Lifescouts: Picnic

Hello!

This badge isn't the most exotic, and none of mine really are, but brings back a great memory.

When I was a freshman in high school, I had to almost entirely rebuild my friend group as most of my friends from middle school went to a different high school than me. Luckily, my friends from middle school that did go to the same high school as me also had friends who would be attending our high school. From there I became the friend of a friend. While we started out as acquaintances, one of the sweetest and most outgoing people I know wanted to have a picnic in a park downtown during Labor Day since we wouldn't be having school. I was anxious since I didn't know all the people, but looking back on it now, I'm so glad I went. We all brought our own lunches and something little to share. Since my mom was on-call at the hospital, she had to go in and brought be along since it would be on the way to my picnic. I look back on that day as the day where I moved from acquaintance to friend with a lot of the girls that I love and still talk to today even though we all went to different colleges. During that picnic we got to do crazy things like roll down a grassy hill, play catchphrase, and just talk. Thinking back on it now, I can't believe how much the six or so crazy nerdy girls we were back then have grown and become better friends. We've been through a lot together since then, and I hope we get to make a lot more memories in the future.

Do you still have a friend or group of friends that you've known for a while?

Badge count: 6

Lifescouts: Sunrise

Hello!

At this moment I really should be doing homework or working on my RA application but who really wants to do that. Instead I'm going to tell you about my sunrise experience(s).

This past summer my five close girl friends and I decided that we wanted to roadtrip to Wilmington, NC where Dawson's Creek was filmed. (Also One Tree Hill but we like Dawson's Creek better). Since it's about a five hour drive from where we live, we decided to meet at some ridiculous time like 5:30 in the morning to give us time to get lost and have a good solid day in Wilmington. We did our research and planned out the places we wanted to visit that were the location of notable scenes from the TV show. As we are driving to Wilmington, we were able to see the sun rise from the car. It wasn't the most amazing view but it's still a sunrise. And because we spent so much time at Wilmington and it does take that long to get back, we were also able to watch the sunset. It was an amazing day and something I'll remember for a while. Sure we had hiccups along the way but it was an experience nonetheless. Plus, I got to cross my desire of taking a roadtrip with friends off of my bucket list.

You may be wondering why I wrote "experience(s)" earlier. Well this next story wasn't something I was actually awake for but got to hear the story a little later. My group of friends from high school planned out our prom like no tomorrow. This of course didn't prevent any "prama" (prom drama) by any means but we knew we wanted to go to take pictures, eat dinner together, attend after prom, and then have our own little after after prom. Some of my friends were determined to stay up all night because it was prom and what else would you do. So they played some Mario Kart and talked like any good nerdy teenagers. Then because they were still awake and it was that early in the morning, they wanted to watch the sunrise. Now keep in mind that they had been up for at least 20 hours straight so of course they were delirious. Somehow one of my friends was called a Snorlax from Pokemon and another one of my friends became convinced that a lamppost in the street was the sun. In fact she said, "Guys the sun isn't moving" to which my friends all responded, "The sun is over there..." It was way more funny and entertaining in the moment than what you're probably thinking at this moment but whenever I hear that story it just makes me love my friends even more.

How are you guys doing on your badges?

Badge count: 5

Lifescouts: Niagara Falls

Hello!

Some of the Lifescout badges are really hard to get! This one is another badge that I know I earned but don't really have memories of:

My parents have told me that we went to the Canada-United States border to look at the Niagara Falls on New Year's. All I really know about this trip is that it was a lot of fun and that we were soaked. I have seen pictures from my visit there but don't have any memories of it. You would think that seeing this gigantic waterfall and being showered with water would remain in my memories but I guess not. It's really funny the things you remember from your childhood. . . Sorry this is another boring story :/

Badge count: 4

Lifescouts: Driving

Hi!

I hope you guys are enjoying the Lifescouts posts. I feel like this badge isn't that big of an accomplishment:

However after writing that, I realize that having the ability to drive is kind of an accomplishment since there are many people who have tried multiple times to get their license and have failed. I was on track with getting my license. Where I live, you can get your learner's permit at 15 after passing a written multiple choice test about the laws of driving. I went to the DMV on my birthday after taking countless practice tests online and freaking myself out to the point that I tried to convince my mom not to take me. She however thought I was freaking out for no reason and insisted we go. To my surprise I got a 100 on the written exam. I was then able to start driving with a licensed driver in the front seat and begin learning how to physically drive. I learned how to drive mainly by my mom and took a driving class as well so I could get my regular license early. Then came the day where I actually had to drive. The one thing I always had an issue with was the 100 ft backup because for some reason I always drifted to the middle of the road. Which of course I ended up doing when taking my actual driving test. However, my examiner was nice enough to let me retry the 100 ft backup after finishing the rest of the test. Thus, I got my license!

Did you have a hard time getting your driver's license? Or do you not need to drive a car where you live?

Badge count: 3

Lifescouts: Empire State Building

Hi!

I hope you have checked out the Lifescouts tumblr and read some of the amazing things people have done to earn these badges and started telling your own stories!

My next badge is:

I don't actually remember my time at the Empire State building but know for a fact that I did visit because of the things my parents have told me. I used to live in upstate New York and so traveling to New York City wasn't that far of a drive for me and my parents. Unfortunately, when my parents and I went to go visit the Empire State building, they were doing construction and we were not able to go to the top. I know that this story isn't the best, but I love how people consider spitting or throwing a penny off the top the thing to do when you get to the Empire State building. I would never have the guts to do something like that in fear of hitting someone. However, I will say that your spit will not kill someone if it falls from the height of the Empire State building because if it could we would all die from rain.

Badge count: 2

Lifescouts: Mountain Climbing

Hello!

As a person who loves to waste time on Tumblr, I've been noticing this thing popping up called Lifescouts. What I had initially gathered from the blog was that you get badges for the different activities people should do in their life. Then Alex Day (nerimon) posted a video about how Lifescouts was his brainchild because he always wanted to collect badges like a Boy Scout but never signed up. Check out his video here. I've been meaning to join in on collecting badges, but instead of doing it on Tumblr, I wanted to post it here. The next couple of posts are going to be about the Lifescout badges I have collected and why I think I have earned the badges.

The first badge is:

Now I've gone hiking and climbed mountains, but definitely not mountains like Kilimanjaro or Everest. And my mountain climbing experiences do not in any way include rappelling or helmets, but even without the extreme danger I've had great times with my parents. My most recent encounter with mountain climbing occurred while I was on break from college with my parents and cousin. A popular attraction close to where I live is Chimney Rock. Unfortunately I wasn't able to climb up to the waterfall due to ice, but the views from the "chimney" and other attractions like the "Opera Box" still made the trip worth it.

I encourage you guys to go to the Lifescout tumblr and look at the other badges available. If you want to get involved then reblog the badges and write about your own experiences. You can also buy physical badges that look really awesome and collect the badges that way!

Badge count: 1