It was Friday morning, and there were blue skies over Orange. I called the hangar to see if they were jumping. A man answered the phone. I told him that I'd like to come down to do a tandem with Paul. He said that I could come down, but Paul would not be there. He suggested that I come down anyway - he'd take me up. I told him that I'd call back. No original JM - again! I've got a babysitter. I've prepaid for my jump. I've got no other obligations for the day. There are blue skies over Orange, BUT my original JM is not available. UGH!

Right from the start, I felt comfortable with my original guy. He didn't say much, but told me what I needed to know. I could tell he knew what he was doing, and I trusted him with my life (and I still do). What an incredible experience to share with someone! We went up in a plane and jumped out together.

He took care everything - including me. He picked out my jumpsuit, and checked out all the gear. On the plane, he made sure I felt safe - I could tell everything would be fine. Before we left the plane, he explained where I should put my hands during exit and freefall. When it was time, he initiated exit from the plane, he kept track of the altitude, he waved off, he pulled the ripcord, he steered the canopy, and he made sure we landed safely on the ground. On April 24th, Paul was my hero.

On my second jump, I busted my ass. The key word in that sentence is "I". If I had a jumpsuit on, I would have been completely unscathed. I had to keep in mind that the injury wasn't the only difference. Besides busting my ass, I did three practice pulls, I kept track of the altitude, I pulled on time, and I steered the canopy. It was an awesome skydive and a completely new experience for me. Even though I got hurt, I wanted to go again. This time, I wanted even more responsibility.

It took me about ten minutes to realize that my need to jump exceeded my need to jump with my original jump master. I had a huge revelation: It doesn't matter who I jump with! (By the way, I know this is grammatically incorrect. It should be "It doesn't matter with whom I jump," but no one really talks that way - do they?)

I just want to jump (I'm so glad I had this conversation with the voice that lives in my brain!) I called back to tell them I was on my way.

When I arrived at Orange, it was deserted. There were only five people in the hangar. It was around 2:00 PM on a Friday afternoon. Again, the weather looked iffy. UGH! I met with Mike French - Joe's tandem guy (remember Joe? He jumped with us on 4/24). I told him that I wanted to do a category B tandem jump. I had been studying my Skydiver's Instruction Manual (SIM) and wanted to maximize the jump. He looked at Lambert's entry in my logbook and agreed that I could do a B jump.

My ground training consisted of reviewing proper body position, discussing the exit from the plane, and my other tasks during freefall. I would be leaving the plane facing the relative wind. After we moved into position, I'd put my hands in the freefall position (instead of the safety position), and then arch. 

In the SIM, it suggests visualizing the jump while you're climbing to altitude. Will I ever be climbing to altitude? Is Mother Nature trying to tell me something? Am I supposed to keep my feet on the ground? Will I ever get to jump again?

Eventually, the weather broke. Mike told me to select a jumpsuit - I didn't hesitate. Students should ALWAYS wear jumpsuits - I've learned my lesson. We got geared up and went to the plane. We're climbing to altitude....

So, I'm going over the jump in my head. Move to the door and face the front of the plane. Rock left, rock right, and then step out of the plane and arch. Check altitude. Do three practice touches. Check altitude. Enjoy freefall. Check altitude. Lock on at 6,000 feet and wave off at 5,500 feet and pull.

What if I forget something? What if I panic?

It was time for us to go - we got into position. Deep breath...rock left, rock right, and step out of the plane. I managed to do it! I completed my tasks, and pulled on time. The canopy opened. After Mike made sure everything was working, I practiced steering and flaring. We talked about the landing pattern.

Right before the landing, Mike said he would tell me if he thought we could stand up. I assisted with the flare and on his cue; I planted my feet firmly on the ground. A stand up landing!!!! I was so proud of myself!

Something happened to me that day  - June 18th - I discovered that I am supposed to be a skydiver. When we landed, Mike told me that I was ready to do it on my own. 

After the jump, I knew that three tandems weren't going to be enough for me. I left Orange feeling completely alive. Prior to that day, I can't remember smiling so much. I felt like the Queen of the World! I steered the canopy and understood the landing pattern. I helped flare and I landed standing up! All the way home, I sang at the top of my lungs. Smash Mouth, The Psychedelic Furs, etc.

All right, all right, I confess..I always sing in my car, but normally I don't sing at the top of my lungs.