I think this is the beginning of a problem…

Check out those levitation skills. My board comes to me when called. Pretty awesome. It’s a new Integ feature for 2011 we are in the process of testing out…

And here’s some other randomness for you:

WakeGames came and went. No one else signed up so I won and lost it all at once. At least someone was there to represent. It was kind of disappointing at first…but you can’t really blame anyone. Everybody had finals and $165 is a steep entry fee when you don’t even have a chance to try to win it back. I mean really if you think about it women’s wakeboarding just recently got really good…so it should take women’s wakeskating another 5-10 years before we get there.

I’m hoping a plane home on Thursday to swoop up my sister and take her camping at NorCal Convergence. Stoked! Landed my first kfipper behind the boat during demo at the WakeGirls Experience. And the first one inside out yesterday. Exciting firsts, keep ‘em coming. O’Neill makes sunglasses now and they look flippin sweet:

Ally and I have been working really hard on the new Throw It Down site. It’s going to be awesome, it should be launching here in the next week or two! It might just be the best site I’ve ever built. This summer is going to be a smoking hot one. I hope your A/C works because mine doesn’t yet. Ha. <3

I want to wake up on the Gold Coast, or maybe ankle deep in sand in Costa Rica. I just need to get out of here for a hot minute. Just long enough to listen to the voice in my head and think some things through. Life moves too fast. Some days you wake up wondering how you got to where you are now and where this path you’ve found yourself on leads to…

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I wouldn’t mind living here for a while, on the water’s edge…

Conway is dead. It’s official. I’m sure I will write up a post soon about how that house and the people in/around it changed my life, probably shed a tear. Gotta let it go though, and grow up and move on. It hit it’s peak and now it’s over. It’s been a good long ride. I’ve been so busy/stressed/concerned with moving out and cleaning up I haven’t had time to skate or think much about anything including turning another year older today. I’ve been sorting through memories, junk, necessities, and trash all week. With so much anxiety about it every night was filled with dreams on repeat about packing and sorting. On top of horrible allergies that keep me up at night with mucus dripping down my face wondering how much you can swallow before you make yourself sick. It’s gross but it’s reality.

Today I’m letting all that go. Enjoying a new place, a new phase. Waking up free from all the packing and cleaning, riding my heart out. Followed by my favorite breakfast of french toast. Now I’m sitting at my desk pretending it’s simply a cabana on the beach. My socks are really just my feet buried in the sand. the computer screen is a giant ball of sunshine warming up my heart. Lunch with close friends. After this workday I’m off to a very relaxing massage thanks to my special man friend. Followed by sushi and more friends. Missing Tahoe and family however so, life is sweet. I’m walking on sunshine…

Last night I had a picnic in my dreams with my whole family. Poppy was there. He was vibrant and full of life, so excited to have everyone there together. We ate some sort of delightful Mediterranean food. It was full of smiles, laughter and love……….<3

When I was younger I wanted to grow up and have a house with stairs like this. Good too see someone else is on the same page. I never though I’d actually see them in existance. And maybe a handrail that hangs from the ceiling. Some days I think I should have followed whats embedded in my genes and go the architect route. Thanks Ffffound.

I live in a nice neighborhood, on a fairly busy road…front door facing the street. Last Thursday mid-afternoon someone kicked our front door open and welcomed themselves in during a two hour window no one was home. They picked up a couple macbooks, sorted through a few things. Then we are left to assume they opened a bedroom door to find an angry bulldog that scared them out, 2 macbooks in hand. I am so, so very lucky neither of those computers was mine. However some of my roommates not so lucky. I would have lost tons of freelance work to say the least. Maybe even my new camera. I don’t have renters insurance, or any kind of mac anti-theft program, or recent back-ups of anything really…well I sure do now.

Point being, let this be a reminder. Back up your stuff! Lock your windows and doors. Don’t leave precious items in plain view. Be cautious of who you let in to your precious home. In almost every case the person that breaks into your home is someone you know. Or a friend of a friend that’s been there once before. They know what you have and don’t know you well enough to care about you, and your precious things. Someone’s got some realllly bad karma headed there way.

I’ve wakeskated maybe 4 times in the last month and a half as opposed to everyday. Between going home for Christmas, freezing weather in Orlando, being sick, and spending lots of time in Tennessee for work…I haven’t really had a chance to ride. However, when you live in the mecca of wakeboarding it’s hard to take a break, and breaks are necessary. So I suppose I wouldn’t take one if it wasn’t forced. Either way I am siked (I just tried to spell that ‘psyched’ haha) to go back to Orlando and shred every single day. More than anything, I’m pumped to ride some dirtbikes! With my biker gang friends of course…

I’m in the sweet state of Tennessee. Nashville, the country capitol of the world. Too bad I can’t stand country. Everyone is really nice here, and I’ve never been called ‘baby girl’ so many times in my life. Most of Fiction is working up here for the next month or two, working on our sweet Tennessee accents. We even have a temporary townhouse which includes a mandatory work-out every afternoon. It’s cold here. Bone chilling, long johns under the jeans kind of cold. I can’t escape it.

Tomorrow is a big day. Mark it down. I’m finally buying a nice camera. Photography is essential to graphic design. Remember that. I’ve always been town between buying a nice video camera or a nice digital camera, and finally I can get the best of both worlds all beautifully packaged in one Canon 7d. I’m probably going to need to revamp this blog to fit big pretty pictures and some high quality video! Lot’s and lots of great stuff to come. Can’t wait!! In the meantime I got my hands on Chase‘s Mark II for a hot minute and snapped this photo out of the jet window on the way to TN…

2009 is gone already?! Where does time go? I want to find that place and soak up all the minutes and hours that slipped by too fast…

Highlights:

- my trip to Rome

- Landing my 1st kickflip

- Receiving and riding my 1st Integrity Jenny Danger which I created the graphics for with a picture of my gorgeous grandma.

- 1 year anniversary

- Nor Cal Convergence 8 & 9

- 1st Place at Worlds & WakeGames

- O’Neill, Vans, & Pro-Tec

- Throwing my first event/gathering: Girls Ride Day

Lows:

- stolen car (again. 2x)

- saying goodbye to Poppy

- getting wrecked

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I’m sure the list could go on & on. Pretty crazy I know so many great people that passed away in 2009. However, for every person I know that passed, I also know of a baby that was born…pretty impressive how the world goes round. It was a great year, and 2010 has even more to offer, most of which will be a surprise. Fiction‘s headquarters is almost done being built and we will be moving in February! We’ve got our hands full with a new project, and got into lots of music goodness last year. I’m hope to keep pushing the women’s side of wakeskating in the right direction. Here’s to 2010!

To-Do List

Pay 2008 Taxes

Win Lottery

Crown the pirate tooth

Pay off half of credit card

Over pay student loans

Buy plane tickets to Reno for Nationals

Purchase Camera (7D ?)

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That’s a pricey to-do list. I have several to-do list’s. To-Do to make money, and To-Do with the money. After 5 years of an implant post I finally have a tooth, instead of just a metal rod. For the same price as a new tooth, I could have bought a Canon 7D. C’est la vie. I get to relearn how to eat with my whole mouth instead of just one side…now that I have a full set of teeth, hah. Most  problems get more expensive given time. I’m patting myself on the back for rearranging my priorities from needs to wants. It’s tough. At this rate I may not have a camera for a loooong time. Given several months a priority rearrangement may be considered to bump the camera up a few levels. Now for task #1. Before it’s 2010. Or maybe  #2 will pay for it all? Did I mention I dispise money? I vote we go back to the barter system. Even though that’s primarily what I seem to do anyways…

Poppy. My grandfather was a real character. He knew how to make quarters cry, and rub them into his elbow until they disappeared. A true child at heart, the gray hairs didn’t fool him. He was passionate about all the beautiful things in life. He was an artist, an architect, and as far as I knew, a magician. His smile and laughter will be missed, but never forgotten!

<3

I’ve been anxious to snap this photo, finally had a chance. Meet Grandma Cleone from my board graphic…

…still beautfiul. Integrity.

I just got back from one of the most beautiful places in the world…

Cassie and I went swimming right after I took this photo, no neoprene…brr. I only got to stay for a hot minute. I flew in and out of Reno for Nor Cal Convergence so I could say hi to my family and friends along with get some Tahoe time! Cass joined as my P.I.C. (partner in crime). She’s never been to Tahoe, so we took her straight to Tahoe Tessie’s favorite fish for a swim. I screamed. That’s a scary fish to swim over…

Convergence was EPIC, I’m already counting down for #10. Lot’s of good riding, drinking, and bonfire coal juggling goodness. I forgot to throw out the disclaimer that I’m not actually good at juggling. I got this handy-dandy super neat iPhone app that makes photos look all awesome Holga/Polariod style. I don’t even want to use my regular point and shoot anymore. This is the best iPhone photo I have ever taken:

More photo action from Tahoe/NCC coming soon…!

First and foremost, if the word ‘wakeskating’ sparks your interest in the slightest bit, get on over to the Nike Aquafrolics site and check out their new wakeskate video! It will blow your mind, whether you wakeskate or not. Nike is doing some amazing things in this industry. Not only did they come out with an epic movie that pushes limits in riding, but it’s also avaliable for free download and they threw the best prom I’ve ever been too…

Nike knows how to host a good times. They’ve proved it before and they continue to prove it over and over again. That Saturday night we whipped out our 80s prom attire, scrunchies, and hair crimpers for a night on the town. We got some great looks to and from the theater. You can check out more awesome photos on the Nike Aquafrolics site, and in Letchy’s Darkroom! They are worth the peek. Nike made some sweeeeet special edition shoes for special folks, tuxedo shirts & coozies. I had a blue tuxedo shirt just like theirs when I was 5, pretty sure it was my brothers, but theres a photo of me somewhere wearing it next to the christmas tree. I was on a mission all night to get one, and *score* I did.

I was flipping through pages of my sketchbook and I found this little gem from a few months back…

Translation:

Passion. Passion. Passion. Be the forward movement. Create the momentum. Listen to your heart. Follow your soul. Chase your shadow. Be the light in dark places. Close your eyes and listen. Breathe in deep, listen to the beating of your heart. Where does it want you to go? What makes it beat faster? Every breath is another moment past, another step forward. Where is it that we want to go? Let us progress.

FORWARD MOVEMENT…Progression.

“The highest function of love is that is makes the loved one a unique and irreplaceable being.” – Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins

I whipped this little edit together last night, enjoy…

October 16th feels sooo far away. I’m pretty excited about this. And by pretty excited I mean really excited. I seem to have a lot of friends that have never even heard of ‘Where The Wild Things Are’ which blows my mind. Because of this they also don’t quite understand my excitment. This might help…

Trailer #1:

Trailer #2:

My buddy (and might as well be brother) Keaton is officially in Florida, and Kee and Beans having been kicking it at the Conway house until they find a place nearby. Kee and Beans are the first official men of the house. Congrats boys.

Keaton + Beans + 2 jetskis + winch + Conway Punks = Full time shredding. I’ve been riding 2-3 times a day, and working. BAM. And I’m loving it. What happens when a full time skilled shredding buddy moves in? You start learning new tricks. And BAM, two kickflips landed on the System 2.0 at The Projects. Finally after a year in the making hah, sure does help to be trying them consistently. Can’t wait to get a big clean one behind the ski. Here’s a photo from trying them over a year ago…

We’ve been filming quite a bit too, so I’m about to start editing some more. I hope you’re ready. In other news, If someone would buy the Ski Cuda already, I could officially have myself a jetski. Please & thank you. I’m not very good at this selling stuff. Some guy gave me a deposit, made me wait 3 weeks and bailed. Fail.

Hasta Luego.

…favorite photo EVER. Love you Dad!

con·ver·gence
\kən-ˈvər-jən(t)s\

1: independent development of similar characters (as of bodily structure of unrelated organisms or cultural traits) often associated with similarity of habits or environment

Photo by: Chris Cut

I just returned from Nor Cal Convergence, the 8th of its type and my first experience…which could be the greatest wakeskate gathering known to man. I thought Raging Pull was epic. NCC8 was Raging Pull x4. Just imagine the possibilities when wakeskaters come together from all over Northern California and beyond to ride all weekend with tons of kids that chare the same passion. I believe there were 4 Super Air Nautiques, 5 winches, and 3 jetskis. An up rail, an up-flat, and a bank box…sounds like a wakeskaters heaven doesn’t it? I met a ton of cool kids, kicked it with my Integrity familia, and shreded my face off. I can’t wait for the next one! Look out for NCC9 this fall, more info at Nor Cal Wake. These sort of gatherings are so essential to the progression and growth of the sport!

More event coverage to come soon! There were serveral camera’s on site so there should be some good stuff floating around here soon. Local NorCal shop, The Liquid Playground was there and scored the 2nd JennyDanger to ever be pressed which sold yesterday!

Have I mentioned how much I love my Integrity family? veritas • cæremonia • familia

I’ve lived in the Conway house for a little over 2 years…since we first moved in. In those 2 years, 15 different girls have lived in the Conway house. 15! And most of us didn’t know each other, and everyone has been amazing…what are the odds? Seriously though, just when I think there’s no way another stranger could move in and be cool, they do, and they are ridiculously cool. It must be this laidback lifestyle based around the lake that we are all in pursuit of…

My sister’s been in Rome for a few months. She will probably be here a year, or until they make her leave, hah. I basically told her that as amazing as it sounded to come visit, it is realistically impossible considering the chunk of student loans I pay off each month and the time off I already have to take. My dad bought me a ticket for my birthday…and she didn’t know a thing about it. So my adventure starts something like this…

Orlando flight out delayed. I go on time anyways and get put on an earlier flight which still gets delayed. Instead of a 2.5 hr overlay I hop off one plane right onto another. I get of the plane an wander for about an hour trying to find the bathrooms and the train, I don’t know a word of Italian. I hop on the train on the right…even though my notes say, ‘make sure to take the train on the LEFT’. No big deal, just 30mins out of my way because this was the non-stop train and I needed to stop halfway. I get off, and back on the right train and then to tram #8. I’m lugging around 80lbs of junk a backpack and my wakeskate roller bag with some clothes.

Callie moved into a new place yesterday, I flew in today. No one knew her current or new address. I have the name of the neighborbood, the street she used to live on, the name of the restuarnt she works at and her italian phone #. Unfortunatly she doesnt work till 5pm and its 10am. So I wander her neighborhood a bit looking for an internet cafe and try to call her, no luck. I sit down for a lovely cup of fresh sqeeze, a hot panini , and I finish reading The Alchemist. And as I get impatient or tired The Alchemist reminds me this is my goal right now to surprise her and I must not give up, thanks Paulo Coelho. I continue to drag my stuff around in search for internet, in hope that Callie facebooked me her new address as I asked so I could ‘ship her a box.’ No luck. I sit on the curb again on my wakeskate bag, tired of lugging it around, waiting for 5o’clock. It starts to rain so I hop into the nearest cafe for a heineken which is accompanied by Italian magazines and finally a redbull as I start to fall asleep in my chair. The sun comes out and 4pm rolls around and I continue my journey.

I almost get on the tram going the opposite direction because I am always backwards. Might have been smart of me to grab a map at some point. I get off at my stop and ask around for the Pantheon. Some fellow thinks I say Colosseum and walks with me a block in the wrong direction until he realizes I mean Pantheon. I find some building with a bowl on the top and think its the Pantheon. It’s not. I found the Pantheon itself is much more breathtaking. From what I know she works at a Trattoria between the Pantheon and the French Church on Rue de la Rosetta. I go to Rosetta Trattoria, the only Trattoria on Rosetta and the man there says no Callie works there, no Americans work there. Every other restaurant in the area has the word ‘Trattoria’ attached to it. I wander the whole area not realizing the whole area was full of churches and how was I supposed to know which one was the French one. I walk past another place called Trattoria around the bend but its closed. I figure the guy at Rosetta Trattoria must be wrong so I return there and take a seat on my board bag out front. He reconfirms. I take two more laps around in case there is another Rosetta street. It’s nearing 6o’oclock and I have no backup plan, my phone is 20% battery left and I don’t have a power charger converter. Mom & Dad keep checking in. I take a seat outside of the closed Trattoria because it’s my last hope. I call to see when they open and if Callie works there and the lady doesn’t speak English and hangs up on me. I look through the window and there is Callie putting away dishes at the bar. I knock and she double takes and tears of joy start rolling down her face.What a lovely surprise to see a familiar face in a foreign country, especially your family when you are so far away from home.

Lovely adventure today. My feet are tired and my one cone of chocolate gelatto is almost enough to satisfy my chocolate cravings for the week. My grandma, aunt & uncle will be here in a few days as well! There is a wakeboard camp and hour and a half away on Lago De Salto that looks gorgouse like Tahoe. I am going to try to make it there especially considering I lugged that board around all day.  I love the old building and the food is amazing. I wish I spoke a bit of Italian, at least. More to come…

P.s. – I miss you and I wish you were here.

Did I mention I am directionally challenged? I’m really beggining to consider that ‘L’ and ‘R’ tattoo.

Remember me? Didn’t think so. Sorry I don’t know how posting has become such a rariety. The days are flying by. I’ve been busy…road tripping to North Carolina, working on my sweet southern accent, swimming with gators in the St.Johns river, celebrating lifes and birthdays as I get older myself, trying to convince 10 girls to enter Wake Games, houseboating, and bringing the Ski Cuda back to life.

Wake Games is a short three weeks away, April 23rd-26th at OWC in Orlando! I’ve got plenty of tickets for the weekend if you want any, or if you know someone that wants tickets. Don’t be shy! We need your support :) and if you know any girls that wakeskate and have the potential to ride in the contest, send them my way! 10 girls wakeskating in it would be record-breaking…wish me luck!

I’m almost as old as I think I am. Makes sense right? If I think I’m 24 and I turn 22, does that mean mentally I’m turning 25? I don’t think I want that. Age is such a silly number. Who needs it anyways. I’ll keep sticking to 24, even as I turn 22. Thanks Dad…