Free Fallin'

Yes we did it. Woody's family talked us in to jumping out of a "perfectly good airplane" at 14,000 ft (approximately 2.5 vertical miles). This is past the point in commercial airliners when the flight attendant informs passengers that they can now operate electronic devices. The jump consisted of a 9,000 ft free fall in about 60 seconds and an excruciating ascent in a plane, with no seats, to our "final destination". There were about 15 jumpers in our group packed in a small plane like sardines. Most were single jumpers, some military, and three tandem jumpers with thier instructors. Woody and I each had a photographer/videographer and were forced to become instant best friends with a perfect stranger whom we were strapped to, very tightly, at the shoulders and hips from behind. I chose Bob becasue he looked as if he would cushion my fall should we encounter a crash landing. Woody didn't have a choice. The jockey-sized instructor always got the big guys to even out the weight for the parachute.

Instructors: "Who get's Tiny? Aren't you late for your NBA game Dude?"

Woody: LOL

Instructors: "How tall are you?"

Woody: "6ft 6in"

Jockey: "I'll take him!"

I drilled Bob with questions hoping to have a bonding experience before "risking my life for a thrill" as the instruction video put it.

Me: "How many times have you done this, hundreds?"

Bob: "Thousands."

Me: "Have you ever been hurt?"

Bob: "Never."

Me: "Have you every had anyone pass out on you during the free fall?"

Bob: "No"

Me: "Be honest!"

Bob: "Okay, only one. It was an man with a chronic illness in the last stages of his life."

Me: "Have you ever been peed on?"

Bob: "No, but are you in to that?"

As we became up close and very personal with our instructor during the ascent, we straddled the poor soul in front of us. There was no time to think, no time to back out. We walked to the door somewhat unwilling. WHOOSH! It was exhilarating yet beautiful. A little loud and windy I might add. Your mind cannot quite comprehend what you are about to put your body through. Will it be like a rollercoaster, like a dream of falling from a cliff (or out of the bed)? Neither! Words cannot express the feeling. And before you even know it, the experience is over. Would I do it again? Yes! Was it worth it? Absolutely! How much was the aerial photograpy and video? Priceless!

Bottles and Cans & Devil Ray Fans

In mid-October, I was sent to Tampa, FL to attend a Solid Waste & Recycling Summit, exciting I know. But these are the thrills and the kind of issues that I deal with when working for local governments: 33 Mayors and 17 County Judge-Executives precisely. Mom tagged along for the week and while in Tampa, we had the opportunity to spend time with long-lost cousins we had never met and visited my long-lost childhood friend Ashley. Ashley and I have known each other since birth; I litterally greeted her on the day she was born on my way out of the hospital as a newborn. It just so happened that during the Summit, games 1 and 2 of the World Series were being played at "The Trop", Tropicana Field, and the actual trophy was on display at Tampa City Hall. Too bad the Rays lost because I spent a fortune on Christmas gifts at the Tampa Bay Rays Official MLB store. And no I'm not revealing any soon-to-be Christmas gifts because Woody charmed me into giving his early. What can I say? I give in easily when hiding something. Ask my friends; I laugh hysterically when I am lying. Here are a few pics from our fabulous trip.

Clearwater Beach

Childhood peeps at Longboat Key


Longboat Key


Mom with 2008 World Series trophy


Tampa City Hall

On Top of Ole' Smokey

A few pics from a weekend getaway celebrating our 1 year wedding anniversary. Not only did we find a luxurious establishment named after me, but learned that Woody had grown a whole inch this year!

Max-A-Million

Meet Max. He is a 5 month old, or so, mutt with calico hair and deep brown eyes. He loves walks in the neighborhood, wrestling with his cousin Zaxby, aggravating Iddy Bitty and Jasmine, chasing cats, rolling around in poop and eating bugs. He is the pride and joy of the Wood family adopted from the Nelson County Humane Society on September 27th, Weasel's birthday.

Max was a stray found in Bardstown, KY and doesn't like to eat dog food out of a bowl. He is a finicky eater, just like me, and prefers to eat off of the ground, just as any stray would. No, I'm not saying that I was a stray and like to eat from the ground, I just know what I like and how I like it. Max was formerly named "Scruffles" by his Humane Society friends but prefers Max, Maxwell, Maxamillion and sometimes, Snugglemuffin.

Max's adoption day was very emotional; one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. There were so many homeless animals in the shelter that day but I gave myself a pep talk before walking in. "You are here for one dog and one dog only." I forced myself into tunnel vision without having to look into the eyes of another soul in need.

Earlier that day, we decided to pass along an opportunity to adopt a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel mix found along side I-64 with his litter mates. There were about 80 others waiting to adopt him and Woody and I decided that "Scruffles" deserved a chance more so than one who had a line of people waiting to adopt him. Max was located on petfinder.com, a website filled with hundreds of thousands of pure bred and mixed homeless animals, from puppies to seniors, all across the U.S. Max's face just spoke to me.

If you are wondering, "What, exactly, kind of breed is Max?"; we believe he is a pure bred mutt. A little terrier, a little shih tzu, a little schnauzer, maybe some beagle thrown into the mix, it doesn't matter. Max is a wonderful addition and has already added so much happiness to our family.

How's Married Life?

There is an unwritten rule for topics of conversation with newlyweds; "How's married life?" As the newlywed-ness wears off, conversation leads to "When ya'll gonna have a baby?" We've come to expect this question, nonetheless, and I'm here to say, I love being married but I'm not ready to be a mother... just yet. In fact, I still don't feel like a grown up. I don't feel old enough to be a married woman, let alone old enough to be a mother. I don't feel old enough to have the responsibilities of 401Ks, IRAs, health/home/auto insurance, mortgage, bills, and all of the headaches that come along with grown up things. I'm only 26 for goodness sakes!

But the truth of the matter is, I am one of the happiest married women you will find. Yesterday was our 1 Year Wedding Anniversary and boy what a year it has been. I feel so blessed to be married to my best friend, my hero, and my soul mate. I don't know were life would have taken me without the love and support I get from Woody. Although neither of us really love suburban life in Lexington, we do our best to make each other happy with what the Lord has blessed us with. He has truly provided for us this year with a wonderful church, a house, one fabulous car, one heck-of-a V8 "Big Boy Toy", stable jobs, very little debt with the exception of our house, and more recently, Max the Mutt. Our house has slowly transformed from college hand-me-down mis-matched rooms to a home of furniture that reflects our personalities, well almost. Oh what a joy it is to finally have matching furniture! What a feeling it is to feel taken care of by my husband and provided for by our Lord. What a blessing this year has been! Our dreams of country living and having children will come soon enough. We will welcome the opportunity with open arms when the timing is right.

More to come on Max the Mutt and our Anniversary weekend in the Smokies...

YO - HO, A Pirate's Life For Me

There are so many topics to write about since my last post and so little time between our latest great adventures and our next great adventure. So today I've decided to celebrate International Talk Like A Pirate Day. Yes, that's today! To view your pirate name and personality, hear pirate songs, or for a pirate translator, visit: http://www.talklikeapirate.com/piratehome.html. The picture above was taken almost a year ago on our Honeymoon. Woody was in charge of off-shore excursions for our day in St. Lucia. We were all aboard a pirate ship, featured in Pirates of the Caribbean, and I must say, it was one of the most memoriable days of our Honeymoon. Lots of RUM!

Ahoy Maties!

Licensed to Conceal

Woody has been "aiming" to get his CCDW (Carry Concealed Deadly Weapon) license for years now. It just so happened that some friends of ours were taking the class and Woody jumped at the chance to take the day-long course. I decided I might as well take the course with him, just in case I happened to be pulled over while driving his "big boy toy" (what I call his Toyota Tundra) with his concealed weapon lurking in the glove box. And, just in case I feel the need to pack heat in my car or on my ankle. There are a few sketchy locations in Lexington where I would feel safer packin' heat, but I also feel gun laws in this nation may soon change, or not depending on November 4th, so I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity. Obtaining the license and passing the 20-shot field test also makes "Weasel" (Dad) very proud of his sharp-shooting, NRA-supporting, rifle-aiming, pistol-drawing daugther. Besides, Dad taught me from a young age to always respect and care for firearms the same whether they were loaded or un-loaded.

What qualifies as a concealed deadly weapon you might ask?

• Any weapon from which a shot, readily capable of producing death or serious physical injury, may be discharged.


• Any knife other than an ordinary pocket knife or hunting knife.


• Billy, nightstick, or club.


• Blackjack or slapjack.


• Nunchaku karate sticks.


• Shiriken or death star.


• Artificial knuckles made from plastic, or other similar hard material.

So the next time you see me, I may be concealing brass knuckles, a billy club, revolver, or slapjack. I'm licensed to conceal baby!

Disclosure: Woody refused to pose for the photo "shoot". He thought the shadow man with holes didn't compliment his outfit while in the deserted rock quarry.