Here are the crazy fun twins with their videographers before we go over to wait on the runway for the "perfectly good airplane" that we are going to jump out of.
Here is the airplane with Jeannine, Michelle, their tandem jumpers, and four or five experienced divers as we take off to climb to 13,000 feet. (that's over two miles as pointed out by Scott's dad, Bob.)
"Here Sarah, look up here for them." I love this picture. I love it even more when I think that Cameron took it. He's great!
Landed safely, still alive, and still walking. Yeah for Sky Diving. Wanna go?

Chelle Sky Dives and Lives to tell about it

Cameron was on the ground recording my screaming for all of my posterity. Love you Cam!

Today I was a bird

Sky diving is an amazing thing to do. It was exhilarating and lovely and so cool. It took a long time until we finally got a 5 minute training and then got up in the air. We got there at 3:30 and filled out seven or eight pages of "you will not sue even if you are maimed" and "oh by the way, you could die" paperwork. Then we sat around for hours watching other people get suited up, take videos and pictures, get in planes, jump and float back down to us.

But when we were in the plane, I was so amazed at how fast we climbed to 13,000 feet. It seemed like it only took a minute. Then they opened the door and the experienced divers went out. After them, we scooted to the opening of the plane where I sat on the floor and dangled my feet over the edge of the plane. My tandem jumper, Dane, was right behind me (well, how could he not be as we were strapped closely together.) Then I arched my back and crossed my arms, looked up at the sky and we jumped. It was a feeling I have never experienced. It only took a few seconds for us to be traveling at 120 miles per hour. Imagine all the air rushing past you as you struggle to breathe, enjoy, and smile.

I had a videographer named Ted who was such a cool guy. He told me to scream a lot as it looked cool on the video. Turned out that wasn't a hard request. Also, I had an interesting time keeping my lips together as wind rushing past at such a fast rate of speed produces dry yet sticky lips in 2 seconds flat. Not flattering though I was too happy to care.

The coolest part was looking around and seeing all the earth and the horizon from so high up off the earth. The farms look like the computer boards that Cameron got out of an old computer. The clouds look pillowy and the sky was so blue. As we were falling, I thought about what it must look like from below and I realized that seeing something and doing it are just so different. Seeing it is cool but doing it produces a perspective that you just cannot imagine from down on the ground.

After a minute, Dane pulled the ripcord and out came the parachute. This begins a different phase of the experience. No longer are you barreling through space toward the earth. Now you are floating and looking round. Dane let me guide the parachute and I turned and tried to twist around to experience the cool feelings and get the full spectrum of what the ground looked like from up there. It is cool to watch other parachutes flying around too and I got a great view of my sister as she spun over and over while headed to the ground. What a great perspective!

As we got close to the ground, Dane had me practice pulling my legs up and basically not getting in his way as he landed us on the ground. Good idea considering I have trouble standing on still ground, let alone ground that is coming up way faster than an escalator. It was great to land and then stand on solid ground. Not that I missed it exactly, just that it was a new sensation after having fallen from so high.

He did a great job getting us to the ground and unhooked me almost immediately. I ran to Jeannine and we hugged and screamed that "We did it!" I could hear Rylee screaming my name and people cheering. My Dad even got teary-eyed watching his girls come down out of the plane. Ted Dad has made hundreds of jumps and was the instigation of such a wild and crazy adventure.

Hopefully, that was not the last time I will embark upon an experience which gives me the opportunity to change my perspective for the better. What a great and amazing day. I will have a video and a roll of film so I can recall this day over and over in the future. Yeah for Sky Diving!

Summer Fun

Ally formed her own team for Relay for Life which raises money for cancer research. She worked so hard and raised almost $200 for the cause. This is a pic I took at the night of the event with two friends who joined her team. Ally is such a great girl and she is so cuncerned about helping the community. Go Ally!
At the Wild Life Safari in Winston, Oregon you can get an Elephant to wash your car. The kids LOVED it. This is a picture of Alice the elephant spraying our window with water. See her trunk in the far right corner. It was great to hear Sarah belly laugh as Alice kept squirting all the windows. What fun!

Crater Lake 2009

So Crater Lake is so amazing. We just got back from a vacation there. We went to the Wildlife Safari in Roseburg, Oregon on the way down to Crater Lake. Paid big bucks to get in but my it was so worth it. A giraffe stood 5 feet from our car; an elephant named Alice washed our car by squirting us with her trunk and then wiping the windows with a sponge; a bear showed us a new sleeping position: the kids got a birds and the bees lesson from a black and brown bear; an ostrich followed us in our car, etc. What fun!
At Crater Lake we got to see the lake, swim in a fabulous lake called Lake of the Woods, spend time with our cousins (Scott's brother and his family), etc. We met some new friends because of a conversation I had at the time I made the reservations. It seemed that Heidi, one of the owners of the resort where we stayed was going to have a birthday while we were there. I told her that since it was on the 24Th of July that if she was in Utah, she could have a parade in honor of her birthday. They have a parade then to celebrate the pioneers entering the Salt Lake valley. She told me her "parade story" which was a great adventure where she ended up in a parade in her car by turning onto a street during a fiesta days parade in Colorado. We talked about having our own parade in our cars while I was there and how silly that would be.
Well, we got to Union Creek Resort and later in the evening, I was asking for advice on where to take the kids for a hike. A lady at the resort took me outside to show me which direction to go, etc. At the end of the conversation, I thanked her for her help and asked her what her name was. It was Heidi! I squealed and said "Heidi, it's Michelle, the parade lady!" She squealed back and we hugged each other and laughed. I am sure everyone around us thought we had lost our minds. It was as if we were old friends.
Well, we ended up at the ice cream shop to have her husband go check out a few issues in the cabin (light bulbs, etc) and while there, she gave me ice cream for the kids and then we "toasted" with spoonfuls of birthday cake ice cream for her birthday. Then these two older gentlemen entered the store and I asked them to sing happy birthday to Heidi with me. She cried, probably because the song was so bad. he he
The next day,we invited Heidi and her family to join us and Dale and Lisa's family for lunch. We had made Curry and we had enough to feed an army. The kids had so much fun together. Then later that evening, we were starting a fire to have smores, sing campfire songs, etc. Up the dirt road comes Heidi honking in her car, all her kids in their wagons, bikes, etc. They started throwing candy and laughing. It was a parade just for us! What fun! The kids ended up playing, having smores, etc. until late into the night. It ended with Lisa leading us in a camp song about not wanting the good time to be over. Something about "Ooo hoo, I want to linger."
The next day we had ice cream for lunch and spent the afternoon helping Laurel, a great girl who was offering horseback rides. All the kids got to brush horses, help get them saddled up, and then each of the kids, Katie, Ally, Rylee, Sarah, and I got to ride a horse for a half hour ride through the forest. A memory for sure. Especially for the two littles who had never ridden a horse before.
We are now home and awaiting the arrival of Dale and Lisa to our home from their adventures on the coast this week. They have never been to our home so hopefully we will be good hosts and they will enjoy their stay. With the heat this week at 102 and climbing, I think all of us are glad we have air conditioning. I know several friends who are hanging out at our house for the week! We love company and wish more friends and family would come visit.

Taylor enlisted in the Marines

So after graduating, I am finding that Taylor isn't the sit around type. He took the tests and joined the Marines on his 18th birthday. The ASVAB (Armed Forces Vocation Apptitude Battery) has an average score of 42 (out of 99). Taylor got 82! He will be going to bootcamp in San Diego in October for 13 weeks. We as parents have mixed feelings about this but overall, we are proud that Taylor has a plan and that he seems to know what he wants. We have always known that once Taylor decides something, he means it. He will be training for MP (military police) and then be stationed at a base somewhere (which we won't know for a while). I am shooting for Hawaii. A mother must visit her son afterall. he he

Well, Taylor graduated from high school. I gotta say I was pleased that this day arrived. There were some moments along the way (think 12 years old to 15, 16, 17 etc.) where I wasn't sure it would happen. This is a picture with Taylor and his proud parents, his girlfriend Sara and her proud parents and Taylor's proud Grandma Charlene. I think there was a lot of proud going around that day. Maybe a little relief too. One down, several more still to go.

Grandma Charlene, Taylor, Chelle, and Scott. Thanks Grandma for flying up to help celebrate the big day.

Sara and Taylor with the well-earned diplomas in hand! After this picture was taken, they were off to a great big all night party to celebrate! The school rented a cool place in Vancouver with rock climbing, swimming, food, fun, more food, etc. They even took the kids there and back by bus.

Are we really old enough to have three teen-agers including a child graduated from high school?

I think I look shell (Chelle) shocked in this photo. Maybe the same look I got every time a child was born. The "am I really doing this?" look. This photo was before the graduation ceremony. I think I mellowed as the evening went on.