Moments D600: Fearless Parents

First of all - WOW.  This is my 600th blog post.  It's also an amazing blog post to share.  Today, my 65 year old parents went up in a plane and then jumped out for their first skydive!

Yes - that's right, they dove into the sky!

How more fitting a moment to share for my 600th blog post?  Incredible really.  I couldn't have planned it this way.  I love when significant things align.  For me, on some level, it makes those separate moments feel a touch more significant because they happen at the same time.

Crazy?  Perhaps.  But today, on a day when I'm crazy proud of my Mom and Dad for being so fearless and for being my most amazing parents, I'm also proud to have reached 600 blogs.  Two milestones in one day.  That's an incredible moment no matter how you slice it!

So back to my most amazing parents.  I have been teasing them about jumping out of a plane since July when I had my first tandem skydive.  Both of them were quick to change the subject at first.  Over time, they warmed to, "maybe one day".

And then they showed up to surprise me late this week for a visit in California.  Now, in EQ's territory, with the opportunity right before them, they could have passed and waited for "one day".  Instead, with a few gentle pushes (and a small exchange of - if we do this, EQ will do something else) they took the bull by the horns and rode it hard all the while smiling and laughing.  ('Tis the family way I think!)

They arrived right on time, bright eyed and eager to experience their tandem jump.  After reading every line of the waiver forms, my Dad was advised to speak to the most senior skydive person about his recent heart surgery.  He was advised by the drop zone to skip the jump as he didn't have a written pass from his cardiologist on this specific activity.  If Dad wanted to jump, he would have to sign an additional waiver to do so.  After some debate, my Dad simply looked at my Mom and said, well what do you think?  Her response was immediate:  "If you don't do it, you'll regret it."

And so, he signed the additional waiver.  (I'm not surprised, after all my Dad's feeling better than he has in many years after his heart surgery!)

I could tell that both Mom and Dad were a touch nervous on the ground as they suited up and readied themselves for the plane, but they were filled with big smiles and lots of laughter as they did so.  Each had an incredible tandem instructor, so I wasn't worried about that at all.  I knew that they were in good hands.

And then I watched them board the plane and fly away.  I had the briefest of moments of worry, after all, both my beloved parents were on the same plane, jumping out one after the other.  The thought passed as quickly as it came.

Before long, I could see them jump from the plane and I watched as their parachutes opened.  Cheering from the ground, I knew that they would have loved the freefall and the canopy ride in.  Now for the landing to go smoothly!

Dad approached the drop zone landing area first.  Fine form; he was definitely ready to land! Dad and his tandem partner landed without any issue at all.  With a slight hop, Dad was quick to smile and share the excitement of his jump with the camera.  And then all eyes were on the sky for Mom.

Mom came in last and at the time she was arriving, the winds had picked up some.  With a few skills turns, she and her tandem partner landed.  Thought it looked perfect, Mom crumpled to the ground after they landed.  From where I was, I couldn't tell what had happened.  All I could do was wait (and worry) to find out.

Before long, I could see she was on her feet, hugging & kissing Dad.  Hugging EQ.  All seemed well as they made their way back from the landing area.

When they were close enough, I joined them on the rest of the walk in.  The excitement was palpable.  They loved it.  All of it.  There was no best part.  (I asked!)  For Mom though, her motion sickness kicked in as they approached the landing.  She was a bit queasy when they landed, thus why she sat down when they first landed.  Phew.  Queasiness we can easily deal with!

So, did they have a great experience?  Here it is in  my Dad's own words:

Now to see if they'll jump for ALS this coming summer.  Any bets?

Moments that confirm just how awesome my parents are.

Moments being the proud daughter.

Moments D433: My turn - Up Close & Personal

I spent the entire day on the CSC drop zone today. I watched the wingsuit crew come and go as they made their competition jumps. I took a zillion photos of the skies filled with the canopies of parachutes. I took a few more of the wingsuit crew while they were on the ground. Some shortly after landing, other photos of them as they re-packed their chutes. What an incredible amount of activity to take in. Top it off with the fact that it was a beautiful day, sunny, though windy and not too hot. I have some amazing photos.

But, the very biggest part of my day was my first ever tandem jump. After going up in one of the planes that the wingsuit crew jumped from as an observer (yes I came down with the plane!), I had an idea of what it would look like. Interestingly, I wasn't freaked out at all to see people jump from the plane as an observer. (Some of the crew thought I might be.)   I was ready to check this off my bucket list!

My tandem jump was scheduled near the end of the day, not quite sunset, but very darn close. What an incredible moment it was as I was sitting in the loading area with my AWESOME tandem instructor Woody. He kept me talking on the ride up to 14,000 feet; a smart tactic for those that may find themselves overly nervous. I was nervous (any new experience brings nerves), but I wasn't worried about it. I knew that I was in the best hands that I could be in.

Stepping off the plane, a lot surreal. Sixty seconds of freefall – uber-surreal. The wind hitting you at ~130 miles per hour means that it’s loud and it’s powerful. I was thankful for the goggles as even with them I had tears running from my eyes. But it wasn't enough to stop me from looking around. Watching the plane “fall” away from me, smiling and giving the camera man a thumbs up, finding EQ in the air for a kiss-pass (apparently quite common in the sport!), and of course looking for the ground.  In freefall I couldn't (or didn't) see the curvature of the earth, but in this photo during my jump, you can really see it!

Before I knew it, my 60s of freefall was over and the chute was opened.  We were quickly snapped into a much slower fall under the canopy. Woody gave me the reins and I was navigating the chute above us. It was incredible to be floating to the earth as I was. Woody even had us do a few spins around as we floated down. So much fun. It wasn't until we approached the ground again that I had any sense of the speed we were arriving at. Of course, after watching the process all day, I knew that the landing was pretty quick and when done well, you basically were set upon your feet gently. Woody (and I?) landed it perfectly on our feet. An amazing experience that was followed by many greetings of congratulations, hugs, high fives, and laughter from the entire crew I met yesterday. Again, very surreal to have them share such energy with me, the newbie.

A huge thank you to EQ and his teammates for making it such an incredibly special moment for me. The memory of falling away from the plane (those 3-4 seconds I could see it) is a memory will be with me forever.  

Moments stepping outside the box (or in this case the plane).

Moments realizing you really can do anything you set your mind to.

Time to revisit my list!