I'm a Surfer

...amateur surfer that is.  Last week I was in Southern California visiting family.  Wednesday morning Tiago and I decided to go surfing.  Correction: Tiago decided to go surfing and I decided to tag along and learn.  He loaded the boards in the back of the truck and off we went. 

Once we got there I had my first reality check: wetsuits are difficult to put on and not flattering to any human body with curves.  So please, don't judge the following picture(s).  Kudos to Tiago who braved the cold ocean water while letting me wear his wetsuit.  What a good cousin he is.

Second reality check: All those images in my mind of "tearing it up" as a pro surfer came to a crashing halt as the very first wave came and knocked me right off my board effortlessly.  I was humbled.  Surfing is a lot harder than it looks, and surprisingly exhausting.

But I became better with each wave.  And yes, I stood up......on one leg for about .5 seconds.  I was only in the water for about 25 minutes total; Tiago was freezing and I gave him his wetsuit back so he could ride some waves. When I go back in the summer I'm determined to ride a full wave to its end.  I'm proud that I was able to end 2011 marking yet another thing off my bucket list: try surfing.

***Note: Thank you Kayleen for the action shots and Tiago for teaching me.  Also, the waves were bigger than they look.  I'm pretty sure it was right after she took this last picture where I partially stood up. 

Have you seen the movie Soul Surfer? It's about Pro surfer Bethany Hamilton and the 2003 shark attack where she lost her left arm.  Talk about a good, wholesome, inspiring movie.  I watched it when I got back to Reno.  It makes me want to pack up and be a beach bum in Hawaii.