Each Summer Barrett has a week and a half to plan an Anniversary and my birthday. It’s one of those times I’m so thankful to be the girl in the relationship. I hate planning. Thus, as we were driving Saturday to parts unknown (sans kids), I didn’t care where it would be! I didn’t have to plan it, I didn’t have to cook or clean, and there were no kids to shepherd. It was the perfect trip already! He kept exclaiming how nervous and excited he was and asking me how I was feeling: calm, cool, and collected without a care in the world. Then he pulled into the parking lot of a small airfield where I could see Cessna’s ready to take off. “We’re going on a plane?!?!?!” He looked at me with an excited, yet anxious face and screamed, “NO!!! WE’RE JUMPING OUT OF ONE!!!!” “NNNOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! REALLY?!?!??!?!” My heart fell into my stomach. Could this really be? A bucket list dream come true? For the next hour as we waited for our turn, we signed paperwork claiming that the company would not be liable for maiming, injuries, or death. The adrenaline coursing through our bodies made us laugh as we signed our life away and giggle at the fact our wills had just been updated when we brought home the twins.
We saw two people go up and come down before it was our turn and each one landed with smiles plastered on their faces and sounds of wonder, amazement, and squeals erupting from their mouths. Their hair looked like they had been struck by lightening and their eyes bugged out in a trance. Then it was our turn.
Our life line gave us a quick tutorial of how we were attached to him, instructed us on how to step out of the plane with both feet onto a small platform, the rhythm of how he was going to jump out, and finally, how to check our altimeter and pull the parachute if we wanted. He would do it if we forgot. I smiled nervously the whole time knowing I would forget every instruction. He said the wind was a little much so we stalled a little bit before I got the thumbs up to head to the plane. Oh man! Barrett would be on the next trip.
We entered the small aircraft and took off. It took about 30 minutes to reach the 10,000 feet and James showed me the statue of Christopher Columbus that was being built, the largest satellite dish in the world, the river that runs through the island, as well as other sites. Then it came time to squat (like I was going potty in Asia) onto his lap where I was fitted into his harness. That threw us into a quick discussion of the plight of the American colon vs. the Asian colon for the final 5 minutes of plane time. Then he opened the door. The air sucked out of my lungs as it flew out of the plane. I saw no platform, only the metal that led to the wheel. My belly dropped, my body went limp, and he physically had to pick up each of my legs and put them on said bar. He set the rhythm to “ready, set, go” and we plummeted forward with my lungs screaming out fear, joy, and excitement!
We summersaulted into our free-fall and I stared at the cameras on his wrist as the drowning air dried out my shrieking lungs. I suddenly felt a jolt and realized pulling the parachute never even crossed my mind. James took off my goggles and we settled in for our slower descent back to the airfield. I got to drive the chute for about a minute to see what it was like and as we passed over the airfield I screamed and waved at Barrett below. We landed smoothly and my face was plastered with a smile, my eyes were bugged out in in a trance, and my mouth spewed out amazement, wonder, and awe with my hair bellowing like a lion’s mane around my face.
“Barrett! I didn’t pee my pants! You’re going to love it! And scream like a girl!” And then I waved goodbye to my husband who would soon feel the same raw emotions that were now calming down in my inward being.
As we drove to the Anniversary segment (this was my birthday bit) of our two-day, one night get away; we jokingly discussed how we had nothing left to do in life! We just jumped out of a plane! Then we talked about how thankful we were to the Lord for all that He has enabled us to see and experience in our lives. From sites to friends. Neither of us ever expected to see or do the things that we have at this point of our lives. We never want to take it for granted.
We spent the rest of our time walking, talking, eating, and relaxing in a Jacuzzi and whenever there was a quiet moment we filled it by announcing to ourselves that we just jumped out of a plane! Time to plan another bucket list!