Skydiving!!!

Yesterday, we left from the hotel and went up to Kara's (Yorkville, IL), picked her up and went over to Skydive Chicago in Ottawa, IL. We pulled up and parked outside the hangar.


We walked through the hangar and into the office to start filling out our paperwork. The contract we had to sign basically said that even if an accident is a result of gross negligence on their part, it's still not their fault. We had to initial next to each paragraph in the 10 page contract. That was pretty crazy.

After all of the paperwork, we went downstairs for a class with Chad. They played a video with this guy with a super long fake beard who went over the legal stuff. Then Chad went over [twice] what would go on during our jump. After our class was over, we went upstairs, back out to the hangar, and started getting suited up.






After we were dressed, we took one last group picture before we headed out for the plane.



Now we're in the plane and seatbelted in. We fly up to 13,000 feet. We all have altimeters strapped to our arms. As we go up, you can see the needle going up. At about 6,000 feet, we pass through clouds and the professional jumpers (the ones we're all strapped to) take note. We're supposed to pull the cord at 5,500 feet. That leaves time to straighten things out if there's trouble.

When we make it up to 13,000, they open the door - yes, on an airplane, they just randomly open the door up. This is crazy!

The instructors kept everyone in the plane engaged in conversations the whole trip up. We didn't even have time to be scared.

Everett was in front of me. They opened the door, his camera guy went out the door and held on to the plane so he could get some pictures. From there, Ev and his instructor got up to the door and just rolled right out. I was up next - we scooted up to the edge. I tried to grab the handle above so I could slide up easier but my instructor didn't let me. I slid up to the door with my knees almost out of the plane. 1, 2, 3, out we went. It was sick! Before we went out, I could look down and see the clouds, Ev and his instructor, and Ev's camera guy just floating around below us.

So we go out the door and it gets LOUD! The wind blowing past your ears was noisy. It didn't feel like you were falling at all - it was more like flying. In the class, they told you it would only last for 60 seconds. In my head, 60 seconds was a lot longer than it was falling from the plane. I didn't do so well at remembering to check everything - I was all caught up in the moment. I did manage, at the last minute, to reach for the rip cord as the instructor was getting ready to pull it (since he didn't want to die either).

The entire thing was MAD FUN and I STRONGLY recommend you do it too.

Here's the pictures from Beth's jump, followed by mine:

"...and now the time has come to say goodbye."

To continue our adventures with friends...

Tuesday we slept in and met Ashley for lunch at Ludwig and spent some time relaxing and talking. It was fun to be back in Olivet's cafeteria. Who would have thought? After lunch we walked over to her apartment to check it out. Two out of her three roommates are artists, so there was a lot of artwork. We headed back and hung out at the coffee shop (I recommend a Starbucks peppermint hot chocolate. DELICIOUS!).

Molly, Joe, Steve and I headed out to Orland to meet our friend Nathan at this great pizza place. It had already started snowing and so although we were a little cautious of the weather, it looked beautiful. We shopped at the mall for a bit before meeting him there. By the time we left, there was a significant amount of snow on the ground.

Pictures resulting from this great phenomenon:
Steve and I
Joe, Steve and Nathan


I am now sitting on our last train of the day, heading from Washington D.C. to Philadelphia. In Washington's Union Station, Steve and I grabbed some wraps for dinner and hustled on the train along with the other people anxious to get home. As I'm sitting here, I can't help but listen to all their conversations. Very interesting.

Here are the remaining pictures of our previous train ride. I think we were able to get some great shots. My favorite part about this train, was that it was incredibly scenic.

Lounge car where you can sit and watch the scenery:

Steve is sitting next to me playing a game of solitare on his phone, we are tired, but otherwise in excellent spirits, and I can't help but be so grateful for this wonderful vacation with each other and friends. Tomorrow evening we'll be going to a Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert in Atlantic City. I AM SO EXCITED! They are a mixture of rock and orchestra music and mostly do holiday pieces.

Well, I think it's time to wrap up. I know I've forgotten to mention other highlights of our trip, but for right now, I am a little tired of blogging and just want to relax with Steve until we get home.

Who Let the Crazies Out?

This one may be a little long :)

The more I've thought about what I'd write in this blank space, the more introspective and melancholy I've become. I'm sure that as I think back and recall this week spent with friends, the more I will laugh, thinking about the crazy memories we've made and end up feeling a lot better than when I first started. For now, I hope you'll bear with me as I take my time working through the thoughts and feelings I have leaving friends who I love dearly.

I think we have different friends for different reasons. I don't believe there is one person (even a husband or wife) that can meet all of our needs. There are some friends that we can have a blast with. These are the crazy people who want to do things like jump out of planes (I won't name names) and spend their lives seeking the thrills that some of us will never even experience.

There are friends who's mere presence elicits a sense of peace and belonging. Being around these people is like standing on the shore, with the sand between your toes as you watch the sun settle below the waterline. Breathtaking.

One of my favorite types of people are the people who always speak truth (even if somewhat aggressively). I find myself drawn to them because I can go to them in any situation and hear honest-to-God good advice, even if it hurts.

Then there are your "challenging" friends as we so gently call them. You probably disagree with these people more than you agree with them, but their strength of character and sincere heart draw you together even if personalities discourage it.

I am sure that I could go on and on. These are just some of the types of friends I've run into. They are amazing and I love them all. Needless to say, some people find these friends once in a lifetime, I have found them all and hope to continue finding more.

Enough of the philosophy!

So we got into Chicago's Union Station on Friday morning, tired and scuzzy, but excited to be near the end of our journey. The last leg of our journey was an hour train into Orland Park, where our friend Molly would pick us up from and take us to Olivet.

We lugged all of our stuff onto the last train and anxiously waited. I almost had a heart attack, I was so impatient. :) As far as I knew the schedule went like this:

Friday- party at Molly and Joe's house
Saturday- Chicago

That was all I knew, but it was enough to get me pretty excited. We arrived to a sunny and cold Orland Park and lugged our stuff off of the train and into the waiting room. (Next time I will pack less. The luggage thing was pretty old by now.) We waited and waited, and then we finally saw her car tearing through the parking lot. I think she was excited too. :) The drive to Olivet was fun. It was great to see familiar things.

Once we got there, I kept seeing people I knew, so it took a while to get back and get showered. Ashley met us at Joe and Molly's apartment and we went through wedding and honeymoon pictures and just caught up about life in general.

The party was scheduled for 7pm, so Steve and I showered, unpacked a few things and ran to the store with Molly and Joe to pick up some more food and drinks. While we were there, we met Kara and all of us headed back to the apartment. Julie and Tim met us at the apartment with mexican dip and these pinwheel things. Kara brought enough food for an army along with games and cute plates and things. I think she should plan parties for a living. I think I ate almost half of her homemade carmel corn. Delicious! Ash made these peanut butter and cholocate fudge things....to die for!!!! Molly and I were the loosers and made the healthy stuff. :)

Ash and I!


Ash and Kara setting up the food:

Some of the food:

We played games and had a great time! There was this Christmas carol song game that was pretty fun. You'll have to ask Kara about it. Unfortunately, the guys won, but we redeemed ourselves and won the next game.

The next morning our trip to Chicago was almost cancelled by a winter storm. They were calling for snow during the day, but sleet and freezing rain (along with speedy wind!) towards the evening. The original plan had been to go to Jimmy Johns (a hoagie place) for lunch and head into the city after that. We decided to head in a little early and brave whatever would come for later that day. We took the train in and I think everyone had a great time, except for Ashley who had to use the restroom in the worst way!

Boy, was it COLD! The snow was beautiful, but the wind was so bitter, that it was hard to enjoy it without having your face freeze off. We headed to our first stop...FOOD! Joe suggested this place in the Water Tower called Food Life. I know the name is not that exciting, but it was great. You sat down with your party at a table, but were able to go to several places to get your food. There was everything from cheeseburger and fries stand, to stir fry and smoothies. They had everything and the food was delicious. A definite recommendation.




Steve and I would look nice in this picture if I didn't look like the Michelin Man and he didn't squint his eyes.

Molly and Joe

It was snowing pretty hard by the time we left Food Life. We decided to be brave and head to our next stop, The Cheesecake Factory. Notice any pattern here? While we were there, we decided to take our cheesecake to-go and head back to the train. The snow had turned to freezing rain, and the ground was extremely slippery. Our walk back was bitter cold, but the city looked beautiful! The lights were extraordinary and despite the wind, if you squinted your eyes enough, everything looked shimmery and golden.

Grand Lux Cafe, where Steve took me after we got engaged!!!!


We were about a mile from the train station and our legs, hands and faces were frozen. The wind was so strong and the ground so slippery, we were LITERALLY sliding on the sidewalk. At one point, Julie and I couldn't catch our balance and we slid back, only to realize there was a man sliding right past us. Steve and Tim caught us in time to not fall. We entered the train station cold, soaked through and I think we loved every minute of it. We were a little concerned about travel, but there was group of Olivet people COMING just as we were going, so we felt like we were the smart ones.


When we got back from Chicago, we watched some movies and went to bed late. The next morning (Sunday) we got together and made eggs and pancakes for a late breakfast. We were all still in our pjs, so it was pretty much as relaxed as things could get. I made eggs and Kara and Ashley made pancakes. They made Steve this midget pancakes...it was really funny.

Picture of me cooking in my Pirates of the Caribbean pjs.

We spent the rest of the morning (and most of the afternoon) watching the Colts v. Jacksonville game. It was great to be able to lay around and be lazy. After we got showers, it was time for Kara to leave. Even though I knew the time would fly, it was disappointing when it really did. I won't see her until May. :( Ash went back to her apartment to study and Molly, Joe, Steve and I headed out to Walmart and Kroger for some groceries and odds and ends. We had a good time walking around. When we came home we made taco salad for dinner. The guys were extremely adamant that there was one way to make a decent taco salad, so Molly and I apparently learned how to make it the best way...just like their moms do.

After we ate the most amazing, spectacular, delicious, wonderful taco salad, we decided to watch Rescuing Dawn. I had picked out this movie from Blockbuster because it had Christian Bale in it and was about a solider stuck over enemy lines. Well....it turned out to be an extremely long movie. It would have been a little better if the plot was a little more complex and moved at a faster pace.

Halfway through the movie a LOUD alarm started to sound, followed by flashing lights. At first everyone thought it was part of the movie, but here to find out, it was the dorm fire alarms going off. We grabbed our coats and shoes and headed out the door. As an RD, Molly has the responsibility of overseeing all the RAs and students in her building. I am sure she was glad to be in such a position this night. :)

We huddled outside along with an enormous amount of freshman girls and waited to see what had started it all. There was smoke coming from some of the windows, but there weren't any flames. The culprit was a bowl of brocolli and chicken microwaved and blackened beyond recognition. I imagine the girl responsible felt terrible.

Although I have more to write, I think this particular entry is long enough.

Until next time!!!