The morning sun is warming my face; I am sitting on my couch, notebook in hand, and sipping some coffee. I am talking with God, and I ask Him, “Is this dream I’m living really what you want me to devote my life to? Is this vision I can't stop obsessing over really from you?” Usually, when I pray, my thoughts go all over the place, making it hard to come to any actual conclusion. When I asked God for His confirmation with this prayer, I sensed Him leading me to get practical and look at the facts. So that's just what I did.

Pretty much from the moment I was born, I have had a board under my feet. In fact, the majority of my childhood pictures can testify to this. Eating sand, crawling over surfboards, and soaking up what I would later come to recognize as Southern California’s iconic beach culture.'