Tickets bought yesterday. Hotel rooms reserved 3 months ago. Is it April, yet?
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
23 Years Ago Today
... the Bears won the Super Bowl. And America got to see the greatest rap video EVER. While I was just a wee lass when this came out - I remember the video. And I remember thinking Jim McMahon was pretty cool - must have been the wrap arounds and sweatband. Enjoy.
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Christmas Eve
G-ma, I didn't forget to update this. We just haven't really done anything worth blogging about over the 11 days we've been home. But, we do have some pictures from Christmas Eve so I'm finally getting around to putting those up.
Sean set the mood by putting on the animated fire, courtesy of the Xbox.
We put out a variety of Spanish cheeses as part of the appetizer spread. This is exactly how Sean set it up. I wonder if having both of his parents over is what caused him to stab the cheese knives so violently into the cheese?
How do you make the holidays more enjoyable for all? Share the gift of good hard liquor!
Dinner was pretty easy - we bought a Honey Baked Ham, I made stuffing with andouille sausage, and everyone else brought a dish or two. The leftovers lasted for a week. And then, we taught them to play International Rummy. The Flinns definitely don't play as enthusiastically as the Grobles / Jorns do - but it could be because it was their first time. I think one game with Jimmy would show them how much of a contact game it can be.
Sean set the mood by putting on the animated fire, courtesy of the Xbox. 
We put out a variety of Spanish cheeses as part of the appetizer spread. This is exactly how Sean set it up. I wonder if having both of his parents over is what caused him to stab the cheese knives so violently into the cheese? 
How do you make the holidays more enjoyable for all? Share the gift of good hard liquor! 
Dinner was pretty easy - we bought a Honey Baked Ham, I made stuffing with andouille sausage, and everyone else brought a dish or two. The leftovers lasted for a week. And then, we taught them to play International Rummy. The Flinns definitely don't play as enthusiastically as the Grobles / Jorns do - but it could be because it was their first time. I think one game with Jimmy would show them how much of a contact game it can be. Friday, December 19, 2008
Merry Christmas
I finally got around to taking pictures of the tree and village. The major news in the Flinn house is that the village is finally large enough to go on the floor - it's no longer relegated to the top of the CD rack. It's still nowhere near as large as G-ma's, but I still have years to catch up to her. :-)
What our village looks like to all the random bugs that make their way into the condo.
Thursday, December 04, 2008
The View from My Seat
The view from my seat, many many many feet above ground, on a flight back from Indianapolis. Friendsgiving
We decided to go up to San Francisco for Thanksgiving. Nothing against our families, we just decided to take advantage of having a long weekend (that we didn't have to use vacation time on) and head up to the city.
We stayed at my favorite hotel in the city - the Serrano. The weekend included spending Thanksgiving with friends, trying to go to the CA Academy of Sciences, viewing the Yves Saint Laurent exhibit at the De Young Museum and wining our way through Napa.
The trip got off to an auspicious start - I spent the majority of Wednesday with one of the worst migraines I've had in years (sending me home sick from work a scant few hours after arriving) and convinced I wasn't going to be able to stand the flight. Luckily, some sensory deprivation in the form of a completely dark room, cold compress on my head and hours and hours of sleep before having to catch our evening flight helped a little.
Luckily, Thursday the migraine had subsided to simply an irritating headache and we were able to spend Thanksgiving with friends. Everyone brought a dish. Sean cooked the turkey with a great Giada recipe that involved stuffing the turkey with wedges of oranges, lemons, onions and herbs and slathering it with enough butter to make Paula Dean blush. I made stuffing with andouille sausage, mushrooms, onions and celery. And his friend K. made the most amazing whipped sweet potatoes with a pecan/brown sugar crumble topping. I almost cried when I ate them they were so good.
Here's Sean devouring the turkey...
While we waited for the turkey to cook, we played a bit of Rock Band. And we played it after we ate the turkey, too. -
Our original plan on Friday was to go to the CA Academy of Sciences, but when we got there the line to get in was 2 hours long. I had no intention of standing in line for 2 hours - that's insanity. The museum was offering to refund tickets given that the line was so ridiculous. It was super disappointing - aside from Napa that was the one thing I was really looking forward to. If you visit the website you'll see why - it's a museum, aquarium, architectural wonder all wrapped into one. Luckily, the De Young Museum was right across the park, so we walked through the Yves Saint Laurent exhibit where Sean surprised me with his in-depth knowledge and appreciation for the man and his contribution to the fashion world. Here's a view of the city from the observation deck in the museum.
The rest of Friday evening was spent discovering bars in San Francisco, eating at Shalimar (home of some of the best Indian food I've ever eaten) and then crashing in the hotel.
Luckily, I had Napa to look forward to. After getting off to an early start - I misread the Google Maps directions and thought it was a 2 hour drive (as opposed to the 1 hour drive) to Napa we made it to the first winery on our tour, Nickel & Nickel. I won't bore you with the details, so here's the quick recap: they produce single-vineyard, single-varietal wines. This was some of THE best wine I've had.
This barn was originally built in New England about 200 years ago. The owner of Nickel & Nickel decided he wanted a barn on his property, so he bought it, dismantled it, then re-built it exactly as is in Napa. Without any nails. (Save for the mandatory earthquake structural safeguards.)
This is a view of a part of their vineyard - currently waiting to be re-planted.
Next up was Chappellet. The drive up to the main building was beautiful - we drove through their vines and had a spectacular view of the surrounding area.
Makes me want to pack up and stomp grapes for a living.
We stayed at my favorite hotel in the city - the Serrano. The weekend included spending Thanksgiving with friends, trying to go to the CA Academy of Sciences, viewing the Yves Saint Laurent exhibit at the De Young Museum and wining our way through Napa.
The trip got off to an auspicious start - I spent the majority of Wednesday with one of the worst migraines I've had in years (sending me home sick from work a scant few hours after arriving) and convinced I wasn't going to be able to stand the flight. Luckily, some sensory deprivation in the form of a completely dark room, cold compress on my head and hours and hours of sleep before having to catch our evening flight helped a little.
Luckily, Thursday the migraine had subsided to simply an irritating headache and we were able to spend Thanksgiving with friends. Everyone brought a dish. Sean cooked the turkey with a great Giada recipe that involved stuffing the turkey with wedges of oranges, lemons, onions and herbs and slathering it with enough butter to make Paula Dean blush. I made stuffing with andouille sausage, mushrooms, onions and celery. And his friend K. made the most amazing whipped sweet potatoes with a pecan/brown sugar crumble topping. I almost cried when I ate them they were so good.
Here's Sean devouring the turkey...
While we waited for the turkey to cook, we played a bit of Rock Band. And we played it after we ate the turkey, too. - 
Our original plan on Friday was to go to the CA Academy of Sciences, but when we got there the line to get in was 2 hours long. I had no intention of standing in line for 2 hours - that's insanity. The museum was offering to refund tickets given that the line was so ridiculous. It was super disappointing - aside from Napa that was the one thing I was really looking forward to. If you visit the website you'll see why - it's a museum, aquarium, architectural wonder all wrapped into one. Luckily, the De Young Museum was right across the park, so we walked through the Yves Saint Laurent exhibit where Sean surprised me with his in-depth knowledge and appreciation for the man and his contribution to the fashion world. Here's a view of the city from the observation deck in the museum.
The rest of Friday evening was spent discovering bars in San Francisco, eating at Shalimar (home of some of the best Indian food I've ever eaten) and then crashing in the hotel.Luckily, I had Napa to look forward to. After getting off to an early start - I misread the Google Maps directions and thought it was a 2 hour drive (as opposed to the 1 hour drive) to Napa we made it to the first winery on our tour, Nickel & Nickel. I won't bore you with the details, so here's the quick recap: they produce single-vineyard, single-varietal wines. This was some of THE best wine I've had.
This barn was originally built in New England about 200 years ago. The owner of Nickel & Nickel decided he wanted a barn on his property, so he bought it, dismantled it, then re-built it exactly as is in Napa. Without any nails. (Save for the mandatory earthquake structural safeguards.)
This is a view of a part of their vineyard - currently waiting to be re-planted.
Next up was Chappellet. The drive up to the main building was beautiful - we drove through their vines and had a spectacular view of the surrounding area. 
Makes me want to pack up and stomp grapes for a living.
Monday, November 03, 2008
To cap off my aunt's visit to CA - we took her with us to a "No on 8" rally in Long Beach. Her visit all weekend had been a pretty accurate "Day in the Life of the Flinns." We hung out and caught up on TV; took her to a party; went to the beach; saw Janeane Garofalo at the Improv; ate a lot of great food and drank a lot of great wine. So, adding a bit of political activity into her trip made it that much accurate.
I'm sure the majority of you have heard about it, either because you live in CA or because of the attention it's been getting on the national news. Or maybe you're a member of one of the LDS churches that's made it their mission to ensure my mother-in-law isn't treated like an equal citizen.
This is an important matter to me for several reasons: 1) my parents didn't raise an intolerant jack-hole. 2) it's personal - like I said earlier, it directly affects my mother-in-law. With the onslaught of media attention this item has been receiving, here's a more personal account - my husband wrote his feelings on the whole thing and he does it much more eloquently than I ever could. (I don't think he uses the word "jack-hole" once in his whole blog.)
Sean's blog
For those non-Californians, here is the wording of Prop 8 as it will appear on our ballots:
I know that by the time most of you read this, it'll be Tuesday, and you'll probably have already voted. But, I thought I'd share a few more links with you:
Los Angeles Times
Newsweek: Can I vote on YOUR marriage?
I'm sure the majority of you have heard about it, either because you live in CA or because of the attention it's been getting on the national news. Or maybe you're a member of one of the LDS churches that's made it their mission to ensure my mother-in-law isn't treated like an equal citizen.
This is an important matter to me for several reasons: 1) my parents didn't raise an intolerant jack-hole. 2) it's personal - like I said earlier, it directly affects my mother-in-law. With the onslaught of media attention this item has been receiving, here's a more personal account - my husband wrote his feelings on the whole thing and he does it much more eloquently than I ever could. (I don't think he uses the word "jack-hole" once in his whole blog.)
Sean's blog
For those non-Californians, here is the wording of Prop 8 as it will appear on our ballots:
Proposition 8
ELIMINATES RIGHT OF SAME-SEX COUPLES TO MARRY. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
I know that by the time most of you read this, it'll be Tuesday, and you'll probably have already voted. But, I thought I'd share a few more links with you:Los Angeles Times
Newsweek: Can I vote on YOUR marriage?
Beach Visit
What do you do when your aunt from Wisconsin is in town visiting? You go to the beach, of course. Never mind that it was in the high 60s/low 70s and breezy. In Wisconsin it' s freezing and wintery - so coming to the beach so you can gloat to your co-workers (and kids) that you went to the beach for the weekend is a lot of fun.
Here are some random shots I took:
The waves were a lot larger than the pictures make them out to be.
The clouds were pretty cool looking, too.
I hate seagulls. They're the rats of the sky. Whenever I see them, I picture the seagulls from "Finding Nemo."
Here are some random shots I took:
The waves were a lot larger than the pictures make them out to be.
The clouds were pretty cool looking, too.
I hate seagulls. They're the rats of the sky. Whenever I see them, I picture the seagulls from "Finding Nemo." Sunday, November 02, 2008
Halloween
Friday night my friend S. invited us to a Halloween party thrown by some people at her office. This meant coming up with a 3rd Halloween costume (costume #2 consisted of a Black Angels tee and a guitar controller from 'Rock Band'). Our friends K. and C. lent us their AWESOME wigs and boots so we built our costumes around them.
This is S. and I book-ending my aunt, who's in town visiting for the weekend.
Technically, we were going as Cotton Candy and Black Licorice - but at some point in the evening we also thought we could pass as dolls...
This is S. and I book-ending my aunt, who's in town visiting for the weekend.
Technically, we were going as Cotton Candy and Black Licorice - but at some point in the evening we also thought we could pass as dolls...
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Halloween
Our Halloween costumes...TARDIS and Dr. Who.
...due to getting the inspiration so late for our costumes, the TARDIS isn't as awesome as it could have been. The day of the party we kept coming up with ways to make it better - doors that open, lighted windows, etc...
...due to getting the inspiration so late for our costumes, the TARDIS isn't as awesome as it could have been. The day of the party we kept coming up with ways to make it better - doors that open, lighted windows, etc...Tuesday, October 21, 2008
They Just Took a TARDIS Out Of That Bar
Last night we went up to LA to a screening of the show "Heroes." Why? To watch Sean's friend David make his big screen debut as Eric Doyle aka The Puppetmaster. It was great! David's character was the highlight of the episode - his character is so creepy. But, David's one of the nicest people on the planet, so it was really hard to appreciate the creepiness of his character because I was just so excited that he got was on TV and got a lot of screen time! His character even has his own graphic novel!!
After the screening, we stayed for the burlesque show - or more specifically - the Villains Burlesque Show. I know - you're confused. David's wife produces a weekly burlesque show up in LA - so they they performed afterwards, each girl performing as a villain. It was awesome! Here are the highlights:
After the screening, we stayed for the burlesque show - or more specifically - the Villains Burlesque Show. I know - you're confused. David's wife produces a weekly burlesque show up in LA - so they they performed afterwards, each girl performing as a villain. It was awesome! Here are the highlights:
- Dr. Who and the Weeping Angels: Ack! I freaked out. The first performer not only performed as a villain from Dr. Who - but as a villain from one of my favorite episodes (the episode is incredibly tense, stressful and the writing's tight). Did I mention she built a TARDIS to use during her performance?
- PLUS! this served as the inspiration for my and Sean's Halloween costumes - stay tuned to see how they turned out...
- Cruella DeVil: Two words explain it all: puppy bath.
- Boris and Natasha: comedic burlesque
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
This Past Weekend
Bike ride
Saturday morning I went for a bike ride after Sean guilted me into it. He’s training for his 3rd marathon and Saturdays are his long, outdoor runs, which meant that I could either lay on the couch and clear out the DVR while he was training for his 3rd freakin’ marathon, or I could get off my a$$ and ride my bike. I chose the latter. It was great – I need to remember to bring my camera with me while I ride around Back Bay – there’s a lot of great pictures to be taken. Also, this girl’s in need of some padded bike shorts – my tush was sore after my 10 mile ride – please leave your suggestions in the comments section.
Yoga
I have discovered yoga and it is wonderful. I am kicking myself for ignoring my friend G.’s invitations to join her at her Sunday morning yoga classes for so long. Yoga is the cure for all that ails you.
Cookie baking
Our vows included something about me continuing to bake cookies…so when we both got a craving for chocolate chip cookies after watching a character TV bake them – I whipped up some cookies Sunday night. I am going to try my hardest to ignore the Tupperware container of cookies taunting me from the kitchen counter.
Saturday morning I went for a bike ride after Sean guilted me into it. He’s training for his 3rd marathon and Saturdays are his long, outdoor runs, which meant that I could either lay on the couch and clear out the DVR while he was training for his 3rd freakin’ marathon, or I could get off my a$$ and ride my bike. I chose the latter. It was great – I need to remember to bring my camera with me while I ride around Back Bay – there’s a lot of great pictures to be taken. Also, this girl’s in need of some padded bike shorts – my tush was sore after my 10 mile ride – please leave your suggestions in the comments section.
Yoga
I have discovered yoga and it is wonderful. I am kicking myself for ignoring my friend G.’s invitations to join her at her Sunday morning yoga classes for so long. Yoga is the cure for all that ails you.
Cookie baking
Our vows included something about me continuing to bake cookies…so when we both got a craving for chocolate chip cookies after watching a character TV bake them – I whipped up some cookies Sunday night. I am going to try my hardest to ignore the Tupperware container of cookies taunting me from the kitchen counter.
Monday, October 06, 2008
Wedding!
This weekend friends of ours got married. We both know the groom because Sean use to work with him and I use to live with him. And we both got to really know the bride once they started dating. Both are excellent, excellent people and we couldn't be happier for them.
There was a 2 hour break between the end of the wedding ceremony and the beginning of cocktails at the wedding, so Sean and I headed out for a pre-cocktail hour drink...
My two favorite loves.
Proof the bride and groom are good people.
Friends in front of Newport Harbor.
I think Sean is practicing for B.'s James Bond themed party in a few weeks.
Further proof the bride and groom are good people - dancing robots as centerpieces.
... and speaking of the bride and groom.
O. and his date spent the ENTIRE night kissing. The entire night - and every single camera at our table has proof. After a while the kissing got a bit old (for those of us forced to watch) - so we had to make things interesting...can you spot my husband?
There was a 2 hour break between the end of the wedding ceremony and the beginning of cocktails at the wedding, so Sean and I headed out for a pre-cocktail hour drink...
My two favorite loves.
Proof the bride and groom are good people.
Friends in front of Newport Harbor.
I think Sean is practicing for B.'s James Bond themed party in a few weeks.
Further proof the bride and groom are good people - dancing robots as centerpieces.
... and speaking of the bride and groom.
O. and his date spent the ENTIRE night kissing. The entire night - and every single camera at our table has proof. After a while the kissing got a bit old (for those of us forced to watch) - so we had to make things interesting...can you spot my husband? One Sentence Review - Dandy Warhols
...better late than never...
When: Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Where: Belly Up
Dandy Warhols : LOVE them - go see DiG! to find out why.
A Place to Bury Strangers: Their drummer is a machine; he went non-stop through the entire set - an absolute machine.
When: Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Where: Belly Up
Dandy Warhols : LOVE them - go see DiG! to find out why.
A Place to Bury Strangers: Their drummer is a machine; he went non-stop through the entire set - an absolute machine.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
P.A.N.T.H.E.R.
The Vice-Presidential debates are next Thursday. Remember to watch. While we wait, let's enjoy this little video, shall we?
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
One Sentence Reviews - Hot Chip & IO Echo
When: Sunday, September 21, 2008
Where: Wiltern
IO Echo: Perfectly captured the "aaaaaagggggggggggghhhhhhh" feeling of every teenage girl ever.
Hot Chip: Completely blew away my expectations; crazy-dizzy strobe lights plus dancing equals awesome.
Where: Wiltern
IO Echo: Perfectly captured the "aaaaaagggggggggggghhhhhhh" feeling of every teenage girl ever.
Hot Chip: Completely blew away my expectations; crazy-dizzy strobe lights plus dancing equals awesome.
One Sentence Review - Stereolab
When: Saturday, September 20, 2008
Where: Detroit
Sooooo much better than Monade (one of the band member's side project, that Sean made me see a few years ago) - a hundred times better than Monade.
Where: Detroit
Sooooo much better than Monade (one of the band member's side project, that Sean made me see a few years ago) - a hundred times better than Monade.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Beach
Things I could never when I was living in MN:
The beach.
The husband.
The food. Mmm ... pad se-lew.
- Pack big blanket in car
- Pick-up Thai food
- Head to Newport Beach
- Eat dinner on beach w/ husband
The beach.
The husband.
The food. Mmm ... pad se-lew.Monday, September 08, 2008
Our Weekend
It was a lazy weekend, broken up with a brief burst of productivity and going out to eat.
Organization
We ran out of bookcase space about 1 year ago. We’ve spent the last year piling the new books we’ve bought on the floor, on desks and next to our existing bookcases. Last weekend we finally bit the bullet and bought the bookcase we’d been eye-ing at Ikea for the last year. This was a big commitment, because while the Ikea bookcase fit our price range, it came at a heavy cost (literally); those pesky Swedes expect you to put it together yourself. Which we did. Or, rather, Sean did while I alphabetized our books. (although I did offer the occasional help pounding the shelves together – and came up with a few brilliant suggestions to help make the shelves line up so the screw would make it into the hole).
Did I mention – after living together for 3 years – we FINALLY merged our book collections. Yes, I waited until I knew the marriage was actually official before I merged our books together. There’s something very final about merging the last bastion of your singlehood with another person. It’s important to note that Sean hasn’t once brought up the topic of merging our music collections. I think it’s because, secretly, he doesn’t want my Boyz II Men Christmas Melodies CD (my taste in junior high was shockingly embarrassing) knocking boots with his Joy Division albums.
…Which brings me to this weekend: I finished putting away the books that didn’t fit on the new bookcase. We put those on the old bookcase in the living room.
Good Eats
We went with our friends G. and A. to Jason’s Downtown in downtown Santa Ana. We discovered this place during the Santa Ana pub crawl last month. And it almost didn’t happen. This place is open at the weirdest hours – every time we could make it there, it was closed. It was as though the restaurant didn’t want to get new customers. Luckily, we were able to make it
The food was great food; so was the interior design – very polished. And the bathroom had the best sinks: glass, almost flat with a slight curve so the water would drain. And the water didn’t come out of a regular faucet; the faucet looked like a regular open pipe and you moved a portion of the pipe up and water gushed out. And the white sangria was delicious.
Organization
We ran out of bookcase space about 1 year ago. We’ve spent the last year piling the new books we’ve bought on the floor, on desks and next to our existing bookcases. Last weekend we finally bit the bullet and bought the bookcase we’d been eye-ing at Ikea for the last year. This was a big commitment, because while the Ikea bookcase fit our price range, it came at a heavy cost (literally); those pesky Swedes expect you to put it together yourself. Which we did. Or, rather, Sean did while I alphabetized our books. (although I did offer the occasional help pounding the shelves together – and came up with a few brilliant suggestions to help make the shelves line up so the screw would make it into the hole).
Did I mention – after living together for 3 years – we FINALLY merged our book collections. Yes, I waited until I knew the marriage was actually official before I merged our books together. There’s something very final about merging the last bastion of your singlehood with another person. It’s important to note that Sean hasn’t once brought up the topic of merging our music collections. I think it’s because, secretly, he doesn’t want my Boyz II Men Christmas Melodies CD (my taste in junior high was shockingly embarrassing) knocking boots with his Joy Division albums.
…Which brings me to this weekend: I finished putting away the books that didn’t fit on the new bookcase. We put those on the old bookcase in the living room.
Good Eats
We went with our friends G. and A. to Jason’s Downtown in downtown Santa Ana. We discovered this place during the Santa Ana pub crawl last month. And it almost didn’t happen. This place is open at the weirdest hours – every time we could make it there, it was closed. It was as though the restaurant didn’t want to get new customers. Luckily, we were able to make it
The food was great food; so was the interior design – very polished. And the bathroom had the best sinks: glass, almost flat with a slight curve so the water would drain. And the water didn’t come out of a regular faucet; the faucet looked like a regular open pipe and you moved a portion of the pipe up and water gushed out. And the white sangria was delicious.
Monday, September 01, 2008
They Say It's Your Birthday
This past Sunday was my birthday. It wasn't a major milestone birthday - but I celebrated it in a major way - I went skydiving. Why? It's simple: I've always wanted to, so my birthday was the perfect excuse. We sky-dived up from 13,000 ft and it was incredible. Amazing. So freaking fantastic I can't even explain it. We have video documenting the entire dive (from start to finish) but DVD keeps shutting down our computers. But, as soon as we figure out a way to download the DVD onto our computers, I'll put the video up. For now, here are some pictures and a short video clip that Sean took with my camera.
Have a safe flight, indeed.
Sean kissing his wife good-bye and good luck.
The plane I jumped out of was very similar to one of these planes.
And here I am getting all harnessed up. After I got strapped into the harness, Jack (the guy I would be strapped to) and I went over to our plane. There was another girl jumping, so in total there were 4 of us sitting in this itty bitty plane. I hop into the plane and sit on the floor. I put a seatbelt on and then the plane starts taxiing. Did I mention, that the door to the airplane is still open? It is. At this point, I've had no training whatsoever. No one's told me what to do. So as we're taxiing, I thought we were simply going to a different part of the airport. Then I noticed the plane going faster and faster. Jack leans over to me and says, "see that yellow line? that's the point of no return and no refund!" I laughed, thinking it was a funny joke, and still believing that we were going to a different part of the airport for training on how to jump out. Then I notice the plane IS IN THE AIR!! And the only thing keeping me from falling out is this little seatbelt. A SEATBELT! I'm in a plane, right in front of an open door. Like any sane person - I start to freak out internally. At that point I realized there was absolutely no turning back.
Jack was great - he saw that I was getting nervous so he kept talking to me and telling me lame, but funny, jokes. Pacific Coast Skydiving is located in south, south San Diego - we were really close to the Mexico-California border. So up in the plane, I could see Tijuana and all the way into Mexico. It was a gorgeous site. Jack pointed out a bull-fighting ring to me and I started to actually relax a little bit. But then, the plane banked hard right, so the plane tilted over the ocean - and THE DOOR WAS STILL OPEN! And I was still in front of it!! Needless to say, I was getting more and more nervous the higher we flew. I was pretty proud of myself for not freaking out out loud. Like I said, it was all internal.
Once we were halfway up, 6500 feet high, Jack started to strap us together. It was at that point that I FINALLY relaxed and went completely calm. I was now connected to a guy who knew exactly what he was doing and I had no control over the situation - it was actually pretty liberating.
Then, the moment I was waiting for happened. Jack and I scooted our butts to the edge of the plane. I tucked my legs underneath the plane and I looked outside. It was as if my brain shut off. I was blissfully calm. Then we threw ourselves out of a perfectly good plane.
The free fall was the most exhilarating feelings. The adrenaline just shoots through your body and you feel like you can conquer the world. I felt like I was flying. Not falling, but flying. After we fell for a while, Jack pulled the parachute and I was chucked up into the air (or at least it felt that way). Jack let me hold onto the parachute reins for a little bit and guide us. Then we did these crazy spins in the air. The float down was pretty amazing to - I felt so calm the entire time. And happy - freaking happy.
And before I knew it, I spotted Sean and my friends on the ground. We came in for a landing, and true to my klutzy nature, I totally boffed the landing and came in on my ass instead of my feet. But, it didn't matter because I just jumped out of a plane on my birthday.
Here's some video that Sean took with my camera - turn your speakers on because there's a little bit of sound. As soon as I figure out how to transfer the DVD onto my computer, I'll upload the FABULOUS video of my entire jump.
Afterwards, we went to the Turf Club for dinner and drinks. The Turf Club is awesome because 1) they haven't changed the decor since around 1967 so it's like sitting in someone's awfully decorated basement and 2) you grill your own meat.
Have a safe flight, indeed. 
Sean kissing his wife good-bye and good luck.
The plane I jumped out of was very similar to one of these planes. 
And here I am getting all harnessed up. After I got strapped into the harness, Jack (the guy I would be strapped to) and I went over to our plane. There was another girl jumping, so in total there were 4 of us sitting in this itty bitty plane. I hop into the plane and sit on the floor. I put a seatbelt on and then the plane starts taxiing. Did I mention, that the door to the airplane is still open? It is. At this point, I've had no training whatsoever. No one's told me what to do. So as we're taxiing, I thought we were simply going to a different part of the airport. Then I noticed the plane going faster and faster. Jack leans over to me and says, "see that yellow line? that's the point of no return and no refund!" I laughed, thinking it was a funny joke, and still believing that we were going to a different part of the airport for training on how to jump out. Then I notice the plane IS IN THE AIR!! And the only thing keeping me from falling out is this little seatbelt. A SEATBELT! I'm in a plane, right in front of an open door. Like any sane person - I start to freak out internally. At that point I realized there was absolutely no turning back. Jack was great - he saw that I was getting nervous so he kept talking to me and telling me lame, but funny, jokes. Pacific Coast Skydiving is located in south, south San Diego - we were really close to the Mexico-California border. So up in the plane, I could see Tijuana and all the way into Mexico. It was a gorgeous site. Jack pointed out a bull-fighting ring to me and I started to actually relax a little bit. But then, the plane banked hard right, so the plane tilted over the ocean - and THE DOOR WAS STILL OPEN! And I was still in front of it!! Needless to say, I was getting more and more nervous the higher we flew. I was pretty proud of myself for not freaking out out loud. Like I said, it was all internal.
Once we were halfway up, 6500 feet high, Jack started to strap us together. It was at that point that I FINALLY relaxed and went completely calm. I was now connected to a guy who knew exactly what he was doing and I had no control over the situation - it was actually pretty liberating.
Then, the moment I was waiting for happened. Jack and I scooted our butts to the edge of the plane. I tucked my legs underneath the plane and I looked outside. It was as if my brain shut off. I was blissfully calm. Then we threw ourselves out of a perfectly good plane.
The free fall was the most exhilarating feelings. The adrenaline just shoots through your body and you feel like you can conquer the world. I felt like I was flying. Not falling, but flying. After we fell for a while, Jack pulled the parachute and I was chucked up into the air (or at least it felt that way). Jack let me hold onto the parachute reins for a little bit and guide us. Then we did these crazy spins in the air. The float down was pretty amazing to - I felt so calm the entire time. And happy - freaking happy.
And before I knew it, I spotted Sean and my friends on the ground. We came in for a landing, and true to my klutzy nature, I totally boffed the landing and came in on my ass instead of my feet. But, it didn't matter because I just jumped out of a plane on my birthday.
Here's some video that Sean took with my camera - turn your speakers on because there's a little bit of sound. As soon as I figure out how to transfer the DVD onto my computer, I'll upload the FABULOUS video of my entire jump.
Afterwards, we went to the Turf Club for dinner and drinks. The Turf Club is awesome because 1) they haven't changed the decor since around 1967 so it's like sitting in someone's awfully decorated basement and 2) you grill your own meat.
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