Glass Caverns

I had a dream last night that I was part of the sea

I was floating atop my board

the water was calm, serene,

seagulls performed aerial acrobatics against the pastel wall.

I was waiting for movement, for something to stir

Then I see them coming toward me.

I’m startled, but not scared.

A couple.

They frolic and play like tireless children

They swim past me, but one turns around

and winks at me

All of a sudden I see the horizon pick up

the green lines are building right before me

I turn into position and repeat my mantra

paddling HARD, my shoulders and arms are on fire

it's forming behind me and I turn my nose to the floor

I drop in and feel my stomach go to my throat

I feel the cool water splash around me

I’m inside.

I smile.

I had a dream I got barreled. I couldn't believe it and it felt so real. I think my mind was urging my body to get into the water. I've been stressed lately with everyday life and my outlet has been traveling around Saudia Arabia.  The swell should pick up on Sunday, maybe I'll take a hack at a solo session. Thank you subconscious!

That's What You Get For Waking Up In Vegas

I finally make my first road trip to Vegas.  My beautiful friends decided to plan a weekend getaway before Valentine's day to sin city and as it's fairly close to San Diego I chose to drive.  It takes about 4.5 hours to  which doesn't seem long, but you're driving through desert, dry and vast desert.  It's kind of eerie.

This was the view alongside my car for 3 hours. I stopped to get gas at the only station for miles. It was so creepy and quiet, everyone was staring at me. I felt like I was going to get murdered or eaten. They were desert people, like the ones from The Hills Have Eyes movie.  I asked the clerk where I was and he said "Victorville" where my poor baby Kirby lives!! LOL




This was me in the lobby of the hotel. I wanted photos, but no one was in the mood for group shots.  Solo it is! I just really love this dress from American Apparel.

Four man pyramid.

We did something different on my second round in Vegas and saw a show.  I wanted to see cirque, but Heather is scared of clowns and she's already seen it.  So we took a recommendation for Absinthe at Caesar's Palace and I have to admit it was pretty cool.

They have a lot of the same acrobatic elements as a Cirque show, but with raunchy adult humor.  The emcee got pretty graphic some of it was hilarious and some was just grossing me out, but the whole idea of absinthe just warping your mind and apparently your bodies was interesting.

This girl bent like a rubber band.  She's wearing those femdom shoes too.  I'm not sure what their called, but they are stilettos that have you pointing like a ballerina.  She was Russian and flexible and insane.

Polish Sausage

 I'll probably be the only one to admit I'm getting old, but this picture was taken in the Wyn's casino after a few cocktails and dinner.  This was on our way back to the hotel at approximately 12 in Vegas.  Which is basically the old timers hour to go to bed!

Chinese New Year Display in the Bellagio

I look like a native in this picture because I had a few mimosas and I didn't take a Pepcid. I'm Navajo red.  I'm also wearing a turband, from Gold Saturn.  They are so cute! Buy one.

These gorgeous  crystal strands were dangling from the ceiling in the Cosmopolitan.  This was one of the newest hotels in Vegas.  The installation reminded me of beautiful jellyfish.  This hotel had a glamorous vibe to it.  It was like something I would find in Miami.

Tip for those traveling to Vegas by car. DO NOT leave on Sunday afternoon. Holy crap! This 4.5 hour drive took 6 hours. There was so much traffic and everyone was slamming on their brakes.  There was also a pointless checkpoint in California where the toll booth attendants did nothing but wave you through.  I still didn't understand the purpose.  Then there wasn't a gas station for miles until you get to Barstow, which according to the radio is the family fun station.  Gas was $4.99 a gallon! I will remember to leave early Sunday morning or Monday. It was a hellish ordeal returning from Sin City.

Long Beach

Nick came to California for a work convention in Long Beach and since it's only a short drive from us we went up for the weekend to spend some time with him in the LBC!

We had gone surfing earlier that morning and just threw our boards in the car hoping to surf a sunset session once we got to Long Beach.  It was nice being salty in the car, but having my board strapped to the roof was so annoying.  I haven't bought a rack for my new board since we haven't really gone on any surf trips so we just use the straps that got us to California in the first place. They hold the board secure, but a two hour drive becomes agony especially when it's sounds like you're in the middle of a bee hive.

A little Ocean Treasure

We were able to get to Manhattan Beach and surf a little before the sun went down. Tyler found this sand dollar for me. It was such a cute town, especially after our detour through the Long Beach ghetto. I understand Sublime a little bit better after seeing it with my own eyes.

Nick and I outside Roscoe's

 We ate dinner at the famous Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles. I've heard of this place through that Snoop Dog television show and from random people who've eaten here. I heard it was good, but I didn't really know what to expect.  Well it's soul food that's for sure. I ordered some lemonade/KoolAid concoction which ended up tasting exactly like sugar water and obviously chicken and waffles.  Who would've thought fried chicken served alongside a thick buttermilk waffle smothered in greasy butter and topped with maple syrup would pair so well together. It was delicious and I felt like a fatty mcpatty afterwards.

At the Family Fun Zone

Fountain on the walk back to the hotel.

Nick had to work the convention early in the morning so we took off for a full day in Los Angeles. We went to visit Point Dume.  Tyler had been raving about this surf spot and finally was able to show it to me.  It's one of the first places he surfed in Southern California and he had the best session ever here.

Here we are. I make us the proverbial tourists, but I like taking pictures. This is in front of the natural preserve sign.  There's a cool little hike along the cliff side and down to the ocean.  There's just no parking on the little strip designated as the entrance.

 We waited for the water to retreat before we jumped over these rocks onto the platform where the tidal pools were.  The rocks were so sharp.  Whenever I see something like this I always think of this story my mom told me when I was little about some children that were playing on these rocks in the ocean and the waves started building.  The water was getting so high that the kids couldn't make it back to the shore.  So a fairy came and turned them to stone. I don't think it was supposed to be a scary story, but I always remember that.  Weird.

Well that's all for Long Beach and Los Angeles County!

Our Outdoor Adventures

I've been so terrible at keeping up with this blog. I guess I think that Facebook Mobile uploads should suffice, but not being able to express what I feel and think when things happen to me in California and not being able to share them with my friends and family make me feel like I'm being neglectful. Even if only one person reads my blog it makes me happy. So I quickly apologize for my lack of updates.

It's so strange to hear a native Californian say "there's nothing to do here, it's so boring". Although it doesn't happen often, I've heard it muttered.  There is so much in our backyard to do and see and luckily a lot of what we enjoy doing is free.

One of our first hikes was in Julian, called Three Sisters Falls.  This hike was intense. I did it once before with my friend Chris on an empty stomach. It was so hot. I ran out of water. I was so sick and I ended up throwing up on the ride back.  Luckily the second time around I was a little more prepared. It was still pretty hot and exhausting, but cooling down in the falls was a nice reprieve.

Tyler going down the waterfall. It was actually terrifying because the water isn't very deep and the algae makes the rock slide extremely slippery and his body turned to the side on the way down. I thought "hospital" for sure.

I went down the slide after about 20 minutes of whining. 

We tend to go to the shores a lot too, La Jolla Shores that is. Whenever friends come in town we like to show them the awesome scenery and the barking seals.  

Really pretty view with the crashing waves in the background.

As a fair warning the rocks and tidal pools are slippery when wet. We almost lost Kirby and she almost lost her iPhone which she seemed more concerned about at the time.

Ouch! That's gonna leave a mark.

When we don't hike, we like to surf.  We've found a few spots that work well for my novice surfing skills. Although the reefs break are better we tend to go to beach breaks so I don't break my neck.  The surf is a lot better on the west coast, but the water is freezing and not only that when you surf back to back you have to shimmy into a wet wetsuit and it's chilly.  Oh and they tend to stink.

His face gives you an idea.

I am just so happy to be in the water.  Even though the water is cold it's just nice to be a part of the ocean. It's nice to get wet and forget everything that stressed you out. I like the serenity and being part of something bigger than me.  When we're out there waiting for sets I just tend to empty my head and watch the horizon. It's zen and the art of mental maintenance.

Not so recently Tyler and I went to hike Double Peak Mountain. The actual peak was a little disappointing as it didn't provide the best cardio, but it did give us an amazing 360 degree view of the city.  It's unlike anything we're used to, being able to climb to the top of a peak and look out over the city and see the vast ocean.  I think being Floridians really makes us appreciate the beauty of the mountains.

You have to pose like this, it's a hiking must.

I was running my mouth about something and walked right over this little guy. Yep! That's a rattlesnake.

Double Peak San Marcos

We like to use Roam-A-Rama.  It is a section at Tyler's magazine "San Diego Reader" .  It gives you photos and little blurbs about places to check out in Southern California.  We took it's advice and went to Twin Peaks in Poway.  I got to take my brand new Camel Back for a spin too!

Tyler's Christmas Gift to me!

Tyler on the top of a cliff. 

We actually did this hike twice. I believe the first time we went we had to be back home by a certain time for something and since we aren't quitters we went back again to complete the route.  These pictures were taken closer to the top of the mountain on our second round.

See there's the pose again.

The funny thing about this particular hike was we decided to get a little more adventurous than normal and took the path less traveled.  We rock hopped our way to the top and it was really fun and quite the work out.  The only problem was we lost the visible path back down so we had to improvise.  It was pretty risky jumping through brush that could have been crawling with rattlesnakes.  Fortunately we weren't the only ones.  Two other hikers took our lead and were following us down our unbeaten path.  We weren't lost I promise ;). I sustained a few scrapes and cuts, but was just glad the sun hadn't set on us.

We love our everyday adventures!