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Desperately trying to figure out what my big birthday surprise was, I guessed all sorts of random things. Camping, midnight sea kayaking, a simple night out of town, dinner and drinks in the city, aerobic cooking, wine tasting (Pinot country perhaps?). What I never seriously considered was the reality.

The night before (Saturday night), Niki and I had enjoyed dinner at Saucebox, one of my favorite spots in downtown Portland. We’d had amazing cocktails, like the Green Dragon and Crush. This was followed by a leisurely walk through a city suffering somewhat from heat stroke. Thankfully, the Green Dragon carried me through with ease.

At some point during dinner, Niki had finally filled me in on the adventure. We were booked to SKYDIVE the next morning. Oh, that’s why she said I couldn’t be hungover… I thought maybe she just didn’t like me being cranky.

When we arrived on site Sunday morning, about 45-50 minutes south of Portland in Molalla, I began going through the paperwork. Death. Death. Death. May cause injury and death. Death. Dying.

Well, it’s good to put things in perspective, I suppose. I was still ready to go. Then I got to the part about not having alcohol for the last 12 hours and I had to look at my watch and think carefully. Phew. Just made it. It sure was a good think Niki told me as early as she did or I might have been asked to push back my jump a few hours.

Finally it was our turn: Load 12. Up we went in the Caravan. I was so happy just to be in the plane, let alone to have the opportunity to jump out. Does that sound crazy? Probably. But Niki, Kevin (our friend who had helped Niki plot the whole thing), and the rest of the crew in the plane were all about the jump.

We climbed steadily to 13,000 feet. The door opened. People started jumping out the door and disappearing from view. There went Kevin. There went Niki. Then it was my turn. I was going tandem too. Kirk, my jumpmaster, said we’d sit at the edge of the door and he would count to three and we would jump. The thing is, when we got to the door, Kirk may have been sitting in the plane, but the only thing keeping me from anywhere near the plane was the fact that I was strapped to Kirk. There was nothing of my body touching the plane. I was hanging out in limbo waiting for him to jump. Indescribable. Finally we were out.

And the freefall was spectacular.

Niki was having a blast too.

Amazing! For anyone in the Northwest interested in going, I highly recommend Skydive Oregon. They run a first class operation and I would do it again in a heartbeat–even the really fast heartbeat moments.

I am so glad I wasn’t hungover, that I was totally fresh and alert, awake to every moment. It was beautiful and breathtaking and exhilarating. Of course there was adrenaline. There was also a lot of love.

I could actually make out vineyards below (though not really in this photo). Although I must confess I wasn’t particularly focused on vineyards. I was soaking it all in. The grandness of it. The patterns on the ground were fascinating. The perspective on the Earth, on life, and even on gravity, were a wonderful addition to my life experience.

We got the death part out of the way with the initial paperwork. After that it was all about big living. Life is seriously fun! What a way to celebrate.

This is my thank you post for the best birthday present I’ve ever received. And someday I’ll do it again — and do it all by myself. Perhaps someday I’ll also be able to return the favor.