Weekly Update for 5/3/09
I’m starting to really think we might have a drop zone running here
shortly!! I feel the stress of getting things together and ready and
the excitement of my first (yes, I will bring my beer) landing at our
new home! We made some very significant progress this weekend for Fly
Free Skydiving and we are on track for opening day this Saturday, May
9th!!!
Saturday started at the break of dawn with a full list of things to get
done. Well I very quickly dumped my list into Mark’s lap and took the
day to do some skydiving at Skydive Rolla! Mark and I made our way over
to the hanger in Rolla Saturday morning and Mark and Doug flew the plane
over to Dave, our wonderful A&P, to get the finishing touches put on. I
drove to pick the two back up and left Mark with Dave for moral
support!! Mark and Dave spent the whole day with the Cessna 182 while I
had to do the grunt work and video tandems! After a very long day I
picked Mark up at about 9pm and we headed to home – still with a nagging
‘to do’ list unfinished.
Sunday was yet another busy day and a monumental one at that! I sent
Mark off to keep Dave company again (that Dave, you just have to make
sure your pilot and mechanic is happy, ya know what I mean?). About
5:30 that morning I hit the road and headed to Bowling Green to pick up
some goods! I made it there a little after 9am and was greeted by happy
faces and 6 pick up trucks and a trailer. HUGE THANK YOU to everyone
that came to help us – Dad, Kerry, Mike, Don, Gary, and Colleen… I would
have been LOST and helpless without you!!!! You made my day so bright
and I couldn’t begin to tell you how much I love you all!!
Took us a few hours but we got all the essentials (and some not so
essentials!) packed up and we were headed to Festus! It was a quick
goodbye to Bowling Green…. I will miss her so much but the excitement of
moving to our new home in Festus was just to great to be ruined with a
sad moment! The convoy took off out of BG about 1pm and by 3 we were
all in Festus unloading and planning.
The landing area from the hanger….
Shortly after our arrival I got the exciting news I’d been hoping to
hear all day – our bird (along with Dave and my wonderful husband!) was
on its way home!! I didn’t want to miss anything, so I turned our radio
on and kept an eye on the sky ready for her to come in and land. Not
long after Ariel was making her first touch down in Festus Memorial and
like that it was official, the DZ was ready to operate, everything was
together in one place, and the smiles from that moment still have not
faded from our faces!
Naturally the weather was just not perfect, and night time (along with a
long rife back home) was on our heels. Naturally, we all headed to
Mexican for dinner and then called it a weekend…
So – that being said – Fly Free Skydiving opens for business this
Saturday at 8am! We have some tandems who have called but we decided a
while back that this weekend we are operating for the fun jumpers and
have nothing scheduled. Mark and I will be headed down Friday night and
then will be there through the weekend. If anyone wants to come join us
the more the merrier! Any questions just let us know…
Big thanks to my wonderful stepmother for remembering to bring a
camera!! All the photos are hers; Mark and I did not plan ahead and had
no video equipment within 100 miles! Looking forward to posting a real
good skydiving update for opening weekend next week, until then….
XOXO
Ashley
