Birthday Reflections

Last year I spent my birthday alone.  I really do not recommend that.  It was not bad.  I did have to fly home on an airplane which was disappointed.  It was something that I did not want to share that day with work.  

Since this year my birthday landed on a Sunday, a month out I realized there was an open water swim on that day! Lucky me.  The only catch was they wanted all swimmers to do a 'check-out' swim.  Due to my schedule I was not able to make it.  The event organizer emailed me back after I told him my swimming history.  

My birthday involved -

Getting up at 5pm,

Driving over an hour,

Getting sharpie numbers on my hands,

Getting my cool yellow cap

Squeezing into my wet suit,

Jumping in cold water,

Swimming 2 miles, (apparently there were bat rays underneath us.. I missed them.)

-I met my goal time and placed second in my age group (29 and under)

Yes I'm bragging here is my bling! 

Wandering around the beach area with my wetsuit and a t-shirt on,

Watching the awards ceremony, 

Getting my medal!

Meeting a good friend from college

Walking 2 miles back to my car,

Changing into real clothes,

Eating a delicious lunch,

Enjoying good conversation,

Starting the drive home,

Stopping for Pinkberry, (no birthday cake because I had a work trip)

Driving home,

Napping, 

Skyping with my family, 

Opening up their presents!

It may seem weird that I didn't have a party.  I really liked the way I celebrated.  I could not have asked for a better birthday. I feel really fortunate that I got to do something I love. 

Good Bye 2012 Hello 2013

Well 2012 was quite a year. I reached 25. I got to go abroad for fun! Italy was incredible I hope I get to go back someday.  

A few highlights for 2012-

• Visited Japan more than once
• Visited the United States Capital saw the White House
• Admitted to Graduate school
• Wrote my first over 10 page paper
• Visited home for Thanksgiving for the first time since I started work
• Got a white Christmas in Colorado
• Got to Massachusetts and Connecticut (2 new states to cross of my list) 
• Tried out tutoring which I really enjoyed
• Got into baking from scratch
• Got to surf in Hawaii
• Went paddle boarding 
• Made my annual trip to Disneyland

I am thankful for this year. I hope 2013 is just as rewarding. 

Trip To Italy!

So all my waiting and planning my trip is finally here. I am going to spend a little over two weeks in Italy!

I get to visit many cities:

Venice, Verona, Lake Como, Cinque Terre, Florence, Siena, Assisi and Rome. 

My Italian is poor. I have been told eating is an Olympic sport in Italy. I also long to taste Italian wine. I have read most of "Eat, Pray, Love" (yes you can roll your eyes) as well as a few guidebooks in preparation for the journey. I am relying some what on that History of Architecture class I took during my undergrad to guide me through some of these amazing places and spaces. 

Besides see the churches and art, I hope I get to swim in the Mediterranean & eat really good Gelato.

I do plan on back filling this blog with details about each day of the trip.

 Happy reading as I get them posted. 

Ciao!

I HEART Japan

Except for Japan is really cold in the first few months of the year. 

I got to go back to Japan! Lucky me. 

Last time I went to Kyoto and it was September. Saying it was hot was an understatement.

This time I went to Yokohama. It was freezing. I almost fell on black ice. 

I got to see a completely different side of land of the rising sun. It is also crazy to think that where I live now shares that same ocean. It is also the same ocean shared by Hawaii.

Ferris Wheel near my hotel in Yokohama. I liked that it told the time.

I learned how to navigate the train system. I really miss it. I wish that the United States would invest in more reliable public transportation. However, it really makes me wonder what would happen to Japan if they lost power? 

It seemed like everyone road the train from their house, to do much of anything- shop, eat, go to work, go to school. One of the things I really like is that little- kindergarteners can ride the train alone! I can never envision that happening here.

Rather than writing a huge post on Japan. I will split up my trip into the highlights. When I have time I will fill in the blanks, with food, one weekend involved a Buddhist temple, another involved Disney, Tokyo, Shibuya to name a few places. 

 One of my authentic dinners. I had to figure out how to order this in Japanese. I'm glad I didn't end up with something unrecognizable!

Japan is a really interesting country. I after staying there longer this time. I have a greater understanding of the Japanese tourist in Waikiki. I also can appreciate the differences between the USA and Japan. Japan has a rich past and rich traditions. I hope that I am able to visit again maybe I will time in for the cherry blossoms!

The Addiction

Well Surfing Magazine didn't take it so I'm posting it. This was my short story for the mag. The winners got a surf trip!

The alarm buzzes. It’s five thirty in the morning. She stumbles into the bathroom, turns on the light splashes water on face; turns to the black string thing hanging on the towel bar and slowly puts it on. Even though there is effort in every movement from what looks like sore muscles, it doesn’t matter. Silently grabbing the huge fuzzy thing used for drying, throw on an over-sized t-shirt, flip flops, grab a smelly substance that looks like soap and takes it out to the car. Oh, and then there is that black and grey item when put on it looks skin tight, it smells like the sea even after rinsing in the shower.  It’s not however the smells that motivates for one more fix. Walking back in the house she grabs a large white board. It has sticky stuff on top of it- carrying that same weird odor as the ‘soap’ and a single pointy thing on the back, along with what looks like a tail. It’s handled gently and slowly placed in the car with a fuzzy thing around it. The car starts and the drive begins. Any observer can tell the need for a fix is getting stronger. The internet thing had shown something good. She had smiled really big last night after looking at it. The anticipation was starting to fill the car the closer the freeway exit got. Peering out the window the internet was right. The big blue had beautiful curls according to her and I quote, “They look priceless and perfect.”  Speeding to park, the towel and the gray black thing emerge. She had gracefully force on the suit.  Finally, the suit is on and the huge white thing is out of the car after some of that smelly white substance is rubbed all over it. Looking like a penguin with a big white fish, she runs across the street and has to hop down over the rocks to meet the water that churns. Then she waits a minute stretching and the white things tail latches to one ankle. All this is very Weird if you ask me! I would rather have slept-in but she asked/begged me to come with a camera.  All of a sudden the white board is under the black and grey suit and her arms are paddling. She gets so close to the curling water and disappears for a minute. She is the only one out but there will be more soon. From the beach she does a 180 degree turn and all of a sudden she is stuck in a curl of water moving faster and in the end it looks like it eats her. I later ask her what that feels like. I can’t see it but she’s told me the feeling with every ride is the fix. I can see it her ride but I don’t understand. She says when she is inside there is finally relief. The world feels right. There is no pain. There is no suffering. There is just this moment, moving on the water, feeling totally out of control but totally at peace. There will never be another love quite like the one she has with this.  She pops back up looking almost drowned on the outside starts paddling and does it again. There are many more times like this. I snap a few pictures every time she stands. It’s hard to get photos. The water keeps moving and she keeps moving. Eventually, more blue, black and grey bodies join her. They all sit and wait with eyes transfixed on the horizon.  There is almost no verbal communication but they all can tell when a good one is coming. They all start to rotate and some make it and some don’t.  It’s almost like a dance only this dance is an addiction.  What seems like hours later, the water starts to have less curls.  She slowly stands on the white thing again until she reaches shore. She pulls the white board’s tail off.  You can see the huge smile on her face. She has found her fix for today.  I look at her and I can see she is as happy as she will ever be.  When it gets down to the basics it’s pretty amazing that is what makes her happy and I don’t even know how to swim. She sees that I don’t understand and I doubt that I ever will.  She simply smiles and says, “You are either jealous or confused. You should be neither. I hope you find something that makes you this happy. If you don’t perhaps you can see why a little foam, fiber glass, some plastic, rubber, fabric, and water with mother nature’s help can be all I need in life to make me happy. Next time you are going to go surfing with me.” That sentence sounds like she is offering me a gateway drug. I want to kindly decline her right now but I just decide to pray that mother nature won’t make pretty curls in the water when she tries to share her addiction. The craziest part in all this is she is right. I haven’t found what makes me happy but I don’t want to become another ‘surfing’ addict.  

Progress

Today I ran six and a half miles up and down the PHC. It is in preparation for a triathlon next weekend so it didn't just spontaneously decide to run that far. Talk about wow. Sometimes, I need to step back and take a look at how amazing my life is. I was running right by the ocean. I have dreamed about doing that since I was 19! 

I also recall back at Thanksgiving. I had not worked out in a while. I had gone up to the same location in hopes of surfing after running. I think I ran about one mile before I had to stop and take a breather. Having been a competitive athlete most of my life, I was pretty frustrated I had gotten to that point. 

Now a not even six months later, I got 6.5 miles in and I felt like I could have ran more. Minus the fact that my feet were feeling tingly. I'm going to have to do some research on it. Since I am not nor never see myself being a natural born runner.  

One final note, since I was near the surf, I looked at I wished I could have gone out but I knew I wouldn't catch anything. I can now recognize the tides and what is "rideable." Perhaps this is more reflection but it feels good to know I have achieved something.

One Great Weekend

Like the title says I just wanted to share how great my weekend was. The surf was fantastic! The experts say surfing has a steep learning curve. I agree that my first few sessions didn't go spectacular and much fewer waves were caught than I wanted. 

Finally, this weekend it all started to click! I will never be a Kelly Slater but I think I will have more fun than he does. Part of my struggle may be due to the size of my board. My one requirement for my board is it fits in my compact car so that limits its length. I could bore you with details on the science of surf but I will move on. The waves were finally big enough to turn my board into a wave catching machine! 

To top it all of there was an amazing sunset tonight. I can not do the scene justice with words. But there is nothing quite like being one of about a dozen people surfing while the sun sets. The beautiful colors of the sky reflect off the glassy water. It seems like everything lights up. It is better than any Christmas morning. When I'm out there on the water, I think about nothing else but the moment I am in. I feel so incredibly lucky to have been surfing today. It's so cliche but so true sometimes the greatest beauty and escape is right in your backyard.

Snorkeling with a Sea Turtle

It was Sunday North Shore on Oahu, Hawaii. This spot called Shark's Cove. I captured this footage.  It doesn't do actually swimming with sea turtles justice but it's great to see the memory.

Stoked on Surf!

Early this morning, I went down to the Ventura Harbor early in the morning. It was gray and hazy but the surf was amazing to watch.  I really wish I could have been out there. Maybe this time next year I'll be surfing waves like that. It's going to be my lofty goal for now. :)

Now for some pictures! It's so much better live.

I filtered this one. I guess that was obvious.