Falling from 13,500 feet

For the last four years, I have experienced the exhilarating thrill of leaving a tiny airplane to fall to the ground at 120 mph. I say "leave" instead of "jump" on purpose. These legs cannot take that step. A strong man strapped behind me will take that step and that's just how it is and how it will always be.

On Sunday, August 10, eight adventurers drove to Snohomish to get on the Thrill Train. This was the first year I did not jump in Wisconsin (though Skydive Midwest gave me many good memories)! 

This year, I got to see mountains! All of them! The views from the plane were incredible! The sky was clear, the weather was great, and the company was enthusiastic. Logistically speaking, the only differences were a) I had to pay more for an extra 30 seconds of free fall, b) I had to wear a funny looking helmet during the jump and c) we left the plane seated, with my feet on the underbelly of the plane, instead of standing. That freaked me out but when you're jumping out of a plane, one more worry really doesn't matter.

All lovely planes. None of which were ours.

Group #1! Katie, Brian, Angela, Craig

Group #2! Hexar, Kristina, Moi, Nick

Hexar got the photo package, so lucky me gets to have some photos too!

Me: NERVOUS. I don't enjoy the plane rides. The views were spectacular, though!

Love this shot of Kristina; it was her second jump!

Scooting towards the door... closer...closer... and oop! I'm gone! Falling through the sky!

Though this is Angela's picture (Group 1), this was the view I had while leaving. My awesome instructor, Kory, took us out with a spin so we were falling backwards and I could see the plane!

She's coming in for a landing! Kory let me take control of the chute for awhile which was fun. We did a lot of spinning and turns... A LOT of spinning.

Stunning shot of Kristina's landing!

SURVIVORS!  Now, onto the bar for food and stout floats!  
The End. 

A Piece of Home in Seattle

In mid-July, I was lucky enough to have my parents and favorite sister come visit me. Since I moved, this makes three times I've been to Chicago to see them, and three times they've been here to see me. All I can say is thank goodness for airplanes!

Introducing my parents to my neighborhood and the best part of it - flowers!

No quality time with my dad would be complete without hitting up some new breweries! Reubens was first!

After Chris joined the fun, our first stop was Kerry Park!

Such a view!

It amazes me how my mom can name almost any flower. I did not get that gene.

Rose Gardens

Surrounded by beautiful, and even rare, roses, and my favorite picture is of these bad boys.

Outdoor Seattle Art Museum - No Filter. Seriously!

So much love & joy!

We couldn't have come at a better time. The sun was very cooperative.

Onto our second (and favorite) new brewery: Stoup! 

Saturday, July 19: Following our trip to the Ballard Locks and Salmon Ladder, Matt took us on a wonderful tour of Lake Union and Lake Washington.

Salmon Ladder - we even saw some salmon jumping!

And the tour begins!

Sunday, July 20: Squim Lavender Festival. We took my first ferry ride (in Seattle) to the town of Squim. We visited five lavender fields, enjoyed the beautiful scents, and had some delicious lavender ice cream! 

For our perfect ending, we enjoyed brie and fruit over a game of Spades. I certainly do miss our game nights, so it was nice to get that over 2,000 miles away from home. :)

I'M ON A BOAT!

One of the things that I love about Seattle is that I get to see mountains and water every day. When I moved here, I didn't realize how often I'd get to be out on the water, up close and personal. I feel so fortunate to have a roommate who has a boat and is so generous to take his friends out in it. Seattle is a beautiful sight by land but stunning by water.

Below are a few of my favorite pictures. Also, for your reference (and mine), a map of the local lakes!

Matt's boat is parked in Lake Union. When we go out to the big water, we're in Lake Washington.

Gorgeous houseboats!

Captain.

Crew.

Amazing view from Lake Union!

Watching Tuesday Duck Dodge (Sailboat Races).

Watching the seaplanes take off and land never gets old.

Sunkissed and so happy!

The Sleepless in Seattle house! Darn that new paint job...

Roommates!

Freedom Weekend

Fourth of July weekend was full of new friends, an amazing home cooked dinner (thanks, Teresa!), copious amounts of cider and Fireball (just me?), and lots of fun on the water. Such great company to enjoy over a long weekend!

We started the weekend with a trip to the dog park with Porter and his best bud, Stout.  Yes, Stout is just as big as he looks in the picture, if not bigger. 

By the time we got boat side that afternoon, we had wind and cloudy skies. Nonetheless, we loaded up and enjoyed the ride!

With Candi, Erin, and Teresa!

After boating, I hit a milestone: I stepped inside my very first houseboat! Peggy and Doug, friends of Matt's, host an annual 4th of July party. I had heard wonderful things, and even so, my expectations were exceeded. Upon entering, Peggy immediately asked, "Jaeger or Fireball?" Before you know it, we're doing ski shots. And so the night began.

No idea how this picture turned out as awesome as it did. Sheer chance.
Eli, Candi, Kristina, Erin, moi.

The view from Peggy and Doug's rooftop deck.
Also the point where Matt and Doug dove off the top later in the evening.

Well that's just completely untrue... 

Before the fireworks, an American flag is flown across the sky.

Such a great view!

Oh why not.  What's one more shot after 4 or 5? 

No massive hangovers were had the next morning, so, all in all, it was a huge success!! Ending the weekend on an even higher note, the weather really came through and gave us a great showing! Can't ask for better than that!