Well, well, well... shall we?

Ha, Looks like I have a little competition for relative doing cool shiz out in the big bad world. Although Todd (see blog) does have 12 (?) years on me of being righteous, I think this friendly rivalry will be healthy and inspirational... Hmmm, what else righteous could I do this weekend and tell everyone about? So Todd might have prime location for surfing, but did he get to speak Japanese with sick brahs while being instructed on how to kick hard enough to catch the waves? I think not, but I did! I went surfing for my first time! Yatta! It was awesome, and I stood up for a bit here and there! Learning conditions weren't prime, but I got a taste. Im so siked on life right now and Japan is sooooo gorgeous. Is there skiing in Hawaii? Saturday I spent the night at a friends house in Hakuba village, the location of all the skiing events during the olympics. The mountains were out of this world. We (whitney...above, dave...below, darby, michelle and I) woke up at the crack of dawn, actually before the dawn's crack was seen, and hopped in the car so we could get to the beach by 6:30ish because thats when the swells were prime. It was a breathe taking car ride as we drove through the mountains the sun was rising and the mist was lifting. At that moment I understood the inspiration behind traditional Japanese paintings... It really was mystical. After driving for 50 minutes, the mountains opened to a larger valley and the ocean could be seen in the distance. As the sun rose the water got bluer and bluer. It almost felt like we were in the tropics. I wasn't expecting to get a chance to ride but at about 9 30, dave took a break and offered to teach me how to catch a wave on his new board (pictured). It was a lot of fun and definitely want to try it again.

Still can't wait for flurries to fly! Mountains will be amazing. Until then I'll try to enjoy the sun and water. Til next time! Ja ne!