Up in the Air
Have you ever seen the children’s movie Up?
It’s a beautiful story of an elderly man who finds happiness again after the passing of his wife through a new young Boy Scouts friend. I have seen it a couple of times, and I love the moment when the elderly man’s house is lifted up into the sky by thousands of balloons. The roof opens, the balloons appear, and suddenly the whole house is flying!
It’s been over ten years since I last saw the movie, and I never expected that I would one day also find myself up in the air – all thanks to my dear husband. Not once, but twice.
The first time was for our one-year “first date” anniversary (we celebrate monthiversaries from the first date – more on that later – and yes, it’s cheesy) when Chai took me skydiving. He had done it once before, but it was my first time and my first time even considering it. Back in high school, I had bungee jumping on my bucket list, but as a busy working adult (who is also generally risk averse), it just never crossed my mind…
Anyway, he took me there so I could feel the rush—the high—and have one of those unforgettable moments in life. He wanted it to be a milestone. A turning point. A moment when I could leave the past behind, fly forward, and focus on having the best future.
Yup, he gave me this beautiful speech. 🥹
Smiling because I had no idea what was to come
Skydiving truly is an experience. I was totally fine until the final few seconds before I was dragged out of the plane. Of course, I was strapped to a professional – I wasn’t going solo – and I may or may not have momentarily regretted that I had signed a waiver. But Chai had given me that beautiful speech, and more importantly, had already paid quite a hefty sum for the experience, so I guess I had to jump.
I screamed nonstop throughout the entire freefall. Freefalling is just such an unbelievable experience – there’s nothing that comes close to describing it. My brain knew I wasn’t dying, but my body apparently had refused to believe it. Here are some unflattering photos of me during the freefall. 😅
Seriously reconsidering this decision
Screaming my lungs out
When the sheer fear of dying took over
Still screaming
But did I mention that my husband has a fear of heights? And this was his idea. And his second time skydiving!
He momentarily passed out before coming back around and enjoying the rest of it.
Alas, unlike me, he did not yell and managed to get some pretty awesome photos of him enjoying the experience.
And there truly is life before and after skydiving. We were so high on adrenaline that neither of us could sleep that night – not even a wink. I think my body was in such a state of shock.
Having said all this, it was such an unforgettable experience, and I would recommend skydiving at least once in your lifetime. And yes, I would totally do it again (next time with less screaming 😂).
The second time I was up in the air was more recent, when Chai took me to my very first flying lesson.
Earlier that day, Chai told me that he had a surprise for me to celebrate his birthday. Yes, you read that right – it was his birthday. He insisted on surprising me as a birthday gift to himself! (He is the more romantic one between the two of us, but in my defense, I did get him a very nice birthday gift).
He set the destination in the car to a winery, so naturally, I thought that was where we were going. But at the last minute, he pulled up in front of a different building. I had no idea what it was.
That was when he told me that I’m here to fly an airplane. Wait, come again?!
He said that my wings had felt clipped before, and he wanted to give me wings to fly.
Yup, another beautiful speech. Did I mention he is the romantic between us? 🥹
I had a wonderful instructor, Nikki, who handled the takeoff and landing and guided me through the lesson. Chai sat in the back while I sat up front with the controls (he had apparently called several flying schools before finding one with a back seat that would allow him to come along as a guest).
It was overall a very enjoyable experience. It felt peaceful, exciting, and almost surreal to look out the window and realize that I was actually flying (or more accurately, helping to fly) the plane. I learned quite a lot about flying that day, and I now have a newfound appreciation for pilots and aerospace engineering. But just to be clear, I still do not know how to fly an airplane.
Anyway, here comes the cheesy conclusion: the first time Chai took me into the air, he wanted me to leave the past behind and fly forward. The second time, he wanted to give me my wings back.
And now?
I get to soar! (Figuratively speaking, of course – I’m good being on the ground for a while now).
P.S. If you would like to try either of these experiences in Washington State, check out Skydive Snohomish and Cascade Aviation.
A big shout-out to my flying instructor, Nikki Lee. She’s the best!