30 Rocks!

December is Bear's busy season at UPS, which isn't very convenient with my birthday being smack dab in the middle of it. I decided I didn't want to spend my 30th birthday watching Conan and waiting for an exhausted Bear to get home, so he bought me a plane ticket to LA as a birthday/Christmas present, so I could celebrate in style with my little sister. What I didn't know is my little sister was in cahoots with my entire family and they ALL flew out to LA to surprise me. Had my plane not been delayed and I not bee sick, they would have gotten a crazy, surprised reaction from me. Instead they got, "Hey, what are you doing here?"
*
Despite my lackluster reaction, I was overjoyed to see them. I hadn't celebrated a birthday with my family since I turned 17 in 1995. Yeah... it's been awhile. The weekend was filled to the brim with fun dinners, visiting friends, relaxing in mineral springs and... SKYDIVING!!!


My friend Elizabeth and my family drove with me for two and half hours on a rainy day to Lompoc, CA. We had complete faith (most of the time) that the rain would clear long enough for Elizabeth and I to skydive. The good people at Skydive Santa Barbara said they'd give me to 4:30, but then they'd have to cancel since the sun would be setting. Wouldn't you know, at 3:45 we had a break in the weather! By the way, the only instruction you get is arch your back when you leave the plane. Here I am practicing.

I was too worried about the rain not stopping to even be scared for a second about skydiving. The only time I got butterflies was watching the plane leave the ground and realizing the next time I set foot on it, I'd have to jump out of a plane to get there.

Getting very excited... kind of confused as to why I was not more scared.

Here we are all crammed in. You pretty much have to sit on your jump masters lap. Good thing they are awesome and really get you pumped up.

It's a good sign when you can still smile with your feet dangling out of a plane at 13,000 feet. By the way, I should have dressed much warmer. It's way colder up there than on the ground. My advice, go in July!

And just like that, we're flying!

Literally.

Like super-heroes!

Man it was amazing up there. The sun was setting right over the ocean and everything was extra clear and green, because of the rain. Air is rushing, rushing through your mouth, your nose, even your ears.

And then....

Your shoot opens! What a ride. Tie your shoes tight. Between the air rushing past and the shoot jerking me up, I for sure thought I was going to lose them. My pants did roll themselves up and I traveled the rest of the way down in styling shorts.





When I imagined going skydiving, I thought I'd be really nervous till the shoot opened and then I could relax. In reality, I was having such a blast, I probably would have forgotten to open the shoot. Good thing I had Victor, my trusty jump master.

Touch Down Kansas City. My adrenaline was running high when I landed and none of what I said made any sense. Maybe I'll figure out how to put my video on here and you can all laugh at my superior intellect.

For those of you who are scared to turn 30, I have to say... it rocks!!! Honestly, it was one of my best birthdays ever. The only thing that would have made it better is if more of you could have joined in the fun... namely Bear and Noodle! The End.