My Birthday

I turned 30 this June, and was treated to a ton of wonderful surprises by my friends. To be honest, I started the day quite cranky, as I was less than thrilled about entering a new decade. It just seems like a big corner to turn, leaving your 20's and all. Luckily, Danny was there to cheer me up and invited me to go on a picnic lunch with him in a field higher up the mountain. Before we left, he told me I really needed to wear long pants because the place we were picnicking had stinging nettle. But he swore the view was worth it. I was looking forward to the picnic, but nonetheless complained during most of the walk up death hill because it was hot and sunny and I was sweating like a dog, and I couldn't understand why on earth he would choose a picnic spot that required me to wear pants. We made it to the top, took a left to the field, and after a few moments I saw Adrienne, Patrick and Eden sitting at the end of the road. Turns out he had gotten me a paragliding trip! I was shocked and tripping over my tongue - excited, but also terrified of heights and a little nervous, Christophe, my guide and tandem partner, assured me that he'd been doing this for a long while and had only landed in a tree once, which wasn't his fault. Feeling more comfortable, I donned the harness and prepared to canter down the hillside until we took flight. Once we were in the air, it was amazing. The tandem harness is so cool; you just sit there and watch the world go by, and I felt so comfortable and secure that once we were up I didn't even think about the fact that I was far above the earth. We swooped over the trees and I saw the world from a completely different vantage point than ever before. Huemoz passed under me as we caught an updraft back to the hillside where we began. I hollered 's'bull' like my daddy taught me, and a herd of cows looked up from their lounging and gave me a hearty moo in return. I briefly passed over the gang as they trudged back down the mountain, but couldn't pull it together enough to get a good picture of them. I think Patrick gave me a thumbs up. Geek.

Everything was amazing until about 30 minutes in. We got caught in an updraft and began swooping up and around the treetops. I casually asked, 'So, it's pretty common for people to get motion sickness, eh?' He paused for a moment and then asked if I was alright. I responded that sure, I was fine, no problem. As usual, completely unwilling to admit a small weakness. He started talking more and more, as apparently my question made him nervous and he seemed intent on distracting me. We kept whirling through the sky for another 10 minutes and finally I had to admit defeat. I was definitely feeling ill. He took it in stride and began the descent. I saw the landing spot and gulped, willing myself to hang on for just another few minutes. And then he started doing loop-de-loops to slow us down and aim for the targets. Just as he proudly told me of the acrobats he could have done had I not been feeling poorly, I lost it. Threw up right there, the wind blowing it back on both of us as we continued to sail. A bit less calmly, he said 'NOT in front of you! Stand up and point to the side and I'll blow us out of it!" So I dutifully stood up and blew chunks. Again. And again. And again. Until we finally landed. I was mortified. I ran to the nearest fountain, stripped off my shirt (never more thankful for my tendency to layer, though Danny finds it terribly mockworthy) and washed off as much as I could. Unfortunately, no amount of rinsing and spitting could fully cure the horrid taste in my mouth. In the meantime, Christophe was repacking the chute and chatting with the man who was there for a lesson. I crawled into the van for the ride of shame back up the mountain. I was supposed to meet Danny back at the takeoff point, but needless to say, a shower took priority, so I headed back to the barn.

Arriving back, I was still as white as a sheet and Kay looked a little concerned when she saw me. I passed Adrienne as well, who just nodded in understanding as I panted 'Threw up. Must shower NOW.' on my way up the staircase. Post shower I was still a little shaky but feeling MUCH better. I laid on the couch for a few moments and then went down to see what was going on. Everyone had congregated in the kitchen, and poor Patrick was dripping sweat - he'd run all the way up death hill to retrieve Danny. Thinking the excitement over, I headed up to my apartment to do a couple of chores and then hang out with the gang.

Danny came up shortly and asked me if I'd mind walking out to the targets with him because he'd left his iPod there the previous evening. Thinking it would feel nice to get a bit more fresh air and move on solid ground, I quickly agreed. And because, apparently, I'm slow, I still expected nothing. We arrived to find a gorgeous picnic laid out by Patrick and Adrienne. I mean, a picnic the likes of which I'd never seen. Champagne, an assortment of cheeses, fresh fruit, bread, and meat (for the carnivores). I wish I had a picture, but what with it being a surprise, I didn't bring my camera. We began by toasting with the last of the Ojusko Pivos (beer we'd brought back from Croatia), and then set about stuffing ourselves, laughing and talking for the next several hours.

When we finally got back, Danny asked me if I'd like to finally go for our walk. We didn't make it terribly far, simply going down to the chapel in Huemoz and sitting on a bench and talking for an hour or so, then transferring to the swingset so I could push him. He offered to give me a push too, but my stomach was definitely not ready to go airborne again. By about 8:00, we headed back to Bellevue, me thinking that we'd just watch a movie and spend the rest of the evening quietly. But no, I arrived (still slow and unsuspecting) to a living room completely reconfigured and a beautiful banquet set out on the coffee table. We had chocolate fondue, more fresh fruit, cheese, and all of the delectable items that stock my vision of heaven. Richard and Karen came up, and all of the helpers and Bellevue folks were there, and we just hung out and chatted for a while while nibbling at the spread. After all of that, I was exhausted, so when everyone left (they even cleaned up!) I just sprawled on the couch and relaxed with Danny until I fell asleep. All in all, one of the greatest birthdays ever.