water sports

Today we arrived at what will be our home for the next seven days: St. George Island

Ted’s family spent a week here a few years ago and they have wanted to come back ever since.  So this morning, his youngest daughter came over from Pensacola; his mom, sister, brother‑in‑law, and their girls drove over from Jacksonville; and his brother-in-law’s sister flew up from Miami.  It’s a house full of people completely stoked about the week ahead.
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Okay, so ever since I got my new board, I’ve had this weird fear of breaking it.  I believe it began after I excitedly told my ex-surfer coworker that I was the proud owner of my very own board and his response was, “Good for you; don’t break it.”

It’s just, the board is really nice, and it was a gift.  How horrible would that be to break most definitely the coolest gift I’ve ever gotten?!

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If all I wanted to do was go surfing before, it’s really all I want to do now that I have my own board.  The first weekend after getting Greenie was packed with things I had to do but where there’s a will, there’s a way.

We scurried down to the beach around 6:30 on Saturday morning so I could make it to the baby shower I was co-hosting for my best friend at 9:00.  It was a pretty small day, so we walked up the beach about 10 minutes to a spot where the waves were breaking slightly larger than elsewhere. Continue reading

After my Roxy failure, I made two determinations:

1)   Don’t get a soft-top.  While it would give a little if it were to sail into my noggin, my knees couldn’t take it.  After an hour on the thing, they looked like those of a nine-year-old who had fallen off her bike.
2)   Don’t get something too narrow.  Admittedly, trying to remain upright while sitting on the board was a fun way to stay occupied when waiting for a wave (I mean, who doesn’t like a challenge?), but it wasn’t so fun when I’d miss a wave because I had inadvertently rolled over right in front of it.

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I’m a pretty practical person.  I still pack my lunch even though I left elementary school a long time ago, I once paid my electric bill with money my dad and stepmom gave me for an Easter dress; and I bring my own snacks to the movies.  So when Ted mentioned getting my own surf board, I thought, “but those are expensive and we can just share.”

Yet, the idea did appeal to me.  I never spend money, real money, on anything indulgent like this, and my parents gave me cash for my birthday a year ago specifically intended for something recreational.  So after mulling it over, I decided I’d peruse local shops for a used board.

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All I’ve been thinking about since my first lesson is getting back out on a board.  Let’s face it, I’m hooked.

Luckily, the winds have kicked up a little surf, so this morning before work, I had Lesson Two.  It was fun loading up the board just after sunrise and driving down to a quiet beach while most people were still sleeping.  This is what surfers do – they hit the waves before the rest of the world hits their snooze button.

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This weekend was phenomenal!  After much ado about surfing, Ted took me to the beach for my first surf lesson and I’m in love with it!

After trying for a few waves that didn’t pan out, I caught one that took me all the way to the shore. I think I actually may have heard him yell, “Jump off! You’re going to run the fins into the sand!”

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I grew up on the northwest panhandle of Florida, about 20 minutes from the beach.  As a kid, I loved the water and often tried to convince my parents to allow me to sleep in my swimsuit.  Yet, I never learned how to surf.

I tried once as a 17-year-old but I can’t really call that a success.  After what I can only imagine was an arm flailing of a paddle, I miraculously stood up on the board long enough to let out a screech of delight before falling back into the water.

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