Most of you know me from the "other" board, as I post mainly over there. It is just so much easier for me since I make run reports, though recent events have caused me to take a step back from posting as much. Every time I start posting a bunch, something happens and I regret posting. I may eventually just move over to this board permanently - not sure. This is one post that I don't want on the "other" place because I feel that this board is quite a bit more open-minded, and with this post I really can't handle anybody interjecting their personal opinion about why they think this is a bad decision.

The decision has already been made, and personal opinions will just hurt my feelings, so please please PLEASE don't respond if you are going to just tell me how stupid I am. Ok, here goes...

When I was a little girl, I dreamed of flying often. Since my dad and mom lived thousands of miles apart, I flew in an airplane at least twice a year, but typically 4 times a year from the time I was 6 until 18. Flying in an airplane just wasn't enough for me because I couldn't feel the wind. I would go to the beach and watch the hang gliders soar off the cliffs. On many of my drives in Southern California, I would see floods of hot air balloons and parachutes. I always closed my eyes and wished I was up there with them, feeling the wind on my face. It was always just a dream. Recently, I was telling my husband about this dream, which he already knew about but for some reason this day I really couldn't stop talking about it. 45 minutes after my conversation about this, I received 2 phone calls letting me know a friend's husband died at the age of 42. It occurred to me that I'm not getting any younger and what if I died before experiencing my biggest dream? That was 3 months ago, and I finally have the money, time, and ..... guts..... to do it!

This Saturday at 8am Central time, I'll be taking a 6 hour jump course and jumping from a plane at 4000 feet. If you've ever been skydiving, the DropZone I'm attending combines Accelerated Freefall (AFF) and Static Line (SL), in which my jump is more like a hop 'n pop and I will have my own ripcord rather than the SL. I will have an instructor with me, but he will be on his own chute.

I can't believe my dream is finally a reality. It's my turn to fly and to touch the clouds. Obviously skydiving is dangerous or everyone would be doing it. Though unlikely, it is very possible that I won't make it to Sunday. There are thousands of jumps in the world every year, and so far this year there have been 23 reported fatalities worldwide. But I would be kidding myself (and quite arrogant) if I thought I was immune to the possibility. It finally hit me yesterday morning at 2.30 am what I'm going to be doing and for the first time I'm nervous, but it's like the kind of nervous you had when you first drove a car. You knew that if you did something stupid you could die, but you did it anyway. My 6 hours of training should hopefully alleviate the stupid factor.

It is for this reason I am posting... not to receive opinions, but to tell my friends on tt how much I truly cherish them. Some of you know that you have made my day better, and some of you don't. You all know I wave to people, but you may not know how much those waves back mean to me. It's always ironic to think that some of the finest people I've ever met have been on a child's online game. You are all very dear to me, even those of you that aren't on my friends list.

If you are led to pray, please say a special one for me at about 3pm central time, which is when my airplane takes off. My husband and son will be on the ground taking pictures and probably wearing Depends. I will post pictures when I return.

I admire your strength to follow through with your dreams. I've always thought about doing something similar, but, here I am, still thinking about it. I'll definitely say a prayer for you on Saturday. Oh and one more thing....


You go girl!!!!

You have a great time! I would love to do that - what fun it will be

May your jump go smoothly and you have a wonderful time! My "hubby" has been trying to get me to go but I've always put him off. Please let me know how it was and maaaaybe I'll just shock him and tell him ok next time...LOL.

I am so happy for you that you have to courage to pursue your dream. I will be thinking of you on Saturday and will say a prayer especially for you, my dear friend. Have a great time

Well, that's one heckuva way to introduce yourself to a new site! Welcome to TTF, btw! Good luck to you on Saturday. It takes guts to follow your dream, regardless of what it is! Can't wait to see the pics you post!

Oh Dizzy I hope it's everything and more than you expected. Good luck on Saturday and most importantly have fun!!!

WooHoo! You go girl! Grab onto that dream and feel the happiness to have the chance to do it. Luv ya!

Not sure if they ever shouted that or not, but that is what I would say.

I also have wanted to jump out of an airplane with one of those surf boards and skysurf. That looks so cool to me.

Jenn, I assume you are jumping with someone and you will be attached to them. If so, request a good looking, young male to jump with.

Reach all the way around and make sure you are "snug" with him before you jump. You should jump with a smile on your face.

Now, if I was jumping, I would request a female to jump with.

Wow! That sounds like a blast! Have a great time!

Thank you so much guys! No Jim, I'm actually jumping solo on this one. Nobody will be attached to me as I've elected not to have a Tandem jump. Tandem jumps require only 30 minutes of instruction and an immediate jump while attached to an instructor. The instructor rides on your back so they are there to pull that rip cord should anything happen. It is an excellent option for people who only have one jump in mind and don't feel like a 4-6 hour course. It does not count toward a skydiving license.

The jump I'm attempting is Instructor Assisted Deployment and though there will be an instructor present, he won't be anywhere near me and will have his own chute. Basically, if I screw up, I don't think he will have an opportunity to get very close to me to fix anything. He can spot problems so they can use the radio to let me know what to do, but I've got to do it all myself. The instruction and jump I'm doing does count toward a skydiving license.

I'm doing a lot of reading over the next few days. Gum chewing, wedding rings, bugs, and even distractions on the ground are things that until reading some of the forums on Dropzone.com, I'd never even considered (I hear June Bugs taste nasty). I do feel quite a bit more at ease that I've read reviews of this particular dropzone from experienced jumpers and all have stated that they feel Freefall Express holds safety in the highest regard.

The hardest part has been saying possible goodbyes and telling people how much they truly mean to me. Heaven forbid anything should happen, but if it does, I don't want my friends and loved ones to have any doubt how much they mean to me.

I can understand the gum chewing, honestly, since it would be used as a distraction. Bugs, huh? Just try to keep your mouth closed! As for the jewelry, I wouldn't wear any, not even a wedding ring.

Wow! I've always wanted to fly too, even though I am just a teenager(start school next week as a junior to give you guys an idea of exactuality(not sure that is an actual word, if it isnt, I just made up a word!)). My mom says that when I do eventually sky dive, for me to not tell her until after I've done it. Anyways, I will be sure to add you to my Friday night prayer list for your safety! Have fun!

KLHT

How exciting!! Have an absolute blast

A few years ago, a female relative wanted to try hang gliding so badly. Well she did, but once up, she was enjoying herself so much soaring through the air that she did not want to come down. Those on the ground kept telling her her time was up, but she kept hollering "no, just five more minutes, just five more minutes", lol.

Awe, you're living my dream! I plan to sky dive once my kids have graduated from High School, being a divorced mom I'm too chicken to risk it! MY reason for wanting to do it though is cause I'm afraid of heights~LOL. I've bungee jumped (Yikes!) twice and I still am too chicken to climb off a roof once I get up there! (Hmm...maybe I should quit trying to get on roofs??)

I hope you have an awesome jump, that you don't eat too many bugs (Eww!) and that you come post tons of pictures when you're done!! Congrats to you on finally fullfilling your dream!!

As the others said...

YOU GO GIRL!!!

Bnkzsahm

Good for you!!! I am so happy for you to be able to realize one of your dreams. As for possible good byes...you know..we could just as easily walk out the door and our time could be up...

I believe someone else mentioned being scared of heights...I am as well...could it be that near death experience as a child??? Anyhow, it hasn't stopped me...I would LOVE to be in the RL amazing race! Oh my...what a blast...lots of facing fears there! Alas, they have yet to return my phone calls...lol


Good luck Jenn...enjoy yourself and I will be sure to say a little prayer for you.

Good for you, hope it is even better than you expect. Many friends and relatives of mine have been and they all loved it. Can't wait to hear alll about your adventure next week.

Woohoo! You go, girl!

I'm glad to see you over here, and thrilled for you that you're finally going to realize your dream. HUGS!!!!

All I can say to you is wow, what an impressive thing to do. I hope you have a great time.