one crazy september
Wow!
What a wild and crazy month this has been. Brian (my bro) got married on
September 11th, and it was an AMAZING day. Beautiful weather, a really nice
ceremony, and a great reception. Perfect. Pictures to come. Then, a mere six
days later, Corey treated me to a great big adventure in the sky for my
thirtieth birthday. That's me up there,
mom!
I've ALWAYS wanted to skydive, but never given myself the opportunity. (This is where having an amazing, thoughtful, loving husband really pays off!) Truly, there is no better way I can think of to cross the threshold from twenties to thirties than to throw myself from a perfectly good (although small and rickety) airplane.
People ask me if I was scared, and I have to tell you that there was one brief moment. My head and upper torso were hanging out the door of the smaller-than-my-volkswagen (but-still-safer-than-freefall) airplane. The instructor (who was strapped very tightly to my back) told me to put my right foot on the landing strut, right next to his. I put my foot outside the airplane, touched it to the strut . . . and slipped.
Horror, as I imagined my body being sucked out into open space (yes, it was only 10,000 feet, but I may never get closer to outer space than this, so allow me the exaggeration, okay?). Anyway, my leg just flapped in the wind for a second or two and I pulled it back in, planted it firmly on the landing strut, and waited.
In the movies, there is a long period of waiting between when the jumper (me) is given the signal to jump, and when he actually jumps. I was expecting to have that long period . . . at least to consider the possible ramifications of free-falling at 10k. I was not granted the luxury of that moment to think about things, though, as my instructor was ready to go . . . and he was behind me. It was a simple rock forward (you mean now?!); a rock backward (wait a minute! What if . . . ?) and JUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!
And believe me, if I could have made any sound at all, it would have been the scream that Goofy makes when he falls off a cliff.
Thank you, Corey. I'll never forget that experience.
I've ALWAYS wanted to skydive, but never given myself the opportunity. (This is where having an amazing, thoughtful, loving husband really pays off!) Truly, there is no better way I can think of to cross the threshold from twenties to thirties than to throw myself from a perfectly good (although small and rickety) airplane.
People ask me if I was scared, and I have to tell you that there was one brief moment. My head and upper torso were hanging out the door of the smaller-than-my-volkswagen (but-still-safer-than-freefall) airplane. The instructor (who was strapped very tightly to my back) told me to put my right foot on the landing strut, right next to his. I put my foot outside the airplane, touched it to the strut . . . and slipped.
Horror, as I imagined my body being sucked out into open space (yes, it was only 10,000 feet, but I may never get closer to outer space than this, so allow me the exaggeration, okay?). Anyway, my leg just flapped in the wind for a second or two and I pulled it back in, planted it firmly on the landing strut, and waited.
In the movies, there is a long period of waiting between when the jumper (me) is given the signal to jump, and when he actually jumps. I was expecting to have that long period . . . at least to consider the possible ramifications of free-falling at 10k. I was not granted the luxury of that moment to think about things, though, as my instructor was ready to go . . . and he was behind me. It was a simple rock forward (you mean now?!); a rock backward (wait a minute! What if . . . ?) and JUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!
And believe me, if I could have made any sound at all, it would have been the scream that Goofy makes when he falls off a cliff.
Thank you, Corey. I'll never forget that experience.
Posted: Sun - September 26, 2004 at 05:50 PM
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Published On: Jan 02, 2005 10:40 PM
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Published On: Jan 02, 2005 10:40 PM