Today's challenge: iFLY

Today is Jason's birthday.  **HAPPY BIRTHDAY!**

 I asked him last week if he'd be willing to take the day off so we could spend it together and go to iFLY as his birthday present.

He had a gift card he had never used.  And I am trying new things.  Seemed perfect to me.

iFLY is an indoor skydiving place.  I hate heights... won't climb on a ladder...  won't look down over our railing when I'm upstairs in the house.... I hold onto the railings all the way up when riding an escalator.  I hate small planes.  You get the idea.  This idea was a major thing for me!!

We had some time to kill before our flight so we watched the instructors for a while doing their thing.

Bad idea. 

Jason said the color drained from my face.  I knew he was right because my fingers and toes went cold and numb.  Just watching.

I almost had tears in my eyes-- I'll admit it-- and said, "Jason, I don't want to do it."

He told me I didn't have to but that I'd be perfectly safe.

We met our instructor, Andrew, who took us through the training video.  He tried to crack jokes, and I laughed politely.  But he took one look at me and said, "You look really nervous."

Ummm, YES!!!!  What gave it away?  The trembling?  The ashen color of my face? The look of dread in my eyes?

Jason told him that this was a really big deal for me to be there, doing this.

We suited up and headed into the chamber where you sit on a bench and wait your turn.  I said I wanted to go first.  I did NOT want to watch any more people do this thing before I did it.

Andrew motioned for me to go to the door of the wind tunnel, fall in, and he'd catch me.  I told him, "no".  Still terrified!!

He showed me what he wanted me to do, and I made myself get off the bench.  One of the hardest things I've ever done was getting off that bench and walking to the door.

But then I flew!! :)

We had two flights and the video below is of the second flight.   At the end he made me stand on the cables and walk to the door instead of flying me to the door, like they usually do. 

Being able to walk on the cables is difficult... As you'll see, the wind was blowing at 105 mph, and I couldn't get my bearings.  I look like I messed in my pants. But I promise I didn't. :)

Watch until the end because my reaction once I'm in the hallway sums up the way I felt perfectly!!

JULIE-- FLIGHT #2

I am SO GLAD I did it!!! I think I'm still on an adrenaline high three hours later.  Might look like nothing but fun to you, but it was a majorly big breakthrough for me.

WOO HOO!!

And since it's Jason's big day, here's the birthday boy's flight.  He loved it!!! He couldn't get enough.

JASON-- FLIGHT #2

What a day!

Top Golf

Last night Jason and I went with a group of five other couples to Top Golf in The Colony.  This was another exercise in leaving my comfort zone.

My hand/eye coordination is TERRIBLE.  Tennis, baseball, golf... count me out!  I can putt into a lion's mouth at Putt Putt.  That's where it ends.

Of the girls that went out last night, half of us had never done this before.  We split up into two bays.  Three couples on one side, three on the other.  I can't speak to how well the newbies did in Bay 301, but the newbie with me was a natural!!!

Don't you just love people like that?! *side eye*  

I used a 6 iron.  I was told that as the numbers go up, the ball goes straighter.  As they go down, the ball goes higher. Six seemed like a good number in the middle.

I missed the ball several times.  SEVERAL times.  And, if you've never been before, the set up is such that your friends are on the couch, drinking and watching you hit (or miss) the ball (several times). 

One even joked, "Is this bringing back T-Ball memories for you?" :) LOL.  Yes.  Yes it was!  But I can laugh at myself... especially with enough alcohol.

Eventually I hit every ball.  One sort of rolled off the tee and off the side of the building, but hey-- contact!  ;)

So here were the scores for Round One... Guess which one is mine!

I know you're thinking... last place.  A 12.  And you're shaking your head, wanting to believe I did better than that.

Well, smarty pants, I'll have you know that--- yes, I scored 12.  :(

(Did I score 12 or shoot 12?  I don't know.)

But I'm challenging myself.  Learning to feel comfortable being uncomfortable.  Trying things that bring out insecurities.

So I ordered another drink.  And saddled up for Round 2.

During Round 2, Brian (one of the guys we were with) suggested that I switch to a pitching wedge.  It's a shorter club and might be easier for me.

I liked it a lot better!  And my friends told me that even though I "half- swing", which I guess means I'm not swinging as hard as I should, I hit the ball solidly every time with the new club.  My problem was that I needed to line up my shot differently because I kept hitting the ball into the same place every time... thus amassing a bevy of goose eggs.  Not good for the scores.

I did much better the second round... Look!!  Player 9.

A 34!! :)

Still horrible!!

But so much better than a 12!! :)

Perseverance.  Not taking myself too seriously.  Doing my best to be coachable.  And lots and lots of vodka are what I attribute to my success.

Next challenge day-- Tuesday!!  Stay tuned ;)

Last night recap

I read an article about things you should do once you turn 30.

Things like... stop eating fast food.  Start lifting weights.  Yada yada yada.

But one thing they said was, "Do something that scares you every day."

I. LOVE. THIS.   Well, I love the idea of this anyway.

The older I get the more I believe in the importance of getting out of your comfort zone.  I really don't want to fall into a routine that isn't challenging. I like pushing myself. It's a RUSH.  The fear and nerves that set in make the sense of accomplishment that much greater when you conquer the challenge.

It could be big things... like training for a marathon... or small things... like trying a new hair color.  Life's too short to limit yourself to the "same old/same old".

Which actually brings up this point--- My mom and I were talking yesterday, and she said something to the effect of, "Life is too short to choose to be unhappy.  You only go around once."  Attitude is everything!!  Believing you can do something or that life is good is the key to making that your reality.

There are bazillions of books about how important your mindset is.

So here's where I'm going with this.... are you still following me? In a very long-winded way, I'm saying... I've resolved to continue to do things that push me.  To wholeheartedly believe that I can do whatever I put my mind to.

Yesterday-- as I've said-- I modeled at a little fashion thing.  And I was terrified!

Standing in front of a group of women knowing that they're judging the way you look is the stuff nightmares are made of.  We all know men may do an overall scan, but women pick each other apart.

I've become comfortable in the last couple of years with being the center of attention if I'm talking.  I can keep your attention if I'm able to show my personality and crack jokes and gesture a lot. It's my presentation style. :)

Standing silently in an outfit I didn't choose, knowing that people are judging the clothing based on the way it fits my body... ugh.



Here are the top 5 things that made last night awkward:

1.  The white pants---

My first outfit required white pants.  The white pants I needed were being worn by the first model.  So I had to wait for her to be finished with them so I could put them on.

Jane, the lady heading up this shindig, told me to get dressed in my outfit.  I said I couldn't because I didn't have the pants.  She was a little stressed and repeated herself again in a "Don't argue with me" tone.  So I went to my dressing room and put on my shirt and my jacket and stood there... pants-less.

Then someone opened my door so I could hear the emcee, saw me pants-less, and walked away with the door open.  Is this some sort of hazing?  I don't know. Not the debut I intended to make.

Thankfully, the dressing rooms are in the back of the showroom where we were having the event.  Only a couple of people saw.

Oh-- and also the pants that I was waiting on were being worn by a lady in her early 60s.  Not that there's anything wrong with being 60, but I don't want to share pants.


2.  The blue jacket--

I had a blue jacket on and was instructed to take it off and show the crowd the shirt underneath.  I acted like a moron who had never worn a jacket before.  I fumbled trying to get it off.  It was like zippers and snaps were the most challenging things ever created.  Awful.

I started to sweat.  So so much sweat.  I hope no one ended up buying the shirt I was wearing.


3.  Nicole--

Nicole is a size 00, tall, pretty, Black woman with big boobs and her own radio and television show.  Everything looks GREAT on Nicole.  Nicole is charismatic.  Even though we're supposed to stand there quietly, she owned that stage and was able to make people laugh, and they were whispering about how cute she is.

No lie-- every time she came out, there was an audible gasp because she was so stunning.

Guess who was in line right behind Nicole and had to follow her act every.single.time.?

Boo.


4.  The black heels--

I needed black heels for one skirt.  I forgot them in my van.  I ended up borrowing black heels from a woman in her 70s.

Her heels were way cuter and way sexier than any black heels I own.

I think I need a black heel intervention.


5.  Water + No bathroom--

I needed to go to the bathroom the entire time I was there.

I wasn't hurting, but by the end of the night, I was dancing, if you know what I mean.

In fact, this pressing need may have contributed to my awful sweating habit and part of the reason I was flustered and couldn't get the blue jacket off.


BUT I got through it! :)
I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and decided that, if nothing else, I'll have a good laugh when it's over.

I'm not planning on doing anything that scares me today, but I'm trying something new tomorrow!! :)  I'll tell you about it later!

TGIF!  Have a good one!