After having baby number one and being cooped up all that time, I felt a very strong urge for an adrenaline kick. I wanted to feel that fear-exhilaration-shit-hectic-why-am-i-doing-this feeling. You know that one? The one where you feel so over-awed by everything that you can only manage the inhalation part of the breathing cycle. The one where you feel like you might just have a full on cardiac arrest? The one where you’re hoping like hell someone’s got a defibrillator on standby?

 

Yes. That!

 

So anyway, by the time I thought the stadium jump was a good idea, I was pregnant again.  Knocked up. And then the desire to get all crazy ass subsided very quickly and I assumed the role of baby grower.

 

And then I had baby number two.

 

Geez time flies when you write it in paragraphs like this.

 

Anyway, the mad, adrenaline urge thingi came back but this time stronger. Like a serious I need to “feel alive” urge.

 

Sky-diving it was.  The bridge jump just wasn’t going to cut it this time.

 

I still do not know how I managed to convince my friend Gina to throw herself out of a plane with me, but I did. This was one thing on my daredevil friendi’s list that she swore she’d never do. And yet, there she was, with me on Friday, throwing herself out of a plane. Now THAT is an amazing friend for you.

 

Now here’s the weird part, it wasn’t scary. I kept waiting to feel the fear and to embrace it…even my opiod receptors were salivating for a bit of action. But bloody hell it never came.

 

After a 5-minute brief of where to put what foot when and how, we were transported along the bumpy airstrip to the little Cessna and we were met by a seriously strapping young pilot. Like oh my god, strapping.  Mills and Boon stuff.

 

Still no nerves, no butterflies, just excited-happy.

 

The plane is tiny. Gina and I sit backwards, side by side. It’s hell of a noisy with the engine going and the door to the plane open (taken off). We sign language to each other and are in agreement that the pilot is indeed hot. It takes about 30 minutes to get to the desired height of about 9000 feet and during this time we’re alone with our thoughts. It gets colder as we make our way further up. But we’re tough chics, we suck it up.

 

A few minutes before we jump, we get attached by a series of carabineers to our tandem partner’s harness. Gina inchworms further to the door and suddenly I feel nervous for her…but before I know it, they’re gone.  My friend she’s out the plane conquering her fear. I am so proud.

 

My turn. I too inchworm my butt nearer the open door and move my feet outside the plane, one by one where I can feel the wind trying to move them across. I’m very calm but still manage to think “oh fuck” in my head, “I’m actually doing this.  CRAP!”. And with that thought, I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and suddenly felt I was in freefall.  It was so peaceful up there, so beautiful, quiet. All I heard was my clothing flapping loudly against the wind.  There was actually time to gather oneself and to have a logical cohesive thought whilst doing this. Who would’ve thought ey? My thought if you’d like to know was: mmm I haven’t even been thinking about when the shute is going to open…and with that I then wondered when the shute was going to open.

 

The silence was then abruptly broken by my girly shrieks as the shute deployed and yanked us in the opposite direction, at serious pace, sending my heart through my chest and my stomach through my oesophagus. Opiod receptors started activating too. Whoa!

 

That was a rush in itself.

 

And we floated gently back to earth. How sweet is that? I could see my friend in the distance and felt relief that she was floating gently back to earth too.

 

I would describe skydiving as a wholesome experience. When do you get to see the earth from that angle, from that unique perspective? It didn’t produce the adrenaline rush, nor the fear that I had expected, but most certainly that happy-sigh feeling. Kind of like when you’re defrosting your toes next to a sunny window on a winters morning. It’s a happy-lazy, warm, content feeling.

 

Thank-you my friendi, you are the best.

Vernon and Roy, thanks for looking after us.

To the hot pilot, well, you’re just hot. Well done for that.

And to D and Katie for the moral support. You guys are next!

 

If anyone is keen, we jumped at Eston with Durban SkyDive Centre – Check out www.skydivedurban.co.za

 

 

My special wombat friendi.


 

 

Getting kitted up in our sexy overalls.

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Will we or won’t we….DIE. Moohaaa haaaa haaaaaa.

 

The plane, she’s off. See No Door!!!!


Inchworming to the door

 

The “Oh Crap!” moment as we exit the plane.

 

Making pretties for the camera…

 

 

 

 

Shute deploys, how much fun…


 

 

 

Spot the wombats.

 

 

 

Terra Firma. Yeehaa baby.

 

Friendi lands safely.

Damn, we are cool.

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