On a lovely June afternoon, soon after waking up and realizing that I was a bum on my own couch, I felt the calming radiation of the ocean’s waves pushing through my living room window. I no longer had to delve into the books and cram for another exam that I certainly wasn’t ready for. I simply lifted my head off the pillow, opened the blinds, and knew in five seconds that it was going to be head-high, glassy, and a cool fifty-two degrees. Perfect conditions for a perfect day. My life couldn’t get any better. For two weeks I was able to wake up with this feeling, not once having to check surfline. While not every day was as beautiful as in the photo above, the realization that I lived in one of the most fantastic places on earth was not to be taken for granted. Every day I made sure to be thankful for what I had, and every day what I had became better. Above, I am riding a 9’1” noserider shaped by yours truly. I boxed it with a 9” single Strive fin and carved a nice big concave under the nose for superior relaxation. It has a custom tri-color stringer paint job on the bottom, and custom tribal swashes on the top with my “flamemaker” logo in the middle. The most difficult process by far was glassing the board. Thanks the legendary Jeff Malmen out of Morro Bay, CA, we were able to put a 6/6 top and a 6/4 bottom on for ultimate strength and maneuverability. Unfortunately during the time I was shaping this board, I was also taking finals. Every day of final’s week was identical - wake up, go to Jeff’s, shape for five hours, go home, study, take a final, go to sleep, and wake up the next morning to do the same thing. It was all completely worth it.