25. Paddleboard from Crescent Bay to Salt Creek

This was a lot of work, but pretty rad to be out there in such great conditions. 75 degrees in January with almost no wind; Lina dropped me off at Shaw's Cove and I was on the water by 3:08 and heading south; part of the reason I wanted to do this was to see all the little coves in Laguna. Some of the cool things I saw: girabaldi fish, seals, a pod of dolphins, massive starfish, and a cool place to cliff jump just south of 1000 steps. Perfect conditions and I got some good video on the GoPro. Arrived at Salt Creek at 5:00; plan to do this again.

10. Cook dinner for my family

Jan 28th is my mom's birthday and a perfect day to cook for everyone. I don't like to cook and I don't do it very often, but this was my chance to do my part. Lina got a case of plantar fasciaitus which is a swollen tendon in her foot from carrying the extra weight of a baby, and a toddler. So she was laid up while I took care of dinner; it was kind of nice to take care of her for a change. I made 5 T-bone steaks, a kale salad with garlic, lemon, and pomegranite seeds, and cubed sweet potatoes with salt, pepper, and olive oil. It was OK, but I'm no Rachel Ray.

21. Take Lina out for a nice lunch

January 19th is our anniversary, and this year i took the day off to spend it with Lina. We scored a perfect day just like our wedding day: 65 degrees, sunny, and a light breeze. We dropped off Coco at my parent's house and drove to Laguna. Laguna at 12:30 in the middle of the week in the winter is awesome: no traffic, no crowds, just a some old retired people walking on the beach and a couple vagrants here and there. We ate on the patio at the Beach House, had a lobster quesadilla, a burger, and a crab/avocado omelette. Such an awesome day to eat outside. Happy 4 years Lina!

17. Move into a house

"So I wanted goals

Saw all I needed was a home

With a view of something beautiful

A woman that I trusted

The friends that I grew up with

But that was asking too much

For just us"

-Crime in Stereo

Over xmas break we moved into a house in Laguna Niguel that I don't deserve to live in. But Lina, Coco, and Billy do. I am very grateful for the smart decisions Lina's parents made 20+ years ago, but I think we have the same goal in mind: that Lina and our kids have a safe place to live; Dad will work while Lina raises the fam. And Lina's parents don't mess around: 5 bedrooms, 3 car garage, and a pretty sweet view.

Funny thing, they never lived in this house and have been in it only a couple of times. They bought it as a foreclosure (brand new) through a builder's auction in 1990 and rented it out ever since. But they always had the intention that one of their children would move in and raise their family. So here we are, its great to be home!

18. Get barreled at Gravels before work

Thursday Jan 5th I finally surfed at Salt Creek for the first time in a year, great timing since I move to Laguna Niguel and it is only 7 minutes from my house. I met up with Matt, tide was high which is good for gravels but the set waves were walled. I almost didn't go out but the in between smaller waves would open up. And gravels freaking heaves barrels, it can be kind of scary first thing in the morning when its still dark. But my last wave was perfect, chest high, I was sitting next to Matt and he was psyched for me. Took off, stalled, and got a 3 second cover up, i love that sound you hear in a barrel, its like a deep, muffled wind sound. Hoooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. Man that was fun, and got a quick drive home to take a shower before work. So stoked to live here!

Congratulations Drew Brees

Today was an historic day for quarterback Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints. He broke the 27 year old single season passing record held by Dan Marino that niether Peyton Manning nor Tom Brady could reach in their peak seasons.

Drew Brees is one of my all time heroes because of his character, ability to make everyone around him better, and strength to conquer adversity. He brought Purdue to the Rose Bowl his senior year, something they hadn't done since the 60's nor have they done since he left. Touted as being too short to play the position, and after recovering from a career threatening shoulder injury, he is one of the most dominant passers the league has ever seen at only 5'11, a full half foot shorter Peyton or Brady. When his team wins, he ALWAYS makes it about the team, the offensive line, the coaches, and never about himself. When the team loses he takes the blame and works harder than anyone to learn from his mistakes. Married to his college sweetheart with two kids, he embraced the recovery efforts of NO after Katrina through his charity Operation Kids and lives in town near the people that were affected most. A true gentlemen and role model that everybody can learn from. So awesome.

9. Do something exceptional at work

I never thought I would reach this goal. Sometimes it's hard to notice you are doing something exceptional when you are just doing your job, but it wasn't until today that I realized I have been part of something extraordinary at Oakley over the past several months.

It all starts with one person; the same person that helped me get the job I have now, that taught me how to do it the right way, how to notice trends and to always have checks and balances to verify I am making smart decisions. This person, Bobby Smith, took on a new role as S&OP manager late last year, and has been under continuous pressure to become the savior of our company's long list of supply issues. Several months ago he hired a kick-ass girl named Rhonda, that is smart and diligent and got up to speed with Oakley in about 6 minutes. The 3 of us have been a pretty cohesive team all year.

S&OP is not complicated in theory. Align a sales plan, demand plan, and supply plan as best you can, identify gaps, and make decisions on how fix them. In practice, it is way harder managing those 3 plans down to the SKU/Region level, then wrapping them up in a easy to read package. The S&OP meetings usually suck for me, basically it is a series of executives scrutinizing and criticizing my forecasts: my job, my means to support my family. I take it very personally when I make a mistake and it is noticed, and usually want to kill myself after an hour and a half of being picked apart.

Today was different. At the end of our S&OP meeting, the RX category leader commended Bobby and me for making this category so much more efficient, accurate, and easy to understand. We actually got a round of applause, I was floored and am still high from it. It ALL starts with Bobby, but I'm proud to have been an integral part in making things better. My boss even called me at home tonight and said it was well deserved. Rhonda, I think you can mark this one off your list too.