Randy & Laura Perry: May 2010

Friday, May 21, 2010

~Item Crossed off the Bucket List~

So for a while now I've had a list of things that I wanted to do before I die...some of these have fallen into the bucket list of doing before we have kids. These are the ones that are probably more dangerous, or time consuming. On the top of this list was what I was able to do on Wednesday. Yup...SKYDIVING! When we lost the baby, I told Randy that it was a must for us to go before we tried to get pregnant again...so...we got back from Mexico, and our friends told us that they were going a week later. I asked them to put us on the list to go with them...and luckily things worked out and we were able to go. And can I just say...it was AMAZING!!! I don't think I've ever done something so exhilarating in my life. 12,000 ft fall...about 7000 of that was a complete free fall. Oh my gosh...it was SO awesome!!! I'm not going to lie...the ride up to the drop point was rather nerve racking. I was nervous and arguing with myself about it the whole time. I knew I wasn't going to chicken out, but I had to keep telling myself that it would be worth it. And let me tell you...it so was! When the plane leveled out, the doors opened, and out we went. I was the last one out of the plane, there were like 10 people jumping before me, and by the time everyone else jumped, I wasn't even thinking about it. I got to the doors, looked down, but I'm pretty sure my mind couldn't comprehend that I would be falling towards the ground. And then, Chris (my tandem jumper) pushed me out the door. 60 seconds of free falling, and I seriously felt like Superman. I have never experience anything like it...and it was fantastic! My childhood dream when I was younger was that I could fly, and this was the closest thing to it. When we hit 4000 feet, we pulled the parachute and about 10 minutes later, we were on the ground. My landing was pretty easy, but after I landed, I saw Randy coming down, and his guide missed the spot he was supposed to land, and I heard Randy hit the ground...pretty hard. He bruised his tailbone pretty bad, but he said that the dive was worth it. I'm sure we will go again, so if you'd like to join us...it's totally worth it!!! Best thing on my bucket list so far.

Me, Randy, Randy, and Marc right after we landed

Monday, May 17, 2010

~Withdraws~

So remember how freaked out I was about scuba diving? Well...it's becoming an addiction. I blame the fact that I had to certify for the 3 weeks prior to going on vacation. This means that for 5 weeks in a row, I was scuba diving at least twice a week, sometimes 4 times a week...just depending on what needed to be done. It has now been 2 full weeks without being in the water with scuba gear on...and let's just say...I don't like it that much! I find myself hanging out poolside (our pool finally opened this weekend and we were there like every day) but it's just not the same. I fear that this is going to become a pretty expensive hobby (especially considering the fact that the in-laws are already planning a trip to the other side of Mexico in October which I'm pretty excited about!). But...for all of you who are considering trying it..DO IT! But be aware that when you don't go...you may just go through withdraws!

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

~Adventures of Mexico~

Ok...one word...AMAZING! This vacation was so needed and it was great. We spent most of our time between Cancun and Playa del Carmen, (that's where our hotel was). Our hotel was amazing! it was so pretty and right on the beach. We left on the 23rd and got to Mexico around 4PM. It was so warm it was great! Friday was pretty much a relaxing day, we checked into the hotel, met up with Randy's parents, had dinner, and just relaxed. While we were there, we ended up doing 2 days of diving, (we thought 3 might be a little too much) and then we spent 2 days doing the Mayan Ruins. The first one we went to was Chichen-Itza, which is probably the most popular of the Mayan Ruins, and the amount of people that were there proved it. The ruins themselves were really cool, but the place was packed with vendors all trying to get you to buy their stuff. I know they're just trying to make money...but it was pretty annoying. We also got to swim in a cenote (and underground cave) which was pretty cool. I was really looking forward to dive one, but Heidi doesn't really like enclosed spaces, and after she told me why...I agreed with her. Monday was our first day of diving...and it was really cool. They had us flip off the boat backwards (which I really didn't like...but it's better then just walking into the water), and then we went down. Since it was my first open dive, I pretty much freaked out. I got about 2 feet under the water and started to freak out...I almost went back up to the top, but everyone was waiting for me at the bottom. It's really good that I had gone deeper in my class, otherwise I don't think I would've been able to talk myself into going down. Once I hit the bottom I was fine, so that was good. I think it was a combo of flipping off the boat backward and being in such an open space. The second dive we did that day was so much better. I didn't feel the anxiety at all, which is good, and flipping off the back of the boat was MUCH easier! The next day was pretty much a lounge day, we went and got massages in the morning and then laid by the pool in the afternoon. It was so relaxing. Wednesday we went to another Mayan Ruin called Tulum. It was awesome! And...there were NO vendors! My new favorite place! ha! We had a great guide who has a master's in Anthropology and specialized in physical proof that the Book of Mormon is true. We asked her to do an LDS tour (you can get them either way), and it was amazing to hear her testimony of the gospel and all the proof that was found in the ruins. The spirit that was felt there was just more of a testimony to me that the church is true. It was amazing to see the symbolism that was there, and how similar it is to my beliefs. And these ruins have been there for hundreds of years. It was amazing! The next day was our last couple of dives, which we had to take a ferry ride to Cozumel to do. This was by far my favorite set of dives, although I really liked the dive guide in Playa a TON better...he was just so helpful with it being my first open water dive. The guide in Cozumel seemed to be annoyed that he was diving with "beginners." This dive was way deeper, 60 feet instead of 35 like the first one, and it was a drift dive. It had a pretty strong current so you had to really pay attention otherwise you'd miss things. The water was crystal clear...visibility was probably close to 100 feet, which is huge underwater. The reef was so pretty and so much bigger then the one in Playa. Friday we came home, which I really didn't want to, we hit the dallas airport and saw the weather, and almost turned around cuz it was so cold here. But we had to come home, but it was a fantastic trip and I can wait to dive some other places!