WARNING....If you can't handle blood, don't look at the pictures below

(Written by Stephen)

I guess I just wasn't supposed to go surfing yesterday, but I really wanted to. There hadn't been a good swell for almost a full month, and finally a big storm started to develop last week down off the coast of Chile. With a full weeks notice of the coming swell's approach I was starting to get really excited, but yesterday morning we had a garage sale, and then Ev took Brooke out to go birthday shopping, and it was starting to get late, and I was starting to despair. I got really excited when they got home just after 7pm. I thought to myself, "sunset isn't until 8. I could get a full hour of surfing in if I move fast." So I grab my stuff and ran down the trail to Blacks at break neck speed. The waves were really good, and the crowd was starting to thin out as night approached. I caught some good waves and was having a blast, but it was time to start thinking about going in. The sun had already been down for while. On my last wave I tucked under the lip for a barrel, but was off balance and leaning too far forward. I went over and then while I was in the wash it happened ... WHAM!!!! It felt as if someone had hit me in the face with a hammer and broken my nose. I was a little disoriented and very mad! I hadn't surfed well and now my nose was broken! (It wasn't really, but give me a break-I was still under water!) Finally I surfaced and I could feel on my face water that was much warmer than it should have been. I knew that blood was gushing out of my face. I caught the next white water in and as I rode in I began to think about the hike back to the top of the bluff, and if I had ever wished that I could fly that was the moment. Much to my surprise, and delight, as I came stumbling on to the shore I saw headlights heading in my direction from down the beach. It turned out to be a police truck doing who knows what, but I really didn't care! I flagged them down and when they pulled up beside me I could tell by the twisted looks of horror on their faces that I looked pretty bad. I asked for a ride to the top of the bluff and they let me hop in the back of the truck. It was kind of fun sitting in the back of a truck on the trail back to the top. Whenever we passed other surfers they would run over and ask if they could hop in, to which the police always said no. Then they would look at me and most of the time they would do a double take when they saw me. (This ride in a police vehicle was much more welcome than the last one that I got!) The police dropped me off at my car and asked if I needed an ambulence, "no thanks. I don't need a $900 dollar ride to the ER." When I got to my car I tried to look at myself, but it was to dark to see properly. I called Brooke before I got home to warn her about what she was about to see. She was pretty grossed out, and worried, but did pretty good considering what I looked like. After saying hi and taking a good look at myself I drove myself to the ER where they gave me four stitches and confirmed that my nose was not actually broken.

I think I actually look pretty chipper considering
More blood
Looking a little better.