A week in California... isn't long enough

I love summer. The warm weather, the sun, the long days, vacations, the beach, the people out and about everywhere... Summer has to be the best time of the year. This past week I was spent the whole week at the beach with just a couple short breaks to play basketball and golf. I feel quite blessed that I have so many great opportunities in life, and also for my family and friends.

DAY 1 - SALT CREEK

Salt Creek is a gorgeous beach in southern Orange County set in a cove of Dana Point. It has great waves, fine sand, lots of babes and showers--which are convenient for those who don't love that salty feeling when heading home after a long day of being drenched in saltwater and sun.


Salt Creek may be my favorite beach in Southern California


The view from the Ritz Carlton above the beach


I hope to spend "the first night" here...


Here are a few members of our crew talking about all the fun we're about to have.
Aaron, me, Jimmy and Rachel


I'm asking Aaron if he's excited to get out there... he was


The wait...


The fun begins... trying to get inside this mini barrel


Aaron's first of the day


Rob dog... taking off... he's addicted


soo fun


rippin' Rob


cruisin

hang loose?


get down that line


duck


go get it bro
(a little push never hurts)


he got it


Aaron and I sharing a party wave
(we've shared a lot of things in our lives)


Jimmy and Rachel getting ready to paddle out... maybe


you can't blame him, he has a great view from there


meanwhile, we're just chatting about our future wives


Zachary, our photographer, also an amazing artist..
Go to www.zacharyproctor.com!!


Zach.. "ain't no thang"


the Jeffries


how was it Rob?


Taylor can't get enough, but we finally pulled him out of the water


Day 2 - Newport Beach

Everyone knows about Newport, thanks to Seth, Ryan, Summer, and Marissa...

Here's Sandy Cohen taking a break from his law practice
oh, wait.. no, that's Aaron Renfro! (also a lawyer)


uh.. Rob.. watch out for that dude..


he's got it all under control


Sometimes it's fun to pick a spot on the wave and just launch off, like this...

eying it..

the set-up


up, up and away.. just needs a little more tuck


Rob's checking out some frolicking mermaids


like these ones


I'm seriously considering becoming a lifeguard



Here's a little sequence from Day 2 at Newport...

1


2


3

4


5

I'm not that strong riding backside... but it's still a blast...

Riding "backside" means that your body is positioned such that the wave is to your back rather than your front. It's a little more difficult to maneuver and turn when riding backside.

Here's another backside sequence...

drop in


hold tight


k, think I got it..


this is fun


uh-oh


gotta pull out


and..


made it



and then we paddle back out... forever in search of the perfect wave



my face says it all.. especially the mouth part (deep thought)



Here are some family shots from the week...

Taylor and Jess... such cuties


seriously


Maughan fam shot 1 (minus 2 in michigan)


me and my girls


Maughan fam shot 2


I'm a little worried about her going to college... I may follow her there to watch out for her!


hang loose brah



and.. it's back to the beach...



the Maughan girls have such pretty eyes and great smiles


sometimes we take a break from the surf


I'm trying to figure out what Taylor is trying to do there...




he found sand in his ears and hair for days


maybe we should keep Taylor in the water


he thinks he'll be taller than me someday


here's our classic surf pose, complete with babes (even though they're our sisters)


set, go!


oh snap!

watch out...
work it girl!

Stef's pose is perfect, but we may need to work on her outfit


they're so supportive of their older bro


and they love hanging out with him


pink blanket, mom's hat and sunglasses... but I promise I like girls (a lot)


Super cute Stef... nevermind the stolen flower


my sistas


dad, my hero



SO, to summarize... California in the summertime is pretty much amazing. I think I'll be going back very soon! ;)

Peg Your Jeans in NYC

I went to NYC last weekend and had an excellent time as expected. There are a few things that make New York one of the greatest places in the world, especially in the summer time. If you don't already know.. allow me to explain. First and foremost, you've got the food. Just look at this sandwich.

This is the Chicavo at Lenny's
(go big... add bacon and ask for extra chicken)

Everyone knows or has heard about the food in New York, but every time I go, I'm always kind of in awe of how many quaint, cool little places there are that have just amazingly good food. Not to mention the atmosphere of these street cafes/bistros/restaurants is unparalleled. And then the convenience of having 10 different good options along the span of a couple blocks is just unreal. Despite the quantity of food I eat on a regular basis, I'm a relatively slender guy. But, I guarantee- if I lived in New York within such close proximity to so much good food... I'd be struggling to stay a 34-36 waist. It amazes me that there are so many skinny girls there with the amount of food that constantly surrounds them. Of course if there's anything that would distract a girl from food, it's shoes. (There may be as many shoe stores as there are restaurants.)

And that leads me to my next reason why NY is awesome. The fashion. Don't get me wrong, I'm a man's man.. I prefer sports, cars and motorcycles before even thinking about fashion. But, I am a sucker for a girl with style. And the girls in New York have it. So much style. Even the girls who some would consider average looking or semi-cute anywhere else, are pretty hot in New York. It's like when you see a girl fly past you in like a red convertible.. with big sunglasses on and her hair whipping around in the wind.. you can hardly see her, but you instinctively want to catch up because you're like, oh man.. she was hot! That's the kind of the effect that New York has on girls. The city just makes them look really good. Maybe it's the tough edge they get from living in the somewhat harsh conditions (like.. dealing with taxis honking and sirens ringing all night long, sweating while waiting in the 100+ degree temps in the subway, endless foul odors that will at whim come up and slap you in the face, walking up 6 flights of stairs in the un-air-conditioned apartment building when the elevator breaks down, or the other extreme weather in the winter when it's too cold to really even go outside). But if you're a woman living in New York, you're tough, strong, independent, and downright sexy.

A perfect example of smoking hot girls showing their NYC style
(at Coney Island)

So anyway, to state the obvious, NY is all about fashion. If you want to see the latest trends or what's "hot"... just cruise down to SoHo.. or stroll down the club-filled streets of the meat-packing district on any given night of the week. In the process you'll see a million super attractive women and dudes with great style.

Now, I'd like to address one particular trend that has caught on over this past year, "skinny jeans" aka "pegged leg jeans" (a jean that is completely tapered down to the ankle). They have been in for a while now, but, just this last weekend I saw for the first time since '87, people actually pegging their jeans. I got a picture of this group below.

Pegging in NYC


Here are a few examples of the "skinny jean" at its best...

Ashley, Fergie, Rachel


Christina


Eddie

I'm starting to get off track here. Another reason I love New York is there is a lot of love that's just floating in the air. There are couples everywhere, and it's just a romantic place. I'm not the most romantic person, but I've had what I've felt were a few pretty romantic moments there. In fact, I feel like every time I go, I seem to have a romantic moment, and this past weekend was no exception. It's different than a romantic moment on the beach, or on a ferris wheel, or while watching a sunset.

Of course, there's nothing like romance on the beach either
(Ryan and Abby.. completely oblivious that anyone else is around..)

7/7/07 Good Luck

I've been waiting for this day since 2007 started back in January. Originally, my plan was to get married today, since it seems like if luck ever had anything to do with having a successful marriage, what a better day to start that eternal union on then, 7/7/07. Turns out Eva Longoria and Tony Parker thought so too.. as well as thousands and thousands of others. Apparently, back in March, a member of a US wedding planning site said that more than 30,000 weddings were planned for July 7, when in ordinary years only 12,000 couples would choose a Saturday in July for their marriage. And, David's Bridal, the largest US retailer of wedding gowns, says it alone will deliver a record 20,000 gowns for brides for July 7 weddings. That figure is double the peak figure in a normal year, and the company estimates about 65,000 - 70,000 weddings across the country on July 7. I'm starting to feel left out. In Paris this week, one of the city's major department stores, Galeries Lafayette, said it had received 774 wedding lists for 7/7/07, against an average 290 for each of the 13 Saturdays from July to September. So, it's funny, but it seems like when the whole world is faced with some luck, the thing they wish for most is to be lucky in love. So, I'm not getting married today... and I'm feeling pretty good about it. It's a beautiful, hot and sunny day outside (87 degrees right now) and I'm going to go enjoy it.. play some basketball, hit the pool and then maybe go for an evening sail. Btw.. 8/8/08 is the new date.

Sometimes the boat has nice scenery too...
friends Abby, Nichole and Azy

Sick of It

So.. I spent Tuesday and Wednesday of this week in my bed knocked out...and Thursday I was still recovering... I watched fireworks from the comfort of my couch. At least the high-def. was nice. New York's was amazing by the way.. it was like 30 minutes long, with what seemed like 10 different finales. But yeah, I was horizontal for like almost 48 hours straight. When I get sick, it hits me so hard, it's seriously ridiculous. Luckily my neighbor and good buddy Tim Cannon is also my doctor (local resident at GW Hospital). He was able to diagnose (strep) and prescribe (Augmentin) for me. Thank heavens for Tim, I'd probably still be in bed if it weren't for him, simply because I wouldn't have gone to the doctor.

I just hate going to the doctor for so many reasons. First of all, the whole process takes forever. I could easily drive from DC to NY, or watch a whole football game in the allotted time you are going to be in the doctor's office. Then, sitting in the little waiting room (which is freezing cold--just to ensure that you really are sick-- or if you weren't already, now you're on your way) with all these other people who are sniffling, shivering, shaking, and staring- that's the awkward part (besides the nudity that happens in the private rooms with the crunchy paper), and you have all this time to sit there and wonder what they're in for and worry if you're going to end up getting what they have. Don't read any of the magazines by the way.. they're outdated, and think of how nasty and germ-filled those things are, being handled by countless sick hands every day. Maybe I sound like a germ freak. I am.. sometimes. I tend to kick doors open when possible (especially public restroom doors).

And while on the topic of germs, I've got to make a statement about handshakes at the dinner table. I hate it when there are late-comers to dinner once you've already started eating and you're like mid-meal and the late-comers start sticking out their hands to greet you, like just saying "Hey, how are you?!" isn't going to completely say, "hello" and be the official greeting. No.. they've got to actually shake your hand-- and who knows where their hand has been? Mine was just washed and now I'm using it to eat, but their hand was probably just opening the restaurant's door picking up the marks of thousands of other hands that have been there today, and now they would all like to shake your hand before you go back to enjoying your meal! I make it a point if anyone is ever mid-meal and I'm the late-comer, I won't even try to shake hands-- in fact, a small wave, heartfelt "hello" and a big smile will do the trick quite nicely-- even though it may look a little cheesy. And if the eater insists (generally because he feels some sort of obligation because he's overly polite or socially cautious/insecure/clueless/obnoxious--could be any combination of the those) then, and this is not under all circumstances, I think the "rock" (a swift, solid, yet soft bump of the clasped fist with another typically with the fists turned so that the thumb, if called upon could rise to do an immediate "thumb's up" without the hand moving) is appropriate. I've been in situations where I've given the "rock" when the other party insisted that our hands touch despite him being mid-meal, and he was very pleased and even looked a bit relieved. So, I actually don't think I'm a germ-freak, I'm just aware of the many ways that man can become ill through the passing of germs, and after this past week, I don't want to get sick for a long time.

Anyway, I am feeling much better today, and back at work with some things to get done...

Thanks Tim.