MAD DREAM DESIGN: ocean

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Loving Lately // Happy Friday + Giveaway!

Happy Friday friends!

What do you have planned for the weekend? I know I am going to fully enjoy mine!

Summer is flying by, but then it always does...is it becasue it is my favorite time of year???

Late sunsets, warm nights, sunny days, getting outside (more), enjoying nature, the beach and my favorite - the ocean. I would take the ocean over the beach any day. Being in the water, or on the water surrounded by big blue...that is where I want to be when I can.
I'll be there tomorrow morning.

I have not been there as much I would like to be this summer, and I am okay with that. I have been inspired by it, and all nature, so I have been in the shop creating and making. I love being there just as much...my hands are saying what my words never could and I am getting them dirty. July was focused on my Summer line: Wild Hearts (which I am in love with, by the way), but August is going to be focused on enjoying the rest of my summer (Hawaii, people, Hawaii) and getting on the water, paddling and some surfing (I miss Blackies, SanO too).

I have so much to be thankful for and I am loving all the awesome support my friends and family have given me over the past few months starting this, what I hope to be, epic journey. So I think it needs to be celebrated...

Last week I reached over 100 likes on Facebook, along with a few other milestones, and I have just released my Summer line. So, I am giving away a pair of my copper earrings to celebrate!

Native drop earrings with puka shell in copper.

The only mandatory entry for this giveaway is to like us on Facebook, which is simple enough. All the other entries are for bonus points. :)

Good luck!

Falling For Friday // 4-5-13

Hello Friday, my good friend!

Spring Love Fest

What are your favorite things about Spring?

I am loving the warmer afternoons, my garden going off with flowers everywhere, the smell of jasmine, that it is lighter later, the smell of salt on the wind and that fresh feeling...you know what I am talking about!

1 // 2 // 3 // 4

Here is a fun graphic for what I plan to do this spring and summer..anyone else?

by Maddie Dierkes

And now, I am going to leave you with this, one of my favorite quotes.

Photo Credit

"The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears and the sea." - Isak Dinesen

Enjoy your weekend!

CAF San Diego Triathlon Challenge

One of my favorite events of the year is the ocean swim I do at the CAF SDTC at the end of October. The SDTC takes over La Jolla for a whole Sunday. They have swimmers swimming 1.2 miles in La Jolla Cove, bikers tackling the notorious Torrey Pines incline during their 44 mile trek and runners looping around La Jolla in their 10 mile run.

If you are on a relay team, like I am every year, you only have to endure one of these amazing feats, but if you are a triathlete then you are taking on the biggest challenge of doing all three of these! I find that amazing in it self, but what is even more amazing about CAF and this triathlon is that a lot of these competitors are challenged athletes, missing one or more limbs. Now that is inspiring and something to appreciate.

My favorite things about SDTC are the pictures, the moments, the accomplishments and the supportive atmosphere. New records are made, new personal best times are had (I was able to shave off a good 5 minutes of of my time from last year!!), and new stories are told. It is great to be apart of this event and I am so lucky to work for the title sponsor of this event, Aspen Medical Products.

Aspen Medical Products and CAF have been working together for a very long time building awareness and funds for challenged athletes through the San Diego Triathlon Challenge. This a cause that is very close to a lot of us and has become a company wide en devour. We fund raise, we hold luncheons, we get to know CAF staff, we get to know challenged athletes, we participate in relay teams, we volunteer, we walk in the 5K walk, we take tons of photos, we provide, we ride, we swim, we run, and we support. Aspen makes this a weekend event and gets everyone together for one cause that couldn't be more empowering to me as an athlete.

I was so excited to have my boyfriend, Jimi, my Uncle Jeff, and my younger cousin, Jenna, join me for my morning swim and be my support group. Mom and Dad followed along with a play-by-play from my uncle, and I received encouraging texts from my sister, Lily, and friends! Seriously so blessed to have such a great group of people in my life! Thank you all for your support, whether you came out to cheer me and the other athletes one, had words of encouragement, or donated funds through me in order to support CAF. It all makes a difference and it made for a great event and a great swim!

P.S. I was super lucky the water was warm enough to go in with out a wetsuit...free as a bird with a suit and rash guard! Here are some great photos from my Uncle Jeff!

CAF Swim start from top of the hill

Jenna and I pre-swim

Me surfing a little wave in at finish

Jimi, Me and Jenna after my swim

Kona withdrawls

Still having withdrawls. I had forgotten how much I love the Big Island. It is still my favorite, yet I have not been to Maui or Kaua'i (I should really go!). It was so great to be back after so many years and I have to say it is still generally the same place I fell in love with the first time I went.

Here are a few places to check out if you are ever on the Big Island or in Kona.

#1 - The King Kam - The King Kamehameha Hotel is right at the site of where King Kamehameha resided when he prospered on the Big Island. This hotel is all about Big Island history and royalty. The bay in which The King Kam sits on offers a gorgeous white sand beach, the picturesque view of the Ahu'ena Heiau, the historic temple reconstructed by King Kamehameha himself. In the lobby they offer 20 paintings depicting the history of King Kamehameha, his predecessors and of the island, all painted by a local artist, along with tons of photographs, artifacts and a mural.

#2 - Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Park - The City of Refuge - This is considered a sacred site as it was a place of sanctuary, where you could be saved. It was also Royal grounds in which chiefs came to visit and the many ki'i house the bones of these chiefs, that infuse the area with their mana, or spirit. Another great historical and spiritual site.

#3 - Waipi'o Valley - Hike down into this gorgeous valley and check out the waterfall, the black sand beach, the dense forest and river that make up this lush valley deep set in high sea cliffs. The hike back up is brutal, but if you have 4 wheel drive and a car that can make the climb and the trek through large mud puddles, that is a plus. Well worth the hike though, if you are on foot. The hike starts at the top of the southern lookout point, which also has great views.

#4 - Mauna Kea - Also, a sacred place, as are all the peaks in Hawai'i. Best known for being the highest peak in all of the state of Hawai'i. It is home to The Mauna Kea Observatories. Lots of stars to see and the drive is pretty awesome.

#5 - South Point - Down here you are at the most Southern point in the USA. There are giant sea cliffs that drop off into the ocean. Lots of fishing and jumping off of rocks happening here! There is also a green sand beach in which you can hike the 3 miles to or catch a ride with a few of the locals that take tourists to and from the beach for a small fee (it is worth it). The drive through this area is gorgeous! Lots of farm land and lots of untamed land that is rough, rugged and beautiful.

Here are some photos of our trip. Enjoy!

30 feet up at South Point

Green Sand Beach, South Point

Honaunau

Jimi on beach in front of the King Kam

Kona, Big Island, Hawai'i

Jumping off South Point

Kona Sunset

Waipi'o Valley

Waipi'o Lookout

Kona, Hawaii

I get to go to the Big Island, Kona, Hawaii this weekend for the first time since Labor Day in 2007! That is 5 years, exactly!

I am very excited to be there again, and see all of my favorite spots and be in the water. I am glad to get away and to Race in the Queen Liliuokalani Race, the largest long distance outrigger canoe race in the world. This will be my first time doing the 18 mile race on Saturday from Kona to Honaunau. I have done all the Sunday races, so now it is finally time to put my big girl pants on and do the long race!

When we are racing on Saturday, we will be thinking of Bruce and putting out the good vibes of a speedy recovery! xoxox

Here are some pictures of my past Kona trips! Enjoy!

SanO Sundays

Our favorite thing about paddling is riding waves. Hands down. One of the best places to ride waves in a canoe in Orange County, Ca is San Onofre State Beach. This kind of surfing is what you see everyone on those canoes in Waikiki doing, catching waves from way outside and being able to ride them all the way into shore. For me this is the best of both worlds...surfing and paddling, can't get any better than that, in my opinion.

Photo Credit: Kel Thompson

My love for the ocean started when I was really young. I wanted to be a lifeguard at the age of three, swim lessons were my favorite and I started swimming on my own just after I turned three. My sister and I were in the water 24/7 in the summer with Jr. Guards, swim team, the beach, and our neighborhood pool. I started surfing in Jr. high every summer and started paddling my sophomore year of high school, so now I was on the water almost every day of the week year round. My senior year of high school I started surfing 3 times a week and paddling 6 days a week and that lasted through the first couple of years of college. Once I started art school at CSULB surfing dropped off for me, but paddling and my love for the ocean still hold true.

Photo Credit: Molly Bishop

I have never understood the surfer attitude that is given off when you are not someone who is there everyday or is just there to have fun, like the idea that this is their beach and why are you here, even though I had been coming to the same exact spot to go to the beach every summer since before I can remember. We still get the same attitude now as paddlers, or stand up paddlers, from surfers, even though a lot of us surf and have the same love of the waves and ocean that surfers do.

Photo Credit: Molly Bishop

Paddling was an easy choice for me because of the community, the history, the culture and the boat. Believe it or not I feel so much more comfortable in a boat, then on a board! There is always someone to paddle with and there are always dozens of people who are willing to go surf SanO with you in a canoe. We were able to muster up three surf canoes, 3 standup boards, a surf ski and a dozen surf boards on a trailer made for fun. We had people from all different clubs down there taking rides together and sharing some of the most gorgeous day! SanO days maybe only happen 2 -3 times a year for us but they are always well worth the wait and no one can get us down on days like that.

Photo Credit: Molly Bishop

It is whoever is having the most fun right? Its all about the people you meet, the experiences you find and the days you will never forget...that is what paddling is all about. xo

Photo Credit: Maddie Dierkes of Mad Dream Design

SanO From Where I Stand (Photo Credit: Maddie Dierkes)

Fetch at Dog Patch (Photo Credit: Maddie Dierkes)

Ready for SanO (Photo Credit: Maddie Dierkes)

Costa Rica 2012!

This trip was a little different for me because I was not going with my family like in the years past, but I was going with Jimi's family. I didn't have to plan anything, I didn't have to worry about anything and I didn't have to keep track of anything. That was nice, all I had to do was relax and have fun and I am so appreciative for that!

We flew into Liberia, Costa Rica and about 3.5 hours later (customs, immigration, baggage claim, lost surf board, car rental, 1.5 hour drive) we arrived to a house on the beach stocked with food, beer and drinks. Talk about a dream house, you must check out these picture of Casa Ohana!!! The views were perfect, the pool was calling our names and the house was big enough for everyone to have their own little space in heaven. We were finally in Playa Negra, Guanacate, Costa Rica!

My Aunt Mary who manages the property and live in Costa Rica was there moments after we arrived and it was so good to see her and spend a whole week with her as Jimi's family welcomed her to all of our dinners and events which I am also very grateful for.

Throughout the trip we swam in the ocean almost everyday, did some surfing, did some walking on the beach, laid out by the pool, played in the pool, ate lots of good food, drank lots of good beer and rum drinks, napped (siestas!!!), read our books, watched the waves, had so many great conversations, went shopping, relaxed in some rocking chairs, stared out into the horizon, star gazed, received one hour messages, went zip lining, and went on a sunset sail and snorkel.

What a great trip. It was hard to come for me this time around more then others, but the trip was so amazing there is nothing really that could have ruined it for me.

Thank you to the Spoto's, the Kittinger's, and my Aunt Mary for an amazing trip!

If you are interested in visiting Costa Rica, check out my Aunt Mary's vacation rentals on the beach in Playa Negra, Guanacaste (an infamous surf break of Costa Rica) from Beach Grass Rentals.

Enjoy!

It's A Dog's Life

White Wolf in his Element (Photo by Maddie Dierkes)

I have always loved the idea of a dog beach, because hey why not! As long as people treat it with respect, then why not share one of your favorite places, the beach and the ocean, with your favorite four legged friend. I bet it is, or will be, one of their favorite places as well.

We got to take our dog, Ozzie, to the Huntington Dog Beach this past weekend, with my parents dog, Sophie. Boy, did they have a blast! Jimi and I had no idea how much Ozzie loved the beach, as we just got him, and he belongs to Jimi's sister. As soon as we got to Pacific Coast Highway, and he could smell the ocean he was ecstatic!

The beach was much more successful than the dog park, with Ozzie, because there was a lot more for him to do, since even though he gets along with other dogs, he doesn't really like to play with them all the time. His favorite thing: playing fetch! He is a Border Collie, so he takes this very seriously.

Sophie and Ozzie both did hot laps upon arrival and then settled into their favorite past times: Ozzie playing fetch, and Sophie playing with the seaweed. Sandy, wet and exhausted by the end. This made them clean, yet tired dogs for Sunday brunch though!

Sophie and her Seaweed (Photo by Maddie Dierkes)

Sophie and Ozzie have become fast friends...here are some of their adventures together.

Happy Dogs (Photo by Maddie Dierkes)

Adventures of Ozzie and Sophie (Photo by Maddie Dierkes)

Dolphin Fundraiser

Hey Guys!

So Sunday is my very first Catalina Relay actually racing! I have an awesome team and am super excited and nervous about the whole thing! This race is going to kick off a fundraiser I am starting for dolphins all around the world. The info is below:

My boyfriend, Jimi and I will be wearing hats for this race that I have created to jump start my fundraiser to help organizations save dolphins from over fishing and extinction all over the world. Its all about preservation and conservation.

The whole reason I started this was because of the film "The Cove." If you have not already seen it - rent it, netflix it, WATCH IT! It is extremely sad, but it is the kind of knowledge that we all need in order to save some of our favorite creatures to paddle with so they can still be here in 50 years.

This project is not for profit for myself but as a fundraiser for 4 different organizations that are trying to help dolphins survive. Each hat is going to be $20.00, $2.50 is for the raw cost of the hat and $17.50 goes to the organization the hat represents.

The four organizations are as follows:

Save Japan Dolphins - the main organization represented in "The Cove" lead by Rick O'Barry - also a strong believer in freeing all captive dolphins...food for thought...
www.savejapandolphins.org

OPS - organization for ocean preservation and producers of "The Cove"
www.opsociety.org/

Save Taiwan Pink Dolphins - yes pink dolphins! They are only found in Taiwan regions and are endangered!
taiwansousa.blogspot.com/

WDCS United Kingdom - Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society United Kingdom and their efforts to protect their dolphins and whales - you can even adopt a dolphin!
www.wdcs.org.uk/

Jimi will be racing for the Save Japan Dolphin and I will be racing for Save Taiwan Pink Dolphins on Sunday! So if you want to check out the hats, find out more about the organizations or are interested in donating to any of these organizations by buying a hat come find us or contact us!

Thanks for your time and have fun this weekend!

Campaign

So last week after seeing The Cove for the first time I really wanted to figure out a way to incorporate saving dolphins into my everyday life.

After watching the it the second time and a long discussion with my boyfriend, Jimi, it finally came to me...creating something that is inexpensive to make but has lots of artistic character, and quality in that fact that it is handmade. The main fact is to get the message out there, to educate, to get people to ask questions and to raise a little money that can be donated to dolphins all over the world.

My Idea

Since paddling is my biggest past time and where I am most connected with the ocean and dolphins I of course immediately felt this would be the place to start since most people who paddle feel a special connection with the ocean and its creatures.

Everyone wheres trucker hats, they are inexpensive, perfect for paddling workouts and have the perfect black canvas for art.

All of the hats are going to send a message about 4 different organizations that support dolphin conservation and protection.

These are the organizations:
OPS - produced The Cove and are major players in protecting our ocean from further deacy and protecting the dolphins in Japan that are being slaughtered or going into captivity
Save Japan Dolphin - Rick O' Barry's campaign to save teh dolphins in Japan and the dolphins in captivity all around the world
Save Taiwan Pink Dolphins - headed by Wild at Heart, it is an effort to save a special species of dolphin off of Asia's coastline that are endangered
WDCS United Kingdom - Their goal is to save their pods of dolphin off the Northern coast from further population decline

I have 12 design ideas so far and the hats are ordered. There is more to come soon!

The Cove

Become educated on the cruel dolphin slaughter that takes place each year.

http://www.savejapandolphins.org/

http://www.takepart.com/thecove

Falling for Maine

So right now I am kind of obsessed with the state of Maine and esp. the coast of Maine. Lighthouses, greenery, crisp clear days, and the wild Atlantic!

Looking for lots of green space and gorgeous, historic homes that scream East Coast?

Camden, Maine

Said to be where the mountains meet the sea. A gorgeous harbor surrounded by green covered mountains. Close to both the beach and the snow for lots of fun year round. Also home of the Camden Hills State Park with great hiking.
Check out more here:
Camden Chamber of Commerce
Camden, Maine - town Office

Looking for more of the city lifestyle?

Portland, Maine

This is Maine's largest city and it also sits on a peninsula, right next to Casco Bay. Great sites to see are the Arts District, East End - Angela Adams, West End - the houses, and South Portland - Portland Headlight (said to be the most photographed lighthouse in the state!).
Check out more here:
Design Sponge - City Guides - Portland, Maine
City of Portland, Maine

Paddling to Catalina and Back Again

This weekend around 100 boats will be paddling to Catalina Island out of Newport Beach, California and back. The women race there Saturday and the men race back on Sunday. This may seem crazy to most people considering the channel is about 27 miles wide and takes anywhere from 3 and half hours to six hours to cross over but to paddlers this is what we consider fun! This is not done with the same six paddlers the whole race. This is a 9 man race and a pretty big one at that, for California anyway.

This is one of my favorite races of the year, even though it is the most trying. I prefer to not have to look at the island for those 5 hours and prefer to look at fog but with this glorious heat wave I think we will be looking at island that never gets closer, even when you are a half hour away. At least with the warm weather it will not be so painful to jump in the colder ocean water to make a change.

A change? Right, we do actually switch people in and out of the boat because who wants to paddle for 5 hours in the same seat. Every 20 minutes or so a change is made where 1 to 3 paddlers jump in the water off a motor and wait as the canoe passes by. Which at this boat 1 to 3 paddlers jump off the other side while the paddlers in the water get into the canoe. The paddlers who just bailed out of the boat are now on the motor boat for about 10 to 20 minutes far a break and then it happens all over again.

Now you may think we are even more crazy jumping in and out of the ocean, dodging boats, barges, waves and whatever else comes our way out at sea but again we think this is all good fun. I guess that is what makes this sport so special. People ask me what they heck are we doing out here??? Teamwork? Yes. Exercise? Definitely Yes. What else?

Being one with the ocean, paddling through all the shit to the other side, to accomplish something that not only challenges you but is far bigger than you. To paddle is to move forward or IMUA (which is our team name), that is why we are all out there is to move forward and you get a little bit farther, a little bit faster and gain a whole ton of experience every season.

Catalina is the grand finale and we go out with a bang to reward ourselves for all the hard work over the past year. Catalina is goal at the end of the road, the goal accomplished, the end to a great year and the next step to move forward.

Good luck to all those racing on Saturday and Sunday!

Everyday Inspirations

The Ocean

The place where I feel most connected with things bigger than myself...where I feel most at peace with life and things to come...where I can send things out into the universe and feel like they are actually being received...as the waves are taking my thoughts out to sea it is the only place I feel alright with the world.

Playa Negra, Costa Rica. Photo by Maddie Dierkes

My friend Jana describes paddling, the sea and life best in her blog:

http://networkedblogs.com/p10075227?ref=nf

Amazing People

I am fortunate enough to know a lot of amazing people, that learn from, grow with and become inspired by. As the years go on I find more & more amazing people, they are not always easy to find.

Sam

Photo by Maddie Dierkes

Lysanne

Property of Maddie Dierkes

My Dad

Photo by Maddie Dierkes

Poppy <3

Mom and Lily

Property of Maddie Dierkes

Art

The way it can open so many different emotions you didn't even know you were feeling at the time. And this goes for all artistic genres...painting, music, design, etc.