Perspective in SkydivingWednesday, March 27th, 2002Got Perspective???
 Hello hello hello!!! Welcome and welcome back. Since the last time I wrote, many cities and people have come and gone, parties passed, I went on vacation and then I returned. Vacation was wonderful. Thank you all so much for your sweet wishes and emails. Las Vegas was awesome. I went to two beautiful weddings and then tried to convince Gabe to marry me in a quaint little chapel but... we gambled a little and then headed off to good old Los Angeles. Ahhhh, plesant weather and relaxation. It was strange though. I'm not used to relaxing. At 7:30 I started getting antsy because I'm used to having to be at the theatre for the show every night. Being on tour really conditions your internal clock! This will all change soon enough though.
For those of you who do not know, I will be leaving the Benny Tour cast of RENT in two weeks. Rosemont, Illinois (October 08, 2000) will be my final stop before I head off to Sunny California. A year and a half away from home has flown by because of the fast paced schedule of the road. It has been such a wonderful experience and I can hardly believe it's coming to a close. It's very bittersweet though. I want to be with those I love at home and I'm going to miss my RENT family. But there comes a time to move on and mine is here. I can hardly wait to be with my family and Gabriel. A phone and email only communicate so much. Sometimes I need face to face communication and a hug to keep sane. My replacement is a very sweet girl named Dana Dawson. She has already joined the tour and she is learning the many tracks that my position covers. She'll be great. You all are in for a treat.
As for this site, don't go away. I'll still be here... Speaking of websites. Remember the lovely Sandra DeNise from RENT? Check out her new website at www.sandradenise.com!! She's currently with the tour of Parade but the company will be closing soon. Catch the show while you can and read about the tour and Sandy's endeavors on her site. She's got current photos for your viewing entertainment posted too.
Ahhhhh yes, and my skydiving adventure!! Wow. In Hawaii (which feels like an eon ago) Fred Jones, Curtis Cregan, Bobby Baxmeyer, Courtney's husband Matt Armstrong, Josh Kobak, and I strapped on some parachutes and jumped out of the sky! What a rush! We went to the Pacific Skydiving Center in Honalulu. I highly reccomend this place to anyone in the area who is looking to jump with some safe, fun professionals. (808) 637-7472. The first group up in the plane was Josh, Curtis, and myself in that order. We did have professional skydivers attached to our backs who took care of everything, thank goodness. I must say it sure was a strange feeling to watch my friends leap from an open plane at thirteen thousand feet. Then it was my turn. I waved at the camera man I hired to jump with me and then Wayne (my skydiver) leaped from the plane with me attached to him. I screamed for an instant while we sommersaulted forwards four times and then we were falling flat out in an X staring at the island of Honalulu and the beautiful blue-green sea. The freefall was the best part, I could feel my skin rippling. Then after some spins and twirls Wayne opened the parachute and there was silence. It was amazing. He even let me steer the parachute a bit to the left and right. I wasn't quite strong enough to do it alone though so he helped me. I hope to somehow put a clip of my video on this site once I'm home. Fred, Bobby, and Matt jumped in the next group. I sat back and watched with a grin from ear to ear. The realization-afterglow alone is worth the jump. Then we went home, ate, and all crashed. The adrenaline rush was so intense that afterwards we were all exhausted. Think about it, the human body isn't used to plummeting from thirteen thousand feet everyday... Unless of course you do it every day like the professionals we were with. Skydiving really put life in perspective in more ways than one. Other than the gorgeous view, it made me think about what was important in my life. I think I would do it again... Maybe in a few months. I'm still afterglowing.
Peace. |
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