Holiday Wishes
Holy crap, it’s already 4 days before Christmas. Where on Earth did this year go?!
The holidays are always a funny time of year. Some people cherish the time they get to spend with friends and family, others dread it. I’m lucky to say that I fall in the former category.
Since college I’ve always lived hours from my family, who, for the most part, all reside within an hour of each other in the mitten (Michigan, for those of you who are geographically challenged) – weather by car or plane, I’ve been a solid 4 hours away.
The holidays for me has always reflected the ability to head home and spend some QT with the fam. There’s not enough time spent together for burnout. Arguments over the holidays are rare with my family, though most of us tend to let a lot roll off our shoulders, so that helps.
But what am I saying, this isn’t about me.
I want to talk about holiday wishes. Everyone has things they wish for during the holidays, weather it’s the latest, greatest TV on the market to appear under the Christmas tree, getting the chance to kiss that someone special under the mistle toe, or simply that the holidays will be happy and stress-free, everyone has hopes of what this time with family will bring.
For me, aside from wanting a peaceful, wonderful experience with my family and my in-laws (as I wish the same for each and every one of you), my biggest wish is that the JDRF will receive more funding than they’ve ever seen this holiday season.
As most of you know, diabetes research is close to my heart. Jump for Diabetes was founded to help find a cure for this disease that touches just about everyone, in one way, shape, or form, and I want nothing more than to see the JDRF succeed!
This year, I’m asking friends and family, rather than giving presents that may or may not get used, to donate to the JDRF and help find a cure for diabetes. Every little bit helps, and I know most are strapped during the holidays, but giving doesn’t have to just happen now. Any time of the year, a few extra dollars can really help take research to the next level.
So, if you’re feeling extra generous head on over to http://jdrfillinois.org and click that Donate button. In the special instruction, be sure to mention Jump for Diabetes so we can keep a running tally of how much this wonderful community has supported the cause.
Wishing you and yours a very, merry holiday season.
Love and blue skies!
Ashley
Bucket List
This is such a cliche blog topic it almost makes me want to vomit just thinking about it. But, here I am, writing about it again anyway.
See here’s the thing, everyone goes through these periods where they become acutely aware of their own mortality – as skydivers, this has a tendency to creep up on us from time to time.
I’ve written pseudo bucket lists before – participated in blogger challenges like the “30 before 30″ list and all the jazz – but to me, those things are a bit self-centered (yes, I realize that, at it’s core, blogging is pretty self-centered, but bear with me here if you could).
This time of the year I have a tendency to get pretty reflective – to look back at the year, what I’ve accomplished vs. what I set out to do. I’m not one for “new year’s resolutions,” but I do like to set goals for myself just to keep me going. At the beginning of the year, I’m not going to lie, I was struggling with a lot. My heart and soul was focused on fixing what was wrong inside me and in the environment surrounding me, and I have to admit, as the end of 2011 is bearing down, I came out on top. Take that 2011.
Along with the changes, the accomplishments and the overall happiness that surrounds my world, December has brought on reflections not of myself, but of others in need.
As you’re all very aware, one of the things I pride myself on is the yearly Jump for Diabetes event that helps raise funds for the Juvenile Diabetes Research foundation and support diabetes research. It’s a cause close to my heart, and given that my husband is the founder of this wonderful event, it makes me even prouder that our little family is able to do something to give back every year.
(Small plug here, but if you want to continue to support our cause, you can do so throughout the year at http://jdrfillinois.org and when you click Donate Now, enter Jump for Diabetes in the special instructions. Help us get to our goal and find a cure for diabetes!)
With that, I’ve realized that a true bucket list is about more than what you want to accomplish, the places you want to visit and things you want to purchase by a set date, it’s about how you want to live your life and the ways you want to leave your mark on the world before you pass on.
I’m a firm believer that bucket lists are not set in stone, rather, they’re living, breathing documents that allow us to focus our energies on those things we want to accomplish in our lives. If thought through properly, a bucket list can set the tone for your adult life, provide a foundation for where you want to go, and give you motivation to achieve those goals. It’s not simply a list of to-dos, but a guide for who you want to become.
So below, in no particular order (hence, this list is not numbered) are a few of those things I see as bucket list material. Maybe one day I’ll sit down and draft my bucket list in full and post it here for all to see – but then, it’s seems rather “finalized,” and I like the idea of always being able to alter your path as changes occur in your life. For now, you get to see a few of my goals for living a positive, enjoyable life I can be proud to call mine.
Personally impact one person’s life in a positive way.
Give back in ways that life has provided for me (through mentorship, career and skydiving support, etc)
Spend one holiday season volunteering.
Travel.
Establish a not-for-profit and spread the word (this one, though accomplished, will be ongoing throughout my life).
Appreciate. (My husband, my extended family, my career, my health, my friends – appreciate all the good life has to offer, even when times are tough)
Commit to health and fitness with green smoothies, limited processed foods, regular workouts, etc.
Give animals in need a home: always adopt from rescue organizations and foster homes.
Don’t miss out on great opportunities because of obligation. Carpe diem – live life to it’s fullest.
Spend every day as if it might be the last – with friends, family and love in my heart.
I have to be honest, I really wanted to put something on this list about living out my wedding vows, and loving my husband. But truth be told, I don’t need to put that on a list, it’s something that comes completely natural to me. Appreciate… even when times are tough, seemed more appropriate, as I, like many people, struggle with focusing on the bad, even when so many things are good and right in my life.
What are some things you’d put on your bucket list? They can be specific or broad, but how do you want to live your life? How do you see your future playing out?
Love and blue skies!
Ashley
Jump for Diabetes at Skydive Chicago
Well it’s official folks, the 3rd annual Jump for Diabetes will be held at Skydive Chicago.
As I mentioned in the last post, this year’s event is going to be low key compared to the past couple years. We’re encouraging jumpers from all over the country to take part by collecting pledges for their jumps for the weekend (Aug 12-14) to support diabetes research.
Remember folks: tax write off here!
For those who plan to attend at Skydive Chicago, here’s what you can look forward to:
* Saturday night raffle: Tickets are being sold for $25 each or 6 for $100.
Prizes include:
-PD main or reserve canopy (grand prize)
-Bonehead Helmet
-Free Taste of Base with Miles Daisher
-Cookie Helmet package
-Free first flight course with Flock U at SDC
-% off Vigil
-% off Infinity and Wings container
-% off Bev Suit
-SDC gear store discounts
-And MUCH more!
For the price of a lift ticket you have a chance to win a new canopy, or other badass prizes, just like that. We’ll continue to keep you posted over at the Facebook Page as we get more sponsors.
* Support the cause with each skydive: For those who want to participate and are feeling a bit too lazy to go out and collect pledges from their friends and family, you can help the cause just by jumping. If you’re at Skydive Chicago Aug 12-14, all you have to do is tell manifest when you check in that you’re Jumping for Diabetes and a portion of your skydive will be donated to the cause. Thanks Rook, for generously taking part!
We’ll be hanging out at Summerfest this year selling tickets, handing out pledge forms and working some general excitement for this incredible cause. Or, you can always email jumpfordiabetes@gmail.com to enter the raffle, get your pledge sheet or simply to find out how to donate to the cause.
So many of us have been touched by diabetes in one way or another, let’s all join together to help find a cure for this disease, shall we?
Love and Blue Skies!
Ashley
Jump for Diabetes Round 3
Movie Monday
As you’ve likely heard me say before, Mondays are bad for me. They’re the busiest day of the entire week at the office and most of the time I’m trying to catch up with chores at home from being away all weekend.
The former still applies, however having kept close to home this weekend I was able to find a little spare time to put together a couple of promised videos – from the Work Stinks! Boogie and Jump for Diabetes (about time, right?)!
So, while I bust my butt at the office, you can take some time on your Monday to enjoy the highlights of two of my favorite skydiving events every year.
Jump for Diabetes 2010
Work Stinks! Boogie 2010
Blue Skies!
Ashley
How Skydiving Changed My Life
This is one of my favorite columns in Parachutist Magazine and one of those things I make time to read in every issue. Some of these people have incredible stories of how they got into the sport and how being a skydiver has completely changed their lives.
Looking back over the year and change that I’ve been a part of this sport and a part of the community, I can add myself to that list of people who feel like their lives have been completely turned upside down since skydiving entered their life. I can also say that my life has changed for the better, and in some ways, I feel like it saved me.
Though my story is sort of ho-hum when you look at those featured in Parachutist, so instead of submitting to the magazine, I thought I’d share right here on the blog 
.
For those who have been following along since day 1, this may not come as much of a surprise, but for those who have picked up in the middle, you might pick up a thing or two about my journey in this crazy world of skydiving.
________________
Skydiving has changed my life in so many ways, it’s hard to know where to begin. I suppose I’ll start at the beginning (that would make sense…right?).
In my early 20s all that mattered to me was my career. My friends from college were scattered across the country and none of us were making enough money yet to visit each other, so rather than spend time building a new life, I spent it behind a computer, working my way to the top. My efforts did not go unrewarded. Promotions happened frequently and I earned my position in social media marketing through hard work and dedication to my company and my clients.
No regrets there. I worked hard for my successes and am proud of where those efforts have taken me. But something was missing. I wasn’t passionate about my life. I got up in the morning because I knew I had to in order to get ahead, in order to pay the bills, in order to save enough money to take trips to see my friends that I missed so dearly. I worked hard to find myself again, blogging about life and the “adventures” I had meeting new people and traveling for work, but in the end, these corporate trips were not sufficiently scratching the itch that the travel bug was constantly giving me. So 3 years into my career I took my first real vacation, one in which I made my first skydive, and had my eyes opened to what life really has to offer – what it means to truly be alive. It showed me what I was missing, that there’s more to life than getting ahead in the corporate world, that life needs more facets than just career success.
Skydiving presented a new personal challenge, and a new challenge is just what I needed…something to keep me on my toes, something to remind me that I’m alive! It showed me just how strong I am, just how much I am capable of overcoming – it showed me that I can do just about anything I set my mind to. Never did I imagine that I would learn so much about myself in such a small amount of time. Skydiving freed my soul from the confines of those things that are proper in life, the boundaries and the you shoulds that are forced upon you throughout your childhood and into your adult life. Skydiving showed me that you never really have to grow up!
Though it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, let me tell you that. Skydiving presented some hard lessons along the way too. I quickly learned what it means to not be invincible, that bad things can happen to anyone if you get complacent. These lessons presented themselves in the sky and on the ground. 
The community surrounding the sport taught me the importance of heightened awareness – keep your eyes and heart open, be prepared for the unexpected, you never know when a fellow jumper might make that wrong turn under canopy, but you might be surprised with whom you make deeper connections. For me, I was able to meet, fall in love with, and get engaged to my best friend and the love of my life because I was involved in skydiving and open to new experiences. I’ve also been able to meet and connect with a number of incredible skydivers with hearts larger than even SkyGod’s ego. Experiences I wouldn’t trade for the world!
Above all else, skydiving has taught me the importance of being a part of something greater than myself. It’s shown me how critical the community around you is to your well-being. There needs to be a sense of trust and understanding with those whom you share the sky. As skydivers, we inherently understand what makes each other tick, our common bond is one that the majority of the world will never understand. I’ve found that this sense of togetherness is strengthened when the community joins to support a cause that goes beyond that of the individual skydiver and truly tugs at your soul. Coordinating Jump for Diabetes this year gave me a glimpse of the immense generosity of the individuals within the skydiving community. It was so incredibly heart-warming to see so many manufactures, skydivers and their family and friends come out to support a cause that is greater than all of us combined. It speaks volumes about the type of people the sport attracts, and further solidifies why I continue to be drawn to the skydiving community.
What all these lessons from the world of skydiving have in common is this: be passionate. Having passion for something, anything (whether it’s skydiving, or tending a garden, or raising a family, or a multitude of life’s treasures) makes life fulfilling. Passion gives you something to live for, it provides motivation, it gives you a better sense of who you are as a person; a living, breathing human being who is on this Earth for a reason. Since I started skydiving little more than a year ago, I’ve found that I live my life with purpose. There are numerous facets of Ashley that I’m proud to admit have all become priority – friends, family, travel, career, new experiences, photography, writing, health & wellness, and of course, skydiving – these are all things for which I have great love and passion. Skydiving continues to teach me about the person that I want to be, and one step at a time it’s helping me get there.
So tell us dear readers, how has skydiving changed your life?
Love and Blue Skies!
Ashley
Jump for Diabetes 2010- what a blast!
Well, I’ve finally recuperated from a long weekend at Skydive Pennsylvania for the 2nd Annual Jump for Diabetes – just in time for another weekend of skydiving .
Let’s start with the juicy details: between raffles, sponsored jumps and generous donations, we were able to raise nearly $10,000 for diabetes research – and donations are still rolling in, so we may even surpass that mark when all is said and done!
I’m thrilled with the amount of people who stepped up to support this cause, from the gear donations throughout the skydiving community, to the incredible team of pledge jumpers who came in from all over the country to donate their time to the cause, to the participants at Skydive Pennsylvania – none of this could have been accomplished without your support.
So a HUGE THANK YOU goes out to all who contributed.
As far as raffles go, we gave away more than $10,000 in donated and discounted skydiving gear, local jumper Scott Diesel was the lucky winner of the PD canopy raffle and there were three happy winners in the Grand Prize raffle.
And guess what – we’re going to do it all again next year! We’re planning the event for Aug 12-14 at Skydive Pennsylvania once again, and we’ve already got 4 manufactuers confirmed to be on site. We expect it to be bigger and better than this year – definitely not to be missed.
Okay, so now that that’s out of the way …let’s talk a little about the skydiving, shall we?
Friday after set up we did the first Mrs. Potato Head jump of the weekend. A group of us freeflyers took it to our bellies in an attempt to put her together in the sky. Best part, she was a diabetic, so Rick had a needle-less syringe to stick in her ear. It was far from a success, with us walking away with zero pieces in place, and one lost piece somewhere in the LZ, but I gotta tell you, it sure was FUN! Thanks to Heather for bringing this tradition to Jump for Diabetes!
We gave away our first piece of gear on Friday too, a freefly suit from EG. EG suits came in from Jersey to attend the event. Thanks again EG, you were a hit at Skydive PA!
Saturday started off bright and early with long spots and off landings. We had a fun 2-way freefly practice jump to start out the day before diving into a weekend of incredibly fun freefly zoo dives, like this one:
Both mine and Rick’s parents showed up for the day which was awesome! My dad even got some great shots of me landing and packing. I’m not used to being on the other side of the camera!
The weather played nice until about 5 p.m., at which point our gear raffle picked up. This is where my dad’s height came in handy, as we were selling gear raffle tickets for $20 a body length, so a number of jumpers “borrowed” his 6’3″ frame to purchase their tickets.
(Grand Prize Raffle drawing, with Skylyn the ticket picker! *Photo by Suji Martens)
Saturday night 4 bands from around the Pittsburgh area showed up to play for us in the hangar…due to the rain. What an incredible party. The beer was flowing and we were even able to have a small fire with numerous smores consumed. Yum!
Sunday started slow because of rain and low clouds until about 3 p.m. This gave us ample time to finish out the raffles before completing the weekend with a couple more fun freefly jumps – starting with Justin’s 200th.
The last jump of the weekend was a 6-way freefly turned into a hybrid, rodeo, backfly, sitfly combo. Was one of the funnest jumps we all had that weekend…guess you had to be there!
I’m still working on a fun Jump for Diabetes video to show the highlights from the weekend, so stay tuned for that.
Thanks again to everyone who did their part to not only make this an incredibly successful weekend, but for making it a BLAST too!
Blue skies!
Ashley
Jump for Diabetes – THIS WEEKEND
Shocker! I’m talking about Jump for Diabetes. But, the good thing is, you’ll really only be hearing about this one last time. And of course, likely once after…gotta do a recap!
Anywhoosits – as if you haven’t heard this enough already, I’m putting it short and sweet – here are the reasons not to miss this event:
- High Altitude Jumps
- More than $10,000 in gear giveaways
- PD Canopy Raffle
- Onsite vendors including EG Suits and Guaranteed Wellness
- 4 live bands Saturday night
- RED BULL GIRLS
- Food vendors
- Oh, and HELLO – skydiving!
Needless to say, it’s going to be an incredible weekend. We have 10 sponsored jumpers who will be out jumping their asses off for the cause – myself included.
Fingers crossed for beautiful weather!
Can’t wait to see y’all there!
Love and blue skies!
Ashley
Sydney: Unfiltered
Okay, so as I mentioned on Facebook earlier this week, all my posts from July are gone. Bummer! But, since this week is uber busy with work, I’m taking the very rare spare time I have to recreate these posts. First, I’ve got the ever important interview with the lovely Sydney!
I had been her Twitter follower for months since we’re both in the social media world due to our very similar jobs, and when I heard she was getting into skydiving I was beyond excited for her. She’s quickly become one of my favorite Skydive Chicks, with enough enthusiasm and passion for the sport to show just about any jumper up. She’s smart, witty, strong and adorable! Needless to say, I absolutely adore this girl!
But you’ve heard enough from me, let’s here it from HER. Ladies and gentlemen: Sydney Owen.
*cheers*
SDC: Alright lady, so tell us a little about how you got into the sport – what’s your story on how you fell in love?
SO: On what was formerly the best day of my life (since replaced by AFF graduation) I decided to go jump out of a perfectly good airplane at Skydive Space Center in Titusville, FL. The second my feet safely landed back on the earth, I swore that I would do this someday. My someday came this March, when I did another tandem, this time at Skydive Temple. I thought to myself, think about how badass it would be to jump out of perfectly good planes on EVERY business trip I went on. As soon as I got back home to Chicago, I started researching local drop zones and decided to check out Chicagoland Skydiving Center with a buddy of mine. One more tandem later, I was enrolled in AFF and doing ground school. The rest, as they say, is history.
SDC: Such similar stories. LOVE IT. So where’s your home dropzone?
SO: Home DZ is CSC, in the bustling metropolis of Hinckley, Illinois.
SDC: Have you been to any other DZs yet? If not, do you plan to in the near future?
SO: I’ve been to SDC for their fireworks display (totally sick) but haven’t jumped anywhere beyond Space Center, Skydive Temple and CSC. But we did do a sick formation fly by as we arrived at SDC, so that was almost as awesome as jumping there.
SDC: You have so much passion for this sport and such an incredible attitude! I speak for myself when I say I was immediately drawn to you, so I can imagine that the skydiving community has welcomed you with open arms. How has your transition from the “real world” to this whole new community been for you?
SO: Good question, and thank you! I’d go out on a limb and say that the skydiving community is my real world. I can be me, with no restraints, truly Sydney: Unfiltered around the DZ. I’m not sure if it’s just CSC, but I feel like those people are quickly becoming my family. There are so many rockstar skydivers there – and everyone is eager to help me learn. It’s funny, in my latest blog post I said how there’s a low tolerance for bullshit and assholes, and a bunch of the jumpers from CSC commented and were telling me I have a lot to learn. I guess that’s where the “real world” part of it comes into play. I work in such a fast-paced, high-stress environment, that the DZ drama seem so pale in comparison.
SDC: Given that you’re a typical type A, like the rest of us skydivers (and marketers), have you found that this sport has changed your attitude toward life at all?
SO: I’m much more mellow. Which I haven’t decided if that’s a good thing or a bad thing yet. Skydiving has made me realize that most of my “emergencies” before joining the sport were actually not even close to being emergencies. I think this has helped me keep a level head, especially at work, to realize, okay, this isn’t a life or death situation like your line-over mal was last weekend. Lesson learned: there is always a solution. No need for panicking.
SDC: You’re still so new to the sport but there’s so much you can teach others given that you’re fresh out of Freefall University. What’s been the best piece of advice you’ve received so far?
SO: The best advice I’ve received so far has to be broken into two categories: directly related to skydiving and general philosophical advice that, though it’s from a skydiver (my amazing AFF instructor, Barry), can be applied to your life both in the sky and on the ground.
First bit, skydiving related: locate your reserve handle before you pull your cutaway handle. One of my instructors, Chris, told me this as we were doing my gear check before my AFF level one jump, as he had a malfunction, cutaway, couldn’t get to his reserve handle, and his CYPRES saved his life. So, biggest thing there: know where your handle is before you pull it.
As for Barry’s latest nugget of wisdom (he’s been throwing several at me lately): Time is all in your head. Live in the moment and time doesn’t exist. Heavy stuff, right? My favorite phrase is “Is it Friday yet” and I oftentimes ask Barry (and my other instructors) to speed up the week so I can get back in the air. But, if you live in the moment, then the rest doesn’t really matter. I’m currently testing this philosophy, I’ll let you know how it turns out.
SDC: What’s been the most memorable experience?
SO: My graduation jump was most definitely my most memorable experience in skydiving so far. I think about that jump and just get giggly and glowing and feel a real sense of pride for all that I’ve accomplished in the sport so far. Second to that would be my cutaway – which happened early in my AFF training, on my second coaching jump. I just remember looking up at the canopy and thinking about the flash cards we reviewed in ground school: “what is this called and how do I get out of it?” I was totally calm, landed the reserve ride and got a bunch of high fives from everyone on the ground.
SDC: What are you looking forward to most this season?
SO: Beyond looking forward to learning as much as humanly possible, I want to find gear of my own. And road trip it out to Colorado for some tunnel time. And continue to build on the friendships I’ve started with the people at the DZ.
SDC: What are some of your goals as a newbie skydiver and where do you see this taking you in the future?
SO: I want to learn skills that will eventually lead to me either A) being an AFF instructor or B) totally rocking the sky in general, and eventually being some kind of coach/instructor/skydiving badass that is totally worth sponsoring. I’m not going to lie, I’m most definitely one of those people that, in 30 years, you’ll meet around a bonfire talking about the days of old and my extensive career in the sky. I want this to be my life. I’m okay with the gypsie lifestyle. I just need to get myself in a place that will allow me to do that.
SDC: Anything else to add?
SO: Um, you’re pretty much my life twin, and I totally love you and your blog and your pictures of you being all fabulous in freefall and I CAN’T WAIT TO JUMP WITH YOU. Okay, inside voice.
So clearly you can see why I love her….she compliments me! Ha, obviously it goes way beyond just that. She’s a badass skydive chick, what’s not to love, right?! Be sure to check out her blog over at Sydney: Unfiltered. What, you didn’t think I came up with that catchy title all on my own, did you?
And as a little update since the last time I posted this interview, Syd and some of her pals from CSC will be headed out for Jump for Diabetes weekend, in LESS THAN TWO WEEKS! Woot!
In case you hadn’t heard, we’re planning high altitude jumps from the King Air that will be coming in to support that weekend. It’s going to be EPIC 
.
Love and Blue Skies!
Ashley
Jump for Diabetes Update
It’s Friday, and it’s beautiful out! This weekend is looking incredible for some quality skydiving .
So I’m going to keep this short and sweet. Here’s what’s up for Jump for Diabetes:
- We’ll be out at Skydive Pennsylvania this weekend, selling PD Canopy Raffle tickets for $100 and allowing people to pre-register in person, rather than online. Cash or checks made out to Jump for Diabetes are accepted. Pre-registration for skydivers is $30 and guarantees you a t-shirt, goodie bag and raffle ticket for he general raffle (which includes thinks like a FREE Freak n’ Suit, a Bonehead Helmet, a pair of Gatorz, FREE freefly pants from EG Suits and much more)! If you decide to register the day of the event it’s $35 and you’re not guaranteed a goodie bag.
- Grand Prize Raffle Tickets recently went on sale: $5 each or 3 for $10. Find out more here: http://jumpfordiabetes.com/blog/?p=21
Those are the big updates for Jump for Diabetes this week. If you’re interested in purchasing any of the tickets, registering for the event or donating to the cause, email JumpforDiabetes@gmail.com and we’ll get you set up!
Blue ones!
Ashley