Skydiving: Not for the Faint of Heart

Today I’m going to tell you a story of adventure! For my 30th birthday back in 2007, I decided to jump out of an airplane – with a parachute. Most people think it is crazy to jump out of a perfectly good airplane, but I am always up for a little excitement and thrill seeking and I had always wanted to try it. My brother had gone skydiving the year before and I wasn’t going to let him be the only fool in our family. So, when the weather got warmer and I had a little money saved up, I set off to accomplish my crazy goal. My best friend Jackie went along with me so she could gather up my remains when they splattered across Cullman County, AL.

Here I am driving to my next adventure.

Here's Jackie putting on a brave face in the passenger seat.

The date was set – May 19 – and we rose early in the morning to head out on my adventure. This took place so long ago that I honestly can’t remember what time my jump was scheduled for. I think 10:00, and we arrived about an hour before. When we got there, I went up to the counter to pay my fees and sign my life away. After all, these people don’t want to be held responsible for me trying to kill myself.

Here I am signing my life away.

After all the paperwork was filled out, we had to sit around and wait. And wait. And wait. It seems that waiting and watching other people jump out of airplanes is the thing to do when you’re at the air strip. We eventually had to go get lawn chairs out of the trunk of the car because we were waiting so long. It was interesting to see all those other people jumping out of an airplane, but when you’re about to do it yourself, you’re ready to get the show on the road, if you know what I mean. Finally after much waiting, it was time to gear up.

Here I am getting geared up for the jump.

I did a tandem jump – after all I’m not completely crazy! And my tandem partner was Jeremy. And finally after waiting four hours – that part I do remember – it was time to load the plane.

Here Jeremy and I are walking to the plane. Don't those jump suits make a gal look sexy? If you look closely you can see Jackie in the background snapping a photo.

How many people can you load onto a small aircraft? That was the game we played when loading up the plane. The inside of the plane was so teeny I could only imagine just a handful of people in there, but before it was all over with, there were about 15 people on our plane. Jeremy asked me if I was okay and told me that I was the calmest person he had ever jumped with. And I’ll be honest with you, I was not scared or nervous or even excited. I think I was just numb – well, numb and hungry. After all, I did have to wait four hours –with no food – before the jump.

Finally after a long wait and years of wanting to know what it would feel like to jump out of an airplane, it was time for the jump!

We jumped from 16,000 feet and the free fall lasted for one minute. It was amazing. You know that feeling you have in the pit of your stomach when you’re on a roller coaster? Well, that doesn’t happen when you skydive. You literally feel like your flying. There was no sensation of a free fall and I suppose that’s because you are falling so fast and the wind is so strong.

If you are concerned about face distortion – then do not jump out of an airplane.

Jeremy grabbed the pull string after the one minute of free falling and the chute deployed. And we drifted back down to the earth. This part was much less fun than the actual free falling. I guess the euphoria had worn off and I thought I was going to vomit. Not to mention the fact that the harness was so tight I thought my legs were going to be cut off. I had huge bruises on my thighs for about a week.

Sailing back to the earth.

So, I arrived back on the earth in one piece having accomplished one the more adventurous items on my “to do” list. It was definitely worth the money and the time – even the four hour wait. Would I do it again? Probably not, but then again, you never know.

So sexy!