Tonight, I realized...

This week...

• On the 10th, I will celebrate my 7th anniversary for being a San Diego resident,


• On the 14th, my parents will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary,


• On the 14th, our nation will honor the 232nd anniversary for adopting the flag of the United States.

In the last 7 years...

I have lived in Oceanside, Leucadia, and La Costa (Carlsbad).

I have learned to love this ocean so deeply. The surfing, the fishing, the beach outtings, and especially the "sea bone" collecting. I find solice, and peace, and answers when I'm on her - and even near her.

I have learned the crisp and definative lines drawn between a Native and a Transplant, and have met wonderous people from both sides. :)

I have worked at a Sportfishing company, an Asian restaraunt, the fantastic Trader Joes, a marketing firm (unworthy of a plug), and eventually went back to the real world with a successful Security Technology Distribution company that brought me full circle to my passion - Information Security.

I have been a mother to 60+ plants, 3 fish, 2 frogs, and my most precious Sadie - the most gracious miniature schnauzer.

I've had the pleasure to have lived as close as 3 houses from the ocean and loved hearing her whisper me to sleep, or have her furocious surf wake me during a heavy storm... and I also learned, being this close = mold will live on everything, paperbacks/photos/receipts/letters - pretty much anything paper will not survive, and clothes NEVER dry.

I have enjoyed watching countless sunrises and sunsets from my board and the sand, finding sea treasures on every walk, playing in the glowing fun of red tides, and witnessing her ever changing dispostion. And I have gained a enormous respect for her. To some, she is a line. To me, she is my world.

Just over a year ago, Sadie and I moved 5 miles inland *gasp* but have realized just how lucky we are. We are in such a wonderful home with amenities a single gal can't afford solo on the beach. Oh how I missed the bubble baths! We still have an amazing view of the sunset, and have since replaced all the furnishings - and healthily live mold free! :) Soon we'll be making another move when our family expands. I'm excited to see where this next path will lead, and have no doubt in my mind it will be even more spectacular than I could even imagine.


And, I smile.

The Grove

A small town in Idaho, the storybook type, where everyone knew everyone and there was only one grocery store… that’s where I got my start. There was no crime, at least that I, a seven-year-old child, knew about. There didn’t seem to be a need for laws to be enforced, because everyone had respect for others, as well as themselves. So, in this environment, I was free to roam and do anything I desired, with no limitations.

Memories tell me my days were long spent climbing trees, building snow forts, playing hide-n-seek in the cornfield, hauling wood, snapping peas, chasing butterflies and pulling the legs off water skippers. There is a lot the country has to offer to a child. Much more than concrete. Even so, with all the available options, I chose to spend my time in the same place everyday. Redundant as it may seem, it was my favorite place, and I went there everyday, faithfully. Neither time nor season mattered when I was in this sacred spot. I felt safe and secure in this surrounding. I called this small piece of Heaven on Earth “The Grove.”

Here, in The Grove, orchard trees of sour crab apples, plums, and apricots grew thick. The soft green grass grew wildly with bright yellow dandelions. A winding canal wove itself through the middle of this paradise. Its banks were decorated in a blanket of snake grass, daisies, patches of clover and moss. There were fallen trees along the sides of the canal where I sat and dangled my legs into the cool and refreshing water. I spent what seemed to be hours there, just sitting and eating the half ripe, green, sour apples. Feeling the warmth of the sun relax my body, while I listened to the trickling water run over the banks and rocks that echoed the current being pushed along. Birds sang and carried on conversations with each other as I watched them fly from treetop to treetop, wondering what they were saying. The cool breeze that shook the tops of the tall trees caused the different patterns of the shade to dance on the ground around me. Even though this beautiful place was such an awesome sight to see, my favorite part was the smell. The scent of the wild grass, the moist soil, the blooming wild flowers, and the aroma of the sweetly dampened moss were so welcoming. This smell was the sweetest, most recognizable, and most peaceful smell I have ever known.

I spent my entire summers here, everyday, all day long catching water-skippers, frogs, spiders, and snakes. I kept them just long enough to make them my friends, and would then set them free so they too could enjoy the utopia of the surroundings.

At the entrance of the Grove was a large Oak tree with a branch that stretched across the canal, as if to form an arch in which to enter this magical place. From this branch hung a tattered and frayed rope that had been there for as long as I could remember. I climbed the tree and slid a stick into a hole that was knotted in the rope. I took the deepest breath my little lungs would allow and pushed off the trunk of that great tree. I flew over the water until I was as far out as possible, released my grip and fell into the cool running water below that had become my best friend. Floating in the water, I would race the sticks and twigs that swam along beside me. When I reached a tree near a bend in the canal, I grabbed hold of a drooping branch and pulled myself on to the bank and rejoiced in another victorious journey. Here I sprawled again in the warmth of the daylight sun and waited until I was warm enough to again repeat the voyage.

This is where my world began and my appreciation of nature, color, & peace developed. Now, when I return to The Grove, I feel the same excitement and butterflies in my stomach. The tree is no longer there, and the grass in the water nearly reaches the surface. But I inhale deep breaths of that familiar fragrance until I become lightheaded. I pick my apples, smile at the water skippers, and I remember...

marked

If i were to ever do it - I'm pretty confident this is what i'd do.
But perhaps not right here... peacocks don't do so well in the sand. It irritates their wings.
And not on the back, because I'd want to see it too.

iPod = AWARD FROM THE CROWN?

On January 3, 2006, Queen Elizabeth awarded London-born Jonathan Ive the title of Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE). The title recognizes Ive's achievements in industrial design as leader of the team that produced the iPod, the iMac, the iBook and the Powerbook product lines during his 13-year career at Apple.

However, it is important to note that CBE is the third most senior rank among the five British classes of chivalry. (It was created in 1917 by King George V to honor noncombatants during World War I. Only the first two orders qualify for knighthood.)

Nonetheless, I still want to swat ol'Lizzy upside her jewelled head with a soggy cucumber for this latest. Are you kidding me??? Granted, I have iPods (yes, a mini and a shuffle... but I won the shuffle!) and I've become quite fond of them. A little perturbed at the lack of support for the mini (which is now extinct) and hassle for use on multiple computers. But that's an entirely new can of worms... still - a royal title???

You can read all about it at http://www.crn.com/nl/crndailynews/showArticle.jhtml?sssdmh=dm4.162299

Simplify. Just add water

I saw this in a recent surf magazine. It struck me.

And so, with you... I share:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Foam: Fiberglass: Fabric: Fun

Isn't this really all you need?

Local or transplant. Shortboarder or longboarder. Goofy or regular. Grom or veteran. Guys or girls. Amatuers or pros. Tow-in, paddle-in, chop hop or power turns. Boat trips, beach breaks, billion-dollar brands or backyard businesses. High fashion, anti-fashion, fashionista, fashion victim, art scene or action sport. Lifestyle or marketing ploy. In the know or outta the loop. Sanctioned or non-santioned. Copy cats or innovators. Leaders or followers. Hierarchy or anarchy. Oil or religion. Democrat or Republican. War or Peace.

When did life get so complicated? Simplify. Just add water.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I've been spending more time in the water lately. My shoulder is responding well to the PT and I've finally graduated to the point where I can surf again. I've been playing with some longerboards that my generous friends are willing to share with me. I've decided the 9'6 is too long. I quite enjoy the 9'0 though. But still, the 7'7 is more fun. Perhaps I'll find somthing around 8'3-8'5ish. I love it. Long or short. I love being in that water. It grounds me, and sets me free.

Rusty nailed it... simplify - just add water.