I turned 28 by jumping out of an airplane. It is one of the most thrilling, and stupid things that I have ever done.

I signed away my entire life, and talked my dad into doing the same thing. I am really not sure why I wanted to jump out of a plane, other than the fact that it was as close to an adventure as I could get right now. I wanted to know how it would feel to fly. My mom and brother trooped out to the lovely little city (extreme sarcasm) of Perris, and after a two hour wait, it was time to fly.

       After getting suited up, taping a pre-jump interview, an awesome flight suit, and some safety instructions, it was time to board the plane. I was lucky enough to get the good looking Brad. He was a great guy. He laughed, joked, and made sure that I was entirely comfortable the whole time. If I did not have my heart set on getting out of the US as fast as possible, I would have flirted with him a lot more….well, more than sitting in his lap and holding on to him while he got our parachute untangled.

I have no words for how incredible it was to jump out of the plane. It wasn’t the stomach dropping excitement of being on a roller coaster, or the scary feeling you get when an airplane dips while flying, but it is an incredible rush. You forget to breathe, forget to be afraid, forget that you are even hurling toward the earth.  I loved the free fall. I’m not sure my dad felt the same way.

The adorable Brad let me steer the parachute, we played merry-go-round with the cameraman, and practiced some crazy turns that left me feeling really a bit sick. I did not land gracefully. Brad ended up on top of me, and I managed to get myself tangled in the parachute, but it was worth it. A funny thing happened to me when I landed. All of the adrenaline finally left my body, and I got a bit sick. I didn’t know if I should puke or pass out, and I very well almost did both.

Not sexy.

Brad was great about it, and once I was free of the jumpsuit, I found a nice spot on the grass to lay down for a bit. I got a shirt, video, and pictures to mark the day. I plan on taking the picture they printed out for me to Scotland to hang on my wall.

I finished off the day with a dinner with the wombmate and her friends. While it was not really how I wanted to spend my birthday, it was fun, and she enjoyed herself.

              

28 is starting off with a bang. Now I have three months to find a flat and figure out how to ship my stuff to Scotland. Where is the apartment fairy when you need her?