Category: surfing

2018 in Review

January 2018

Bear got a new car! He’s loving his 2018 Highlander Hybrid that we’ve nicknamed “The Spaceship” — all the screens and safety features are incredible! We needed something safer and super reliable to transport our precious cargo!

 

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February 2018

On Sunday, Feb 11, we welcomed our Mini: Arden Elise Campbell. She arrived with a conehead after 27 hours of labor at 10:09pm. She was oriented OP, and I got my epidural at 4cm around 9:30am from one of my colleagues, Shiyin. The epidural was perfect — it was so nice to have to take the edge off the pain. However, because she was OP, I was still having quite a bit of back/bottom pressure from her head coming down and placing a lot of pressure on my tailbone. We tried multiple maneuvers to get her turned, but to no avail. My OB, Kim Washkowiak, came in on her day off to deliver Arden (that’s a huge deal and wonderful Around 9pm, she was 10 cm and complete…and it was time to push! After an hour of pushing an OP baby… we met our sweet Arden bug. She was 7lb 3 oz, 21 inches long, and absolutely perfect. She had a great latch, and we started breastfeeding immediately. Of course, it would take almost a week for my milk to come in. We supplemented with formula and breastfed as well as pumped to increase my milk supply. She’s been a wonderful journey so far. We’re learning new things about and us everyday.
March 2018

This month was a blur! Waking every 2-3 hours in the night to feed Arden made this month fly by! There were highs and lows along my breastfeeding journey. It’s finally settled down and breastfeeding and pumping are going well. We’re still supplementing with formula so she’s getting both.
April 2018

She’s 2 months old this month and already at 10lb! Bear sold his trusty 4Runner.

I forgot to update the rest of the entries…. so, follow along my Pregnancy #2 entries for the remainder of 2018!

 

Sprinter van conversions

I’ve been thinking of traveling the US via van for several years now.  I thought it would be awesome to get one for my 40th bday.  Well, that’s almost 2 years from now.  Then, I thought it would be a great idea to pull the trigger and purchase a van when we have our little one.  Well, that time is quickly approaching as I’m in the 2nd trimester of the pregnancy.  So, like with everything else I do…. there’s a ton of research!

 

Which size to get?

 

Who to go with?

 

My YouTube channel on Sprinter Vans

Awesome YouTuber for getting onboard with the van life: Hobo Ahle

Here’s what I’m leaning towards right now:

Sportsmobile seems to have an awesome option of the pop up top that could be an additional sleep area when we grow our family.  That’s really the huge reason why we’re leaning towards Sportsmobile.  We actually went to check out and do a factory tour of Outside Van and they were incredible!!  If I hadn’t have found out about the popup top on the Sportsmobile, OSV would’ve definitely been our top pick.

 

Skateboarding: A beginner’s journey

I played around with a skateboard when I was a kid.  I thought it was neat to hang with the boys and skate in the driveway/street.  Well, I didn’t get much street time as the street was paved with loose gravel on tar — which melted in the Texas summers.

1404326731-3-reasons-skateboarders-make-great-entrepreneurs

I came across this YouTube vid: https://youtu.be/jdJjW7pknfE and decided I wanted to give it a try.  Why are so many middle agers trying something that kids do often?

Great advice on getting a skateboard and beginner techniques:

Which skateboard to get?

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My current thoughts:

What I got:

What my husband got:

Any suggestions?  What would you get?

Apple watch vs Pebble 2

I got the first apple watch when it came out and will be using that version to compare to the new Pebble 2.

CNET comparison bt apple watch 2, samsung gear s3, fitbit, android wear, garmin, pebble

First off, I was very happy with my Apple watch 1.  There’s a lot of great notifications for it and it’s user friendly.  One thing I did not like about the watch is that the notifications would go directly to the watch without warning me on the iphone despite my ringer being on.  

The main reason why I decided to look for a watch outside of my stellar apple watch is because the battery life on the apple watch is incredibly low.  I can only go one day between charges.  Sometimes, I’m at work for more than 24 hours so it becomes more cumbersome on the logistics.  Sure, I could bring my charger and charge it… but that takes time, effort, and extra cords since it doesn’t have a lightning charger.  So, enter the Pebble 2…a Kickstarter project!

Ars Technica Reviews: Pebble 2 vs. Apple Watch 2

Wareable Pebble 2 review vs. Wareable Apple Watch review

CNET review: new apple watch 2 vs. CNET review: pebble 2

My overall thoughts and winners comparing Apple watch 1 to Pebble 2:

  • Battery life: Pebble 2
  • HR workout tracking: Apple watch 1
  • Apps: Apple Watch 1
  • Waterproof: Pebble 2
  • HR, sleep, steps, calories, distance tracking throughout day: Pebble 2
  • Cost: Pebble 2
  • Phone required: both

Inflatable SUP

Thanks to my wonderful fiancé, I’m spending more and more time on the water! The calming and relaxing effects are pretty amazing as well as the vitamin D and sunshine!

I love my big surfboard (8’4″) and just floating on the water. An idea occurred to me to get a big raft. But that’s cumbersome. So, then I thought about practicing my turns and paddling strength in the pool. But what about a lounging island or floating flamingo? Boom: the inflatable SUP seemed like a perfect blend of relaxing raft and ocean cruising in an easy to handle, fold-up, easy-storage, and hide-away apparatus. 

But which one do I get? 

http://m.outdoorgearlab.com/Inflatable-SUP-Reviews/Isle-Explorer-11

http://www.isupworld.com/isle-explorer-inflatable-sup-review/

https://www.islesurfandsup.com/stand-up-paddle-boards/11-explorer-airtech-inflatable-paddle-board/

The decision was tough, but I love comparative graphs the Outdoor Gear Lab provides. And with an honest breakdown like that and comparing the different inflatable SUP brands… My decision was made. Plus, I love supporting local!

My favorite surf places

I’m lucky to live in a place that promotes my newbie surf adventure. Albeit, I’m not a water baby… waves that are over my head and currents that pull me under are definitely scary.  But, I used to love boogie boarding as a kid and being on the water is nature’s meditative sanctuary.

Surfline: Southern California

WannaSurf: San Diego County

Surfline PDF for San Diego

Learning to Surf: My newbie thoughts

coast

Some of my favorite places in the Southern California area:

La Jolla Shores, CA

Magic Seaweed: LJ Shores

Scripps oceanography Cam: Pier and LJ Shores

La Jolla Shores Live HD Surf Cam. Check out more Surf Cams at Surfline.com

Swami’s/Boneyards

http://e.cdn-surfline.com/syndication/embed/v1/player.html?id=4789

Swami’s Live HD Surf Cam. Check out more Surf Cams at Surfline.com
Scripps Live HD Surf Cam. Check out more Surf Cams at Surfline.com

map_sandiego

Learning to Surf: My newbie thoughts

I have been in southern California for about 5 years. In that time, I’ve only been surfing once. Luckily, I had checked out a Groupon for Surf Diva that offered two afternoons of surfing on a weekend!

Taken from the Surf Diva website.

It was a great introduction to surfing, and I felt it was a safe environment. There were 5 other girls that came out and the surf school outfitted us with foam boards and rashguards. There was one instructor for all of us and they did a great job going through all the details of how to hold and handle the board, popping up, surf stance, surf etiquette, just the basics.

I believe I took that class back in 2012. According to this article, you’re never too old to learn to surf! Fast forward to August 20, 2015, when my bf was eager to help teach me how to surf. We headed out to Swami’s with a longboard, and he helped me catch three waves! I was so excited… as was he! In fact, he may have been more stoked! Because I had such a great time, I’m on a mission to learn as much as I can so we can surf together!

After reading several sites, I think the funboard is the way for me to go. It seems pretty versatile for a beginner board with some room for more maneuverability as I improve. YouTube vid: 4 tips for picking a surfboard (for beginners).

Learn how to read a surf forecast so you can actually go catch some waves!

Websites I found useful:

So you want to get a board…

Getting into surf shape:

Blogs for motivation:

My Equipment:

surfbags

My favorite surf places