Finding a Way

image karen harvey cox

"I cannot teach you how to pray in words...

and I cannot teach you the prayer of the seas

and the forest and the mountains.

But you who are born of the mountains

and the forest and the seas,

can find their prayer in your heart."

-Kahil Gibran, The Prophet

Some Good Advice

A few years ago a health study determined there are 3 main reasons people can't cope in life:
They live in the past.
They have a low self-esteem.
They can't laugh at themselves.

In fact, the study indicated that we need approximately 12 laughs a day to stay healthy!
I just read about a guy who sent flowers to his friend who was opening a new restaurant. When he arrived at the grand opening, he looked for his flowers. Well, when he found them, he saw that he had sent a white wreath that said, "May you rest in peace." He panicked, of course, and called the florist, explained the situation and said, " as we speak, there's a guy being buried who got a dozen roses that said,

"Good luck in your new location!"

Be Kind

The best portion
of a good man's life:
his little, nameless,
unremembered acts
of kindness
and love."

Writing Our Words

"We write to taste life twice,
once in the moment and
in retrospection."
-ANAIS NIN

U. S. Open Surf Championship Contest Huntington Beach, California

Brett Simpson takes 1st place

Surfs been up all week for the U.S. Open Surfing competition. On the final day of competition yesterday it was thrilling to watch our favorite Aussie surfer Mick Fanning compete in the 30 minute final heat for first place. It was a tight race to win the $100,000 prize but Mick was beat out by a local Huntington Beach surfer, Brett Simpson. The crowd went wild, cheering and lifting him up from the sea. We were standing right next to his family and they were going crazy. Very exciting to watch as this years waves were the biggest we've seen in the past several years. Great weather, and crowds of 120,000 and upwards. If you're ever in SoCal at this time of year it's a great event to experience.

OC Surfer of the Year Brett Simpson won the U.S. Open of Surfing this hour, besting 2009 top-ten surfer and former world champion Mick Fanning of Austrialia in a 30-minute final.


This is what the crowds looked like from the pier

We stood under the pier where we had a great view and it was away from the hot sun

Our family favorite Mick Fanning (WE LOVE YOU MICK!)

Kelly Slater

Bruce Irons

Rob Machado

Straight ahead view through the pier

HUNTINGTON BEACH, California (Sunday, July 26, 2009) – Brett Simpson (Huntington Beach, CA), 24, has claimed the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Qualifying Series (WQS) 6-Star Hurley U.S. Open of Surfing over former ASP World Champion Mick Fanning (Coolangatta, AUS), 28, in front of an ecstatic hometown crowd, netting surfing’s biggest victory purse ever – US$100,000.An event that will go down in surfing history, the 2009 Hurley U.S. Open of Surfing was treated to incredible surf (waves reaching as high as ten-to-twelve feet), an unprecedented number of elite ASP Dream Tour competitors in attendance as well as the biggest winner’s prize in surfing history. The young local’s emphatic victory in front of the hundreds of thousands on the beach provided the storybook ending and vaulted the event to unprecedented heights.Simpson wasted no time in putting his opponent on the ropes in the Final, collecting a 6.83, a 7.83 and a 9.10 in the opening half of the heat with razor-sharp turns, explosive aerial maneuvers and a supernatural rapport with the Huntington Beach sandbanks.“I knew the tide was coming up and there weren’t going to be as many waves,” Simpson said. “I knew I needed a quick start. We (Mick Fanning and I) both got off to pretty quick starts. We both picked up some good scores off the bat and I was able to build a little momentum throughout my opening waves. I couldn’t believe it when the heat finished – I’m still at a loss. I can’t ask for more than to beat Mick Fanning in the Final at home. With that, and the $100,000 and the 2,500 ’QS points, I’m nearly in tears at the moment.”Each one of Simpson’s maneuvers was met with a thunder of cheers from the hundreds of thousands of spectators on the beach, and the young Californian’s win was caused an unparalleled eruption of excitement to ripple through the Hurley U.S. Open event site.“When you’re riding on the ski in front of the crowd and you hear the applause it definitely pumps you up,” Simpson said. “Every time I was feeling a bit tired, the energy level of the crowd would lift me right up. It’s unbelievable to have all the support and my family and friends here with me. This is the best day of my life.”In addition to taking away professional surfing’s biggest first prize in history (US$100,000), Simpson earned 2,500 ASP WQS points solidifying his campaign in the qualification race for the 2010 ASP Dream Tour. The progressive natural-footer is in excellent position for a berth next season at professional surfing’s most elite level, the ASP World Tour.“I don’t know what to say,” Simpson said. “It hasn’t sunk in yet. Fanning was in phenomenal form this morning, eliminating two fellow ASP World Tour campaigners en route to his Finals berth, but the current ASP World No. 7 was unable to navigate the decreasing afternoon conditions. Despite missing out on the US$100,000 first prize, the Australian exhibited true sportsmanship, congratulating Simpson as well as the event.“It’s been an amazing week for me,” Fanning said. “I haven’t been here for seven years and to come back into an event like this is just amazing. The setup, the crowd, the waves, it’s all been a dream. Congratulations to Brett (Simpson), he’s a true champion and we look forward to seeing him next year on tour.”

Midsummer's Nights Dream

Be in this moment

"I walked out to a warm summer breeze and looked up at the starry sky and breathtaking full moon. I allowed my senses to soak in every second - the sweet smell of honeysuckle, the sound of every cricket and bullfrog, the moon's reflection dancing off the water - it was a perfect night." -Mac Anderson

Take This Down

"When your heart speaks,
take good notes."
-Judith Campbell

Best Wedding Entrance Ever

I love this! I hope this takes you to a very Happy Place and Congrats to this very cute, fun couple! May your whole life together be filled with such imagination and joy!

Something to Quench Your Thirst

image Krisatomic

Iced tea is too pure and natural a creation

not to have been invented as soon as

tea,

ice,

and hot weather

crossed paths. ~John Egerton

The Long and Winding Road

image via Spencer Winer

"I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what."- Harper Lee (To Kill a Mockingbird)

Follow Your Heart

Many things will catch your eye,
but only a few
will catch your heart.
Pursue those.

It's About This

Wait and See

"When in doubt,
just take the next small step."-Regina Brett

Summer Sunsets

"Summer afternoon,
summer afternoon;
to me those have always been the two most beautiful words
in the English language." Henry James

To Change One's Life

"1. Start immediately,

2. Do it flamboyantly,

3. No exceptions."

-William James

(1842-1910)

A Life Well Lived

"May it be said,
when the sun sets on your life,
many of your dreams came true,
and...
you made a difference
in the lives of others."

Reminiscing

about Italy
and missing my daughters...

Stopping for a view of the Amalfi Coastline

Villa d' Este Tivoli (just outside of Rome) Athena and Aria


Shopping in Sorrento

Beach at Positano

The Amalfi coast

Chillin' in Cinque Terre

Athena by her favorite beach Monterossa al mare

Monterossa one of the five towns (Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre-Italy Riomaggiore

“To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel

is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time,

to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.”

-Bill Bryson

Five Things to Say If You Get Caught Sleeping at Your Desk

NUMBER 5: They told me at the Blood Bank this might happen.
NUMBER 4: 'This is just a 15 minute power nap they raved about in the time-management course you sent me to.
NUMBER 3: 'Whew! Guess I left the top off the White-out. You probably got here just in time!
NUMBER 2: Did you ever notice sound coming out of these keyboards when you put your ear down real close?
NUMBER 1 best thing to say if you get caught sleeping at your desk:
(Raising your head slowly) '... in Jesus' name, Amen'

The above was taken from http://www.slowtrav.com/blog/andasamo/

In Need of a Cleaning Solution

Looking for a cost-effective, safe way to keep your home clean, naturally? Try these four common household items:

Olive oil: Use to lubricate and polish wood furniture (three parts olive oil to one part vinegar; or two parts olive oil to one part lemon juice).

Potatoes: Halved potatoes can remove rust from baking pans or tinware - follow with a salt scrub or dip the potato in salt before scrubbing.

White vinegar: Cleans linoleum floors and glass (from windows to shower doors) when mixed with water and a little liquid soap (Castile or vegetable). It cuts grease and removes stains, and removes soap scum and cleans toilets (add a bit of baking soda if you like). Pour down drains once a week for antibacterial cleaning. Add to water in a spray bottle to kill mold and mildew.

Tea tree oil: Can be added to vinegar/water solutions for its antibacterial properties. Use it to kill mold and mildew, and on kitchen and bathroom surfaces instead of chemical products. Add 50 drops to a bucket of water to clean countertops and tile floors.
- http://www.drweil.com/

Lucky is Believing You're Lucky

Happily Ever After

"Nobody can go back
and start a new beginning
but anyone can start today
and make a new ending."
-Maria Robinson

Our Little Get Away

image: kate headley

"So Why Don't We Go Somewhere Only We Know?"

A Message For You

"WANTED: a needle
swift enough
to sew this poem
into a blanket."
-Charles Simic

Give Peace a Chance

"It isn't enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn't enough to believe in it. One must work at it." -Eleanor Roosevelt

"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other."- Mother Teresa

Which Ones Will I Get?

"You can always tell the kind
of a person a man thinks
you really are by the
earrings he gives you."
-Audrey Hepburn