The Big 3-0: 2011

Over Labor Day weekend I went with a group of friends up to Deep Creek Lake. There was an ultimate Frisbee game, good food, lots of fun, time on a boat, and I accomplished the jet-skiing portion of my 30! As I don't have a camera that is waterproof and I was kinda busy steering the jet-ski, there are no photos of this particular experience. Being the rule-loving dork that I am, it was very strange to not have 'lanes' to stay in (a la driving on a highway) and it took me a while to get used to moving with any speed at all ('fraidy cat party of one, my table is ready!) -- but once I got the hang of it, it was fun. I'd do it again :-)

Look! I've updated my blog twice in less than six months! I'm also working on number 30! Go team!

In July (I know - I've been on a blogging hiatus - sue me - life kinda got in the way :-P) I went with friends to the Go Ape Ropes Course. I have an issue with vertigo, and knew this going to the course, but was determined to overcome the difficulties that implied when it came to climbing up high in the trees and zip-lining back down to the ground. Knowing this wasn't going to be an easy excursion made me tense and rather snippy with my friends (sorry guys!). As expected, I felt the flutter of a panic attack as I climbed the ladders to get onto each section of the course. A majority of the issue was feeling the pull of the harness as I climbed - it felt like it was pulling me down backwards every time I climbed a rung. Once I was up on the platform and the panicky feeling stopped (or lessened as the case may be), I was fine. I never felt like I was in danger - I'm very aware that there's nothing logical about panic attacks. The harness made me feel very safe, and the training they gave us made it very easy to feel comfortable with what I was doing (granted occasionally I was doing it with my hands shaking... but still - I felt capable of keeping myself harnessed to the course without an issue). I found out that I absolutely LOVE zip-lines! I actually have plans to zip-line down a mountain with my Aunt Pat in NC this summer :-) At the end of the day, I felt like I had accomplished something major knowing that I 'faced a fear' so to speak.