The Rush of a lifetime!

Some of you may have a bucket list.  If you don't, it's time to draft one.  I've done some crazy stuff in my short lifetime...parasailing, scuba diving, yes, even riding a pick up truck like a bull.  But never did I think I would jump out of a perfectly good plane!  Well two weeks ago, I did and I'm ready to do it again!  Mom, Lauren (sister-in-law) and Seth (baby brother) all headed to Skydive Kentucky in Elizabethtown.  Everyone was pumped but as the time neared I started getting a little freaked.  We started out by signing our lives away.  Literally you had to sign saying you know you could die from it.  Then a short training, going over all the steps and then a really long wait as we waited for a plane to be available.  We decided to have photos and videos taken so that meant most of us had to go on our own or with strangers.  As time went by I felt fine.  Then it was my turn....and they took Seth.  The day was an emotional rollercoaster.  By the time I actually got suited up I had been up and down three different times and was honestly just exhausted!  They got me in the harness.  My instructor suited up with what we hoped was a good parachute.  There were seven people shoved in this tiny little plane that didn't have a door...yes, it was completely open one side.  I'm terribly scared of planes as they are taking off.  Once they level off I'm fine.  You'll find me even on a commercial flight focusing on my breathing and bury myself in a book.  So at this time I had my head buried in my knees and breathing like I was in labor.  Had to have been a great laugh for the instructors.  Once we leveled off I was fine and was able to look out off the beautiful scenery of Kentucky.  I knew there was a reason I love this state.  We continue to climb in altitude, making it to 7,500 ft.  Then one of the folks starts moving around and resituating.  They had told me he was a student and was going to dive on his own.  That was all fine and dandy until they said GO! and the kid jumped from the plane and it sounded like he was being sucked down a massive toilet bowl.  Then I started to REALLY freak out.  The instructor got me calmed down and started to hook us up.  Yes, I put my life in the hands of a perfect stranger. =)  When we started to reach 10,000ft Larry (my instructor) had me move to the edge of that open door.  The photographer at this point is literally hanging off the side of the plane, kinda like Spiderman.  As Larry is sitting on the edge of the plane, I'm (yep you guessed it) hanging off of him and over the side of the plane.  Arching my legs back under the plane and crossing my arms across my body (at this point I didn't know whether to scream or puke).  At this point I don't remember what happened! LOL  But he pushed both of us out and we freefalling into the air.  My eyes were closed, apparently we flipped and then I remembered OH YEAH, I have to look at the photographer (who had then jumped as well).  We are freefalling at 170MPH for nearly 15seconds.  Larry send up a tiny parachute that slows us down to 150MPH.  As we near 5,500ft Larry points for me to watch my altimeter (the wristwatch that tells you how many feet you are above the ground).  I reach back to grab the ripcord.  500Ft later I pull the cord all by myself and we shoot back and up into the air.  I must say this produced the funniest picture!  Success!!!  He picked a good pack. :)  Then as we are both acting as if we're birds, flying at 5,000ft above the ground we glide back towards the DZ (dropzone).  The next task was the landing.  While we have slowed down quite a bit we were still getting some air.  We near the ground, I lift up my legs and Larry hits the ground with his legs and brings us almost to a stop.  Somehow when I put my legs down to stand up we end up rolling over the top of each other and totally tangling the parachutes.  I don't think they like to do that. =(  While I was completely pertrifide by the time we got up there and it was time to seal the deal, it was an experience of a timetime.  So for those of you that have any desire, DO IT!  Think you can't because you hate planes, are afraid of heights, don't want to trust anyone else, DO IT!  I can prove anyone wrong on each of those details.  Now that I know what it takes and what happens I'm ready to go again.  It is totally INSANE! 

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2378308&id=20702564&l=8c7fefe296-  Link to photos on Facebook

IMG00421.jpg

Sara Shelton
Triangle Talent, Inc
502-267-5466

Sent via BlackBerry

IMG00415.jpg

Sara Shelton
Triangle Talent, Inc
502-267-5466

Sent via BlackBerry

Derby Weekend!!

Well this is a little after the fact but thought some of you may be interested. I was officially checked out for Derby! =) Normally, I'm at home sleeping because we've work for a week and half straight at the Derby Festival. This year I had an event in Chillicothe, OH with the Simon Kenton Council of Central Ohio Boy Scouts. They were celebrating their 100th Anniversary! And it was a great time! There were over 7,000 folks in attendance. They camped out all weekend and long, and yes, stuck it out through the crappy, rainy weather. Fortunately, there was never any severe weather! My responsibilities included coordinating basically anything that took place on the central stage. We brought in a 40x40 stage and planted it right in the demo derby track of the Ross County Fairgrounds. Setup was Thursday and Friday and we were ready to roll for opening ceremonies Saturday morning at 9:00AM. The ceremony went off wonderfully including the local high school marching band playing the national anthem as a paratrooper falls from the sky with the flag and lands just as the band finishes. Crazy timing! Then for the fun part....the rain. It came and it went, fortuntately while we had a break and were at IHOP. But then we got back to the stage to find it was now sitting in a mud pit. Slimy, Sticky, Gooky mud. Definitely made for a fun time! We had to either go barefoot on the stage or switch shoes from muddy to clean to be able to come aboard. LOL With this we had to reorganize how the band would be loading in and where to park the bus. Thankfully we working with a great band: The Eli Young Band. Option 1: Didn't work; bus got stuck twice...lucky we got them back out both times. Option 2: Pull the trailer up with a pickup and park the bus all the way on the other side of the track. Everyone really pulled together and worked to get the job done. The clouds parted right before show time and we even had a little sun! Closing ceremonies went off without a hitch and the band got started. Probably the funniest story of the weekend: I had gone around front to the grandstand to check on the merch guy. I get a text from the client asking "Can they make an announcement if this gets out of hand?". I had no clue what he was talking about. It all look fine when I left. Then I peek back outside....Over a third of the crowd was crowded up at the front of the stage...reaching for the band and their picks and there's 4-5 Boy Scouts staff in the pit and mud trying to keep them calm and from coming over the guardrail. I couldn't help but chuckle! Other than the fact that there were some little ones getting squished they were having fun and that's what mattered. The bass player said it best when he came off the stage. He told me that he was worried when everyone was sitting still and in their seats...but when they got up and came to the stage that's when the fun began. They were being kids...the way they should be, he said. I got to speak with several of them while they were waiting in the hour and half line for autographs about their weekend. That's what was best about my time there.
Unfortunately, the next day was teardown day and in the rain. The production crew was busting it to try and get things packed up and out of there as quickly as possible, knowing they would have to come back a few days later to get their trucks and stage that were stuck in the mud!
I finally got home (the first time I'd been home, besides sleeping in about two weeks) and slept the rest of the day! What a great experience, a few learning curves along the way, and I think I still got to experience the muddy infield even in Ohio! =)

Blog time!

Some of you followed me around the country last summer as I had my first Dust and Dirt Tour.  I've switched to a new blogging site and look forward to sharing with you the travels, tribulations and fantastic experiences with the fairs, artists, and crew that I have the pleasure of working with.  This year I'm going to be expanding this to include some more personal trips/experiences including my time training and partcipation in the Susan G. Komen Cleveland 3-Day event.  Please feel free to leave messages and let me know if there's anything specific you're wanting to know about!