Monday August 11, 2025 was one of the BEST DAYS EVER, truly.

You all made this day so special and, from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you for celebrating with me.

I also want to share a note of gratitude to each of you.

Publicly. Because, Leo. Duh.

(in the order I remember it unfolding)

THANK YOU to…

✨Allison for being the first person to greet me and squeeze me that morning. For being a trusted sounding board and clear set of eyes when my seeing gets a little fogged amidst the BS. For asking those curious questions to people around you in a gentle and fierce way. And for always being so excited when I bring salami and cheese.

✨Max and Francine for being the first souls to bless our cabana setup with your warm love and even warmer smiles. To Max for lending a hand for ice and cooler tending (bc you know how much I love #ServicePup energy) and for the Leo-4-Leo vibes. To Francine for making dark jokes about drinking the blood of your enemies (as the key to youthful glow, of course) 5 seconds into the day.

✨Bridget and Joelle for being trustworthy enough to be the only +1 pairing. To Bridget for always reminding me of god’s poeticism. And to Joelle for validating my Leo integration in a moment when I needed that more than meets the eye. Your quiet powers are palpable and I can’t wait to see the magic that continues to unfold between you two.

✨Beracah for brining a laugh as loud as mine and for casually burying the lead on how calm/cool/collected you can stay under pressure (like, OK, bullet proof vest story). For always taking care of my tired body with your herbs, and tinctures, and teas… my flesh suite feels better doing the work out in the world when she knows that you have her back.

✨Colin for being the gabagool I need in my life. Period. For your effortless ability to make people feel welcome and seen with the simplest question: “when’s your birthday?”. For bringing the comedy central vibes that make my belly hurt laughing (bc, bro, it’s not that serious). And for overseeing food duties because every kitchen needs a manager that does nothing and still takes credit.

✨Luna for being my partner in crime I-got-your-back-and-will-cut-a-bitch style. For holding my hand so I can absorb even more love, for shaking ass so I remember what I’m tweRking with, and for whispering sweet nothings into my ear so I can find Life amidst Death. Daddy-4-Daddy-4-Lyfe. And for turning everyone’s “I brought this snack” into a feast of delights for us to munch on all day.

✨Jenni Xoc for always blessing my remembrance with the beauty of slow stitching. For being a physical manifestation of the weaving that takes years, not seconds, and the richness that blooms when we don’t rush.

✨Sal for being the greatest BUG of all time who leaves every space more beautiful than you found it. For being the one who crawls, digs, webs, composts, and stings quietly and reminds all of us that the quiet, invisible, inside action is exactly why we can loudly proclaim “the revolution is already underway”.

PS - if you’re reading, Hannah wants to connect more IG @sal.chen

✨Hannah for turning our circle time into spoken word performance art. For putting your crouching-tiger-hidden-Hannah on full display just when we thought the night was winding down #secondwind. And for bringing the wild, feral, chicken cutlet dance performance no one knew we needed but now lives rent free in my brain.

PS - if you’re reading, Hannah wants to connect more IG @hannahlouisebarnard

✨Shii-Anna for somehow managing to still make mechanical engineering a funny thing to talk about after all these years and for being a real one who can span chapters with me from high school (without knowing)… to corporate… to soul-o-preneurship.

✨Rye for being the ultimate holy-shit-you’re-here?! surprise of the day. For being the one who sees in eons and lives in moments with me. For always reminding me how loveable I am even when the world makes it feel hard to believe. And for swinging dick. Obvi.

✨Phoenix for spending more time commuting TO the beach than you spent actually ON the beach because you “just had to be here”. For being a brilliant reminder of the bravery it takes to burn it all down and start again. For trusting the Unknown, the beginning point of infinite possibilities, and entering it with the grace of a Queen.

✨Tito and Maria for being the dynamic duo who manages to always turn up the volume in the warmest, most hysterical, ways. Tito for schlepping a beach-dance-floor worthy speaker and MCing love for me (and all of Life) so profoundly that the most distant drop of sea water was infused with brilliance. Maria for being the most loveable service kitten who can’t help but be helpful while simultaneously embodying the moon goddess who’s steady power is strong enough to tame even the deepest sea gods.

✨Kwesi for being the one I had the honor of sharing final moments with. For being in such devotion to not missing the point of this whole earthly existence (even if I regularly clap back to “get to the fucking point” ). For having conversations that could easily turn into a reality TV episode — honestly, why hasn’t an agent picked us up yet? And for turning that truck into a chariot and making sure I (and the 17 bags I ended up leaving with) got loaded into the elevator without a hitch.

✨and of course, thank you to Cabana Boy for setting up and breaking down our oasis for the day… who is definitely not Kwesi, for the record.