Surf's Up

You know what's not easy? Surfing.

I was a HUGE fan of boogie boarding as a child, and the waves at Ormond Beach last week were absolutely perfect for it. They were just high and powerful enough for a fast ride, but not big enough to be scary (at least not to me, Camille thought otherwise). Monday morning I sailed on top of several waves with a borrowed boogie board and felt like I was 12 years old again. Such fun.

Then Michelle's family brought out the surfboards. I've never tried surfing before but always thought it looked fun - at least on the smaller waves. No pipelines for this lady. I got a pep talk from the experienced surfers, then tried riding a few waves on my stomach. On the first one, the nose of the board tipped down and the board and I ungracefully somersaulted to shore. The second time, I kept my weight on the back of the board and things were much better. The third time I wiped out and took a board to the chin.

I never managed to get up on my feet, and I totally understand now why surfers are always so ripped. That was hard work, as my aching upper arms reminded me the next day. But I suffered no bodily harm and had a really good time trying to surf, so I consider that a small personal victory. Yay me!