found out the hard way why surfers tend to be in such great shape

So let's do a little weekend in review, shall we?

After another stellar day in the office (never thought I'd say that...wow I'm getting old), I threw a few t-shirts and my bathing suit in a bag and got on a bus headed down to 7 Mile Beach.

What's at 7 Mile Beach, you ask? It's the home of Surf Camp Australia, a weekend surf camp designed for beginners who long to pretend that they're coordinated enough to surf (like me). After a 3 hour bus ride, we settled in at camp, which gave me flashbacks of Girl Scouts with the rickety bunk beds, communal picnic bench filled eating area, and outdoor showers to rinse off at post-beach.

Woken up in the morning by birds so loud it felt like they were sitting next to my pillow, we shuffled out of our rooms, downed some cereal, shimmied into our wet suits and headed down to the beach, a short 5 minute walk away.

In a town of 500 with an average age of 60, the beach was understandably pretty deserted. Literally 7 miles of beach, the crystal clear water and soft, cool sands welcomed us in for our very first surfing session.

Let's just say that my first attempt at surfing was anything but graceful. More accurately described as awkward and uncoordinated, I wiped out more times than I could count during my first four hours as a surfer. But before the day was done, I managed to shakily make my way up into a standing position (I know I was surprised too).

On our way back to camp after a long and tiring (but not yet over) day, with the setting sun as a backdrop, we turned our heads and saw a pod of dolphins just passing on through (!!!!!!!!!!!).

Sunday morning, wake up was a painfully early 7 am, so after a quick breakfast, we shimmied into our cold, wet wet suits and made our way down to the beach for a morning filled with surfing (or in my case, for a morning filled with wiping out and the occasional success).

Let me just say that wiping out, really wipes you out. I'd never been more tired or sore, so now it makes sense why surfers are in such superb shape. I worked out muscles I didn't even know I had and I'm still in pain when I try and raise my arms above my head.

Since we were the first group to surf in the morning, we had a two hour block of free time before we had to head out, and after lunch I took to the beach to do a little kick out run. It was so breathtakingly beautiful I forgot I was running at one point (always a major plus). With the sound of the surf crashing to my left and the view of the mountain rising high above me, I couldn't think of a better place to go on a run.

Packed up and ready to leave, we said good-byes to the surf instructors who had helped in making the weekend as fun as it was, and we hopped on the bus. Before leaving town, we stopped by a quaint little ice cream shop with the most delicious ice cream on a hill side overlooking the ocean. 

UNREAL. Stairway to heaven and New York chocolate chunk ice cream with a view of the ocean. SO. GOOD.

Basically a perfect end to a perfect day/weekend.

Also, today I had the best cup of coffee I have ever had and I felt like I had to share:

Early wake up tomorrow so that's all for now! Peace out Girl Scouts.

xoxo
Katie