Beach day in pictures

This summer has been a disappointment for one primary reason: I've been way too busy. In the few months that I've been home, I've tried desperately to make time for my friends whenever possible. It's been hard, what with going to work and back five days a week. But now I'm home for good - for the rest of the summer that is.

Trouble is, all of my friends will be heading back to school sooner than later - and by that I mean before I head off to study abroad in mid-September. So this is our last hurrah, perhaps the last time I will see some of this beautiful people before winter break in December. At least we got to share our wonderful "end" (beginning for me) to the summer in a gorgeous setting - the beach.

A little girl with presumably too much sand on her body. We would soon learn to empathize.

The quintessential "pretty ocean view" photo.

The quintessential "I'm having fun playing in the ocean" photo. Except it's also an image of authentic happiness.

Hello pleasant umbrella people.

How about for a rousing game of Twister?

Why does the spinner keep landing on the same thing? Our left hands are already on blue!

My apologies for making fun of Tori's knife. I admit your wilderness skills went to good use for the bonfire.

So did your karate chop skills.

The fruit of Tori's karate chop skills.

After some time, we took random sunset pictures. And my friends looked cute.

Then stargazing with an Android app.

And Kristin looked like Wendy from Casper Meets Wendy. An excellent cap (or hood, if you pardon the pun) to a fabulous night.

In the end the setting was gorgeous not simply because of the glistening ocean waves and the families with multi-colored umbrellas. Not even because of the bonfires and the stargazing. It was beautiful because of the people - because of the time we got to share together before we depart in different directions, geographically speaking. And I hope that even if this is the last event of our summer together, that this isn't the last time we experience this kind of joy.