I first sunk into the thick grainy sand of the infamous North Shore of Oahu a little over a month after my seventeenth birthday, back in 1997. I had just gotten sponsored by Rusty and before the dream of seeing Pipeline had even formed in my young mind, I found myself staying at the legendary Jerry Lopez Pipe house with a view of the wave from my bedroom window. I was in awe. I remember meeting Joel Tudor. He stood on the front porch and asked me if I had ever tried to surf an entire session switchfoot. I'll never forget it.

I've made the pilgrimage every year since then, spending anywhere from a quick ten days to a full two months. I've surfed Pipe myself (albeit very small), had my bikini bottoms ripped off on a heavy duckdive during a photo shoot at Log Cabins, gotten one of the tubes of my life at very crowded Gas Chambers, spent hours and hours paddling against the current at Rockies, scared out of my mind at Sunset, competed at Haliewa, Pipe, and Turtle Bay, bounced by the backwash at Makaha, and scraped on the reef at V-Land. I've scored countless breakfast sandwiches at Ted's Bakery, Teriyaki chicken sandwiches at Wailua Bakery, pupus at Haliewa Joes, and mourned the loss of Taste of Paradise, Kammie's Market, and Sunset Pizza. I've watched the North Shore grow and change, been apart of reality tv shows, Triple Crown house parties, and generally been another regular performance in the annual circus.

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2009

Another blurry morning

After a solid week of amazing surf, all day offshore winds, and sunny, 75 degree, perfect January-in-California weather, the clouds finally came, bringing rain but not stopping the waves. On the last morning of that flurry of great surf, I was exhausted. I woke up stiff and sore, surf satisfied. 

Over a cup of Silver Joes coffee, I sat in front of my computer, a morning ritual, and checked the buoy readings, the tide, and my facebook page - waiting for the light of day to send me a signal that it's time load up the car and drive between surf spot options. In the few moments between seeing that first sign of sun and grabbing my wetsuit, I typed out a collection of words that described my feelings at that moment (see below, along with some photos from that wonderfully exhausting week).

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