SurfWriter Girls New Year’s Greetings!

Happy New Year from SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel

Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel hold the exclusive rights to the following copyrighted material. For permission to reprint or excerpt it and/or link it to another website, contact them at surfwriter.girls@gmail.com.

Global New Year’s Celebrations

Around the world, people ring in the New Year with special celebrations to ensure good fortune, health and prosperity. Borrowing from different countries’ traditions, here are some things you can do to get 2012 off to a good start: 

  

·         On the first day of the New Year eat lentil soup – lentils signify wealth (Brazil).

·         Cook a whole chicken to symbolize prosperity; a whole fish for togetherness; uncut noodles for long life (China).

·         Throw old dishes and plates at the homes of friends on New Year’s Eve for good luck. The next morning, if you find lots of broken dishes on your front doorstep, it means you have many friends (Denmark).

·         Leave a bit of food on your dinner plate until after midnight to ensure a well-stocked pantry in the New Year (Germany).

·         Bake a cake with a silver or gold coin inside. It’s considered lucky to get the slice with the coin (Greece).

·         Eat 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight – one grape for each month. If a grape for one month is sweet that means that will be a good month; if the grape is sour then the month will be bad (Mexico).

·         Make a list of all the unhappy events from the current year; then just before midnight throw the list into the fire – removing the negative energy from the New Year (Mexico).

New Year’s Resolutions for All of Us

Make sure to use sunscreen.

Get fit.

Cook Healthy Meals.

Help the environment.

Cartoons Courtesy of Reader’s Digest.

SurfWriter Girls’ friend Karyl Garbow sent this advice with her Christmas card:

Laugh when you can, apologize when you should, and let go of what you can’t change. Kiss slowly, forgive quickly, play hard, take chances, give everything, have no regrets. Life is too short to be anything but happy.

**********************

After your champagne toast, remember to recycle the bottle.

Wishing you a Happy New Year with no ifs, ands, or (cigarette) butts,

Filled with perfect waves, clean beaches, and friends to share them with.

Sunny and Patti checking out the Tesla electric car

Happy New Year!

SurfWriter Girls Sunny & Patti

The Day Before Christmas

A Surfrider Christmas Story

By SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel

Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel hold the exclusive rights to the following copyrighted material. For permission to reprint or excerpt it and/or link it to another website, contact them at surfwriter.girls@gmail.com

 It was the day before Christmas and all through the beach

The seagulls were flying and eating everything in reach.

The stockings and beach cleanup bags were hung by the recycler with care,

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.

Photo by Ric Magdaug

The surfers were all up from their beds

While visions of waves danced in their heads.

Tony and Seth and Mike and Jeff were out at the shore gathering litter

And Gilbert was making sure the morning coffee didn’t taste bitter.

 When out past the breakers there arose such a clatter,

The Surfrider volunteers strained to see what was the matter.

Off down the pier they raced like a flash,

Fearful that the vision they saw might crash.

For there in the light of day what did appear,

But a surfing Santa without his reindeer.

Toes on the nose, he was lively and quick.

Shooting the curl, it really was St. Nick!

Decked out in his red hat and board shorts by Hurley,

He shouted, “Cowabunga, dudes! I got in early.”

Before anyone knew what to say,

Santa was well on his way.

His white beard flowing, he shifted his sack,

Leaving the surfers to stare at his back.

 Over the roar of the waves, they heard him chuckle with glee,

“Don’t worry. Tomorrow your presents will be under the tree.”

 Wishing you these gifts of the holiday season:

Family and friends, clean beaches and joy without reason.

 

Photo by Greg Kishel

SurfWriter Girls Sunny & Patti

http://www.surfwritergirls.blogspot.com

Sunny’s Big B-Day

Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel hold the exclusive rights to the following copyrighted material. For permission to reprint or excerpt it and/or link it to another website, contact them at surfwriter.girls@gmail.com

SurfWriter Girl Sunny Magdaug’s birthday on Friday started with the sound of music when her mom and brother Ric brought her roses from the family’s garden and sang Happy Birthday to her.

Before long SurfWriter Girl Patti Kishel showed up and it was off to breakfast at Schooner or Later’s dockside café in Alamitos Bay. The restaurant’s outdoor patio was jammed, but we found a table right near the boats.

Sunny ordered banana nut pancakes – a tall stack (not small) – because it was her birthday. Patti had the spinach and Swiss cheese omelet.

After breakfast we stopped to fill in at the life guards’ station.

Then we cruised through Seal Beach before heading back to Sunny’s house in the afternoon.

When we walked in the door Ric was cleaning the house to get everything ready for the birthday party. And there wasn’t much time to spare. Sunny’s sister Rose and niece Laura came bursting in the door with a Black Forest cake from Katella Deli in Los Alamitos. And Sunny’s friend Raquel wasn’t far behind them. 

It didn’t take long before everyone was sitting at the kitchen table eating Costco’s combo pizza with everything on it.

Sunny got some great presents including sleep shades so she can get her beauty sleep and be up bright and early for beach cleanups. She also got workout clothes – no more excuses about not going to the gym!

There were books, candy, cards and more.

Sunny did a good job blowing out the candles on her cakes – both of them! That’s right she had two.

After eating as much as our stomachs could hold it was time to play cards…some cut-throat games of gin rummy with Sunny’s mom winning most of the hands.

Just when the party was winding down and people were leaving Sunny’s nephew James and her brother Dave, who’s a tennis pro, showed up and everything started up again…with more pizza and cake.

The party shifted into an even higher gear when Sunny’s brother-in-law Grant arrived with Sunny’s nephews and niece – Scott, Daniel and Jacqueline.

We lit the candles on the cake again and sang “Happy Birthday” – for the third time! And Sunny was happy that her wish came true …having her family there with her. 

Scott, an accomplished musician, played his guitar and everyone joined in singing…even Daniel, the youngest. So, the day ended – close to midnight – as it began…with music.

SurfWriter Girls Thanksgiving Greetings!

Happy Thanksgiving from SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel

Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel hold the exclusive rights to the following copyrighted material. For permission to reprint or excerpt it and/or link it to another website, contact them at surfwriter.girls@gmail.com.

Wishing you and your family and friends a time of togetherness and joy. Some of the things we have to be thankful for are:

Turkey with all the trimmings

Good smells filling the house

Sweet potatoes with marshmallows

Cranberry sauce

Green bean casseroles

Pumpkin pie, apple pie and any pie 

Egg nog and spiced apple cider

Java Jaws Surfer’s coffee

Leftovers

I am VERY Thankful to be ALIVE everyday! enjoying my ohana, sunshine, surf and a PRIMO beer is just a HUGE PLUS!

- Devin Keoni Ryan

I am grateful that our Founding Fathers helped us to be free enough to continue this family tradition and didn't create committees to eat the turkey.

- Diana Gallagher

I am thankful for my family, good health, and wonderful job teaching at Cypress College. On the lighter side, I am thankful for bacon, chocolate, sea salt and red wine (all at the same time is even better).

-Lisa Clark

Family and friends

BFFs

Hugs and laughter

I'm very thankful for dear friends who go the extra mile.  Spreading "sunshine" is a treasured gift.  Thank you!

-Helena DeCoro

At a time when many families are experiencing great challenges, I am thankful for the bounty in my life with regard to basic needs we sometimes take for granted.  I appreciate that I have a warm place to sleep, food in my stomach, good health, and a wonderful network of friends and family that I love and who love me.

-Jade Martner

I am very blessed and thank God every day for my many blessings, including just being born in this country and my wonderful family and friends.

-Doris Hart

I am thankful that my home was spared in the Reno NV Caughlin Fire this week.  Prayers and wishes of support go out to the 35 families whose homes were destroyed or damaged.  I am also thankful that my wonderful 96 year old father is so healthy and active.  He is a true blessing to our whole family.

-Mary Gibson

The Reno Fire from Mary's House

I'm thankful, in this economic disaster, to have a good full-time job that pays enough for me to live comfortably and pay all my cat's vet bills. I'm also thankful for a sweet, old kitty to keep me company, a great boss, and wonderful friends who care about our wildlife and environment, like you!  Happy Thanksgiving!

 -Dana Michaels

I would like to give thanks to my family for always supporting me since the day I was born and also, to my boyfriend, David Moon, for making me feel like a princess every single day! :)

-Kathleen Peng

Hope everyone have a great holiday, and enjoy turkey's day with yours family and relatives, happy holidays......best wishes to all.

-Phuc Tran

Football games all day long on TV

Children playing

 

I would like to thank my children Chris and Katara for keeping me on my toes, and God for giving me the many gifts of my life: Family, children, and a wonderful circle of people who I have  had the pleasure and honor of learning from.

 -Rhonda Slade

I'm thankful for my happy, healthy family and my two sweet little grandsons, Sean and Alexander.

-Lynn Cristina

  

There is so much to be thankful for in 2011!!!  Instead of thinking globally I will think locally....my son married a wonderful woman in August and my daughter had a third healthy baby this year also.  Tony and I have been happily married for 30 years and we stay dry when it rains and never miss a meal!  Happy Thanksgiving!

-Barbara Melum

Barbara's Grandchildren

Brightly colored autumn leaves

Being able to be myself

The measure of a man is not the amount of zeros in his bank account or what kind of

car he drives, nor is it the size and location of his house. The measure of a man is not

defined by his occupation or his status in society nor can he be counted by his conquest.

The true measure of a man is defined in his relationships with others. I count my blessings

this Thanksgiving to find I am the richest man in the world.

May God bless you and keep you this holiday season.

-Pastor Dave Williams

I am grateful everyday to have the freedom and good health to choose what I would like to do.  My goal is that the choices I make reflect my appreciation for these blessings.

-Barbara Ramsey

I am thankful for great times I had with my best friend my dad before he passed away a year ago.

I am thankful for my mom being cancer free for about 15 years.

I am thankful for all the teachers at Cypress College that go out of their way to help students.

I am thankful for my dad's 15 years of service to the Seal Beach Police Volunteer program.

I am thankful for the journey throughout my life,  who I have met, what I have accomplished and being able to see all the beautiful things that surround me.

I am thankful for valuable resources like water and electricity so I can drink water and turn the lights on and off, a roof over my head, lawn that I can mow, windows that I can clean and driveway so I can have garage sales because it means I have a home.

-Vanessa Sundusky

Meaningful work to do

Getting our beaches clean

I am thankful that there are so many people that put forth so much of their time and effort to try and improve our planet.

 -Don MacLean

Surfing when the wave is all yours

I'm extremely thankful for my health and being able to continually do something I love so much- SURF!!!

-Jeff Deffenbaugh

Surfrider Foundation Huntington Beach/Seal Beach Chapter Ambassador

Jeff Deffenbaugh with Brett Simpson

We’re thankful for our family and friends, for Patti’s husband Greg, who is the love of her life, Sunny’s mom, who always beats everyone at cards, for being writing partners and BFFs., everyone at Cypress College, for Smokey, the world’s most adventurous cat…the Surfrider Foundation and our SurfWriter Girls followers.

May all the joys of Thanksgiving stay with you throughout the year.

Love,

Sunny and Patti