#18 flyboard

#18 was an epic time flyboarding in lake lewisville. the day started with another early morning. i popped right out of bed ready to go. kidding.. i snoozed my way through 3 alarms and hid under my covers as if my big bad phone was yelling at me to get up.


finally, i got up and got ready. at this time i was pumped for the days adventure and more than ready to hang on to sweet summer for a little while longer.

david joined me and we got to the lake just in time to see the fly boarder before us finish up his session. the guy was trying, i'll give him that. but there was a lot of belly flopping and falling going on. it was a father of a young girl who was enjoying his birthday present from his loving family. when we walked near the family who was enjoying the sight to the fullest,  the first words out of his giggling daughter's mouth were, "we need to film this and send it to america's funniest videos." 

i chuckled then immediately feared i too would have a video of me flopping around the water worthy to send to america's funniest videos, so naturally, i begged david to go first. of course, he was a natural pro. he soared through the sky like a real life iron man as i snapped pictures left and right from the safety of the dock. 

then it was my turn. my learning curve was a little lengthier than davids, but i got up! then back down. then back up. and back down again. it went on and on. however, even with my numerous falls that gave the father before me a run for his money, the experience was incredible. 

my secret life goal is to live on a beach and just surf. surf in the morning, surf in the afternoon and surf in the evening. i've never actually been surfing, but i just know it is one of my true callings in life. so while i was up in the air, i pretended i was surfing. it was just a natural instinct. i didn't even realize i was doing it until after i was doing it. i was surfing on thin air and riding the morning breeze and it felt phenomenal. it was a feeling i did not want to end. but inevitably, it did. my surfing day dream ended with
a great big splash of a fall into the water.


flyboarding is by far one of the coolest things i've gotten to do. it wasn't very difficult, but it wasn't easy peasy either. you start by simply strapping a board to your feet and jumping in the water. the board is then towed by a jet ski. once you can figure out how to keep your knees locked in the air and shift your weight to balance on the board, you're good to go.  because we were beginners we were only allowed to go 10ft in the air. for the first time, it was plenty. i actually had so much fun flyboarding that i've already made plans to go back. so flyboard on my friends, flyboard on.

the initial jump

i did a whole lot of this

and some of this

it was game day. go frogs.

frogs won, 56-0 :)

s-u-p-e-r-m-a-n

:)

to learn more about flyboarding click here:
flyboard north texas

we live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. there is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.

jawaharlal nehru

#16 helicopter ride

#16 was an incredible new york helicopter tour. i was going to be in new york for a wedding so it just seemed fitting to take advantage of a weekend in the big apple and get a birds eye view of the city that never sleeps. well, the pre-planned trip and the fact that i have now entered crunch time.

for my first helicopter ride, i must say, it was fantastic. my boyfriend, a 25 in 25 trooper, joined me in my shameless tourist adventure. after arriving in new york and settling in at 3 am, we cat napped and got up early to enjoy our time in the sky. we had a breakfast of champions, wandered the streets of new york, hailed a cab and showed up with plenty of time to spare. 

when it was our turn, we strapped on our safety gear, watched a safety video and headed out to the helicopter for our photo op. one-by-one and couple-by-couple people lined up to stand in front of the helicopter and pose for a picture. immediately after the picture, you were escorted to your seats in the helicopter. 

cheesin'

david and i were last in line. we followed the same drill, waited in line, stood in front of the helicopter, posed for a picture and were escorted inside. except i got the universal stop sign, the hand, and was told to wait. at first i thought the helicopter was full and i wasn't going to be on the same helicopter ride as david. i was bummed. but then once david was seated, they came back from me and sat me right up front with the pilot! i was stoked. beyond stoked. second best seat in the house!! (first was next to david, cheesy.. i know but i like the cheese. so cheese it on up.)

riding shotgun

we took off shortly after and flew over the hudson river. as the pilot turned on the automated tour guide information he switched the controls so only he and i could chat. i got my very own private tour. we saw the statue of liberty, south street sea port, brooklyn bridge, manhattan bridge and wall street financial center. then as the tour information ended the peak of my first helicopter ride commenced. the one and only frank sinatra came through the speakers.  come fly with me, we'll fly, we'll fly away. how fitting. 

i immediately glanced back at david (he was sitting right behind me) with an ear to ear smile and bursted with joy. so much joy that the pilot looked at me and asked if i was okay. i let him know i was better than okay and began to rant about how much i adore frank sinatra's music. he smiled back at me and began to point towards the area frank sinatra grew up. we instantly bonded.

the whole flight only lasted about 15-20 minutes, but it was incredible. the sights were great and the flight was awesome but the cherry on top was definitely the touch of frank. there are different options that give you the opportunity to see more sights and have longer air time. the tour i ventured on was the shortest ride, called the liberty tour. 

my main squeeze 

front seat selfie

"laaaand!"

a wedding favorite of my handsome date and i

a huge congrats to this beautiful couple

to book your helicopter tour click here: new york helicopter tours

the best is yet to come

frank sinatra

#15 paddleboard

#15 took place in the beautiful city of austin, texas. i love texas and everything about it. i was visiting the adventurous city of austin for a friends bachelorette party. we spent the weekend celebrating the beautiful bride-to-be the way all girls should be celebrated. (huge congrats catherine!!)

as sunday quickly came and the bachelorette festivities were nearing the end, 2 friends and i decided to keep the weekend alive and spend the day exploring austin.

we shopped along congress, ate from food trucks, sipped on local coffee and kept it weird, austin style. 

i had explored barton springs for the first time a few weeks prior to this trip. that was when i attempted to enjoy my first paddle boarding experience but time didn't allow for it. this go around, i had all the time in the world. after speaking with some locals we were directed to sup atx paddle boarding rentals. there you can rent paddle boards, canoes and kayaks. we rented our gear, explored the area then hit the water. we couldn't have been luckier with the weather. it was a beautiful warm texas day with a slight, but cooling breeze. abbie, kelsey and i paddled until our hearts content. it just so happened that time coincided with our one-hour rental due time.

there really aren't any instructions to learn how to paddle board other than, stand on the board and paddle. it's fairly simple. the whole experience was very relaxing and peaceful. we got a little workout in along with some great life chats.  


i loved spending quality time with two of my favorite people. at one point i even forgot we were on a lake paddle boarding! i thought we were just hanging out at one of our houses having girl time just like our college days. it's weird growing up but life truly is beautiful.

step 1: paddle out on your knees

step 2: stand up and paddle

canoe rental room

paddle board aftermath

i love texas

hangin on the paddle boards

love is the whole.

e. e. cummings

#14 jump out of a plane

#14 was jumping out of a plane and learning how to fly. apparently most people plan ahead to skydive. that's not how this happened. it was more along the lines of, 

me:      "hey want to 
         skydive this 
         weekend?" 
david:   "ya, i'm in"
me:      "cool"

and that was that. we found a place nearby in lexington, tx, called to see if they had an opening and hopped in the car. i was on cruise control and for whatever reason i thought jumping out of a plane was no big deal. people do it all the time, right? we convinced a third jumper to join and the car ride there was interesting to say the least. 

jason:   "want to look up youtube videos of skydiving fails?"
me:      "no, not at all"
david:   "you should probably tell your parents you're skydiving. 
          it's a big deal, but it's cute that you think it isn't"

the nerves settled in nicely thanks to my enjoyable drive to lexington. they only got worse once we got there and i was told the boys took a vote and i'm jumping first. (ladies first... great).

at this point, my heart was racing at 100mph. our awesome instructor, also named david, took us all outside for a brief (brief is an understatement) instructional course. here's my recap if you want to skydive: jump, do the bernie, enjoy the fall. now you are ready to skydive.

words can't do this experience any justice. so i will let my video and pictures tell the story. skydiving has definitely climbed its way to the top of my favorite 25 in 25's. such a cool experience.

my jumping giants

skydiving in sequins, because i can

this was the moment it really sunk in

our instructor was messing with my nerves 

nervous giggles were in full force

a little film action

last words: go frogs!

they said to put the goggles on tightly, so i did...... 
(i adjusted them shortly after)

"never look down" doesn't apply when jumping out of a plane

saying my prayers

realizing there is no turning back and jumping out!

my glamour shot 

taking in the beauty

flying through the sky

just an incredible experience 

more flying

watching a bird fly by

saying hey to said birdie

pretending i'm superman

this is what windblown skin looks like, very attractive...

pony tail wack

giving a verbal thank-you to my parachute

stoked to have survived

taking it all in

"this is so cool"

not an everyday view

just hanging out

the staff at texas skydiving center were just incredible. i can't thank them enough for this amazing experience.

for your viewing pleasure:

click the link ---> skydive video

or watch below,

for more information on the texas skydiving center click here:
texasskydiving

in remembrance of robin williams:

no matter what people tell you, words and ideas and change the world.

robin williams