Sail Away

You'll never guess what I did yesterday. I wouldn't believe it myself if I hadn't been there. I got to go out on a sailboat...and I steered the sailboat for a bit a couple times too! It was SO much fun. I've never been out sailing before, it was so neat.

One of the bf's friends wanted to race his sister's boat in the marina race next weekend and he asked the bf to be part of his crew. The crew is made up of some of the desert guys, so it's really neat. They did a test run yesterday afternoon and I got to go along. I took a bunch of pictures until we got out into the open water and looking through the lens started making me feel not so great...then I just enjoyed being out in the ocean. It was such a neat thing to do, I can't believe I've never been on a sail boat before. It's definitely an experience I recommend. :)

Sunny Sunday

It began as one of those beautiful Southern California summer mornings. Cool and clear, bit of haze out over the ocean to the west. Wake up naturally around 7:20...doze in bed until about 7:45. Wake up in the crisp, cool morning to get ready. Slather in sunscreen to let it soak in, don't want to get burned. (again)
Out the door by 8:45, beach bag in hand, skin ready to face the bright sunshine, already in a swim suit complete with brand new board shorts (purchased of course from the men's department swimming suit area on clearance...they fit so much better, are cuter, and WAY cheaper than the girls' stuff, seriously)
Quick trip over the bridge, windows down to smell the cool salt air. Visiting a new place by the water (will discover later that it is complete with swings) Not sure about the location, but see the bf's truck...hard to miss. Meet the bf and family, camera out to capture the nephew playing in the sand by the water.
Water cool against the feet, but refreshing. Lots and lots of pictures, sitting by the water. Friends show up with toys. Really neat toys. The bf and friends go out for a ride. Come back and it's my turn to come. Holding tight to the bf...drenched in the first few minutes by wakes from friends. (intentional of course...think it's funny) New feelings, but not unwelcome. Exhilarating is really the best adjective. 5 mph on the way out, can't speed until the second buoy. Pass the second buoy, race towards the bridge. Under the bridge...it really is big looking up from the bottom. Past the bridge, past the ferry landing, past the village, past the museum...out and around. Playing games, getting wet, lots of splashing...holding on tight, going faster. Pause to wave hello to the sea lions sunning on a navigational buoy. Out to the lighthouse, past more sea lions on buoys, out to the open ocean. Watch out for kelp and sea grass, clog the intakes. Jumping waves...friend takes 6 foot jump, hear him cheering from far off. Pause for friends to clean out their intakes, abandon streaked and salty sunglasses to the compartment...can see clearly again. Back to the beach, racing through wakes, waving to boats. Pause for the bf to point out a familiar research vessel. Race back, back past the museum, past the village, the ferry landing, under the bridge. Slow to 5 mph at the second buoy...slow all the way in. Beach and anchor. Arms sore from holding onto the bf, legs sore from gripping the jet ski.
BBQ lunch on the beach, absolutely delicious. Drying off in the sun, more pictures. Boys go out to play again. Trying to even out a slight tan. Kids play, lots more pictures.
The bf comes back, my turn to drive. Take the red one, it's better, easier to handle. Teaching and learning, 5 mph to the second buoy, good learning time. Hit the second buoy, speed up (but not much) Exhilarating doesn't even describe the feeling. Stop and go, little shrieks, little jumps. Very different in the driver's seat, but strong arms from behind providing security. Learning to turn into the waves, don't want to tip over. Choppy waters, learning to steer. Out to the bridge, under and around. Coming in, pass the Navy Police. Circle back at the second buoy, back to the bridge. Conquering fear, learning to handle the new toy. Circle the bridge, racing back. 28 mph top speed, try for 30 but chicken out. Second buoy, 5 mph again. Riding gently, bumping over waves. Coming to anchor, pictures taken, circling around, more pictures, this time with the bf. Anchor and wade back to shore. Soaking wet, lots of smiles. Short time to rest and dry before heading home.
Walk to the car, back to the bridge...this time over instead of under. Home for quick shower and turn around with friend to go to mass. Sit down at mass, instant exhaustion from a wonderful day and a desire to go out with the newfound favorite toys again soon. Fabulous Southern California day with the bf, his family and friends.

Ripple Effect

Green smoothies and raw living. These seem to be the "buzz" words in the blogosphere lately. It seems I can't go a day without coming across some trace of these things. A friend of mine attempted the Green Smoothie Challenge. It sounded pretty cool, but I hadn't really gotten into it. Too busy I guess. (which I realize is a lame excuse) The whole raw food thing is very interesting, but I don't know how well I could commit to something like that, though I think I may use bits and pieces of it. But I've been thinking more and more about the green smoothie thing, and it culminated in the results post of the challenge. I think it could be good, and I love smoothies. So, while I won't be participating in the actual challenge, I can have my own personal challenge. There are some recipes provided on the original challenge post, and of course, Google runs the world. So I think I'll give it a shot. I have been trying to live a healthier life. I've started playing tennis (which, incidentally, helped bring me and the bf closer together and probably had a role in our getting together when we did) I'm still struggling to get back those beautiful abs I had back when I didn't care enough to realize the crunches game I played was actually quite beneficial. I half-heartedly did the South Beach thing again when I moved into my new apartment, but with 3 weekends in a row home, I wasn't too strict. Granted, the good results of that are I really have cut back on the bad carbs. Haha, reading all this I realize I sound like a nut, but I'm really not. Sure, I've put on 10-15 lbs I could stand to lose, but I'm not unhappy with my weight, just higher than I'm used to. See, as always, I did things differently than the rest of the crowd-I got the freshman 15 AFTER I graduated. But with tennis a few times a week, and more long walks with B, I'm at least getting the whole regular exercise thing under control. Add in daily ab work along with my old trusty physical therapy leg exercises, daily stretching and some basic 5 lb hand weight arm exercises, I should be pretty good to go...so long as I keep on it. That's where I always lose it, in the long term part. But hopefully I'll be able to stick with it. Maybe shed those extra pounds I've managed to pick up, but mostly just be healthier. And honestly, I'm one of those people where as long as my abs are okay (which at the moment, they're only so-so), I really don't care what the scale says. I just figure I should get my health habits under control now...it'll be a lot less work to establish them now than if I wait until later. Right?
So this loooong roundabout to say, I think I'm going to institute this green smoothie thing into my daily diet. One a day (at least) Already have some recipes to try, maybe I'll get a few more from B, because she's been doing the green smoothie thing for a few weeks.

And as always, my picture with the post. I struggled choosing between a few photos, I tried to come up with something that made sense with the green smoothie topic. Unfortunately, my pictures of the produce from one of the Farmer's Market Sundays are no longer on my work computer, and I'm posting this now. So instead I settled for a beach picture from my cousin's visit. Not exactly edible, but natural all the same. I was fascinated by the rippling effects in the water as the tide fluctuated that afternoon, it was really neat to photograph. I am SO looking forward to summer. It's going to be a blast, I can't wait. :)

Picture specs:
~taken March 30, 2008
~setting: landscape, flash did not fire