Fortunately, I get the week off between Christmas and New Year's. Unfortunately, the weather doesn't always cooperate 'cause it is usually just cold and rainy during week 52. This week was no different, but that didn't stop me from going surfing on Wednesday and Thursday. With my 5-4 wetsuit, surfing in the cold isn't a problem. The only issue is the strip-down after we finish surfing because, by then, my hands are so cold that doing anything that requires finger dexterity is nearly impossible. That 10 minutes could, quite possibly, be the coldest 10 minutes of my life. As ridiculous as that may sound, it is exactly how I feel. And, because I'm wet, my booties are suctioned to my feet and require a lot of pulling and tugging. My wetsuit literally fits me like a glove so that removing it is like peeling off a layer of skin. It's definitely a two-person job, and I'm lucky to have my surfing dudettes Andrea and/or Robin, as well as Brian to come to my rescue when I, literally, get into a pinch.
This week, while Andrea and I were out surfing, Andrea's husband, James, showed up and shot some photos. He got some fabulous photos of Andrea catching waves!! She was even able to successfully post one as her Facebook photo. She looks great. He caught a couple of me also; especially one of me doing the pop up completely wrong. Instead of popping up on both feet, I'm moving to one knee first, which is a complete waste of time and downright goofy-looking, and it has nothing to do with my anchor foot (I'm a goofy-footer, so that last sentence was my attempt at humorous sarcasm). Brian wants me to call him so we can critique the photos, but I haven't had the time to do that yet. Although, I really don't need a critique as I can see my positioning issue. I'm practicing my pop up now on the living room floor, but even though I can do it in the comfort of my home doesn't mean I will naturally do it right out on the board. Not sure what to do about that one, but I'm willing to take any suggestions!
