Pre-Valentine Surf

This happened months ago but I stumbled upon these photos while I was looking for something in my files...and I thought I'd share it with you.  It's a short story about friendship, family, kids, taking a break from the city, birthdays, wedding anniversaries, and of course, surfing.

Annie, a topnotch lawyer (hehe forgive me Annie!), rarely has time to go to the beach.  I keep begging her to go w/ me.   Here she finally meets "Benjamin", my 9'6" Donald Takyama longboard.
(trivia: all my boards are named after Brad Pitt's movie characters. Seriously! Can you guess the other two? :-p )

Last February 21, 2012 I took my non-surfing friends to La Union to learn how to surf.  It was Ging & Vince's wedding anniversary & Ging's birthday as well.  They were the ones who actually planned the trip, excited for some downtime & to learn how to surf, with cutie pie daughter Danie in tow.

Annie & Dave, on the other hand, brought their kids Diego & Martina,  much to my delight! Those kids are a riot, we always have fun no matter what. :-)

Martina is my godchild who is very much like me! Maybe because our birthdays are only a day apart.  :-) She calls me "Ninang Tweet Tweet" because we used to have a cat-&-bird chasing game when she was little.  They've been bugging me to take them back to the beach ever since I first took them to Zambales last 2008 for a kiddie birthday party.  Here are photos from way back in 2008 (oh, how small they were back then!):

We brought a li'l pal along, Appa the shitzu...

...whom you can barely recognize as Martina simultaneously carried him
& wiped the icing on her nose (& ate it after, btw...haha atta girl) 

Martina, Annie, Miguela the Birthday Girl, mommy Tin, & Chloe

Here they are...asked (no, ordered) by Ninang Tweet Tweet to wax her board.

Pretending to be Master & Slave. Hilarious Martina!

Their most favorite part of that day. When we went to frolic (& be bulldozed) by the waves!

I think that day was forever imprinted on their minds.  We all had a blast!

And so 4 years later, we find ourselves on another beach...no more puppy but with more family & friends in tow.  This time the kids are bigger, taller, crazier! They actually tried surfing and had fun tumbling & romping in the more kid-friendly waters of La Union.  

Martina, Diego, & Danie

Annie & Ging at our beach apartment

(I last saw Ging & Vince on their wedding day back in Feb 2011, Tagaytay)

horsing around w/ Martina

wandering off from the wedding party

the last time I hung out with these folks

And so we fast forward a year later to the other side of Luzon minus the formal clothes...

Happy to have seen Amy, Kiddo & Cadey cutesie patootsie!!!

w/ Dave & Annie chillin' by the pool at Kahuna

I told you we are so much alike.  We even got matching outfits that day! 

Plus they accidentally met their Manong Jeff that day!

someone's knocked out...

My pre-Valentine date.  Surf was good that afternoon, by the way...

And so I remember we headed home sunburnt, happy, content, our tummies full w/ yummy fresh province food & dead T I R E D from the weekend play.  This is not so unusual for me since this is basically how every surfer feels when heading home to Manila.  But for me to see this feeling shared by my friends who rarely go to the beach...lawyers, businessmen, corporate gals who, just by looking at their faces while we were packing up to go home, exuded a certain glow that meant they were recharged & re-energized just from playing in the ocean.  Or just by being near it.  

Sure, there's plenty of work waiting back in Manila and the next day's urban grub would probably wipe away the weekend memories in a snap, but I'd say that's the purpose of this journal sometimes.  It could be a place for us to go back to & be recharged again by the love shared between friends, family, and Mother Nature.

2008

2012

May we have more road trips to the ocean, Annie! Let's not wait 4 years again please. 

Puppies, kids, and matching outfits are always welcome.