About a month before Father’s Day I messaged my brother and mom and said, “Think Daddy would want to go skydiving for Father’s Day?”  My mom kind of fished around and asked him. He was like, “yeah I might want to do that… I’d probably go.” So that was good enough for me. I immediately booked our reservations for Father’s Day! (Lately I’ve been more into giving experiences as gifts, instead of physical ones! I think they are memories we will cherish forever.)

So, early Sunday morning, on Father’s Day, I drove up to St. Louis to surprise my dad! We met our entire family for breakfast then told him to go throw on some shorts!! Once we got in the car I asked him if he knew what we were going to do and he said, “Cycling?”
As I started giving him directions, I realized we had been heading to the wrong address for over 30 minutes. So we ended up having to turn on the navigation and it said, “directions to 1374 Sky Lane” (Later on he said, “that’s when I thought we might be heading to skydive.”) From the moment we pulled into the runway, from the moment we got on the plane is all kind of a blur. We were behind schedule so they rushed us through our paperwork, training, and we were immediately off! I went up in one plane. My brother and dad went up in the other!

This was my 2nd time skydiving and I was actually a little more nervous than the 1st. I think my adrenaline got the best of me! Going up in the plane is the scariest because the entire time you’re preparing yourself for the jump! It pretty much takes all you have to not look down at the ground and think about actually jumping out of the plane (my hands are getting clamy just thinking about it, while I’m typing this out)!

I promise though, if you can get over the initial fear, you’ll never experience anything like it!! The free falling is so quick you barely have time to even soak it all in. But once your chute is pulled, you can relax, and really take in all the scenery. For miles and miles, your view is clear and you’re just gliding through the air.. that right there is what I love!!!!! It’s like looking down and seeing the Earth with a whole different set of eyes!

If you ever get an opportunity to skydive, DO IT!!!!!! Do it!! Do it!!!!!! It’s an experience you’ll live with forever! I cant even put it into words.. it’s just something you have to try!

Overall, I think our Father’s Day turned out to be a hit! My brother and my dad would both recommend jumping! (However, my dad wouldn’t recommend spinning once your parachute is up. They did that to him and got a little sick). Definitely one for the books! He said, “this is a Father’s Day I’ll never forget!”

Here’s some common questions you all have asked me and some questions I had before my jumps:

Was it scary?

• Absolutely!!!! I’ve never experienced anything more scary in my entire life! But the after feeling makes it all worth it.

Is it safe?

• This was my #1 question when I did both my jumps! Of course, with anything in life, there are risks.. but it made me feel better knowing your instructor has 2 chutes! So if one doesn’t parachute doesn’t release, they will pull the second!

How did you land?

• Before you go up in the plane, they will walk you through the landing. I was pretty nervous for it the first time, but it’s actually so easy! You just raise your legs and glide in! It’s just like sitting on the ground, except this time you’re holding your position mid air until you land!

What should I wear?

• The first time I went I wore shorts (like spandex) and a tank. The second time I wore cropped leggings and a loose tee!! I’d definitely suggest wearing leggings and maybe a tight tank! My loose tee ended up riding up my stomach and it was exposed the entire time!

Do the videos and pictures cost extra?

• Most places do charge extra for the media! Totally worth it though!

Can you flip out of the plane?

• I remember flipping in the air on my 1st skydive! This time I didn’t! I’m sure you can just talk to your instructor about your personal preferences!

Does the wind hurt your skin?

• You’ll be too full of emotions to even notice how fast you’re free falling and the wind whipping against you! It’s in the pictures that you can see your skin blown all around! Don’t let that fear stop you!

If you have any other questions or comments send them my way! And remember, “some of the best moments in life, come from doing things that scare you the most.”