Friday, September 27, 2013

Be That Person..

Friday, September 13

If you are a friend of mine on Facebook, you pretty much know where I am coming from on this post. You have seen me share a little about this subject over the course of the past month...

To get everyone else up to speed, back in May of 2007, my Daddy was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer in liver, lungs, and bronchial tubes. He beat the cancer in three months. Then on March 19, 2008, he was diagnosed with brain tumors. He was beating the brakes of that too until pneumonia set in. I lost my Daddy August 19, 2008.

This year is the 5th year anniversary of his passing. For some reason, it has bothered me a lot more than in years past. I sometimes still expect to see him walk in the front door on the porch after he has been at work....

There are a lot of other things that have been going on in my life. So I am sure this concoction of emotions are the things I have been trying to battle over the past few weeks. This is one of the peak seasons at the shop with homecoming in full swing. I am not complaining by any means. In a total of nine days, not including two Sundays at church twice on those days and one Wednesday night, I worked a total of 122 hours. We were excited to launch the brand new www.windisbridalboutique.com website just in time for homecoming. The companies were dragging to get images available for us to use on the website.  Once they were sent, crunch time started. There has been a lot of extra hours at the shop to meet all the deadlines.

The first week of August, I was decorating in Atlanta with Speedway Children's Charities Luncheon with guest speaker 1st Lady of Georgia, Sandra Deal. This was an awesome event and Mrs. Deal was such a sweet person. I am an Associate Board Member with Speedway Children's Charities at Atlanta Motor Speedway. This luncheon is one of the many fundraisers we do to raise money for the organization so we can give it away to other organizations at Christmas!!!

Then Labor Day weekend, due to circumstances beyond my control I had to cancel the trip to the Atlanta Motor Speedway to help my Speedway Children's Charities family work all weekend during the NASCAR Race. I was supposed to be up there decorating with the balloons for various events. This is the major weekend where they raise all the money for the charity to help organizations help kids. Since I was unable to do, I was very bummed out to say the least. I had only been counting down this weekend for a year!! When you own a business, you have to make sacrifices. Its in the job description!!

On September the 10th, I got a major achievement delivered by UPS from Eden Bridals. Eden Bridals is the main line of bridal and bridesmaids line I carry in the shop. I received a laser engraved crystal Silver Award. This award was a nation wide program. We were one of the top sellers and most improved in sales in the previous 12 month period. This was also based on our customer service. I am a firm believer the award is not only mine, but also the customers who entrusted me to be part of their special day and memories!!! Without them and the Windi's Bridal Team, I am nothing!!!

The biggest part in the mix is the fact September 13 is a countdown until my birthday... Only six months away from the next big number. So this Friday, September 13, marks the last six months of me being the ripe old age of 37. I don't see it as me turning 38 next... I just see 2.5 years and I will be the big 4-0!! Wooooo...hooooo...nooooottttt!!! There are lots of things I have accomplished in the years I have been blessed to be here. Down deep inside there are still many more things I want to do!! I refuse to grow up!!

Then to put all this in life's blender and mix it up, was an indescribable feeling. From up one minute, to down, to back up, then down. It seemed as if the roller coaster was going way too fast for me to keep up with the events.

On my way to work Friday the 13th morning, I had a conversation with God. I would not really call it a prayer. Just some things I had questions about. I also reminded Him of His words as well. I quoted some Scripture and to me it was like I was debating certain situations I was going through. I wanted answers. When I had gotten done "venting" to Him about my concerns, it was like I heard a voice say "I got this". Okay Lord, it is all yours and I will kindly move out of Your way!! (Depending on how the "venting" gets answered, I will surely have to share that in a Part 2 blog. Maybe one day!!)

Friday was a busy day as the week before homecoming always is. I was stressing a little bit since I always tend to worry about making sure every dress is here and every dress is ordered and will be back to me in time for big days.

That afternoon, I got an unexpected text from a good friend of mine I cherish deeply and had not heard from in a few weeks. One of those on time type. Basically a simple "Hey......hope you are doing good." You never know how much a text message, a visit, a phone call, or as social media channels to Facebook posts, Facebook inbox, email, Twitter, Instagram... Ok, I will stop there... The point I am trying to make is, you never know what a person is going through and when God puts them on your mind, how hard is it to just say a simple "hello". You never know how much you can change a person's day with just a gesture, and it is free!!!

Friday night, I was headed home about 10:30. I had done some late night projects at the shop. As I was riding and thinking about the past few weeks, I was in deep concentration. I was not paying much attention to the grassy sides of 441. Here I am, almost in Pridgen. As a matter of fact, I was at the 21 mile marker going into Pridgen. All of a sudden, a deer jumped out in front of me and broke my concentration. I immediately slammed on brakes and laid down on the horn. After I recomposed myself by catching my breath and bringing my adrenaline back down, I was ready to get on home thankful I did not hit the crazy animal. Then my mind went to the thoughts I don't open up about much.

Waitttt... Before everyone thinks and passes judgement, I am perfectly fine. I know I have a lot of living left to do and this was just one of those wake up moments. Should you have any doubt, I can gladly get you into contact with my bestie. She can verify I am good :)

As I looked at that deer, I thought to myself... What if I would have hit it and gotten into a wreck? Who and how many of my friends would actually care or be concerned about me? Who would make an effort to check on me post wreck? Out of all of those I think who care about me, how many would really be there to prove they do? I do know I have an AMAZING group of family and friends that does care about me. I am not knocking them by any means because I know who would be there for me even if I stumped my toe again and had to wear the neon green bandage! I love my circle!!!

I kept driving and got home within a few minutes.. I sat my purse and a few things I had brought out of the truck on the couch. Got me a Coke out of the refrigerator and made my way to the big blue recliner I love to unwind in... Daddy's recliner... Turned the television on and reclined back. Within a few minutes of flopping down in the recliner, I got an unexpected text message. The text was from one of the sweetest gentlemen I think I have ever crossed paths with in my life. One of those people who always seems to have a positive and encouraging word just at the right time. Sometimes God uses the right people at the right time to say the right thing and the person has no clue they are even being used to brighten someone else's day. They don't know they are an instrument being used by Him. He is one person I am proud to call my friend. He will never understand the inspiration and the encuragement he gave me in just a few words of conversation.

You see, no matter how "perfect" someones life seems to be, you never know what is going on on the inside.. The exterior shell can really put on a great show behind the mask. You can't see what a person is dealing with on a daily basis. You don't know the battles they are facing within themselves. After a while, a person can really fool you and you think they are okay. If someone crosses your mind and you feel like you need to call them or make contact with them, remember a text message in today's times means just as much!!!

This whole situation reminds me of the Country Music Song "The Call" by Matt Kennon. I am not one to give up on much of anything in my life. Life is one thing I will never give up on without a fight!!! But to know a person can get to that point and give up and see how easily their day can be changed because of something which only takes a few seconds to be the light in their darkness... Be someone else's reason to get back up again!! Most of the time, they will thank you even if you never hear it!!!

The lyrics I love in "The Call" are

"If someone you know is weighing on your mind
And needs a friend on the end of that other line
Don't hesitate what you say may seem so small
But who knows
They might be glad you called
So make the call"

Like I have said before, it is the simplest things in life that mean the most!!!

Be that person...

Here is the video by Matt Kennon...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=YK3zs7EV6Tk&feature=youtu.be

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Skydiving.. The Only Way To Fly

Soooo…. Here it is… The blog a few have been waiting for… Over a year and a half over due..

The day I attempted skydiving and I lived to tell the story. The day I rose to a challenge and proved to myself, if I can do this one thing I thought I would never have the guts to do, what should I be scared of here on earth??? I already have God on my side and I am fully aware He tells us not to tempt Him… But, this was something I had to do for myself. If I can stand at a door of a Twin Otter Airplane and look at the earth below… Willingly fall forward on the count of three and dive out of the plane from 14,000 feet. If I can fly thru the air at a speed of 120 miles… Totally free fall from 14,000 to 5,000 ft in about a minute… What in this world is left to be afraid of??? Ok, don’t really answer that and there are some things I really don’t want to find out if I am or not because I am assured there is something out there!

You see, I may have the curls and the dressing to a T when needed down pat, but deep down inside there really is this Southern- Tomboy- Farm Raised Country Girl who loves to just be who she is and not be in all the hoopla…  don’t let my job / career fool you!!! I love to dress up and rise to the occasion when I can. But I love to run around on my days off with no make up, hair twigged up on top of my head, and if I am lucky I get to stay in pajamas all day long!

I am the first to admit I have a lot of both of my parents in me. I am a thinker and I do overly analyze things like Daddy did. I think things thru, some times excessively. Okay, if I do this like Plan A then this will happen. If I do it like Plan B then this will be the resulting consequence. But I also have a lot of Mama too… Both my parents loved life and the great outdoors. Mama is the one who will do something on a whim then think later! They both love a challenge and to try things out of the ordinary. So, I got it honestly!

What got this whole crazy ridiculous idea of jumping out of a perfectly good airplane started??? Hmmmm… Easy… FACEBOOK!!! Facebook, the beginning place of a lot of things… Some things are great and some things are not so great. This event just happens to fall into the really amazingly great things!!

My bestest friend, Mandy Shrouder Harper, who I had worked with at the bank years ago, posted a comment about “I wanna go skydiving… Who is with me?” That may not be the exact quote, but it was along the lines of a challenge. Oh, yes, I had to comment “I am with you Mandy. Let’s go.”

Then I think it was Kevin Fussell who works in Fitzgerald at CSX mentioned he had seen something about some type of skydiving event in Fitzgerald. Well, you all know how I am. I am also a very inquisitive person. I love to do research… After a Google search of “Skydiving in Fitzgerald” there is was… “St. Patrick’s Day Boogie”… There was also a contact number to Chris Spence out of Macon, Georgia (if you are ever in need of a person to get in contact with about skydiving, he is the man).  So, I contacted Chris a couple of times… Then boom, we are ready to get to flying! We literally counted down the days… Mandy did too… I just posted about my excitement I think about pretty much every day on Facebook!

My birthday is March 13. So this was my happy, happy birthday present to me! The week of the jump, I will admit I was beginning to feel VERY apprehensive. I was not going to back out by any means, just was really beginning to understand what could happen if things went wrong. For my birthday my cousin Denise took me to Flyin’ Cowboys. As we were leaving, we bumped into Rex (Mandy’s hubby) who asked if I was “going to back out on her.” Ohhhhhhh noooooo, I was not backing out by any means with a sudden strike of nausea hitting me in my stomach! This was something I had to do for myself. I was not going to back down on this. I had a made up mind and once I am in with both feet, no chance on me changing my mind!

Well, finally, March 17, 2012, at 2:30 pm had arrived. I got ready at the shop. Mama and I had a word of prayer.  Then a text to Mandy and I was leaving Douglas on the way to her house. Got there and told Rex and the boys bye.  We were officially Fitzgerald bound.

We arrived at the field and we waited on our support team who would be awaiting us on the ground. Tracy Purvis Heath and JD Heath for lots of moral support came to watch us.  Our awesome photographer Dea Merritt of Photos of Merritt from Fitzgerald! Then it was off to the point of no return!

Mandy and I went to the registration office. We met some of the fellow divers. Went to the table. Signed in. Handed over our money. In return, we were handed this stack of papers to literally sign our life and all our rights away. After seeing the excessively giant print “Warning, you may either die or be seriously injured should you choose to skydive.” You see this on about 10 sheets. You initial and sign about 60 times, but after reading thru page one and signing, your adrenaline is already pumping. Your blood pressure is climbing. My skin color has changed to a flushed red. Your nerves are calm because your body is going into overdrive and you can only seem to laugh your way thru all the other pages. How many times can you read “you may die” “you could get seriously injured” “you won’t sue” “you assume full responsibility” and not go into some type of “what did I just read” mode??? So, you only laugh your way thru as you are signing. I really mean you are laughing so you don’t change your mind. The fact I pretty much didn’t have much to eat or drink that day for obvious reasons probably didn’t help much with my mental state!

Okay. Paperwork is signed. Here comes Chuckie… The one who I will be entrusting my whole life with and hope he knows what he is really doing as we jump from that plane! He comes over and we talk a bit. Then we get me all suited up in the harness. He explains everything about the harness in detail. Like why it is three ply instead of single ply… Yes, that is a very important factoid! About the jump in detail what to expect and not to expect. All I can do is nod and let him know he will be repeating this couple of times because right now I do not comprehend a thing! I was forewarned by Bob Garrett (my stepdad and former paratrooper) and Jim Graham (WBYZ 94.5 and former paratrooper) to really listen to my instructions given to me… Sorry guys, I totally failed you. I will not lie. It went in one ear and out of the other… I tried really hard, but it just was not happening!

Then I met my other side kick who would be capturing every move I made… The one who would be allll in my face as I was sailing thru the air… Jesse!!! I don’t like random questions and I don’t like being put on the spot with a video camera in my face!!! But, like it or not… here was Jesse with the camera interviewing away! As you can see from the video, I am so high/drunk of adrenaline I can barely talk and I got the giggles! I look like a three year old on Christmas morning! Or a kid who was turned loose in the candy store with an unlimited amount of credit!!!

Just as Chucky and I were standing around the table talking, this older gentleman at the table looked at me and said “Are you jumping? Is this your first skydive? Are you scared?” Let me see…. I answered all those questions in this order “Yes. Yes. Ummm, no. A little nervous, yes, but NOT scared!”  And I guess he was more in shock because I mean a woman is NOT supposed to want to really do these type things… Well, I admit it. I am not the ordinary woman and most of y’all already know this for a fact! So I felt I had to explain it to him. “You see, I am a Christian and I believe what the Word says. Back on July 27th, 2011,  I was going thru some old papers and came across an old pocket calendar. You know the ones that have the Scriptures on them. I decided to look one more time at the pages. Well, I turned it to the one that had this verse on it and I am a firm believer of this now… PSALM 139:9-10 ‘If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans,  even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.’ I know I have a work and a calling on this earth and God is not thru with me just yet.”  Chuckie immediately said “If we need to have a word of prayer we will. Believe me, since I began jumping I found God. I am a praying man for sure.” The older man replied “It is great to be in the company of another Christian.” YES, I STAND FIRM IN MY FAITH IN GOD AND JESUS CHRIST!!!

Then it is time to go outside and meet up with our support team and people watch! Dea starts taking pictures of us. And as I look back at the pictures, I promise I will be thinner before my next jump!!! With the harness on, I look like a pot belly pig in the making!  Then we are off to the launch field! We have cameras and video cameras every where documenting just way tooooo much information!!! Only Mandy will understand this comment. If you really looked through the video, most of you would love to know why I had that “What did you just say Willis?” look on my face as I walk up to the ladder at 46 seconds into the video... Yup, it is top secret!  Watch it VERY slowly… I am all laughing and talking as I am going towards the plane. But, you can tell by the look on my face, something made me mad!!!

So it is loading up time. Jerald is first on the plane. Then Mandy makes her famous climb. Then my favorite person of the day, Chuckie, loads up. Then it is my turn to climb into that point of no return. Most of you all know I went to Chicago last year for a business trip. I mean, I know I wasn’t about to jump out of a Delta or Air Force 1 Jet, but I had to fly under these conditions??? Okay, you look and there are two metal benches in this aircraft, no plush seats at all! There is NO air or ventilation until you get to a certain height in the flight and they open the door. There was no stewardess or steward to bring my peanuts and water. What kind of airline is this???? Oh wait, now I remember… Non luxury and non First Class!!! So, I find my place on the bench.

Everyone is loaded. Check! Door is shut. Check! Time to start our ascension to 14,000 feet above Ben Hill County…  You are packed like sardines on the plane. The person ahead of you parachute is all in your face and lap. There is no room for moving around…. Don’t dare think of getting sick, cause there is NO where to put it!!! As I found out later from a Canadian jumper (Rick Nelson) who watched my video, he told me “you were on the plane with ‘royalty’”. He then went to explain the guy sitting in front of me with his parachute I am propped up on while I am talking to every one is only the President of the Canadian Skydiving Association. No wonder he gave me those looks as Mandy and I were talking like a bunch of elementary girls!

That ride was one of the most surreal times of my life! It really brought back a lot of things and made life come back into perspective. You think about a lot of things… That moment of “your life flashing before your very eyes” effect happened in a matter of minutes. You have a time to think of things you would rather not think about. Family. Life. Work. Why this and why that. What if this and what if that. What would Daddy tell me right now if I could really hear him speak to me? In those ten minutes so many things cross your mind. Too many things. You just stare out of the window and think about things. See, only a few months prior, I called off the relationship I was in as well as the engagement and forth coming wedding I was planning. I went from engaged to solo and needed to prove to myself how strong I was. This was my stress relief. This was my one outlet I needed to do for myself!

After what seems like hours of ascending up into the sky, you finally reach a point where the side door opens… Earth seems so far away. Seems like all your problems are down there waiting on you to land. When you are airborne, it seems as if you have left all of your worries behind you! You can see for miles and miles and miles from the airplane window. It still seems impossible that you are on the plane, are about to jump out of a perfectly good airplane, and depend on that parachute opening properly!

Then you have reached the 14,000 feet mark. Every one is going from their seats towards the door or the “front” of the plane. Then they all start jumping out. Mandy and Jerald are the next to the last ones.  Then my camera man Jesse climbs out and holds on to the side of the plane so he can capture me coming to the door. Chuckie and I are the last to jump from this load.

So, we do our funny walk since we are strapped to each other and we don’t have a choice at this point.  And here we are. My feet are now at the airplane door. I am staring down at one more amazing view. There is so much to take in and see at this view. There is one last chance to back out at this point. But, I won’t back out at this point. When the wind is hitting your face, it makes you realize how awesome God is. Look at what He created for us to look at. Look at the genius minds He created to invent something as great as a plane to let us experience this.

You are looking down at the clouds. You are seeing the view from the other side. You can see bodies of water. You can tell where the farm lands are planted because of the rows. Everything looks a lot different from that side.

Reality check… Now, it is time to go… One to the count of three… On one, we sit in our same position. On two, we lean back. On three, we fall out of the plane face first and start our free fall. So, one, two, three… And we are now flying thru the air. Over the next 60 seconds, we will be traveling at a speed of 120 miles per hour. The closest thing to compare that to is a NASCAR Race car. We were descending at a speed of about half of the average car travels during a race. Most tracks are about 210 miles per hour. We fall from 14,000 ft to 5,000 ft in approximately 60 seconds.

So, what is it like to free fall like that??? It is like your head is being placed in a vise and it feels like it is smashed as flat as a pancake! Your head is under so much pressure it feels like everything inside your head is about to explode. Your head feels kinda boxy. Your eardrums are pounding like crazy. Yes, there are butterflies in your stomach and you feel woozy. But not a nauseated woozy feeling! It’s just a feeling in the pit of your stomach which thanks you that you did not eat all day prior to your jump. You look like you have had a face lift that went very, very bad! You have to make sure you can breathe properly once you start falling. With the wind coming at you at such a force, some people are not able to breathe like they need to. But woohoo, I could breathe plum fine! I actually think it helped me in some ways, because I was able to hit some higher notes and able to sing a lot differently Sunday morning on the praise team! (The second time I jumped, I found out the leg strap pressure was basically too tight and I was getting the circulation in my leg cut off a little because of how the strap turned once we jumped out. Nothing to do with my partner. The second year, I was fine. This feeling did not happen the second time.)

The view is totally indescribable. It is just breath taking. I thought the view from the first plane ride I took last July to Chicago was awesome because you are above the clouds looking out… Well, jumping from a plane and looking down at the clouds totally outweighs being trapped behind a window and looking out any day! Nothing beats that view! It is priceless. Actually taking pictures with the clouds under you makes nice screen savers!

Just as you are beginning to soak all of this in, you are now at 5,000 feet. It is time to back away from Jesse the camera man and pull the chute open. The back lash from the chute basically stopping you in mid air literally feels like your knees are going to hit your chin! You go from 120 to almost stopping. Try to compare it to hitting a brick wall! All I can say! It gives you great big tug and feels like you are being pulled back up into the plane. Jesse got great step by step action shots of the resistance of the chute pulling open and my feet swooping down.

Once the chute is open, Chuckie allowed me to hold onto the guide cords to control our float. My thoughts were “Really Chuckie, I don’t want YOU to take your hands off of anything.”  At this point, I don’t know if I can hold on to it!!! I glide it for a little while and then he decides to take over. He asked me “do you like riding roller coasters?” Well, yeah… That is nothing compared to this is it?? Well, he does a pull on the right cord control and we flip one way. Then he flips us back the other way… Then he asked “do you really, really like a roller coaster?” Well, yeah again… So at this point he does a really hard pull on the cord and we flip really fast and before I knew what was going on we had already spun one way and were now flipping the other way… Gaaaaaeeze Louise, I had no clue that could be so much fun. No wonder I only at Cheetos all day! Boy oh boy, was my head and equilibrium way off now! I will ride pretty much any ride at Six Flags. I even rode on the Star Gazer in Orlando. It is on the TV Show World’s Most Extreme Rides. Oh, the Star Gazer has got nothing on the skydive!!!

Now we are at 2,000 feet. We look around at the view. He points us in the direction of my house. We spot Wal-Mart and look out in the direction of Coffee County. We are too close to the ground to try any more tricks or flips… (ps Thank You Lord…)

And now it is time to land. That is a struggle. The ground is wet because it had just rained the night before. The same rain storm that caused the crash of Ed the balloonist and ultimately took his life. But, picture this. I am a little taller than Chuckie. I could almost bet I am at least 70 lbs more in weight than he is. I mean, I look twice his size… And we gotta land. We have to slide in because of the tandem part of the jump. So he tells me to put my legs straight out which is like the 6” leg exercises in mid air. Okay, with this extra spare tire I have around my waist, it made it just a tad harder. God bless those football players who have to do this as their drills and exercise!

I see the Georgia red clay getting a little bit closer… And now I can see Mandy and Jerald and Will, there is my Jesse waiting, and I see the tent where Tracy, JD, and Dea are waiting and snapping pics! Okay, here we go, time to slide in… And woohoo.. We did it… I made it.. I am alive... I am really alive! I did it! I really did it.  Thank You Lord for helping me survive this!!!

There is Jesse all in my face with a camera and a video camera! Please let it sink in that I have landed!!!

Now it is time to regroup with my skydiving partner and discuss the entire thing. We were both so excited and amazed. We are currently dreaming of our trip to get certified to jump SOLO!!!! Yes, it is that much fun. Yes it is that addictive! Yes, once you try it, you will have to do it again!

One bit of advice to remember and look up before you jump… ALTITUDE SICKNESS… IT DOES EXIST! Afterwards, you will feel your energy level crash and you are ready for a nap. Over the course of the next two weeks, you will look at food and go “bleh”. You have no desire for food. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altitude_sickness)

In case you are wanting to go jumping with us, look for the event in March of 2014!! Fitzgerald St. Patrick’s Day Boogie!!!

Here's my video link
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=311208325615438&set=vb.100001788188795&type=3&theater