Best Memories in 16 Years of Living

I have a terrible memory, which sucks, so I remember only a few things about my childhood on demand. But those things that come to my mind right away, are my favorites.

12u baseball

Standing along the fence of the dugout. The sun shining above and the taste of bacon sunflower seeds. Talking about whatever dumb things a 12-year-old can think of. These are the most recognizable feelings of my years of young baseball. I decided on my 12u year because that’s the one I remember the most. It started off like every other baseball year. Practices early in the calendar and cold as hell. Not enjoyable. I remember for some stupid reason chess got popular during the season. So in between games we would sit under one of the parent’s tents and play each other in chess. Or my favorite game Pickle. 15 kids would run between bases dodging tennis balls thrown by the players who were it. Everybody was laughing and enjoying the two months of summer we got. We were one of the best teams in the state, well, at least for smaller schools. But that was still a pretty cool idea for a small-minded 12-year-old. We got to travel to games that were an hour away. I made some excellent relationships that summer. Met some really cool people. So if possible for you, I would recommend joining a sport, especially at a young age.

Puerto Rico: Playa Escondida

Puerto Rico was the travel destination that sparked my thirst for traveling the world. I was just old enough to actually comprehend where I was at, pretty much my first time in a new culture. I fell in love with the new language and the laid-back atmosphere. The feeling of exploring a new place is like no other. We arrived on the island around 2 am in the morning, and I remember my dad trying to figure out how to get to our Airbnb. He hit what seemed to be the biggest damn speed bump known to mankind. Going like 50 mph. So after getting a group concussion we had to stop because there were enough police on the road to conquer a nation. Then the police officer gave us directions as if he were talking with someone who’s been living in Puerto Rico for 30 years. But after all, of that, we got to our Airbnb and relaxed. I’ll write another post on my Puerto Rican adventure. My highlight of this amazing trip was finding the beautiful hidden beach, Playa Escondida. It was a 30-minute hike through the forest in the hot sun. But it was all worth it because at the end of the tunnel of trees, there was a bright clearing and the wonderful sound of ocean waves. As I stepped into the paradise I was amazed by how beautiful it was. The beach stretched on for miles and only had a few people. The most beautiful place I’ve ever seen. We got to explore fascinating restaurants and the beautiful jungle.

Portugal

Potugal was my first European country. And it was a great experience, a country filled with great food and coastline. We landed in the beautiful city of Lison, a hub of architecture and great food. I remember the first night I was there, I had my first fight with jet lag. An interesting experience, the hills of Lisbon went on forever and they seemed to go infinitely down. I felt like at any moment I could fall down and crack open on the sidewalk. I lived and got some great sleep. The next few days we explored the city and had some of the best food ever. I loved walking along the narrow streets surrounded by houses painted with reds, pinks, and blues. It was like living in an artwork. We then traveled through the Algarve coast visiting all of the beautiful spots. Beaches are surrounded by towering limestone cliffs and towns tucked in small coves. I was blessed to see the beautiful town, of Sintra, And visit one of its many famous castles. It was like walking through a little fairytale. On this trip, I also got to visit Spain for a few days. Sevilla was an amazing city but I liked Lisbon better. Portugal was my first European experience and it was one of my favorite memories.

Talking History with Grandpa

When I was younger, I was obsessed with world war 2, no I was not a neo nazi or anything like that. But I really enjoyed learning about the brave American soldiers who risked their lives. I would get angry reading about the attack on Pearl Harbor and read lots of history books. The man who started my love for this. My Grandpa. He started my love for world war 2 at a young age after showing me a world war 2 movies that made Nate poop his pants at night. Prompting my parents to yell at him. Too late. I was hooked. And he only fanned the flame. We would talk for hours about the different battles and strategies used in the war. I was filled with the American patriotic spirit. I even hung up quotes from Winston Churchill on my wall. And my grandpa would bring me over just to watch movies on ww2. I’ll always thank my grandpa for those long conversations that always found themselves completely off-topic.

Costa Rica

Now this one is stuck pretty far back in my memories, I remember only a few things from my two trips to this beautiful country. Delicious Strawberries, crazy grandson, snorkeling, howler monkeys, Black sand beach, and a damn popped eardrum. Costa Rica is the most popular of all the central american countries to visit. I’m not mad because it definitely earned its spot, beautiful jungle, good surf, and amazing waterfalls. It’s also famous for being really expensive, this is caused by their love for the environment and devotion to keeping it thriving. I remember young Nate visiting one of Costa Rica’s famous volcanoes and tasting the greatest strawberries his little tongue had ever touched. Man, I miss those. My parents were lucky enough to have connections in Costa Rica. We were able to stay with one of them at the same time they had their grandchild with them. I want to mention I don’t have anything against the kid, but I remember the kid chasing us around and throwing big rocks at our heads. Little Nate was freaked out by this. Now that I look back, I laugh, but it wasn’t very much fun then. I also remember going to this amazing hotel on the beach, it was on a black sand beach and surrounded by howler monkeys. A weird combination but an enjoyable one, unless you want to sleep. We went out on a boat with this really cool Canadian family and got to look at lots of fish. I was pretty mad that I had to wear a floaty. But it was required since it was a depth of 50-something feet or maybe way more. I forget. I think the worst part of the trip was popping my eardrum on the plane to Costa Rica. First, a popped ear drum hurts like a bitch. Second, it was the ear of a ten-year-old. Lastly, it was on a plane 30,000 feet in the air. Not a fun time. Yet I wouldn’t trade away the popped eardrum or the howler monkeys for anything.

Skiing

My skiing trips with the school were just a couple of months ago. And really fun. It was my first time ever getting on skis. Which is one hell of a jump for someone who really hates the snow. Of course, I really sucked, but I pride myself on being a quick learner. So I got better and better. Which isn’t really saying much. I remember being on the baby slope to start off, which I thought was stupid. I was quickly humbled. That slope defeated me over and over again. I remember “sitting” on the slope with my skis crossed cramping in the hip for a solid minute. That sucked. But I finally got good enough to go onto the next slope. There I stood with my friend Kayla, also a newbie, staring at the dreaded ski lift. Luckily I made it on and was having some fun until the damn thing decided why not stop. So there I was 30 feet above the snow freaking out like a complete idiot. Then I went onto the next slope with my other friend Christina. She was way better than me. She told me that we were going to get off the ski lift and take a left down a steep slope. As we got off the lift she would tell me the rest. I got off the ski lift and noticed I seemed to be drifting away from her. I looked behind me and noticed my ski journey was starting earlier than I thought. Of course, she laughed at me as I went along to my doom. I quickly turned and started pissing myself down this big hill. I started to think this was pretty fun. But right when that thought popped into my head. Nothing. My skis were touching nothing. Oh sh*t. I went flying through the air making the most spectacular landing in all of skiing history. By the grace of the skiing gods, I made it down the hill safely. Man, I miss those hills.

Game Night at Nana Sandy’s

Back then I didn’’t really enjoy these events. Actually, I kind of dreaded them. Being in that small little house with my crazy grandma. Now that I look back on them, I miss them a lot. Sadly Nana Sandy died in 2020 due to covid. But now I realize how much I loved that little house. The presents were never big but always packed with love. I remember that hat game that we used to play. You could move up in the ranks of the made-up world from the poor person to the king. Of course, I somehow always ended up being the poor person. If I was really lucky I might be able to be a princess. I wish I would have valued my time more with Nana Sandy. Her death taught me some very valuable lessons. No matter what you think of the person soak up every moment with them.

First Time Ice Skating

My first-time ice skating was actually in Chicago. It lasted about five minutes though. So I’ll count this as my first time. I went with four of my friends Martin, Isaac, Kayla, Christina, and my dumb*ss. Everybody has been Ice Skating before except Martin and I. Technically Martin has already gone but he’s kind of handicapped when it comes to trying out things with body coordination. It was like every other time I try something new I forgot my gloves, and money, and couldn’t get my shoes on. I finally got on the ice, I took the little kiddy mover and dragged myself across the ice. You may be thinking that I learned quickly. No. But me falling over and over again was not the best part. It was my “handicapped” friend Martin. He thought that stopping in the sport of ice skating was like skiing. So he went as fast as possible and stopped in the dumbest way possible. It might have been the most beautiful thing I have ever laid my eyes on. To see that idiot flying through the air and landing on his collarbone. What we didn’t know at the time, was it was broken. He slowly got himself to one of the rails and stood there groaning in pain for a few minutes. Asking for an ambulance and lotion. I don’t know why the lotion. In the end, he sat outside the rink and ended up going back out for a little bit. What a great day! No offense Martin.

Martin’s Collarbone Blog Post 

Pies and Desserts with Grandma

My favorite dessert has always been my grandma’s strawberry pie, the gelatin, and strawberries mixed with the amazing crusts have always reminded me of summer. The family gathers around the table singing Christmas carols. The candles and the smiling faces as we eat blueberry pie. Little Nate anticipating what he got for Christmas. Finding all of the delicious little candies stuffed in our stockings. Or after a good day of pitching in my 12u baseball league. Grandma would bring me a strawberry pie just for me. I was extremely protective of my pies. Actually, I still am. If I got a pie my brother would have to run and complain to my parents to get a piece. Those amazing desserts that my grandma would make have always brought the family together and made my day better. So thanks grandma for the strawberry pies and the amazing cookies.

Octonauts and Other Kids shows

Lastly I can’t forget to mention the shows I watched as a kid. They say that all your values and beliefs are made as a kid. Well, if you look at me now and the shows I watched as a kid. Things kind of come together. My favorite show ever was the Octonauts. Creature Report! Creatuuure Report! A show about a team of a leopard, polar bear, penguin, octopus, and a whole bunch of other creatures. Who live in the ocean saving other ocean creatures. Then the wild kratts who traveled all over the world saving animals from the bad guys. Of course, I watched plenty of other shows when I was a kid. But these were the two I remember the most and left the biggest impact on me. Look at the shows and things you read as a kid and you might just glance into yourself.

Conclusion

Over the years I’ve kept only a few memories some good some bad. But what I’ve realized is that bad memories turn into good. Good memories are just good. So what’s bad? Just staying in the middle and not taking risks is bad. So value your memories. They are the only things that last forever.