I was able to get out once this week. I caught a head cold and I am still recovering from it.

Time: Sunday Morning
Where: JT
Surfed with: Jacob, Cynthia and also saw Julie and Ian! 
Swell Height: waist high
Swell Condition: clean fast lefts and sunny

Highlights of the session:

Cynthia arrived at the JT at 7am and we rolled in around 8am to beat the Spring winds. I rushed to get out into the line up to meet up with Cynthia while Jacob took his time. It was a nice easy dry paddle out. The waves were a little sparse at first. After 10 minutes, Cynthia and I caught one wave together! Cynthia had to leave to visit with her sick kitty, but she is on the mend.

I paddled back out and Jacob finally met up with me. While waiting for the waves I spotted Julie in the water. She and I participated in a Pacifica Art Festival. She makes really nice fleece jackets and other fleece products. I paddled over to her and we talked for a bit. She told me that she use to live right on Steamers Lane in Santa Cruz. Jealous! She moved up here for different reasons, but lives really close to the JT. I hope I will see her out in the water again.

After talking to her, Ian, a guy in my business networking group yelled my name! I love being in the water with people I know. We talked for a bit and then I caught 2 really nice lefts. It seemed like the swell was getting messier with the tide. My hands started going numb so I wanted to go in and caught one more and called it a day.

Spread the Swell,
J-Bird

I grew up in Hampton, NH located 5 minutes from the ocean. I didn't realize how much this would impact my life. I often sat on the beach wall at North Beach eating a bagel from JB's Bagel (now KB's Bagel) with my friends and family. We would talk, sit, watch and walk at the beach almost every day. When I was 13 years old, I saw surfers catching waves and I said to myself, "Hey, I want to do that!" So, I started out on my surf journey.

Luckily, John Polzella, my parent's friend from church, was giving surf lessons that summer! It was serendipitous! I thought we were going straight to the ocean, but John did not start me out in the water. He gave me a packet about surfing etiquette, showed me different types of surfboards (long, short, single fin, tri fin, etc) and told me what each part of the surfboard was called. He showed me endless surf videos so I could see how people ride different surfboards and waves. 

After 3 (indoor) classes, he finally brought me to the beach. The first thing he did was push me while I was standing on the beach! Being surprised, I pushed him back and said, "What was that for?!?" He said he needed to figure out if I was regular or goofy foot. I am regular. He gave me his 7'6 Hobie surfboard from the 1970's to ride. He showed me how to duck dive the white water, how to sit on the board, how to paddle and read the wave. He always reminded me about surf etiquette, to have the aloha spirit, and most importantly to have FUN while surfing. I still have this mindset today!

I caught my first wave on my belly and the exhilaration from catching the wave was so extreme. I couldn't stop smiling, laughing and jumping around like a kook. I didn't even care what other people on the beach thought because it was the BEST feeling in the world! I immediately went back out for more and even caught a wave on my feet in the white water. I was completely hooked.

From that day on, I knew I had to keep surfing and catch a real wave. I thought if white water feels this great then riding on a real wave like a real surfer has to be even more amazing! John and I met up a bunch of times that summer and I eventually got my own surfboard. Since I couldn't drive yet, I made my family take me and I also didn't want to be alone if something happened to me. Unfortunately, none of my friends surfed at the time.

Years went by and I was improving and surfing alone. At one point, John tried to convince me to do surfing competitions, but I vowed to myself that I would never do one because surfing is purely fun and not competitive for me. For me, surfing is a lifestyle and not a sport. I fell in love with surfing so much that I wanted to find a partner that I could share my love of surfing with. I met Jacob my second year of college. He was an avid skier but had never tried surfing. I convinced him that he had to try it and 10 years later he is still surfing with me.

When Jacob and I got married in 2008, we decided that the day after our wedding we wanted to do a "first surf session as a married couple." John came to our wedding and joined us for the surf session. We hadn't surfed together for probably 10 years. He said he was so happy that I was still surfing and that I got Jacob into surfing too! In that moment, it was like everything came full circle. John taught me as a child, and 12 years later he was surfing with me as a grown woman with my husband. It was such a remarkable moment for both of us. He has taught a bunch of people how to surf, but he told me that I was one of the only ones that really kept to the commitment. 

If it were not for John, I wouldn't be where I am today. I wouldn't be a surfer, I wouldn't have started BirdSwell and I wouldn't be living in California. I can only hope that I can make an impact on someone's life like John's impact on me.

Thank you, John, for teaching me and introducing me to one of the biggest passions in my life. Thank you for taking me out into the vast ocean and giving me the aloha spirit. I am indebted to you as most of my life decisions have revolved around the surfing lifestyle!

J-Bird, Jacob and John Pozella at our "First Surf Session as a Married Couple" in 2008

My BirdSwell art is influenced by surfing, ocean, design, and colors, but I am also very inspired and influenced by these 3 artists.

• Salvador Dali
• Hayao Miyazaki
• Nick La

I love the organic, fantasy, and mystical aspects that they all utilize in their work. Each artist has created their own unusual and unique styles.

Salvador Dali's drips and melting forms really inspire me. His unusual personality shines through all of his work and I love that he was always truly himself. I first saw his work in an art history high school class and fell in love with his work. When I studied abroad in Italy for a semester, I was able to travel to Barcelona and saw his art work in his gallery. His work is very complicated, but the forms in his work really speak to me.

I am inspired by both Miyazaki and Nick La's Japanese style.

The first Miyazaki I watched was "Howl's Moving Castle" and was extremely inspired by the mystical artwork and imaginative story. Before watching this, I was never really into Japanese Anime. After seeing and watching Miyazaki's work, I was completely hooked. I really enjoy Studio Ghibli's work. Miyazaki is not afraid to put his imagination into his work and that really inspires me.

I saw Nick La speak at Design Conference in New York City. He was my favorite speaker of the conference because he took the audience through his step by step process of creating his illustrations. His illustrations are detailed, colorful and eye catching. He starts off with a simple drawing and transfers it onto the computer adds detail and color through Adobe Illustrator. He is an incredible illustrator. I really love his work. He is really humble and extremely talented.

There are other artist that influence me, but these are my top three that I admire.

Spread the Swell,
J-Bird

I only got into the ocean once this week. This past week was full of rain and stormy swell. I am hoping that the stormy swell will subside so I can go back into the ocean. I am going stir crazy!

Time: Dawn Patrol
Where: Bunnies
Surfed with: Jacob
Board: Tweetie P
Swell Height:  Shoulder high
Swell Condition: clean crisp lefts

Highlights:
Frosty 35 degrees with frost on the ground. Easy paddle out with clean lines. It was just Jacob and me and no one else out. Caught a lot of fun waves!

 1.11.12 - LM shoulders

Time: Dawn Patrol
Where: Linda Mar
Surfed with: Jacob and Amanda
Swell Height: Shoulder High
Swell Condition: Quick Rights and Left shoulders

Highlights:

Caught a bunch of waves in the beautiful morning sun.

1.12.12 - LM shoulders

Time: Dawn Patrol
Where: Montara then Linda Mar
Surfed with: Jacob
Swell Height:  Waist High
Swell Condition: Clean, Mellow, Off Shore

Highlights:
We went into Montara at first and the current was too intense. We decided to go back to LM and grabbed a couple of waves in morning the sun.

Unfortunately, we didn't go surfing on Saturday when the swell was beautiful. We were hoping to go out on Sunday, but the wind was kicked up and the surf was completely blown out.

Ride Waves and Spread the Swell,
J-Bird