8:30 p.m. - thursday
the moment finally arrives. after the candle is snuffed, ian opens the card with the skydive certificate. he wasn't really surprised to see it. he thought it was a given we'd go this summer. but he was clueless that we'd be making the jump on his actual birthday in 2 days!
he freaked.
9:00 p.m.
corey's come to spend the night on his way to see some friends in ann arbor the next day... so, he can drive us to the airport. wow! what a coincidence!
ian's clueless.
4:45 a.m. - friday
corey, ian & i are scrounging for breakfast before we make the trip east to catch the plane to orlando. ian's buddy, kenny, walks casually into the kitchen. ian shifts from groggy to puzzled... almost that "oh-oh" expression... wondering what the heck is going on. after a couple minutes of awkwardness... the pieces fall together in ian's mind as he connects with the reality that kenny is heading to florida with us.
he freaks.
5:15 a.m.
packed into corey's car, we pick up joe on the way who happens to be catching a flight to l.a. about the same time. he's in on the surprise... and the secret about corey coming too is safe until we end the hour trip to detroit metro and park in the garage and all the luggage comes out... including corey's.
phase 3 of the surprise unfolds without a snag.
there are few things better in life than surprising your kids. the best. the entire trip is filled with mental snapshots of ian's growing realization that he's actually getting to live his dream.
but there's more to come.
11:30 a.m. - orlando
a good friend hooked us up with a phenomenal couple who was willing to put us up for the 4 days. unbelievable. (thanks "morey!") the dietmeiers have a beautiful home, love Jesus... and had been matching my posts with their prayers even though we'd never met. it's humbling to meet people who've prayed for you for a year! new friends for life.
no sooner had we dropped off our bags, than we hopped back into the hybrid rental... grabbed a quick bite and headed to the game. my neice & her fiance' had 4 tickets for us to see the magic play the houston rockets!
ian was pumped!
10:00 a.m. - saturday - january 5th - ian's 18th birthday
we arrived in titusville and began signing all the paperwork. hmmmm. over 15 pages. should i be concerned?
all disclaimers read and 'promise not to sue' signed... we wait for the first 'load' to jump. we were in the second. the sky wasn't cooperating. suddenly there was a break and immediately the plane filled... and before we knew it, the clouds were breaking out in parachutes. but no sooner had they landed than they grounded us for another few hours.
professional skydivers are a curious lot... not unlike how you might envision a cadre' of surfer dudes. with the hold-up from the weather... one master said, "gee, if i'd know we were going to have to wait this long to jump, i wouldn't have stopped drinking at sunrise!" we're pretty sure he was joking.
then after hearing our fill of skydiver war-stories, kenny & i skewered ian & corey in a game of euchre to pass the time. i'm not sure the waiting made it easier or harder. it certainly slowed the adrenaline rush to a crawl... that is until the loud-speaker squawked in the hangar... ordering us to load.
and before we could have 2nd thoughts, our harnesses were tightened beyond comfortable... and we were seated in the plane... climbing to 18,000.
not every place jumps that high. 'skydive spacecenter' offers a 15,000' jump... the highest in florida. but their 18,000 is the highest tandem jump in the world! i checked out their ratings and they seemed to know what they were doing. we weren't disappointed.
having had time to chew with the 'masters', i wasn't anxious in the least. i got a fortune cookie over
the christmas holiday. we all laughed at the time... but a few of us laughed nervously. ian had planned to jump first, but they loaded us so that i was last in... and the first to dive. that also meant i was seated next to the door... ...the thin... clear... plastic... door. and as we crawled above the clouds, i could feel my body attempting to prepare itself for something my mind could not anticipate. 'shock' is what i think they call it. why had i told my tandem master that i loved roller coasters and that i was up for anything he wanted to throw at me??? behind my back i heard them talking... "i thought his harness was supposed to go into the shop to be worked on. is it safe?" very funny guys.
reaching 18, the guy doing his 'accelerated free fall' went first... giving me more time to stare at the ground below... through the clouds below. and before i knew it, we were backing out the door and doing a back flip off the plane... as we plunged toward the terra firma at 120 m.p.h.
free-falling for 90 seconds is a long time. not at all like a roller-coaster ride or falling. the only way i can explain it is to say that it was pure sensation overload... and i loved every second. (i hardly even noticed the guy on my back... but i'm glad he was there. hmmm... there's a sermon illustration there someplace i'm sure.)
once the chute opened, the freefall roar quckly shifted to a peaceful, carefree glide in the sky.
we all landed safely... wishing we had the money to go again. i can easily see why people get hooked on this stuff. i'll let the video do the talking. ian got his own... but i'm not allowed to post it until each of his friends have seen it. his videographer also captured me jumping as they sat inside the plane. it was all so amazing.
but even better than jumping... was feeling the excitment in my son... sensing that he'd remain above the clouds for much longer than the rest of us. it was so worth it.
keep dreaming, son.
G*D created you to dream. it's his fingerprint inside your mind that invites you to the party. for your dreams will give you a taste of the world he wants for you... full of life... full of beauty... full of wonder... full of everything he created you to enjoy.
and never forget that dreams were meant to be lived.