Q: Hit up the mall with the goal of not buying a single thing. Instead of feeling pressure to buy something or to find the perfect outfit, just stroll through the mall with your friends and have fun looking at all the fun clothes or funky designs you see in the windows of different stores. Point out your favorite or least favorite clothes and just have fun browsing together. Instead of separating and going to your own favorite stores, stick together and even link arms as you have a different experience walking through the mall. Tell yourselves that the only thing you can buy is some ice cream, a pretzel, or some chocolate chip cookies, so you're not too worried about finding the perfect outfit. Put on your favorite clothes and have fun taking pictures of each other going about your day. Aim to have at least 100 pictures taken for that day, and then pick the best ones to make a photo album with. You can also just have fun taking photos of yourself jumping, making silly faces, or dancing with your hair flying in your face. A lot of people complain that they don't have enough photos with their friends, so you can work on adding some photos to your collection. You can even take pictures against different backgrounds, from the mall to the woods behind your house. Play around. Don't take it too seriously. Act like you're a model strutting her stuff and put on ridiculous clothes, high heels, and wear your hair in elaborate styles. Get a super-serious look on your face, put on some intense music, and walk down a fake catwalk without cracking a smile. Have your friends sit in the audience looking serious and fanning themselves with fashion magazines for an added effect. The more ridiculous you look, the more fun it will be. Wear a trash bag and say it's the latest futuristic trend. Glue some leaves to a white t-shirt and say it's the hottest fall fashion. Blindfold yourself and have fun putting makeup on your friends' faces. When you're done, take off your blindfold and see how crazy your friends look! You can take turns applying makeup to each other like this, and will giggle at the result. You can even take some photographic evidence, if you want! Just make sure you're safe and careful and don't poke your friends in the eye or hurt them. For added fun, you can pretend like you all look beautiful and act like you're ready for a night out with makeup smeared all over your faces. Have everyone bring a trash bag of clothes they no longer want. Then, take turns showing what you're giving away and have friends raise their hands to claim items. This can be a fun way to put your old clothes to good use and to have a fun evening in with your friends. Even if not all the clothes are claimed, you can also just have fun trying on some of the most ridiculous items. If two people claim the same item, create a rule for how to obtain it. They can have a dance-off, play rock-paper-scissors, or have a staring contest. This will add an even more fun element to the clothes swap. If you don't already have a friend who is an expert at beading and making jewelry, just hit up your local craft store and get some beads, nylon string for bracelets and necklaces, earring hooks, and any other tools you would need to tie it all together. Then, get together with your friends and have fun making your own creations together. Getting beads and everything else you need to make jewelry can be a bit expensive, so make sure you share the costs with your friends in advance. You can also look online for inspiration or just make whatever comes to mind. Instead of getting an expensive mani-pedi at the mall, you and your friends can take turns doing each other's finger and toenails, or you can just paint your own nails while chatting with your friends. You can get decals, fake nails, or paint lightning bolts or other fun patterns on your nails, too. If you want to get all fancy, you can all even soak your feet in hot water or make a lavender bath for your feet and hands first. Not only is this cheaper than going to the salon, but you'll also be able to talk to each other more this way.
A: Go window shopping. Have a photoshoot. Strut down the catwalk. Put makeup on each other while blindfolded. Do a clothes swap. Have a jewelry making party. Do each other's nails.

Q: This is the starting position for both sand skimming and wave skimming. Stand with the water on your left side if you're right-handed and vice versa. While you're holding the skimboard, put 1 hand on the back tail and 1 hand on the side rail halfway up the board. Hold the board so that it's parallel to the ground. One of the most common mistakes in skimboarding is pointing the board upwards before you throw it, which will result in a significantly slower skim. The best time to throw the board is when there's a thin coating of water on the sand between 0.25 inches (0.64cm) and 0.5 inches (1.3cm) high. If you're sand skimming, throw the board just as a wave is being sucked back out into the ocean. If you're skimming the water, throw it just before a wave comes in. Make sure you throw the board parallel to the shoreline to give yourself a longer ride. You can also opt to get a running head start before you throw the board, in order to pick up more speed. However, this isn't strictly necessary if you can throw the board hard enough. When you're just starting out, practice throwing the board from the starting position a few times to get the feel of it down and to learn how hard you need to throw it. If you jump or hop onto a moving skimboard, you'll immediately faceplant. Instead, run up to and alongside the board at an even pace. Place your front foot just slightly past the middle of the board, then place your back foot behind it. Using this method ensures that the board loses no speed as you get onto it (whereas if you jump onto it, the board is forced to break the surface tension of the water and thus stops skimming). Aim to take about 3 running steps before you jump onto your skimboard. Do not push off hard with your first foot when getting on the board; this will make the board shoot forward and fly away from you. Be sure to wear a helmet the first few times you try to run onto the board, just in case you fall off the board. It'll be difficult to learn how to run onto the board without falling, but you'll be able to master this move with enough practice! This is the ideal stance to be in on your skimboard in order to maintain balance and not fall off. Put slightly more pressure on your front foot if you're sand skimming. If you're skimming on water, put more pressure on your back foot just as the board makes contact with the water so that the front of the board doesn't catch on it. Maintaining a low stance on the skimboard is also a good technique for staying balanced while skimming. Your knees not only play an important role in skimboarding, but they're also one of the more at-risk parts of your body when you're skimming. Stop skimboarding immediately if your knees start to hurt to avoid giving yourself a serious injury. Whether your sand skimming or skimming on water, the act of riding a skimboard is mostly about staying on the board until it stops on its own. If you want to turn to change directions, simply shift your weight slightly to the side that you want to be turning towards. You generally won't need to turn much if you're sticking to sand skimming. However, turning is essential for riding waves and performing most tricks.
A:
Lean forward and hold your board about 6 inches (15cm) above the sand. Throw the board out in front of you when the sand is wet. Run onto the board rather than jumping onto it after you throw it. Keep your knees bent and your weight centered on the board. Maintain your balance until the board stops or shift your weight to turn.