Top 10 Things I Learned After Skydiving...

So, I made it to blog another day. :)

Skydiving with my friend G and her son was -- hands down-- an absolutely, positively life altering event. It doesn't take much to describe what it physically felt like to jump out of the plane because I was so overcome in the emotion of it all. To put it simply, there is no stomach lurching (the kind you feel when you ride a roller coaster) and the scariest part is when you first jump out of the plane. After that, all I could feel was the wind blowing in my hair and the sensation of the contents of my heart spilling out around me.

It was absolutely liberating.

On my descent down, all I could think of was how short life is and how much we need to live each day like it was our last. And damn, I was LIVING it up there! I was also overcome with how desperately I missed my son and how wonderful it felt to be so close to him. I damn near cried at how beautiful it was to be so high up, but the rush was so invigorating that all I could feel was euphoria. I screamed I love you to the top of my lungs hoping that Ethan could hear me. 13,000 feet is the closest I'll ever get to heaven (for now) and that was the first time in 2 YEARS that I felt my baby's spirit within me. I blew kisses to not only Ethan, but to the cubs and John too. I knew my cubs would watch the video when I got home and even though it was just my little ass falling out of a plane, I knew that it would teach them something beautiful about life...despite the old school hip hop playing the background. I suppose I'll just leave that life lesson up to the cubs to interpret.

Ya know I gotta keep it gangsta. ;-P

I've overcome a lot of adversity in the 27 years I've been on this Earth. I feel like a new woman now that I've gone skydiving. The velocity knocked all of the stress out of me just like I hoped it would. Maybe this feeling is temporary, but if I can survive diving out of an airplane AND living a grief-stricken life, then feel like I conquer ALL! The sky is the limit and I've already been there. :) I would highly recommend skydiving to anyone and everyone at least once before they die. I've never felt so free in my entire life. :)

Without further ado, here are the....

Top 10 Things I Learned with My Skydiving Experience:

10. Lodi Parachute Center is the place to be for your first time! Get there early (when they open) to avoid waiting.
9. Dress in light layers and wear good shoes. Don't wear shorts 'cause you might have to slide when you land and no one wants a peepshow through your tattered, bloody clothing.
8. Getting the video and photos is a must! This might be your first and last time so you might as well, right? Don't be a cheapo. $175 isn't that bad at all. (P.S. Your hair will look horrible after.)
7. It really isn't necessary to read the waiver. If you're going to die, you're gonna die. So, just sign the damn thing and get on with it. I did.
6. If you're skinny enough and/or not expecting it, the propeller wind is strong enough to knock you over when you're walking up the stairs into the plane. Lol...it *almost* happened to me.
5. Just when you think you're high enough to jump, you're still only 1/2 way there! The most nerve-wrecking part is the flight up. Keep your eyes open when you jump!
4. Be prepared for some rotations/flips while the diver gets you both into position. The maneuvering was totally unexpected and scared the crap out of me. Trust me, it's a lot scarier than it looks in the video! The fear on my face has been immortalized with the first picture they took.
3. Once you're settled into position, it's pure fun. Enjoy the ride. You'll be able to ignore the massive ear popping (from the altitude/speed) until the chute opens. Oh, and scream if you can't breathe.
2. If you have allergies, bring your own Claritin! I broke into a massive sneezing fit as we drifted down once the chute was open. It takes about 5 minutes to get down and the congestion was killing me. (Must have been the from ear popping 'cause it was so bad my ear started to squeak. Lol!) Anyway, I took some generic antihistamine that they gave me and promptly puked it out (1/2 dissolved) about an hour later. My "straight gangster card" was revoked for that one. ;-)
1. Skydiving is F*CKING. AWESOME. It physically kicks your arse (I was pooped), but it's sooooo worth it! Do it before you die.

Fear.Immortalized.Blowing Kisses to the Cubs...

Livin' Life to the Fullest...FOR REAL

If you want to see all the pics you can go here: Click Me

Here's the link to the video in case you can't see it embedded below:
Fourlittlelions Skydiving



P.S. Niki started walking on Saturday. This weekend was THEEEE BEST!