ladyskydiver 0 #1 May 4, 2003 Surprises await as Michele does not know I'm in CA just yet ....Gawain is being a total sweetheart and gentleman and giving me an air mattress and a place to crash until I can surprise Michele for her birthday Saturday. Here I am at Elsinore on Friday May 2nd. Going to get a few jumps in with Gawain and then jump with Michele on her birthday. Go up, do an awesome 2 way with Gawain, deploy and "WHAT THE FUCK?!?! DAMN IT!!!" Line twists pinning my head down looking at my feet. Trying to kick out of the line twists and get my head up - not happening. FUCK!!! Not again! Well...it's decision time - can't land it - bye bye! Grab my cutaway handle and "NO!!! This is not going to happen. Not here...not now...I will not be an incident!!!" I'm having the devil of a time pulling my cutaway handle - it does not want to give up it's place in my gear. Finally get it pulled, grab silver and damn it! Dropped the silver, but I've got the most beautiful white canopy above my head. Whew! 1,000 ft - DAMN! Don't like the altitude, but I can land this canopy. Watch my main and freebag go floating into the motorcross area. Hope no one runs over my canopy. Land and start swearing - cutaway, didn't stand up my landing, took out 2 little sappling trees. GRRR!!! So, I wave at the DZ hoping someone can see me and know that I'm ok and go walking towards where my main landed. One of the guys on the load comes over and asks if I'm ok and volunteers to help me find my gear - real sweet of him. Walk over and Todd had already gone into the motorcross area and grabbed my gear. Give him a big thank you and hop on the golf car to be driven back to the DZ. Talk with the S&TA on the drive back and discuss what happened - heard from him that I did the right thing. (It's always nice to have confirmation that what you did was correct even when you know you did the right thing.) Get to the DZ and talk to Kama to see if a rigger is around. Kama calls Greg, and he's willing to do a repack for me. Go see him with my gear, and he doesn't have a reserve handle to fit my Wings and suggests going back to the area where I landed and see if I can find my handle. Gawain is a totally great friend and allows me to drag him over to the area, walks through prickery stuff and is willing to try and help me find my handle. Do we find it? Nope! Great! Now what? How am I going to get my rig home with it being unpacked? Walk back over to GroundZero and talk to Kama. She's a total sweetheart and calls around to other gear stores to see if they have a reserve handle for me. Nope .... not here either.... Greg comes over and says that if I'd be comfortable with a soft handle, they might have one that'd fit. Nope...don't have one that fits. One last shot at it - Kama calls over to Perris and talks to rigger Larry. Holy cow! Larry can make a reserve handle for me. Greg gives Larry the measurements, and Gawain drives me over to Perris to get my reserve handle. Larry is making the handle when we show up and is a sweetheart answering some questions about stuff he was doing to test the handle. Yeah! I now have my handle. My rig will be repacked. Ask Gawain if he'd mind walking to the gear store to see if SkyBytch is around so I can meet her. Nope - she's at the other store. Well, next time, hopefully. Go back to Elsinore and give Greg my handle - "1/2 hour and you're rig will be ready." In less than that, he lets me know it's ready. Go pay Kama, and I'm a happy girl! These people went out of their way to help me get my rig ready to jump. Big hugs and many thanks to Todd for getting my gear for me. Greg for packing my reserve so quickly. Kama for calling around and trying and helping me find a handle. Larry for making my reserve handle. And Gawain for helping me look for my reserve handle and driving me over to Perris to pick up my handle. Saturday brings such icky skies - it's rainy. Damn! Hope the weather clears up so that Michele and I can do her birthday jump. Well, Gawain gets me to the DZ and "SURPRISE!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Michele!" We don't get to jump but get to have a ton of fun hanging out at the DZ, talking with people, flying kites (well...actually helping DiabloPilot fly a canopy ), taking pictures of a beefcake (DAMN fine chest and abs), and just enjoying friendship. Michele decides she'd like to go to Don Jose's for dinner. Michele and I drag VectorBoy, IslandCool, Dave (fun guy), Shannon (absolutely adorable beautiful girl) and DiabloPilot (sweet and sexy) to dinner. The waitress looks and you can just hear her thoughts - "DAMN! It's going to be one of those tables." We have an entertaining time discussing everything from male and female bathroom etiquette to skydiving and skydivers. By the way, if any of you want to see something funny, give Michele 2 (count 'em 2) raspberry margaritas. On just 2 drinks and over the course of a couple of hours, Michele is so loopy. Luckily, I'm the designated driver (and can drive a stick) so Michele is in safe hands. By the end of dinner our waitress had mellowed out and realized that although we're a loud party, we're fun. We sing "Happy Birthday" to Michele, take pictures, and just have a totally awesome time. Today we're going to be spending with her family, and tomorrow I'm heading back home. Another wonderful time with friends.Life is short! Break the rules! Forgive quickly! Kiss slowly! Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably. And never regret anything that made you smile. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
katiebear21 0 #2 May 4, 2003 Despite the cutaway... sounded like fun!!! Katie Get your PMS glass necklace here Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cuchulinn 0 #3 May 5, 2003 Great weekend story, Thanks for sharing! SMA#18 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kevin922 0 #4 May 5, 2003 niiice, you know my birthday is this month? :-) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sunshine 2 #5 May 5, 2003 How awesome of you to surprise michele for her bday. Glad you handled your cutaway well and that everyone was so nice about getting you repacked. ___________________________________________ meow I get a Mike hug! I get a Mike hug! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ladyskydiver 0 #6 May 5, 2003 Yep! Weekend has been a ton of fun despite the cutaway. How are you doing?Life is short! Break the rules! Forgive quickly! Kiss slowly! Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably. And never regret anything that made you smile. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ladyskydiver 0 #7 May 5, 2003 As much as I'd love to, I can't do this for everyone's birthday. I'd go broke - oh, wait....I am broke. The rest of this month is going to be busy - team training this next weekend, canopy class the next weekend, Midwest NSL the following weekend, and then Memorial Day. Nothing like a busy schedule, huh? I may get to (finally) meet the SunnyOne if I can convince her to come to the meet or meet up with her that weekend since I'll be at Chicagoland Skydiving (I believe) this month.Life is short! Break the rules! Forgive quickly! Kiss slowly! Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably. And never regret anything that made you smile. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ladyskydiver 0 #8 May 5, 2003 Thanks! Yeah...everyone was so awesome in helping me get repacked. I am very appreciative and thankful. Hope to see you later this month. I'll IM you later this week when I'm back home and let you know what day (for sure) and time that I'll be down in your area. Maybe we can meet up for dinner or a drink afterwards if you're not able to meet me at the Midwest NSL.Life is short! Break the rules! Forgive quickly! Kiss slowly! Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably. And never regret anything that made you smile. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Michele 1 #9 May 5, 2003 Quote How awesome of you to surprise michele for her bday Cora is an awesome lady....no question! No question at all... If you get a chance to meet her, grab it. She is a doll!! Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
diablopilot 2 #10 May 5, 2003 Quote DiabloPilot (sweet and sexy) Is she talking about me?I just wanted to point out that even with the rain on Saturday, and the 7 hour drive to be there, the DZ.com bunch at Elsinore, are some of the most fun people a person could hope to hang out with! Oh, and Cora is not only beautiful and charming, but funny as heck too!---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gawain 0 #11 May 5, 2003 Certainly not a boring weekend. Good to see you. Hope you had a safe trip back to Milwaukee and hope you come back to Cali soon. So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright 'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life Make light! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shark 0 #12 May 5, 2003 Yes, it was really neat to see everybody. Kinda like a Dropzone.com dropzone. Even went over the hill to Perris and met NoShitThereIwas. (Hi Jen!) Cora, did you repack your main??? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkyDekker 1,465 #13 May 5, 2003 Sounds like quite the weekend, good job on the cutaway!!!!!! How was the interview on Friday morning? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
katiebear21 0 #14 May 5, 2003 By the way, like the new avatar! Katie Get your PMS glass necklace here Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ladyskydiver 0 #15 May 6, 2003 Quote Oh, and Cora is not only beautiful and charming, but funny as heck too! Thanks, JP! Now, you have me blushing as well. Life is short! Break the rules! Forgive quickly! Kiss slowly! Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably. And never regret anything that made you smile. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ladyskydiver 0 #16 May 6, 2003 Yep! Got home safe and sound. Only a little delay at the airport - a lady fell in the airplane and got hurt so they got the paramedics to take her off the plane. Hopefully, she'll be ok. Life is short! Break the rules! Forgive quickly! Kiss slowly! Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably. And never regret anything that made you smile. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ladyskydiver 0 #17 May 6, 2003 Quote Cora, did you repack your main??? Nah, Shark! I watched you pack my main. You did ok. I'll let you know how it opens Wednesday evening after my team jumps. Life is short! Break the rules! Forgive quickly! Kiss slowly! Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably. And never regret anything that made you smile. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ladyskydiver 0 #18 May 6, 2003 Hey, Justin! Interview was ok. I'm supposed to find out Tuesday or Wednesday if they want a second interview. Time will tell. I'll see how it plays out.Life is short! Break the rules! Forgive quickly! Kiss slowly! Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably. And never regret anything that made you smile. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ladyskydiver 0 #19 May 6, 2003 Thanks, Katie! The first time I met Michele, she demanded that I change my avatar and went on the hunt for the picture. She's the one that took it. I adore your new avatar. Adorable puppy. Life is short! Break the rules! Forgive quickly! Kiss slowly! Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably. And never regret anything that made you smile. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
