January was a pretty fun month to start off 2015. I got to surf, see friends, and spend some much needed down time at home with my family.
The first weekend after we started back to school for the new year was Surf Expo. I love going down to expo in Orlando because I get to see friends, sponsors, and surf. This year, I was inducted onto the ESA Allstar team for the 3rd year! The induction was really fun and some of my sponsors even came to support me. After the induction ceremony, I was able to speak for about 6 minutes at the Christian Surfers Worship Service. It was awesome to be able to share about using my passion for surfing to make a difference in the world. My friends and sponsors there supporting me and it was an overall great experience. If you're not familiar with Christian Surfers, you should check them out at www.christiansurfers.com. At expo, I was able to see my amazing sponsors that were there: Maui and Sons, Hyperflex Wetsuits, Cobian Footwear, Beautiful Feet, Brill Boardz, and SolRx. I'm super excited that Beautiful Feet donated 440 pair of sandals that I will be giving to impoverished kids through our family non profit Every Girl Counts. I also picked up a new sponsor: Crush Sunglasses! I am so stoked to be a part of their team. The ESA Allstar Team had a training session at Ponce Inlet to end the Surf Expo weekend. I was able to get a new longbaord (from Brill Boardz) and a shortboard (from Shea Lopez). Overall this was an amazing trip and I cannot wait until the team goes to Hawaii in March for our training trip!
The third weekend of the month, I went over to my grandmother's house and hung out with my cousin William. It snowed, so me made a snowman and had a snowball fight with each other! It was the first “real” snow we've had so we were all kinda excited. We also went to the National Corvette Museum and it was really cool to see all of the old cars that were there. I wasn't able to see the sinkhole that happened just a few weeks earlier, as the worksite was still very dangerous for everyone to be around. My favorite car was the 1970 Stingray. Now THAT was a cool car! The history was neat to learn, too.
To end January, my younger sister Sadie had a track meet called Bring Back the Mile that took place at Vanderbilt University. She did great for the first competition of the season and I am looking forward to seeing her progress as the season goes on. I was also able to help out with the Field events that the high-schoolers competed in. The head judge was so impressed with me that he invited me to come help out when the SEC teams come to Vandy. All in all, it was an amazing experience and I cannot wait until I can see my little sister run again!
This year, I've switched trainers that I workout with. I go every Tuesday and workout. I am really excited about the new workouts I do every morning before school. They are already helping me get stronger so I can bounce back right into surfing. I am also walking my board and doing pop-ups because… MUSCLE MEMORY!
This year is going to be full of great experiences, surfing, travels, and full of growth. What are your plans for this year?