Kristen
When I’m in L.A. I don’t have to think about anything—I don’t have to worry about grades, homework, or tests. I can freely enjoy time with my family, creating memories that will last for years.
Sleeping In Every Morning
The sun never manages to seep through the creases between each shutter, leaving my room dark and dim. The bed never grows cold until 10:00 these days. My eyes open organically, limbs peeking out from beneath soft, time-worn blankets as I stretch my body. The red, blocky digits on the alarm clock blink as I check the time, resting easy knowing that time is not of importance.
Walking to Peet’s Coffee on a Sunny Afternoon
The air is balmy and the trees whisper with a warm breeze. The sandy gravel on the roads of Mitchell Park crackle with laughter beneath the soles of my sneakers. To the right, people are playing soccer on a large, grassy field, while families picnic beneath the shade of a tree to your left. The dogs pant in the dog park as I walk by, chasing eagerly after red frisbees and yellow tennis balls.
After walking through the parking lot of Hoover Elementary School, I cross the street and eventually make it to Peet’s Coffee. The warm, earthy scent of coffee pervades the air inside the cafe. Around me, adults of varying ages are conversing, typing something on their computers with squinted eyes, or flipping through the yellowing pages of a dilapidated book. I order my favorite, an iced caramel macchiato, and when it arrives I watch as the steamed milk slowly bleeds into the espresso. As I walk home, the ice jingles in the cup pleasantly.
Writing Stories during the Late Hours of the Night
The words always come more easily at night. There is no rush when it is night time—the house is quiet and the lights are dimmed. The music from my headphones thrums through my body like a synthetic pulse. My fingers dance across the keyboard—sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly— like the ebb of ocean water on a coast, uncertain, fleeting. It is when the sky is dark, when the moon is bright and the stars glimmer that the I breath my characters to life. When at last I feel weary, drowsiness settling into my bones, I set my laptop aside and fall asleep, dreaming of characters in faraway lands.。
Barbecues with My Family
The air is smoky, filled with the popping of soda cans and the sizzle of meat. In the backyard, both sets of grandparents sit together beneath the shade of the umbrella, conversing and chatting about all the things they did since the last time they saw each other. My younger cousins are playing games on the Wii in my living room, shrieking in laughter as they spam the buttons on the controllers. My parents, aunts, and uncles are gathered around the kitchen counter, sipping wine and chatting with each other. The food is stacked on the table, juicy steak, tender chicken wings, purples yams, and sweet corn. It is on days like these where I feel the most grateful, surrounded by my family and a plethora of delicious food, sitting together in a large house with the people that I love the most.
Road-trip to LA
The scenery is a blur, grassy grazing grounds, farms, dried lakes, and deserts slipping away as the car drives past it. I fall in and out of slumber, the spaces between filled with softly playing music. Summers trips to LA consist of bubble tea, shopping, and good eats. When I’m LA I don’t have to think about anything—I don’t have to worry about grades, homework, or tests. I can freely enjoy time with my family, creating memories that will last for years.
