leap of faith

The kids and I took a most unusual and MOST exciting field trip this morning — to the airport to watch Grandpa jump out of a plane!

Oh yes. You read that right. My dad took his first tandem skydiving jump this morning and we got to be there to cheer him on.

It all started when my parents saw the movie The Bucket List about two terminally ill men who make a list of the things they want to do before leaving this earth (i.e. before they “kick the bucket”) and the adventures they enjoy together. Shortly after seeing the movie my parents made their own Bucket Lists and at the top of my dad’s was skydiving.

This past Christmas my mom bought him a gift certificate and finally after attempting to coordinate with his friend, the weather and the skydiving company for months, today was selected as jump day.

The weather was beautiful. The skies were clear and blue. The wind was perfect. And we all had a blast!

My dad (in blue) and his friend Mike suit up and pause outside for a quick pre-jump photo and video interview. 

Lily was not entirely sure that this whole thing was a good idea. She asked me on more than a few occasions, “Is Grandpa really sure about this, Mama?”

He was sure.

We watched the plane taxi down the runway and then hurried over to the landing spot. 

We really didn’t have to hurry. It took a good 15 minutes for them to climb to the right altitude for the jump (10,000 feet). Eventually, Mark, the owner of the company, came out with the marker flag and his wife, who repacks the parachutes after each jump, announced to us that they’d be jumping in one minute!

Here’s my dad soaring over our heads. After a 40-second free fall at about 125 miles per hour, the parachute opened and they enjoyed a peaceful, five-minute bird’s eye view of beautiful Newport, RI. 

My dad and Mike post jump. And my dad below with his jump guide, Justin.

As soon as he got over to us the kids wanted to know, “Was it scary Grandpa?”

“Oh yeah! It was scary,” he told them. “And SO much fun!”

Happy Weekend friends!