Christmas, Waves close to home, and Training with JSY fitness

Christmas eve was pretty awesome! I finished my Michael Jordan Book, "Driven From Within." I got this book for Christmas last year from my best friend Kevin and planned on reading it in December to get that extra motivation and get ready for 2010!My parents and I got to eat some menudo and champurrado at my there best friends house and on top of that we ate at my aunt Nancy's in laws place for Tamales!!

Amy makes the best tamales! I have been eating them since I was 3 years old!

I really liked this quote from the book, "You have to be uncompromised in your level of commitment to whatever you are doing, or it can disappear as fast as it appeared."

Johnny Vanegas car! Thank you for letting me use it for this :)

Christmas day was a time to relax for my parents and I. With my brother Jason in Australia with his family and my oldest brother Josh with his wife's family that left my parents and I together and it was sweet! We all slept in (which is rare) opened are presents, my mom made a killer breakfast then we all got ready to go to the Movies! We saw Avatar in 3d along with Invictus. Both of them were good!

Santa BOOGIES!

My van is still getting worked on so instead of going up north or down south I stayed home and surfed locally. The waves were really fun! I love surfing at home because I see the older generation guys who I watched while I was growing up in the water and I also get to see the younger kids who are coming up and see how much they are progressing from each swell! On sunday I got to bodyboard for 7 hours! My friend Dustin beat me and was out for 9 hours!!! Crazy!!

Narant Photo! Nick also just got a full page in the new Movement magazine! Congrats nick!
The three shots below were taken by Joe Katchkas

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Right

Outside

Monday was a repeat of Sunday. The only thing was that it was smaller, and more crowded. I was out for 5 hours and my friend Dustin was out for 4.5! Barely beat him haha Milo also filmed for an hour since that is how long my battery last for on my video camera and will be making a quick fun edit. Nothing to special since I mostly caught closeouts while he was there haha
The shots below were taken by my friend Carlos! He just made a blog so check out his work!

Me

Dustin

go pro bodyboarding hd from zenfilmz.com on Vimeo.

This is a video that Joe Grodzen made from his session on sunday! I really can not wait to get a Go Pro! Joe rips!!!!

There was still swell up north and down south but my Dad had different plans for me since the waves were not that good close to home. He made sure I stayed busy from cleaning the rain gutters, pulling weeds, washing dishes, cleaning the house, etc.. He still is the BEST dad in the world!!

Plenty of weeds to be pulled

Yesterday I got to do my second workout session with Jason Yokobosky from JSY fitness!! He is keeping me in shape for my upcoming Hawaii trip in February. After our workout I went and surfed some headhigh plus closeout waves in LA just for a paddle. I kind of tweaked my ankle while I was duckdiving when the lip landed right on it. I am going to try and take it easy the next few days and get everything ready for 2010 and rest my ankle.

Jason Yokobosky

Schedule for the day

Waves after the workout, close outs and no one out haha

This video was before the workout! If you want to get in shape for 2010 contact Jason Yokobosky! www.JSYFITNESS.com

Early Christmas, Mechanic, KREED and waiting for waves

The waves have been small and bad around where I live with the occasional fun day. I started to get a little sick so I opted to catch up on my rest and not spend so much time in the water and training. I also have been able to hang out with so many of my friends, have fun and just enjoy some time being home! It has been EPIC but I can't wait for some waves to come!!!
My family celebrated Christmas a little early because my brother, his wife, and my niece will be in Australia for Christmas. It was fun to open presents early and have a huge meal, especially when you know that there are way more Christmas dinners coming! STOKED!

Dinner table

The book I got Emma for the plane ride

Cassia loves Elmo

A few days ago my van Paula started to act up which I knew couldn't be good. I took her to Ed the mechanic and found out the headgasket was blown! It is a pricey operation and will cost me $1,500! Pretty bummed but she's worth it and we have way more road trips to go on and waves to search for so its a must to get her running well again.

Mechanics

At least Ed is the best at what he does

Today Russ and I had an Amazing meeting with my sunglass sponsor KREED planning out a bunch of ideas for 2010! Check out there blog on all the latest with them! There is a lot of exciting things going on and I can't wait to share them with everyone when they are a for sure thing!

During the meeting

LADIES CRUSH has your eyes covered too!!!!

So many to choose from!

GREAT SUPPORT for the last 4 years!!

Staying Busy

To sum up these last 13 days would be the longest blog ever! It has been really challenging adjusting to doubling up on my classes since I have been traveling up and down the coast a lot because the waves have been good, bodyboarding pretty much non stop, training, family time, meetings etc.. Like anything new that you take on it takes time to learn how you are going to pull it all off. My christmas break starts on the 22nd. I am really looking forward to that time so I can come up with a plan that will allow me to do everything that I need and want to do while keeping my grades up. These last 13 days have been filled with good times, lots of waves, lots of driving, and now lots of Homework!

I got to stop by my wetsuit sponsor BODYGLOVE on my way up north to get some new suits for this winter!

Review on the Vapor wetsuit

During this time most of my friends were studying and taking there Finals.Spider helped keep people up for those all nighters.

On my way up north. BEAUTIFUL!!

I got to surf this reef I have never got to surf before. The wave was heavy and I am stoked I got the chance to go there. Here is the sunrise before we paddled out

Brett getting psyched

Me FREEZING!

Helping Hitchhikers

I think everywhere in California had waves that day along with good conditions

This is my coach at his homebreak. After I got out from surfing that reef he told me to book it to his spot. I was super blessed to get there 3 hours before the sunset and got some fun waves. Not nearly as good as he got it that morning but still a bunch of ramps. Super sick shot from Chris Allen

Paula enjoying the sunset

After my session

He was so stoked on SPIDER!

Bodyboarders are everywhere!

Alternative Surf support up north
I got home really late that night got a few hours of sleep and met up with my friend Anthony Savoji the next morning to go down south to get some waves. Rob Isambert was also filming for his new video Ring Of Fire 2! The guys I got to bodyboard with that day were all time! and awesome friends. Everyone was killing it and pushing each other to do better.

Beans

Creed

Me. I was really bummed I did this move on this wave since it was a good backflip section as mike told me later but it was SOO SWEET to have your friends out in the water to give to good feedback! Thanks mike!

Savoji

Lepiere

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Savoji and I leaving
I got to cruise with my best friend Brian "Kuch" Kucera one night and go to the Music Saves Lives christmas party.

Friends

Kuch and Jake

YUP

Donut

Kuch after he had an egg nog shot haha

My manager Russ runs Music Saves Lives. The party was an ugly sweater theme.

Josyln and I

Louie drinking a Spider Energy drink

Spider

WG christmas dinner
I went to Santa Monica on thursday to meet with Jason Yokobosoky aka JSY FITNESS. I will be training with him one on one once a week until I leave to Hawaii. Since the waves are not as consistent where I live I have to keep my self prepared for when the waves do get good and this will be a great motivational tool to train with him. Milo came to document our first workout which was total madness but also the greatest thing ever! I also got to meet up with my team manager Matt "Chewy" from bodyglove and my friend Sean English to surf there local spot. I also got to surf my local break when I got home later that day.

Chewy

Milo after a good day of filming
The bodyboard photos below are from Alex Verharst



Lauren dyed a patch of my hair that night the same color as hers. First time I ever dyed my hair!..its really small zone on my head so its super minor
Yesterday we had a family Christmas party and it was awesome to hang out with my aunt, uncles and cousins!

My little cousin Justin did exactly what I use to do when people are taking photos! haha

My brother Josh and his wife Christina