This is my view from the mexican Doctor's office. 

I was getting sea urchin pieces removed from my foot with a large needle. Ouch!!!

                                          Fresh coconut water is the best recovery drink.

Washing off the sea salt and the diesel fuel in fresh water made me feel like a new women. Driving in heavy traffic in Mexico is pretty toxic and very humid but a very cultural experience that I highly recommend;)

Air Travel

  I always cringe inwardly when someone asks me what I do because I know the inevitability of the next question....SO What exactly do you do in television? Pregnant pause..."I have a travel show" I reply. Your one lucky lady they reply. Yes. In truth, I do feel very fortunate. But as with everything in life there are checks and balances. The good , the bad and the ugly.

I'm going to start with the ugly. No one looks good after 16 hrs of travel, not even Movie starts. If you think the hat and sunglasses are for effect your dead wrong. They are a disguise, yes, but for greasy hair and puffy, blood shot eyes. If you have any delusions that air travel is glamorous, then you haven't boarded a commercial airline in the last 5 years. You are no longer fed and your lucky if you get water. If you've been smart enough to pack your own pick-nick than your golden, otherwise you will end up at your destination, bloated, grumpy, thirsty and starving.

The bad news is virtually all airlines are the same and the good news is even rich people can't afford to fly first class anymore!  The good news is that flying has become very affordable and there really is no good reason anymore not to travel the world. Pack your bags people because the those few hours of grumpy customs agents, crazy cab drivers , bad indigestion and impossibly small bathrooms are worth it. Because no matter how many times I get stuck in traffic because there is a parade in the streets or a cow taking a shit , it never gets old. I even like trying out my bad spanish on some unlucky lady who has made the mistake of making eye contact with me. I love not knowing what the waiter will bring after I order and it's always a nice surprise when the coffee is good.

I love the idea that we are a global village and we can learn so much from each other just by hanging out together. I learned more about Pakistan from my cab driver in 15 minutes than I ever learned on CNN. By tasting strange food, breathing exotic fragrances and experiencing the people of other cultures perhaps we can learn some compassion and understanding that will serve us well in the future. Maybe the next time you watch the news you won't be so quick to judge and take sides. Maybe I'm overshooting, but even so a little travel never hurt anyone!

I had the most amazing adventures this weekend and I can't wait to share the video with all of you.

The first to Jump

Remember the first time?

A flash in the pan of life
Twinkle in your eyes and laughter in your heart
Time stopped,stood still and rotated

Feels like the first time
Crossing the line
It must be a sign
To live in this moment

That first glance
That first dance
The first chance
To find love

A breath, some blood pumping
An old familiar buzzing in my brain
Water rushing in my ears
Thinking about being the first to jump

Before & After Photoshop

Port Renfrew, B.C.

Welcome to Soule Creek Lodge, Port Renfrew, B.C.

Avatar Forest

Soule Creek Lodge

Dinning Room at Soule

Surf Spot on the West Coast of Vancouver Island

Nicest bathtub for apres surf warm up

Botanical Beach

Heron

"Wow" moments in the surf lifestyle

Fall Forward

Plants work on putting down deep roots in the fall. So do I. I feel myself tumbling inwards and focusing on what's really important to me. The seasons allow me to express all parts of my creative self.
I often fantasize about moving to a sunnier climate where I can frolic in the ocean full time. My only downfall might be that I get very little accomplished as an artist. I need the cold morning of fall as a reminder to start creating an inner world, one of music, painting, photography and film. Perhaps my geographic location is more of a necessity and less of an option. The cultural landscape of Canada allows me as an artist to focus on creating. Those long dark nights of winter give me more than enough free time to negate excuses and get working on something. A great painter, John Hoolie, once said to me, "create or die." Perhaps a little exaggerated but I think he was referring to the "sole" not the body.
If you have a creative mind, you should express it, however you may choose.

My first project this fall is to make a coffee table out of a stump I found while fishing near Strathcona Park. Being a "man made lake," the shore is littered with old growth Douglas fur stumps. As a child these stumps used to scare me; the many and long outstretched roots looked like arms, but now I see only the beauty of the weathered old wood. I'm only held back by the lack of chain saw experience. But as my father always sang, "I love a women with a chain saw".

My second project will be to get my feet wet filming. I haven't been behind the camera in years and I long to create film. I have an idea for a short, funny, long board movie. I've never tried comedy before and I think it's time...

Stay tuned for project number three as it involves a long awaited second season of Restless Josie.....to be continued.

The "YES" question

Quote Post

 

You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage - pleasantly, smilingly, nonapologetically - to say ‘no’ to other things. And the way to do that is by having a bigger ‘yes’ burning inside. The enemy of the ‘best’ is often the ‘good.’

— Stephen R. Covey(Source: kari-shma, via quote-book)


I love this Quote because one of my biggest struggles is fear. I'm scared to miss an opportunity and as a result I say "Yes"
to everything.This quote makes me re-think this strategy. Maybe I should focus on the end goal and take only the opportunities that serve that goal. I might miss the some fun but maybe I'll gain some strength and FOCUS!

 This is my dog Silva at a secret beach in Ucluelet. My friends Lennie and Serena where married at this beach on Saturday. The best part of the whole weekend was getting to surf with 15 of my closest friends at Wickaninnish beach. It was a perfect long boarding day and having my friends there to share my excitement made it even more fun. Until next time...

I shambled after as usual as I've been doing all my life after people that interest me, because the only people that interest me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones that never yearn or say a commonplace thing.....but burn, burn, burn like a roman candles across the night.- On the Road by Jack Kerouac

Rip Curl Stew 2012

I was lucky this weekend because I got to visit one of my favorite places in the world, Tofino. B.C. I watched some of my favorite athletes and friends  compete in this year's Rip Curl Stew Surf Comp. The event celebrates Canada's growing surf scene and attracts longboarders, groms (a.k.a junior surfers) and Canada's top professional surfers. 

The scene is always fun with music, parties, fashion and of course the warm stew being served up right on the beach. This year Peter Devries won the big $5000.00 check, coming first in the men's category, followed by Sepp Bruhwiler in second and Raph Bruhwiler in third. Lea Oke won the women's category for the second year in a row and Kalum Bruhwiler placed first in the Juniors. 

I got to surf great conditions on Sunday and had a fantastic time enjoying everything this Tuff little beach town had to offer. Hopefully, I'll see you there next year?

Adam Chilton

Reid Jackson

Christian
Montinho

Des Larson

Kalum Bruhwiler

Raph Bruhwiler

Peter Devries 

Noah Cohen

Salinas Laperrier

Mud,Sweat and Tears

I"m reading Bear Grylls autobiography, "Mud,Sweat and Tears. It's a very honest account of a former UK Special Forces paratrooper turned TV star. His TV series Man vrs Wild is watched by 1.2 billion viewers in more than 180 countries. It may be cliche but I thought I could learn a thing or two from his success. I'm only 3/4 of the way through the book but I read a quote I wanted to share. "Life has taught me to be very cautious of a man(or women) with a dream, especially a man who has teetered on the edge of life. It gives fire and recklessness inside that is hard to quantify.It can also make them fun to be around." I love this statement because it's been proven true to me over and over again in my own life. When I first started to work on my Restless Josie webisodes I was desperately searching for something. If I hadn't been so unhappy in my life, I wouldn't have fought so hard to develop a career I could be proud of. If life really knocks you down, what are you going to do? Fight back and just lay there and take it? I think this is what separates us. Are you a whiner and a bitcher or a happy warrior? We all have that choice:)

Think before you speak

I read a lot. Sometimes a passage strikes a cord with me and I can't get it out of my head. Usually because I can either personally relate or I'm just utterly inspired by the honesty and integrity of the words. Last night I read just a such a quote. "Before you speak ask yourself if what you are going to say is true, is kind, is necessary, is helpful. If the answer is no, maybe what you are about to say should be left unsaid." - Meltzer Bernard I really like this because I often ask myself these questions to late. I try to make the person I'm talking to comfortable by chatting them up. Maybe in the future I will practice my active listening skills and take a moment or two to really think about what I'm going to say.

Comox Valley Record - 'Restless Josie' show features Crashed Ice champ Croxall

Comox Valley Record - 'Restless Josie' show features Crashed Ice champ Croxall

Do not miss the TUFF TV 'Restless Josie' featuring World Champion Kyle Croxall, winner of the 2012 Red Bull Crashed Ice. The 2012 'Restless Josie' TV series is well underway, Josie's first trip was in March and took her to Quebec City to report on the Red Bull World Champion Crashed Ice Competition. This crazy sport has male and female athletes wearing full hockey gear and downhill ice skating at break-neck speed down a daredevil course. This year's course was constructed through the hilly streets of Quebec City. Josie was there to witness Kyle Croxall win the championship in front of 100,000 spectators. "It feels amazing" said Croxall after winning the Ice Cross Downhill World Championship".  How did he do it? By getting a second place in Quebec, Kyle finished the year with 3000 points, just 40 ahead of Finland's Arttu Pihlainen. Croxall won an Austin MINI by securing the World Title. Kyle's brother, Scott Croxall, crashed into a wall late in the race and still secured a third. The 'Restless Josie Crashed Ice Special" will also cover some of the local attractions in Quebec City and take the viewer behind the scenes of the incredible World Champianship event. " I've have had the opportunity to have an exciting  life where I travel to  amazing places and meet great people" says Josie, but my job's especially cool when I can shine the spotlight on an incredible athlete! To check out more visit : http://win.gs/szrak1 www.restlessjosie.com TUFF TV will also be streaming the special live on there web-site. http://www.tufftv.com/ Airing Dates on TUFF TV Saturday May 19th at 7:30 PM. Sunday May 20th at 5:30 PM. Saturday May 26th at 7:30 PM. Sunday May 27th at 5:30 PM.

Tofino Time

This was my weekend off in Tofino. Notice the large goofy smile at the end? That's because my sol is happy when I'm surfing and breathing fresh salty air. I love my wild west coast friends who live there and I'm exited for my next visit!

This photo was taken at the Red Bull Crashed Ice in Quebec. My episode on that extremely exciting event is finally complete! you can live stream it at http://www.tufftv.com/ The following will be the times Saturday May 19th at 7:30 PM.EST Sunday May 20th at 5:30 PM.EST Saturday May 26th at 7:30 PM.EST Sunday May 27th at 5:30 PM.EST