I am braver now than I have ever been!
I have seen more now, than I have ever seen!
I will dare to try that which I never dared,
I will stand tall and and dare to be dared!
I will push myself and drive my will,
I will look forward and time will tell,
I can do anything,
I can achieve,
All that it takes
Is that I believe...
Showing posts with label 40th Birthday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 40th Birthday. Show all posts
Tuesday, 30 March 2010
Sunday, 22 November 2009
Jeronimo!!!!!!
This is it! Today is the day of my Triple Whammy Adrenaline Experience at Magna, Rotherham! I've made John close the gallery for the day so he can come and watch me and the kids are banned from their own activities - they have to come and watch too!
I have to check in at 2.30pm ready to start at 3pm and we make a good start by arriving early, an hour early! So, we take the advice of the guy on the desk who suggests that we go and watch the jumpers for a bit before checking in!
Oh boy! The Abyss is sooooo big! It's high and wide and dark with video screens and music playing and people throwing themselves off a gantry 150 feet in the air!!!!! With shouting from the floor and screams from above it was a hell of an introduction to my afternoons entertainment!
We stood for a few minutes, watching and then returned to check-in. The queue wasn't huge but it did seem to take ages! The anticipation was building and it reminded me of the time in Playtex City before the start of the Moonwalk.. waiting and waiting with the pit in your stomach getting bigger and bigger and just wanting the whole thing to get started!
The line of intrepid souls didn't seem to move very quickly and it took 40 minutes to reach the front where I signed away my right to blame them if anything went wrong...
It was about now that I had a moment of crisis... I hadn't brought any spare contact lens - what if they fell out??
I walked back into the darkness and the music looking for the way to the zip wire - the first of my three challenges!
John and the kids were allowed to stay with me and so together we made our way up a flight of stairs and along to where I was taken aside and strapped into a harness ready for the slide of my life!
Once I was suitably strapped up by a suitably strapping young man, then checked over by another... I was led, along with three fellow sliders, along corridors and down stairwells to where we would climb narrow stairs up into the roof the the mighty old steelworks...
I can't remember the name of the guy whose job it was to see us off but he laughingly told us that he had just had two nine year old girls do this and we had better not bottle out!! I remember thinking that it had to be easier to just do it rather than squeeze back along the narrow stairs and find your way back!
The zip wire was 250 feet long and stretched away into the darkness. Below we could see the faces of friends and family waiting and watching... it was soon my turn. The guy in charge was chatty and reassuring as he checked over my harness and hooked me onto the relevant straps and explained what to do, pretty easy really - just hang on, step off and enjoy the ride! So I did!
It was so quick that I blinked and almost missed it! The speed was said to be almost 35 miles per hour and I must admit it did feel fast but it was only moments before I came to a swinging halt at the end of the line... Fab! That was good! Not scarey at all and I even thought it a bit tame! Bring on the abseil...
The abseil was a little different. I needed a new harness, strapped on by yet another suitably strapping young man... and once again checked out by another... this was proving to be a good afternoon ;-)
This time with gloves to protect my hands on the rope, I was pointed in the direction of a staircase, a steel tread staircase made up of many flights of stairs. Each landing had a message - 'you are about to throw yourself 150 feet into the abyss', or something equally daunting! Each flight of stairs was harder on the legs and with muscles aching and getting short of breath I finally made the landing... only to be advised that I was only halfway at 76 feet and had to keep on going!!
Climbing and climbing, onwards and upwards, knowing that the quickest way down was the rope! At the last landing I was faced with a vertical ladder with a curved cage around it - up I went and there I was! 150 feet up on a steel gantry made of gridiron with gaps big enough to lose a 10p piece! Look down and you saw the height, look over and you could see the height - there was no escape!!
But there was Dave - the friendly face on the abseil. Smiling and asking had I done this before? I briefly explained how I had chickened out of a similar challenge in my early teens and felt the need to repent! He laughed and told me not to worry - its easy! In fact don't think about it, it's a no-brainer!
Step by step he hooked me safely onto the platform and let me through the gate. He checked over my harness - they are very thorough! It was all very reassuring - he was attached, I was attached, he hooked me one hook at a time onto the overhead arrangement which I would use to lower myself to the ground, 150 feet below...
Hold on here he said, arm by your side, ease your grip on the rope to slide faster but don't let go...
I leaned out over the side and gingerly let one leg dangle off the platform, that was it, no going back now, 'that's great' he said 'off you go!' and down I went. I had wondered whether I would swing about, having no wall to push again with my legs, this was a free-fall abseil! I was also worried that I wouldn't have enough strength in my arm to support me but it was all fine and I managed what I thought was a very controlled descent - see, I even know the lingo :-)
So, back to the harness area for a re-fit, before the power fan! I got strapped up by a girl this time, with another young man for afters! Once again I headed for the stairs, up and up I climbed, mental preparation made no difference - it was still a long way!
It's a good job the power fan is last! I was the most nervous for this and pretty sure I would have bottled out had it had been first!
Eventually I make it back up to the top, the vertical ladder again, hanging on and hauling myself up! I walk along the gantry to the bench where the bungee jumpers are waiting. They are with a group jumping for children in need and have raised £1k between them!
I wait my turn and a girl is strapped up for bungee and really doesn't want to do it... I feel for her and am glad that it's not me! After cheering from below and encouragement from her friends she allows herself to be gently pushed off! She screams all the way down but she's fine and her friends are really proud!!
My turn to walk past the bungee point to where the power fan is rigged. The bungee guy tries to make me do the bungee but I resist! Along the gantry the power fan kicking in loudly at intervals enough to make you jump (pardon the pun!). I chat with Gary, a fellow jumper, and am surprised to find myself actually rather calm! I'm not afraid to look down and can see John and the kids far below me. I find myself bopping to the music - I can't help it! I'm excited and shout a loud 'woohoo' everytime someone jumps!!
It's Ian next, my power fan guy. He asks how I'm feeling and I tell him I'm feeling pretty relaxed, considering! Like the rest he is chatty and reassuring. He asks me how come I'm doing this and I explain my 40th challenges and tell him briefly about Amsterdam, the Moonwalk and my naked photos! Am I getting brazen or what??
Ian checks my harness and does the hook-on-hook-off thing, making sure I'm safely strapped to the overhead motorised cable which will kick in a few feet from the floor to ease my landing!
I step to the edge... And I'm off! I scream 'WooooooHooooo' and before I've finished shouting the fan kicks in and I'm on my bum on the floor! I've landed already! The catcher guy helps me up off the floor and grins at me as he undoes my harness! I think I butted him with my helmet but he says he's fine!
It's been amazing! Truly uplifting! I feel confident and able to do anything - apart from a bungee - well, not today anyway...
I hope I've inspired my kids to have a go at something like this and Isaac has already said I was awesome :-)
I loved it... But the adrenaline didn't last long! What's next? :-)
I have to check in at 2.30pm ready to start at 3pm and we make a good start by arriving early, an hour early! So, we take the advice of the guy on the desk who suggests that we go and watch the jumpers for a bit before checking in!
Oh boy! The Abyss is sooooo big! It's high and wide and dark with video screens and music playing and people throwing themselves off a gantry 150 feet in the air!!!!! With shouting from the floor and screams from above it was a hell of an introduction to my afternoons entertainment!
The line of intrepid souls didn't seem to move very quickly and it took 40 minutes to reach the front where I signed away my right to blame them if anything went wrong...
It was about now that I had a moment of crisis... I hadn't brought any spare contact lens - what if they fell out??
I walked back into the darkness and the music looking for the way to the zip wire - the first of my three challenges!
John and the kids were allowed to stay with me and so together we made our way up a flight of stairs and along to where I was taken aside and strapped into a harness ready for the slide of my life!
Once I was suitably strapped up by a suitably strapping young man, then checked over by another... I was led, along with three fellow sliders, along corridors and down stairwells to where we would climb narrow stairs up into the roof the the mighty old steelworks...
I can't remember the name of the guy whose job it was to see us off but he laughingly told us that he had just had two nine year old girls do this and we had better not bottle out!! I remember thinking that it had to be easier to just do it rather than squeeze back along the narrow stairs and find your way back!
The zip wire was 250 feet long and stretched away into the darkness. Below we could see the faces of friends and family waiting and watching... it was soon my turn. The guy in charge was chatty and reassuring as he checked over my harness and hooked me onto the relevant straps and explained what to do, pretty easy really - just hang on, step off and enjoy the ride! So I did!
It was so quick that I blinked and almost missed it! The speed was said to be almost 35 miles per hour and I must admit it did feel fast but it was only moments before I came to a swinging halt at the end of the line... Fab! That was good! Not scarey at all and I even thought it a bit tame! Bring on the abseil...
The abseil was a little different. I needed a new harness, strapped on by yet another suitably strapping young man... and once again checked out by another... this was proving to be a good afternoon ;-)
This time with gloves to protect my hands on the rope, I was pointed in the direction of a staircase, a steel tread staircase made up of many flights of stairs. Each landing had a message - 'you are about to throw yourself 150 feet into the abyss', or something equally daunting! Each flight of stairs was harder on the legs and with muscles aching and getting short of breath I finally made the landing... only to be advised that I was only halfway at 76 feet and had to keep on going!!
Climbing and climbing, onwards and upwards, knowing that the quickest way down was the rope! At the last landing I was faced with a vertical ladder with a curved cage around it - up I went and there I was! 150 feet up on a steel gantry made of gridiron with gaps big enough to lose a 10p piece! Look down and you saw the height, look over and you could see the height - there was no escape!!
But there was Dave - the friendly face on the abseil. Smiling and asking had I done this before? I briefly explained how I had chickened out of a similar challenge in my early teens and felt the need to repent! He laughed and told me not to worry - its easy! In fact don't think about it, it's a no-brainer!
Step by step he hooked me safely onto the platform and let me through the gate. He checked over my harness - they are very thorough! It was all very reassuring - he was attached, I was attached, he hooked me one hook at a time onto the overhead arrangement which I would use to lower myself to the ground, 150 feet below...
Hold on here he said, arm by your side, ease your grip on the rope to slide faster but don't let go...
I leaned out over the side and gingerly let one leg dangle off the platform, that was it, no going back now, 'that's great' he said 'off you go!' and down I went. I had wondered whether I would swing about, having no wall to push again with my legs, this was a free-fall abseil! I was also worried that I wouldn't have enough strength in my arm to support me but it was all fine and I managed what I thought was a very controlled descent - see, I even know the lingo :-)
So, back to the harness area for a re-fit, before the power fan! I got strapped up by a girl this time, with another young man for afters! Once again I headed for the stairs, up and up I climbed, mental preparation made no difference - it was still a long way!
It's a good job the power fan is last! I was the most nervous for this and pretty sure I would have bottled out had it had been first!
Eventually I make it back up to the top, the vertical ladder again, hanging on and hauling myself up! I walk along the gantry to the bench where the bungee jumpers are waiting. They are with a group jumping for children in need and have raised £1k between them!
I wait my turn and a girl is strapped up for bungee and really doesn't want to do it... I feel for her and am glad that it's not me! After cheering from below and encouragement from her friends she allows herself to be gently pushed off! She screams all the way down but she's fine and her friends are really proud!!
My turn to walk past the bungee point to where the power fan is rigged. The bungee guy tries to make me do the bungee but I resist! Along the gantry the power fan kicking in loudly at intervals enough to make you jump (pardon the pun!). I chat with Gary, a fellow jumper, and am surprised to find myself actually rather calm! I'm not afraid to look down and can see John and the kids far below me. I find myself bopping to the music - I can't help it! I'm excited and shout a loud 'woohoo' everytime someone jumps!!
It's Ian next, my power fan guy. He asks how I'm feeling and I tell him I'm feeling pretty relaxed, considering! Like the rest he is chatty and reassuring. He asks me how come I'm doing this and I explain my 40th challenges and tell him briefly about Amsterdam, the Moonwalk and my naked photos! Am I getting brazen or what??
Ian checks my harness and does the hook-on-hook-off thing, making sure I'm safely strapped to the overhead motorised cable which will kick in a few feet from the floor to ease my landing!
I step to the edge... And I'm off! I scream 'WooooooHooooo' and before I've finished shouting the fan kicks in and I'm on my bum on the floor! I've landed already! The catcher guy helps me up off the floor and grins at me as he undoes my harness! I think I butted him with my helmet but he says he's fine!
It's been amazing! Truly uplifting! I feel confident and able to do anything - apart from a bungee - well, not today anyway...
I hope I've inspired my kids to have a go at something like this and Isaac has already said I was awesome :-)
I loved it... But the adrenaline didn't last long! What's next? :-)
Monday, 7 September 2009
So... will I do?
Wow! Has it really been a year? A whole 12 months since I turned 40??
What an amazing year!
At the beginning of last summer I had a shaggy shapeless mop of hair and had been wearing glasses since the age of seven!
I was a busy working Mum with no time for myself and had been that way for over fifteen years!!
2005
So what is new?
Well... my haircut is new! My contact lens are new! My wardrobe has taken a leap of faith and won and... I even own make-up!!
So what happened? My daughter happened that's what!
We both loved watching Gok Wan and we love his way of changing a girls clothes and making her look again at the way she sees herself.
As my 40th birthday approached I could only focus on the number - it was everywhere, overshadowing everything! I became obsessed with my age and everything else paled into insignificance!
Eventually, my 15 year old daughter Emily suggested that I should have a new haircut and lose the glasses!
So I did!
She came with me to the hairdressers and the hair went! Well not all of it but alot of it! I loved it! Why didn't I do this years ago??
Next I saw the optician and had a contact lens trial which went so well that I started wearing them full-time and haven't looked back since!
After that came the shopping - oh yeah! It's what girls do best!! Previously I had been a frustrated shopper, looking for clothes which covered me up and hid the parts I didn't want to show! But now... I looked for tops which showed my shape, and wasn't afraid of wearing things a little tighter instead of simply picking a larger size!! I tried high heel shoes and it felt good - really good!
I even bought make-up and used it!
The absolute icing on the cake for me was when I went to Reading, got naked in front of a stranger and had him take photos of me! It was the wildest, most scarey thing I had ever done but it was great!!
My confidence soared and I started thinking about my life and about other things I wanted to do...!
I have had many opportunities in my life and I'm ashamed to say that I have passed many of them over through lack of confidence. Missed adventures simply because I was too scared to try!
What did I miss out on? You wanna know what? Well, the biggie, for me was missing out on a weeks sailing trip on a tall masted rigger when I was in the Sea Cadets. I had the chance to sail for a week on T.S. Royalist but they wouldn't let me go when I said I didn't like heights - one of the tasks aboard would be to climb the mast and rig the sails... I regret to this day ever letting on that I was scared!
Another time we were on a camping trip and I had the chance to go abseiling... once again I chickened out for fear of the height! It wasn't even a high one!! What was it with me??
So I decided... I was gonna take the bull by the horns and make my 40th year one to remember!
Life begins at 40 right?
So I wrote a list - yes there is an actual list!
WHAT DID I DO? Oh My God - LOADS!! I don't think I can even remember stuff!
Go Windsurfing - I did this for my birthday on 7th September 2008 - Great fun but Gary had the patience of a Saint!
London Theatre Trip - John took me to see 'Jersey Boys' September 2008, it was a brilliant show and a fantastic start to my year!
Do the Playtex Moonwalk - On 16-17th May 2009 I completed the 26.2 mile power walk and raised £375.50 for Breast cancer Charities!
Amsterdame09 - In June 2009 I cycled 250 miles from York to Amsterdam and back and raised £651.50 for Marie Curie Cancer Care
Great Yorkshire Show - I went for the first time ever and spent the day taking photographs - doesn't sound much to some but I loved it!!
WHAT HAVEN'T I DONE? (Yet...!)
Walk up Snowden - maybe combined with white water rafting??
Abseil Down the Humber Bridge - This is no longer allowed but I do have an abseil challenge planned to replace it!
Attend a Rock Concert - This is definitely gonna happen!!
Have a go on a Climbing Wall - not done yet - its gonna be scarey but I'll do it!
Lose a stone in weight - not holding my breath for this one but you never know!
Indoor Sky-Diving - I haven't done this yet but I will - in fact this is looking like it might be a family trip :-)
Walk the Catbells - a weekend in the Lake District should do it!
Nightclubbing - just never had the opportunity!
Be at the London Eye for New Year 2009 - no tickets booked yet but let's see!!
So, the highs... were the highest, the low was sooo low (there was only one - Battersea Park at about 2.30am on the morning of Sunday 17th May 2009 - but it got better!) - MY WHOLE YEAR WAS AMAZING!!
Thanks John - you have been such a rock in supporting me throughout all of this! I love you I have only one thing left to say ... There ain't no stopping me now!!
What an amazing year!
At the beginning of last summer I had a shaggy shapeless mop of hair and had been wearing glasses since the age of seven!
I was a busy working Mum with no time for myself and had been that way for over fifteen years!!
2005
So what is new?
Well... my haircut is new! My contact lens are new! My wardrobe has taken a leap of faith and won and... I even own make-up!!
So what happened? My daughter happened that's what!
We both loved watching Gok Wan and we love his way of changing a girls clothes and making her look again at the way she sees herself.
As my 40th birthday approached I could only focus on the number - it was everywhere, overshadowing everything! I became obsessed with my age and everything else paled into insignificance!
Eventually, my 15 year old daughter Emily suggested that I should have a new haircut and lose the glasses!
So I did!
She came with me to the hairdressers and the hair went! Well not all of it but alot of it! I loved it! Why didn't I do this years ago??
Next I saw the optician and had a contact lens trial which went so well that I started wearing them full-time and haven't looked back since!
After that came the shopping - oh yeah! It's what girls do best!! Previously I had been a frustrated shopper, looking for clothes which covered me up and hid the parts I didn't want to show! But now... I looked for tops which showed my shape, and wasn't afraid of wearing things a little tighter instead of simply picking a larger size!! I tried high heel shoes and it felt good - really good!
I even bought make-up and used it!
The absolute icing on the cake for me was when I went to Reading, got naked in front of a stranger and had him take photos of me! It was the wildest, most scarey thing I had ever done but it was great!!
My confidence soared and I started thinking about my life and about other things I wanted to do...!
I have had many opportunities in my life and I'm ashamed to say that I have passed many of them over through lack of confidence. Missed adventures simply because I was too scared to try!
What did I miss out on? You wanna know what? Well, the biggie, for me was missing out on a weeks sailing trip on a tall masted rigger when I was in the Sea Cadets. I had the chance to sail for a week on T.S. Royalist but they wouldn't let me go when I said I didn't like heights - one of the tasks aboard would be to climb the mast and rig the sails... I regret to this day ever letting on that I was scared!
Another time we were on a camping trip and I had the chance to go abseiling... once again I chickened out for fear of the height! It wasn't even a high one!! What was it with me??
So I decided... I was gonna take the bull by the horns and make my 40th year one to remember!
Life begins at 40 right?
So I wrote a list - yes there is an actual list!
WHAT DID I DO? Oh My God - LOADS!! I don't think I can even remember stuff!
Go Windsurfing - I did this for my birthday on 7th September 2008 - Great fun but Gary had the patience of a Saint!
London Theatre Trip - John took me to see 'Jersey Boys' September 2008, it was a brilliant show and a fantastic start to my year!
Do the Playtex Moonwalk - On 16-17th May 2009 I completed the 26.2 mile power walk and raised £375.50 for Breast cancer Charities!
Amsterdame09 - In June 2009 I cycled 250 miles from York to Amsterdam and back and raised £651.50 for Marie Curie Cancer Care
Great Yorkshire Show - I went for the first time ever and spent the day taking photographs - doesn't sound much to some but I loved it!!
WHAT HAVEN'T I DONE? (Yet...!)
Walk up Snowden - maybe combined with white water rafting??
Abseil Down the Humber Bridge - This is no longer allowed but I do have an abseil challenge planned to replace it!
Attend a Rock Concert - This is definitely gonna happen!!
Have a go on a Climbing Wall - not done yet - its gonna be scarey but I'll do it!
Lose a stone in weight - not holding my breath for this one but you never know!
Indoor Sky-Diving - I haven't done this yet but I will - in fact this is looking like it might be a family trip :-)
Walk the Catbells - a weekend in the Lake District should do it!
Nightclubbing - just never had the opportunity!
Be at the London Eye for New Year 2009 - no tickets booked yet but let's see!!
So, the highs... were the highest, the low was sooo low (there was only one - Battersea Park at about 2.30am on the morning of Sunday 17th May 2009 - but it got better!) - MY WHOLE YEAR WAS AMAZING!!
Thanks John - you have been such a rock in supporting me throughout all of this! I love you I have only one thing left to say ... There ain't no stopping me now!!
Saturday, 27 December 2008
Adrenaline Junkie...
Hi Folks! Hope you had a good Christmas?
Did Santa bring you something special??
Well he brought me a fabulous gift from my hubbie John... a triple whammy adrenaline day out!
Starting with a 250ft zip wire which will have me travelling at 30mph ... followed by an abseil down a 150ft drop ... and finished off with a parachute jump from 150ft!
I can't wait!
It is all indoors so no jumping out of aeroplanes or anything but still enough to give me a real adrenaline rush and cross off three things from my 'to do' list :-)
The zip wire will be fab - I think I'll have a harness too - just in case my hands slip off whilst travelling at 30mph!
The abseil will be a challenge - I chickened out of a much smaller one when I was younger and have regretted it ever since and so I am really looking forward to pushing myself into doing it...
The parachute jump is indoors and so doesn't have the dangers associated with jumping from a plane ... but 150ft is still very high and still a big rush :-)
It'll all be happening at the Magna Centre in Rotherham - date to be booked by me and so I shall keep you posted when I get a booking!
I am hoping that it's OK to bring spectators - I'll have the kids and John watching with cameras and camcorders!
Should be Fab!
I can't wait :-)
Did Santa bring you something special??
Well he brought me a fabulous gift from my hubbie John... a triple whammy adrenaline day out!
Starting with a 250ft zip wire which will have me travelling at 30mph ... followed by an abseil down a 150ft drop ... and finished off with a parachute jump from 150ft!
I can't wait!
It is all indoors so no jumping out of aeroplanes or anything but still enough to give me a real adrenaline rush and cross off three things from my 'to do' list :-)
The zip wire will be fab - I think I'll have a harness too - just in case my hands slip off whilst travelling at 30mph!
The abseil will be a challenge - I chickened out of a much smaller one when I was younger and have regretted it ever since and so I am really looking forward to pushing myself into doing it...
The parachute jump is indoors and so doesn't have the dangers associated with jumping from a plane ... but 150ft is still very high and still a big rush :-)
It'll all be happening at the Magna Centre in Rotherham - date to be booked by me and so I shall keep you posted when I get a booking!
I am hoping that it's OK to bring spectators - I'll have the kids and John watching with cameras and camcorders!
Should be Fab!
I can't wait :-)
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