"The easy life, eh boys?"

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

"See, when you get to be my age, you are lucky if you have one thing you really love."

-Hurt Locker

Today Stilts and I went down to the P.V. Cove after work to enjoy a little bit of the evening glass. It was a perfect evening, no wind, chest-high swell coming out of the west, a few surf-babes on the beach and a mellow crowd. We surfed for a few hours and seemed to be paddling and riding waves the entire time. I surfed with an old friend from Torrance High and had to smile to myself as I listened to the current horror stories of teaching high school. Life is indeed good in the city of Angels. The past four days have been really beautiful and I am so thankful to live by the ocean. After a few hours Stilts and I got out to chill and watch the sunset. As we were sitting on the rocks enjoying the view a real old-timer passed us and said, "the easy life, eh boys."

El Salvador Bound!

A wise man once said, "life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get." Last week I was in my old office at Terraden when Adam, a friend of mine, stopped in to say hello before a business appointment he had in Torrance. We went over to Coffee Bean to talk for a bit and he told me about an El Salvador surf trip he was going to go on in August. The trip sounded like another mythical dream of perfect waves, warm water and a solid crew of guys getting barreled out of their head for a week straight. I asked him the one true question, "do you guys have spots open on this trip?" Without missing a beat, Adam said yes and he was able to e-mail me the itinerary from his Iphone. I told him instantly that I was in and just like that the seeds of another adventure had taken root in my brain. As I looked over the itinerary I noticed that we had to pay for our airfare but we could fly direct from L.A. to El Salvador via American Airlines. I have been banking my air miles with the passion of a tea party activist looking for a new home in Sandpoint, Idaho. So today I was able to book my flight using my Alaska Airlines miles (which partners with A.A.) and I will be going to El Salvador on a surf trip in August! I am so excited to travel to central America and to surf in the warm, tropical water. I will be staying at the Las Flores surf resort that sits directly in front of a peeling right point. They have boats to take you at fishing or to take you out to the different breaks along the coast. So here is where it gets nuts: I met Adam through my friend Brett Dedeaux (whom I met in Fiji) when we were surfing in Malibu. Adam is working in the real estate industry so we have stayed in touch and surfed together a few times. Last Friday I went to work with no plans for a trip and by Thursday my flight is booked for El Salvador! I cashed in my miles for my free flight and I got the upgrade to first class! All of those trips with Erin have paid off in more ways than one, or they just heard that I am the President of a major company. I love American Airlines! (now if I could just get into the VIP lounge......)