skydivermom

***Is that one of your creative ways to save a buck? __________________________________________________ Very funny WaltER Well, Mom lives on 22 acres with a pretty nice creek that has a wooden dock. One night, that dock served the same purpose as a room does, and it didn't cost us a thing! And the moonlight made it a whole lot more romantic Now THAT'S a great way to save some dough! Mrs. WaltAppel All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

All of these things that happened did so after I made the statement. I wish......! Like I told Mom for years, "I wish you would quit smoking" and I said to my husband "I wish we could move back to the SA area" The "I wish I could fly" is probably a typical childhood wish...but not many grow up and become skydivers. And while these don't fit the definition of miracles...they certainly can qualify as prayers in which God answered "yes". Mrs. WaltAppel All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

Shoot, forget the room. Just TALKING about getting a room with him will make his day Mrs. WaltAppel All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

***If we throw our money in, does she guarantee our wishes will come true? __________________________________________________ You know, I'm suddenly reminded of a wish I made over and over as a child. Every time I threw a coin in a fountain, I would think "I wish I could fly." There are two other wishes that came true over the last year. Mom quit smoking after 31 years, and we moved back out to the most gorgeous part of Texas...and we're closer to my mom. Three wishes in the last year...and I didn't even have to rub a lamp Mrs. WaltAppel All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

Well, considering we already have the lattice work and lumber, I would say our costs are a couple of pots for the ivy, and some potting soil. My husband is building it himself. Mrs. WaltAppel All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

During the 11 years we've been married, my husband and I have done some interesting things to save money, but I don't think we can ever top this one. Our AC went out shortly after we moved here, and we need a completely new unit. Well, it's covered under our warranty so we weren't concerned. Anyway, the AC man comes out and informs us he cannot install the unit in the same place because it requires 5 feet of clearance, and the previous owners built the deck on top of the unit So we were going to have to pay $500 out of our own pocket to move the unit. We had just shelled out a pretty good chunk of change buying our house and moving, so my husband was determined not to pay the $500. He casually mentioned cutting a hole in the porch so we would have the clearance. I said "then what are we going to do, build a wishing well around it?" At that point we both looked at eachother and realized we'd come up with a great one! He cut a square in the porch above the AC and we are going to build a wishing well around it. Complete with lattice work and everything. I'm going to put ivy plants next to the lattice work so it will be covered in greenery! It's amazing what you can come up with when faced with a stressful situation! I'll post pics when it's finished. Anyway, post your creative money-saving stories. Mrs. WaltAppel All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

***Me and Walt get a room? I don't think my honey would be too pleased about that! __________________________________________________ It would sure make Walt's day though Mrs. WaltAppel All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

***He has led us all to believe that he is some abnormal freak. Well boys and girls, he LIED! __________________________________________________ I remember reading his posts shortly after I joined dz.com and thinking he really stood out. Never imagined we would become such great friends. Maybe that means I'm really a freak and just didn't know it Yeah, he's pretty cool

Man, I just called my son in here to see this and he busted out laughing. Then got a serious look on his face when he saw what was written on his shirt. He said "Now that's just wrong". (sorry Walt) That's really funny

***Not that anybody apparently cares, but I may have to reconsider my plans for this weekend as well... __________________________________________________ Well I know at least two people who care...Walt and I! Get your happy hiney to Salado dude

***But for retribution....would you like me to wrap him up in a canopy for you tomorrow? __________________________________________________ That would be cool...especially since I'll be there to see it

*** I think you may have a next-generation Walt in the making!!!!! To give him the full experience, though, I'll need to make a "to do" list for him. Let's see.... * We already know he's gonna start jumping when he's old enough, so that's taken care of. * We need to line up some degenerates and perverts for him to hang out with to give him some great story material. Have him start hanging out in the bonfire! * Oh, he'll need a twisted outlook on life. Airtwardo could handle that quite well. Let me think on this some more. Gotta admit, he's off to a great start! __________________________________________________ Walt, we've got some serious chatting to do in Salado tomorrow! Mrs. WaltAppel All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

Okay, what skydiving movie has a 30 second freefall from 5K? I think it's the one with Patrick Swayze but can't remember the name. Mrs. WaltAppel All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

That's hilarious! I posted this late at night so Walt wouldn't see it until there were a lot of replies, but now I wish he was here! Here's a pic from a couple of weeks ago at Skydive Temple in Salado. I think his rig adds a special touch to the whole getup Mrs. WaltAppel All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

***Don't let him near your bathtub. __________________________________________________ Trust me, if he ever comes to my house, I'll line both tubs with saran wrap! Mrs. WaltAppel All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

I was only a little concerned the day my son met Walt and they were both sporting the camos. Now it's just gone too far. With the money we are going to have to spend on fashion therapy, I may have to quit skydiving! Walt is evil and MUST be stopped. Mrs. WaltAppel All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

I always mentioned it at the dz where I learned to skydive, and most had never heard of it. I managed to recruit about three of them. I'm glad I found the site...not only becuase of the wealth of information and great fun, but because of my two best skydiving friends, WaltAppel and Mockingbird! We likely never would have met had it not been for this site. Mrs. WaltAppel All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

Hours: 90 plus (and that's conservative) Occupation: Mother of 4 and 8 year old boys, housekeeper, teacher (I homeschool), bookkeeper, and every now and then, love slave Mrs. WaltAppel All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

***Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets. The elderly usually don't have regrets for what they did, but rather for things they did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets. May we all accomplish everything we desire regardless of the risk and make our dreams a reality...whatever they are. __________________________________________________ I never really knew Shannon, but we had at least one thing in common - a love for skydiving. Your above statements exactly describe why I became a skydiver, and now was the perfect time for me to be reminded of it. Thank you. Mrs. WaltAppel All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

Too bad there was no video of my last diving exit. Very educational. You would have seen what NOT to do...plus gotten a pretty good laugh out of the whole thing! Someday we will get it right together girl!

I've been taught to steer my canopy all the way to the ground. Sometimes I've had to turn on final to avoid hitting something/someone, and even one time I had to make corrections to not land in a ravine. Is what I'm doing flat turns? I'm not even bringing the toggles to my shoulder. Mrs. WaltAppel All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

I never imagined myself jumping out of planes, but freefall does remind me of the flying dreams I had as a child. In April of 2005, my sister and I were visiting my mom and my birthday was about a week away. She just asked me out of the blue if I wanted to go skydive for my birthday. Of course I said yes, how often was I going to get an opportunity like this (or so I thought). It was awesome being in the plane with her and watching her go first. I only intended it to be a one-time thing, but I got bitten bad. I had no idea what it would bring to my life. It completely pulled me out of the depression I was in and empowered me to be someone I never imagined I could. Plus it's a pretty cool hobby. Thank you sis...for the gift that has given so much to me! BTW, I'm the pink one. Mrs. WaltAppel All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

I hadn't meant at all to come across like I was defending him. It's difficult for me to explain. I'll try. It dumbfounded me (and still kinda does) that someone with so many years and jumps would spend the time and energy he has teaching me so much, and he's become a great friend in the process. He's not an instructor, but I think he should be because he has a wonderful gift. Sorry to digress from the thread topic. I'll get back on it - What is the difference between a stall turn and a flat turn? Mrs. WaltAppel All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

With my VERY limited experience and time in this sport, I can't offer much on this subject. What I can offer is that I've met Walt and have benefited more than words can express from his teaching and his example. Having done several skydives with him, I can assure you that I have NEVER thought it was okay for me to do something simply because he did it. He has never once tried to get me to do something he didn't know for sure was safe for me to try. There have actually been way more times he has told me NOT to do something...even when I've really, really wanted to. Mrs. WaltAppel All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28