Watching my husband fall 14,000ft

Wow! So much has happened!!
 
These past few weeks have been a blur, full of excitement and adventure! Most of all, Ramsey and I have been absolutely amazed at how God has been providing and pouring His blessings upon us.
 
For instance: the photo above. 
 
This is my current view. I’m writing to you from the lanai of an ocean-view condo that overlooks all of Honolulu, including about 10 surf breaks. I can see clear out to the west side of the island in one direction and all of Waikiki and Diamond Head in the other. There’s two little pups at my feet, a cool breeze in my hair and the most incredible sunset painted across the sky. IS THIS REAL LIFE?! God opened the door to this wonderful home through our online dog sitting profile. We didn’t even know the owners before this!! Thanks God, you’re awesome.
 
Last week we were dog sitting on the other side of the island for the family who started it all. Ramsey had first started taking care of their pups before we even met… who knew this would become our life!? House sitting from place to place, living out of a suitcase and taking care of a different dog every week! Life is so much fun when you play “Follow-the-Leader” with God. Whether it be a high-rise condo, the back of Kahili valley or Churchill, Montana; it’s gonna be an adventure! As long as you’re willing and available, He’ll totally provide and take you for the ride of your life! Even riding aboard a flying cigar of a plane, ascending to 14,000ft in the air, only to willingly jump out of it!! …Yep, you guessed it:
 
SKYDIVING.
 
A few weeks ago, Ramsey and his cousin, Ethan, got to scratch that one off their bucket lists. Before I continue, there’s a back-story. You see, Ramsey and Ethan grew up together and have been talking about skydiving for years. They even dreamed about becoming instructors so they could jump out of planes for a living! There’s an airfield on the North Shore of O’ahu that's probably one of the best places on earth to skydive. It has incredible views of the ocean, the mountains and on a clear day, most of the island. It’s absolutely stunning. I would know, because I’ve done it! (More on that later.) Ever since I’ve known them, these two have been talking about going.
 
“So what, you like go skydiving aready?”

“Yeeeaahh brah, we go!!”
 
“Yeah cuz, we jus gotta do it aready!”
 
“How bout dis weekend brah, can?”
 
“Ahhh no can, gotta work das why.”
 
“Bummas…”
 
“Maybe next weekend can! Try get all da boys and we go!”
 
“Auuuright! Lemme ask my frien …see if he can make um.”
 
“…Ahhh shucks, I jus rememba... I get my aunties-cousins-nieces-step-daughtas-friens birtday pahty I gotta go to. Sorry cuz, no can.”
 
“Ahh okay, no worries cuz. We go soon.”
 
“Okay, shoots brah.”
 
“K, shoots.”
 
Shoots: the word that isn’t a definite yes or a definite no. But infers there’s a mutual agreement without a commitment and hope for the future that maybe one day, it will happen. Until then, no pressure and no rush. And if it doesn’t happen at all: oh well, no worries. K, shoots.
 
HAHAHA!! For real though! With these two local boys, there was always something going on. Ethan had even tried to go skydiving twice and it didn’t work out. The first attempt they canceled because of rain. The second time, he was on his way and his car literally started on FIRE!! Smoke, flames, completely totaled car…the whole shebang. (Super scary, praise God he wasn’t hurt!) We were all starting to think this whole skydiving thing maybe wasn’t meant to be! But where there’s a will, there’s a way. So they marked their calendars to jump and I’d tag along as the chaperone.
 
As I mentioned before, I’d already been skydiving. I went completely on a whim with some friends when I first moved to Hawaii. It was exhilarating!! I remember we all signed documents that said things like “You might die” and “if you are injured, you cannot sue us”. We met our instructors, got buckled into our harnesses, and walked over to the plane with adrenaline surging through our veins! I wasn’t nervous or afraid, but the excitement and anticipation had my heart racing! I remember thinking as I got on the plane that it was probably safer to jump out of it then to stay in it. The little rickety old propeller plane rattled and shook so much during take off, it felt like it could fall to pieces at any moment. When we reached the right altitude, they threw open the back door and two by two started bailing out. I remember when it was my turn, my instructor inched us to the door and before I could say a word we were free falling from the sky! Twisting, turning, flipping, spinning while plummeting to the ground… so many g-forces!! Then he pulled the chute and we came to a screeching halt. The rest of the way down was spectacular. The views were incredible and I remember it being so peaceful and quiet. It was such an amazing experience; I’d highly recommend it to anyone! Even my husband (which a lot of people couldn’t believe I would let him jump out of a plane! LOL)
 
So Ramsey and Ethan went. They signed their life away, waited out a few rainstorms, got suited up and then, after years of anticipation, they jumped. I was on the ground trying to figure out who was who so I could snap a few photos.
 
“Oh my gaaaashhhh!!! How was it you guys?!?! Wasn’t it SO AMAZING!?!” I gushed as they walked over to my vantage point.
 
Dead silence.
 
“Uhhh yeah? …How was for you cuz?
 
“Was aright I guess… ”
 
“You know what? Was good fun, but was exactly how I expected was gonna be.”
 
“Brah, small kine bummed...”
 
“I mean, was was cool but …nahhh, no need go again.”

"So what, you like go surf?"

"Fo real?! Ho yeah brah, we go!!"

"SHOOTS!!"
 
After further discussion, it turns out these boys had built it up so much in their heads that the whole experience ended up being kind of a let down. It didn’t help that the overall price (plus tip) was hard to swallow. Needless to say, they finally went skydiving and decided to keep their jobs rather then pursuing careers as skydiving instructors.
 
Now they’re talking about squirrel suits and base-jumping.
 
…Oh heavens.