First SURF & Baby Shiori's Bday

Saturday marked the first day that my good friends Mitsuru and Reiko would actually try surfing. They've talked about it for a long time and things just kinda keep poppin' up ...... like for instance, a baby. Brian met them during his first season at Hakkoda Mt. and we've been friends with them ever since. Mitsuru and Reiko are amazing snowboarders. If you have ever seen them snowboard in real life, you could attest to their ultra smooth, graceful style that comes from their dedication and love for the sport. So I was super stoked when I heard they were gonna finally try it!

Since Brian and I started surfing 5 years back, we kept telling our mountain friends to try surfing........ but no one ever did. Everyone was content with just snowboarding in winter. Ha, this is exactly how I was when my friends asked if I wanted to surf! Slowly, our snowboarding friends have started creeping to the ocean and I couldn't be more happy. Seeing their faces filled with the joys of surfing reminds me of my first unforgettable season. I couldn't paddle, sit nor stand on the board, or duck dive....in fact I couldn't even swim! Now wrap your head around this for a minute.....it takes a baby infant anywhere from a year to two years to walk. It took me almost 4 years to catch waves and ride on a regular basis!!!! I was a 25 rears old then! Sure in my first 3 years I was able to catch waves and ride, but not constantly and continuously like I can now. It's a big learning process and I can't wait till they start finding their groove as well. It's gonna be so much fun to surf with them later.

On the day Mitsuru and Reiko tried surfing, it was their baby's 1st birthday. So years from now, this day will definitely be remembered and not just I got pics...."Baby Shiori, when you turned 1 years old was the first time your daddy tried surfing!" - AWESOME!