2010 Haunted Heats - I Got 2nd!

Yesterday the second annual Haunted Heats from ZJ Boarding House took place and it was epic! Sure, it rained the night before and the waves weren't exactly the best but we all had a blast! I really have to give a great big shout out of gratitude for the guys at ZJ Boarding House. They did an awesome job!

The first part of the contest was the costume judging. I was Carrie, complete with a "bloody" face and dress. I got a good laugh out of the crowd when it was my turn to parade myself in front of the crowd and I just let out a big scream. After the judging came the first heat. I was in the first heat! This was good for me, I was in the first heat last year. It's nice to get in and get your heat over with. The water was a bit choppier than I like but I made due. I was the only woman in my heat and some of the guys really, really shred. Really shred. For me, it wasn't my best effort but I gave it a good shot.

As I was coming out of the water walking back to where my hubby was sitting a group of people I didn't know was clapping and cheering for me! It was awesome! A few others came up to me and told me how much they liked my getup/makeup/etc. It felt really cool. It's not often that I come out of the water and have applause. Hmm...make that, I'd never had that happen before.

After my heat there were three more. I got out of my costume and wetsuit so I could just chill and watch the rest of the surfers. After I was all cozy and warm I was told by the organizers that I was chosen for the final heat, the "Expression Session"! Oops, put the wetsuit back on! The other guys picked for this heat were really great surfers, and all guys. I was quite stoked to be chosen. The only down side was that we had to pick boards at random through a drawing. I kept my fingers crossed for a good one but ended up with a 6'4" quad fish. That doesn't sound so bad except for the very mushy and choppy conditions made this a less than ideal choice. I gave it my best shot and had a great time trying. The best part - again, I was the only woman in this heat. Well, that wasn't the best part...what rocked was that the guys were cheering me on in the water. It was a great session in spite of not really getting a good wave. To have everyone in the water rooting for you is an awesome feeling.

Surprise, there was food this year! A bunch of boxes of Chipotle showed up and none too soon. I was happy to have a 1/2 veggie burrito since my stomach was definitely growling now. Trying to paddle that short board in that last heat really wore me out!

Next...the winners are announced. First they announced 1st-3rd of the groms. The groms this year were AWESOME. It's amazing how much these little kids shred. Next was the women's division. Third place went to Carolyn (a former co-worker of mine that I've surfed with many times) and her pirate's booty. Dressed as a sexy pirate, Carolyn was showing the booty on her surf. Second place...ME! WOO! Yes, me! I was so freaking stoked that I ran up and hugged the emcee! I got a cool bag full of awesome surf swag and an award poster that says "BEST SURFING":



I went in with the attitude that I was going to win the event and I nearly did! Watch out for next year, first place or bust!

Thanks again to ZJ Boarding House and all of my awesome friends and family that have given me kind words and support. Much love to you all!

P.S. Here are a few pics of the event from other sources:

Santa Monica Close-Up

CNN iReport

Poor Little Neglected Blog With Overdue Shout-Outs

Yeah so I've been surfing my a$$ off instead of blogging. What can I say? I am incredibly happy about it and am getting in pretty amazing shape. I'm now one of those dorks that admires the cut of the muscle in my arms. It's pretty darn cool if you ask me...not that I'm trying to brag.

So for those of you that don't know, I've really lost quite a bit of weight/size. I was never "heavy" or in need of weigh loss. About 5 years ago I gained quite a bit of weight from a medication that I had to take. I no longer need those meds and the weight is coming off. From all of the surfing and whatnot that I do I have more muscle tone and the weight loss is making this more pronounced. I couldn't be happier! I really feel quite fabulous. Even better, my endurance is pretty great and my golf game has really improved! Woo!

Enough about me though...I have some overdue shout-outs that I promised:

Fresh Air Fund: I've talked about them before - go check them out on Facebook and give them a like. They're a great cause that gets inner city kids out to some fresh air and outdoors for the summer.

Forbes: I got a note about the Forbes list of The World's 100 Most Powerful Women. The list is full of inspirational women; mostly CEOs, entertainers, and politicians. The only sports figure is at #93, Danica Patrick.

Shout-out to my buds: I have to give a shout-out to my pals at Photo Ball Marker. They hook me up when I need it and I really appreciate it. Click on their ad on the right side of this page and get hooked up yourself for $5 off of a set. It's so worth it.

Wish me luck on Saturday - the Halloween surf contest is on and I am ready to handle it!

Poulter Vision

I was sent this video the other day with this little tidbit:

So a wet, windy and predictably unpredictable Ryder Cup has come to a successful end for the Europeans after a spirited almost fightback from the US team. I really thought McDowell had blown it but after one of the most memorable tournaments in many a year, one of the biggest rocks for the Europeans was undoubtedly Poulter, and to celebrate his performance Oakley have released ‘Poulter Vision’, an awesome Point of View online video showing you some of his slick skills and shots used in the Cup...

It was indeed an amazing finish to the Ryder Cup this year. If you missed that last 30 minutes then you really missed it. Rickie Fowler's comeback to get that 1/2 point was absolutely amazing. I can only hope to be so cool under pressure. And yes, Ian Poulter on the European side played brilliantly.

However, in spite of the US efforts the Europeans came out on top. Congratulations to the European team and to Graeme McDowell for a truly spectacular performance.

It's Almost Time!

At the beginning of the year one of my goals was to be able to compete in a particular surf contest without becoming so winded I thought I was going to burst. Well, I don't really remember how I worded it...but, you get the point. Now, said contest is just a few weeks away. To say I'm excited is an understatement.

In addition, I have some really good news: I really think I will meet and exceed my goal. Heck, I even have a plan to win this year! Seriously! I've been surfing 4-6 times per week (well, except for this past week but that's another story) and many times near the break where the contest will be.

Overall, my fitness goals are really coming along quite nicely. After what I thought was a major setback at the beginning of the summer, I'm actually in pretty awesome shape. The setback being a brief hospitalization. I'm not really sure what happened and neither are my physicians. We do know it had something to do with the digestive issues that I've had for the last several years. Also, I was somehow anemic. That didn't make much sense but the tests confirmed it. Since then, I'm so much better. A medication that I had been taking for years turned out to be completely unnecessary and added weight that was really slowing me down. I'm now back to my "normal adult size" that I was up until about 5 years ago. It feels absolutely great. I was never considered "heavy" but I certainly wasn't tiny. Let's just say that I'm grateful to be 5'10". Colleagues, friends, and family are all telling me how awesome I look. Some are a bit puzzled since they never considered me in need of "losing weight".

I did make a few other adjustments to my diet. I've completely eliminated caffeine from my daily beverage intake. Amazingly I am more awake than before and don't miss it at all. I've also been able to re-introduce one of my major food loves - corn tortillas. I love me some corn tortillas. Yum. In addition, I get to eat black beans again. Double yum!

I still don't add salt or sugar to anything and remain a chocolate hater. Yes, I truly dislike chocolate. The thought of it makes me queasy.

With the newly lost pounds also comes a better outlook. It's exciting to fit into clothes that I thought I had to give away for good. It's even more exciting to spend 2+ hours surfing without being totally wiped out. My neck/shoulder aches and pains have even subsided.

Well, enough about how awesome I feel lately. I've got to work on my costume for the contest. It's almost time! Any suggestions?