We Didn't Die

Ryan is turning the ripe ol' age of thirty! I know right? He can't be that old. But alas, here we are.

Speaking of where we are, this morning at 11 something we found ourselves barreling towards the ground at over 120 miles per hour (yes, Ryan had to do the math on that one). But that's not where the story starts. Let me start from the beginning.

The beginning of this story actually starts about two months back. I was sitting down to work when I had this amazing idea. I would make Ryan's 30th birthday the best day ever. Now anyone who knows me knows that I can sometimes go over the top to make people happy, even if it means high discomfort to myself. Despite my better judgment I decided to take him skydiving.

We left the house at 5:30 am (on a Saturday to boot) and headed towards Boise. I was a nervous wreck and Ryan was as calm as a placid mountain lake. The 4 1/2 hour drive was long. Long enough to make me ruminate on my bad decision.

When we arrived at Skydive Idaho, the situation did not get any better. We were handed a form and told to watch the following video. BTW, check out his wicked beard!

Talk about comforting. This was the scariest moment for me. They were basically saying, "Well, you could die, or be seriously maimed, and even if it is our fault, suck it." So, we signed the forms (probably not the smartest moment of our lives) and got suited up. Oh, and by the way, this video and a quick how-to from the instructor were the only "instructions" we got for our experience. Confidence baby!

From there it was off to the plane, a small one seater that had barely enough room to fit the four of us jumpers on the floor. By the time we reached 10,000 ft our legs were cramped and asleep. But, it didn't matter because we wouldn't be using them. This is what happened . . . (Please note Ryan's awesome exit face.)

The final result. We survived and we loved it. I had been losing sleep for about a week because I was so worried about it. I had nothing to worry about. It was honestly one of the best experiences I have ever had, and this is coming from a chicken who doesn't like heights. Since it was Ryan's birthday I'll let him say what he thought . . .

As far as birthday presents go, I think this one takes the cake. We had such a great time, and I hope we get the opportunity to do it again some day. I think it's funny that Patricia has been stressing over this for the past week and it didn't bother me until we were in the airplane at about 7,000 feet. The best part for me was the free-fall before the chute opened. Those thirty seconds were so thrilling I didn't even notice the beautiful view.

The tin can we flew up in. The ride up was about 20 minutes. Down, about 5.

Us after the jump.

We also decided to stop by the Boise temple. It is beautiful, and it was such a gorgeous day.

So, if you are thinking about going sky diving, do it and tell us so we can go with you! The End.