swim. And look at me now, living on St. Thomas improving the same strokes she taught me so many years ago. I am so glad to be living on the island that my parents got married on! How cool is that?!?! Honestly. wow. I feel so close to them every day. Yet I am so far away. If it wasn't for this island there probably wouldn't be a me. Just kidding haha gross. But really though I have the best parents in the world and they are so fun to be around. I am so glad they brought me up and encourage my curiosity. They make me who I am today. And for that I thank them.

Ok enough parent ranting. St. Thomas is the bees knees. Monday night movie night on water island. every day skimming and swimming. Work has been going great. Our bosses talked to the Caribbean sales director and they think we should close the store one Saturday this month and have an all expenses paid trip to St. John. HELL YES! They love the work that we are all doing, and are going to send us to St. John for a day. SIIIIIIIICK we are all super excited. Money is tight, so it will be sweet to be able to go and not have to worry about paying!!!!

I love it down here. I love and miss everyone back home! I cannot wait to share my stories with you all when I get back, but for now this blog will have to do.

Never stop breaking down the doors-

Kam

Sunset

 Yesterday was honestly one of the most amazing nights of my life. Courtney and Andrew (our bosses) told us about a movie showing that happens every Monday night on Water Island. It's 10$ and that includes the ferry ride over there. The movie for the night was The Hunger Games. We had to go. Joel has been reading us the second book every night. We call it our nightly "scripture". Charles and I had never read the book or seen the first movie so we knew we had to go.

Thank goodness we did

The ferry ride over to Water Island was amazing. Honestly I can barely recall another moment in my life when I was so taken back by my surroundings.

This was the view from the ferry.

Arriving at the dock.

(All pictures were taken with my iPhone with no retouching)

The movie on the beach. There was a food cart set up by the owners just outside of this picture. Cheap burgers and drinks. It was such an intimate setting, there was probably about 45 or 50 people at the movie, most of whom are residents of Water Island, so it had a real local feel. 

This will definitely become our weekly ritual.

 

The following night Joel and I went to the dock just off the beach at Frenchmans Cove where the Marriott Hotel is. The dock is about 300 yards off shore. It has become our regular spot to go for a quick swim and hang out after work. Jake, Joel and I call it "Our Dock"

Some great conversations with great people have been on this dock. I will never forget these nights. I wake every morning anxiously awaiting our next trip to the dock.

I am living the life I love right now.

Eyes wide open and a Heart full of passion.

 

Never Stop Breaking Down the Doors

- Kam

 

Cover the Earth

An awesome 2 days!

Last night Jake Joel and I went down to Frenchman Bay to the Marriott resort for an evening swim. It was sweet. When we go we always swim out to a dock about a quarter mile out. It is our own safe spot. Joel carried a large 20 pound rock over to it from shore. He about drowned it was crazy cool that he could carry it so far. Joel and I rode the rock down to the seafloor about 25 feet below the dock. It was a fun challenge to swim down and carry it back up. On our way out there we saw a stingray!!! How sweet is that?! It was definitely a night I will never forget. After we swam we decided to hit the pool like a group of tourists. We met a guy in the hot tub who played for Texas A and M back in the day then later went on to play for the GIANTS and the SAINTS! He was super cool. He had a voice just like James Earl Jones, IT WAS AWESOME. He had a really cool quote that I think I will carry with me forever.

-Cover the Earth, Before the Earth Covers You.


Today we all went to Secret Bay after Joel got back from church. It was sick. Jake and I got some more footage from our go pro's. The video of some of what I have seen can be enjoyed at -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEQeQXIeSMo

CHECK IT OUT! It was super fun to film. I am still learning a lot about how to shoot certain things. The videos will get better with time I promise. But for now it is a start.
At Secret Bay Joel and I saw a SEA-TURTLE!!!!! Such an experience. I wish I had my go pro when we went out. I hopefully will not make that mistake again. I am really gaining such a love for this place. It seems like an island paradise from the pictures but trust me there are places here that rival streets of Compton. I love my family and friends and it is great to hear from ALL of you. Text me if you get a chance. I love hearing from home!

Never Stop Breaking Down the Doors

-Kam

St. Thomas.

Working Del Sol in STT is so awesome. Our managers are the exact opposite of our managers in Durango, and it is awesome. Our first day we smashed a record for this new port lecturer, and people noticed. Jeff Pederson the owner of Del Sol sent us an e-mail congratulating us on such a great day. It is sweet to see how fast we can make an impact down here.

Yesterday I had the day off with my roommate Joel. He is probably one of the funniest people I have ever met. We went diamond shopping and strolled around main street seeing the shops. After breakfast and shopping we decided to hit the beach. It was awesome. We got friiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeed so sunburned :)
We decided to check out Brewers beach after hitting up Lindburg beach.

Our car brokedown-

After just walking down to the beach to check out the water then straight back to our car to get our stuff, we tried to start the car- it was dead. We had to be rescued by Courtney (one of our managers), Jake and Charles. We called our rental agency, and to our surprise they showed up super quick! They ran us over to the airport where we got our brand new Hyundai Elantra, and a free full tank of gas!!! (we were almost empty). We were super friendly to Alwin, (rental car guy). It is so sweet to see how far a little bit of kindness can take you in this world. Especially in a rough place such as St. Thomas.

Don't Stop Breaking Down the Doors

-Kam

St. Thomas!

Whew! What a three days it has been. Tuesday I went sailing up at Deer Creek with my Dad, Jason, Sister and her friends. It was a blast. My Dad forgot to pack the windsurfer boom, so he was rather mad at himself when we got there, but it was just fine (The wind that day wasn't even enough to be fun windsurfing). Over the past few months I have really learned to be content with whatever situation I am in. It was fun to also be able to see my best friends hockey game before I left. It was sad saying goodbye to such a close friend after only seeing him for a short time. Once I got home I had to immediately go drop off some stuff to another friend I had neglected to see while I was home. After I got back it was the moment I had been looking forward to the least. Saying goodbye to my Mom. God bless her, she is one of the funniest people I know, I always find myself saying stupid stuff or just conducting myself in a funny way and I know I got that from my mother. It was one of my saddest goodbyes ever.

Wednesday hits- flying out of Salt Lake to my new home on St. Thomas, where I will be living for the next six months. Miami is definitely one of my least favorite airports after arriving this trip. Constantly being told different things from different people, none of which speak English.

Flight Canceled- awful.

Jake and I had to spend the night in a hotel just outside the airport due to some technicalities with checking our bags in (one of which never came). We got transferred to stand-by on an 11 o' Clock flight. We made it by the skin of our teeth. (<-----Huge story behind this. Ask in person)

Landed on St. Thomas today, Thursday August 23rd. More to Come soon. Shorter Posts. More pictures :)

Don't Stop Breaking Down the Doors

-Kam

So bitter sweet seeing all my friends today. I miss them dearly saying goodbye and hello in the same conversation is definitely a weird feeling. I think I finally understand why Hawaiians say Aloha. With every goodbye you are saying hello to something new. Breaking down a new door. More posts to come soon and updates on photo per day. Love my family and friends more than anything, now more so than ever.

Never Stop Breaking Down the Doors

-Kam

This is Paul, he has been such an inspiration to me this summer.

The Umbrella in action.

Today was an amazing day for me at work. Jake and I finally got to work together for the first time in a month, and we KILLED IT! It was so great for us to have such an awesome day together. The pictures above are of a man named Paul. He is constantly roaming around Durango in his wheel chair. He has such a bright spirit. Whenever he comes into our store Jake and I make it a point to talk to him and really get to know him. He is sooo funny. We have really grown to love his visits, and thank goodness he frequently stops by. It isn't very easy to understand Paul, but after having a lot of conversations with him Jake and I have really learned to understand him. He is so smart, you can tell that his brain is one hundred percent there, he just doesn't have the motor skills or body to accompany his brilliant mind. Today he found out I was from Salt Lake and was quick to point out how the Jazz lost to the Bulls in the finals a few years back. He was rubbing it in my face about how good Michael Jordan is. It was fun to be able to joke with Paul about sports.

We had talked so long that it had begun to rain outside so Jake and I asked him what he does when he is rolling around town and it begins to rain. He joked that he finds anywhere and every where that he can drive into to stay dry until the storm stops. I told him that he needed an umbrella. The light bulb went on. He told me I needed to the back of the store and get a box so I did and he had me make him an umbrella. The pictures above are ones of the makeshift umbrella that I made him (just to his specifications). When I finished the cardboard part he was quick to tell me that he needed me to cut bags to drape down from the edges to keep him dry. He even made me tape the corners together so that the bags wouldn't flap funny in the wind. The whole time he was telling me how he is a "MacGyver" and that I needed to make it sturdy. I definitely feel like I failed. Customers were coming in and we definitely got some funny looks but it was so much fun to be able to build him something to keep him dry on a cold wet day like today.

It is so humbling to be able to watch Paul on a daily basis. I have learned so much from him. He is an incredible person and I will never forget the kindness and friendship that he has shown all of us.

This is a very long post (sorry) but today I also finally got my opportunity to pay it forward. Some bikers pulled up in front of our store and didn't have any money to pay for their parking meter. I had payed with cash for my coffee at the Bean earlier that day, which left me with filled with loose change. I hesitated for a second, then it hit me this is my change to pay it forward to some bikers who had shown me kindness earlier in July. I payed for their meter until 6 when the clock stops. They were so appreciative. They stopped in later to try and pay me back for the money I had put in my meter. I refused to take it, they tried so hard to get me to take it. I told them about how I lost my debit card while riding my bike to Purgatory (a local ski resort). I got to the gas station and realized it had fallen out somewhere along the way. I was in desperate need of food and water to make the 26 mile ride back to Durango. The first guy I asked (on a Harley) gave me 5$ which was just enough for water and some food. After telling my story, I explained how tonight was my chance to pay it forward to someone in need (just happened to be another Harley rider and his wife). They instantly took back the money and said that the next chance they had, they would pay it forward. WOW what a day, I can honestly say that it was one of the most humbling days I have ever had working, anywhere. Never pass up a chance to pay it forward, and enjoy the simple things in life.

Never Stop Breaking Down the Doors

- Kam