It started merely as a dream, something my friends Tanner, Chris, and I thought would be a glorious idea. We didn't actually think it would ever really happen, rather something that would get us through the school year and into what was going to be the greatest summer vacation of our lives.
One day Tanner brought up the idea to go to Mission Beach, California over the week of July 4th. The plan was to rent a house on the beach with a couple of our closest friends and spend a week without our parents on the beautiful beaches of Cali. The idea originated in March, soon after spring break ended, but the reality of the situation was that most of the rental homes in Mission Beach were either already booked, or required a minimum age of 21 to rent. We kept our search going and eventually, sometime in May, and somewhat like a miracle, we found a house that fit 10 and the minimum age to rent was only 18. So we gathered the troops, rounding up kids who were willing to throw down around $300 for a house for the week, not to mention get permission from their parents to go! When most of our friends couldn't get permission we had to ask some kids that weren't considered our best friends. Finally, we had 9 kids willing to pay and whose parents would allow them to go. We had done it, we planned and followed through with our first real vacation without parents, with no help from the elders. It was a great feeling, the feeling of growing up and doing something without the assistance of our overseers. 719 San Gabriel, the address of our soon to be Mission Beach residence, had no idea what was coming to it!
My trip to cali turned out to be one of the single greatest vacations of my life for many reasons, but most of all it changed my lifestyle. This trip was like the start to college, for I had never truly done anything on my own like this (without the help of my parents). I was quickly learning how to deal with life on my own. For example, I learned how to live with other people and on my own, like buying groceries and being solely responsible for myself and my actions. Mission Beach was a like a time portal showing me what it would be like on my own, starting a new life for myself and having completely different interactions with people. I will never forget this trip or the people I spent it with, for my life has not been the same since.
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