So now the history....

Back in 1996 Brandon took his 15 year old little sister, Brooke, to Cowell's Surf Shop in Santa Cruz to purchase a surfboard to learn on. The winner was this Doug Haut board made that same year. Once she was confident enough in her surfing skills she acquired a new more agressive board. Enter one Tiffiny Smith, a small town girl who had a severe crush on her Sunday School teacher. Brandon bought the board off of his sister for me to learn on. OH, what memories come flooding back to mind. Surfing was a HUGE part of our courtship. We would wake up early in the morning and head over the hill for dawn patrol. If we didn't have to work until that evening we would just surf all day. If we had to work afternoon shifts we would go back out again after work. My hands, neck, and face had that funny tanline that only a wetsuit can provide. (The surfers "farmer tan"?)

Well, the board got quite beat up after two beginners and I got a new board. We lent this board out for others to experience the surfing scene, some with success and others not. We ended up giving the board to a friend in our ward who really took to the sport. He broke the nose and brought it back to Brandon to fix it. This required more than just ding repair. What it really needed was a surfboard surgeon but Brandon did his best. The board was never the same and Brandon felt bad for not being able to fix it. He ended up trading the board back for another one we had laying around the garage. Tonight the nose was cut off and the board sawed in half down the stringer. I now realize our foolishness in ever giving this piece of our history away and am glad to have it back, safe and sound, forever a part of our family. No matter that it's not half the board it used to be!!!