Last week was the 1 year anniversary of my first skydive.
It’s hard to believe how much my life has changed since that day. I make it a point not to discuss my life in too much depth, after all, you’re not here to listen to me talk about myself. It’s about the sport!
But given that I’ve been blogging about it for nearly a year, and I’ve politely avoided the personal inquiries along the way, I thought it might be time to provide a little insight into the author of this little corner of the universe I like to call my blog 
This is a combination of a meme and the type of questions I’d ask the Experts in the Friday column – though oddly enough most of it relates to skydiving in some way. Since I’m far from being an expert in anything, especially skydiving, I certainly don’t see this worthy of a Friday post.
So for those who have inquired, or those who may be mildy interested (why, what’s wrong with you?) here’s a little about me and my experiences.
Where was your profile picture taken? The dropzone…where else?
Name someone who made you laugh today? Rick. He makes me laugh every day!
What was the last thing you put in your mouth? Well isn’t that a little bit of a personal question? A piece of gum. What were you thinking?
If you could move somewhere else, would you? Yeah, to warmer climates. Can you say year-round skydiving. Hello!
When was the last time you cried really hard? There’s no crying in skydiving!
Can you live a day without TV? Absolutely! I’d prefer it that way.
Are you upset about anything? The weather. That’s not an atypical gripe, really.
Do you think relationships are ever really worth it? Of course! Relationships are what life is all about.
Are you a bad influence? Heck yes!
What items could you not go without during the day? iPhone, chapstick, water bottle
How do you feel about your life right now? It’s pretty freakin’ amazing. I get to spend my days working in digital media – blogging, writing and Facebooking for a living, my evenings at home with my partner in crime and my weekends free falling at 140 mph out of not-so-perfectly-good aircraft. What more could a girl ask for?
What song is stuck in your head? Spaceman by The Killers
Someone knocks on your window at 2:00 a.m., a secret lover or George Clooney? um…what? odds are it’s my a$$face neighbor complaining that we’re breathing too loud or some other nonsense.
Name something you have to do tomorrow? Return a demo canopy. Today I need to decide if it’s in my budget to purchase it. I think I fell in love with a Sabre 1.
Do you think too much or too little? Too much, for sure. That’s what freefall is for. Clears those thoughts right away!
Do you smile a lot? I really don’t – unless something is worth smiling over. It’s not as if I’m an unhappy person, far from the truth, I’m just not naturally smiley…maybe I should work on that.
Chicken or Beef? Neither – this girl is a vegetarian!
What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? My diamond ring and my closing pin necklace. That’s really about the only jewelry I wear, too.
Favorite hobby? Skydiving, hello! But I’m also big on photography, blogging (obviously), and traveling.
Someplace you’d like to go? New Zealand is high on my list.
And now on to the skydiving specific questions – y’all know most of this already, turns out:
How did you get your start in skydiving? – This is a pretty typical story, did a tandem, fell in love, by the time my feet were back on the ground I knew I was going to do this for the rest of my life.
Favorite discipline? – freefly, hands down. I love the speed! But I’m really starting to enjoy flying a camera, so we’ll see where that takes me.
Do you BASE jump? – not yet. I’ll likely try it one day, but I want to take my time with that one.
Who has inspired you as a skydiver? – everyone that I’ve jumped with has inspired me in one way or another. I love jumping with the experienced freeflyers like Joe Lunardi, Pat Ralph and Dave Lepka – I’ve learned a lot just from the few jumps we’ve done together. I’m constantly inspired by those that I jump with regularly, Christa, Scott, Matt, Dennis. And of course, my number one inspiration is my freefly partner – he’s always helping me improve and we’re out there learning together.
What’s one of the most unique experiences you’ve had as a skydiver? – I’m sure I haven’t encountered this yet, but I’d have to say the high altitude skydive with canopy demo and cutaway all in one is right up there.
What do you like most about your involvement in the sport and the surrounding community? – I love this community! We’re so diverse and yet we all seem to understand what makes each other tick. As for the sport, it’s the constant challenge that draws me. I’m always learning something new about technique, disciplines, accuracy and myself…how can something like that ever get old?
Well kids, that’s enough about me for this year. Next post will be back to skydiving – I promise it’ll be much more interesting
Blue skies!
Ashley
Happy Anniversary!
Good to see another Vegetarian Jumper! Congrats! I think BEER is in order!
John – thanks bud!
SB – ah yes, I’ve purchased much beer in this first year! Woohoo veggies!!
Good to see another Vegetarian Jumper! Congrats! I think BEER is in order!