Conquering...

To start off, I am really really bad at this blogging thing. Especially because of the amount of time I actually spend on the internet. Which is a lot of time. Well anyways, that being said, I can start off on the amazing day that turned into a very emotional day for me. Yesterday we were celebrating my best friend Lynette's birthday and so Travis, Caleb, Dakota and I went to Lagoon with Lynette and her other friends. Our small band of four went earlier than Lynette and her friends though. And we had a lot of fun. Later on we met up withe Lynette and her friends, but this was after we all did the craziest thing. You see, I am deathly afraid of heights. Most people who know me, would't know that because I really try to hide it because I am kinda embarrassed that I am so afraid of heights. Well to start off, Travis, Caleb, Dakota and I had just got off of another ride at Lagoon when Travis and Dakota decided that they wanted to do the skycoaster next. For those of you who don't know what the skycoaster at Lagoon is, it is a 173 foot arch accompanied by a 150 foot V shaped thing that has cables attached to it. 

Here is the real descripton  from the website lagoonparks.com because I can't seem to do it justice:

"The Sky Coaster is a sport/amusement attraction designed by Sky Fun 1, Inc. of Boulder, Colorado. The attraction offers all the thrills and excitement of skydiving and hang gliding.

The attraction operates by putting the participant in a full body harness (usually referred to as a flight suit), that supports the flyer (from one to three at a time), in a prone position. The harness is then connected to the flight support cables.

From a static point approximately 6 feet above the ground, the flyers are then pulled aloft by a launch cable to nearly the top of the launch tower. At this point the flyers are approximately 143 feet above the ground with the flight cables taut and the flight is ready to begin. Upon being given the signal, the flyers pull the rip cord, releasing them from the launch cable, and they begin to rapidly swing towards the ground at speeds reaching up to 80 mph. The overall feeling is similar to that of swooping along the ground in a hang glider, or that of skydiving.

The Sky Coaster is an X-Venture Zone attraction and not included with Lagoon's Single Day Passports and Season Passports.
Location: North Midway
Main Arch: 173 feet
Launch Tower: 153 feet
Speed: 40-80 mph
Flight Cables: 2 sets
Flyers Per Set: 1-3
Year Installed: 1995
Manufacturer: Sky Fun 1"

You can see how massive this thing is.

Well this is what Travis and Dakota wanted to go on next. So we walked over to it and I remembered of a promise that I made to Travis two years ago at Disneyland. I promised him that the next time we go to Lagoon that I would do the Skycoaster with him. And I had been dumb enough to mention that I had promised him that day. Well so that started Dakota into trying to convince me to go with him and Travis. Well the thing that finally did it, was Travis making the following statement:

"I have my card out to pay for this thing. It's now or never. You make the decision. We can't do it for you. Just know that if you go on this, it will be the first commitment you've kept in the two years we've been married."

That last sentence sparked a fire in me that quickly burned out, but it was enough for me to finally agree to go on the ride. Well in the thirty minutes that it took to convince me to go, they had successfully convinced Caleb to go too. So Travis payed for all four of us to go. And because there is a max of three people per flight, Dakota and Caleb went together and Travis and I went together. Before I had mentioned that I was afraid of heights, well really really really afraid. So when were standing in that line waiting to harness up and go on this deal, I started getting second thoughts. I was thinking that I was crazy and that I was going to die...(which is really not going to happen, but...ugh..) when a thought came into my head saying "If you don't do this, you will regret it. Even though it is scary right now, just think of the feeling you will have after it's over."

With those thoughts Travis and Dakota kept reassuring me by saying this statement:

"Natalie if you can do this, you can do anything..."

Well after waiting in line about thirty minutes, it finally came, the moment where Travis and I were to put into our bodysuits and taken out onto the platform so that they could harness us up to the cables and lift us up into the sky. I was shaking so bad and I was on the point of tears, and the only thing that was keeping me from crying was the look on Travis's face.  He was smiling and his eyes were twinkling. At that moment when we were in our bodysuits  and about to go out, I looked at him and at that moment realized that I trusted him. And if he said this crazy ride was fun, and safe then it must be both. So as we walked out to the platform hand in hand I felt comforted in knowing that he was with me.  We got to the platform and we stood there while the people harnessed our bodysuits to the huge cables that would lift us to the sky. It's all a blur but as soon as the lady said that the floor was going to drop from underneath us, I knew that there was no going back now. So the floor dropped from underneath us and there we were linking arms and holding hands looking face down at the grounds. That's we we started lifting up, while the ground got smaller and smaller from underneath us. I had to close my eyes because I was so scared, I kept saying to Travis: I love you, I love you, I love you...then finally when I opened my eyes and saw how far we were off the ground, I said not really meaning it...I hate you! I was so nervous, because as soon as the people said for Travis to pull the cord that would send us flying I knew that I would be scared. So the moment came and he pulled the cord and we dropped into the sky. The rush was amazing, and I was screaming so loud, that later on Dakota and Caleb said to me that they couldn't hear anything around them except me screaming. But after the first swing that's when I started to realize that this was really awesome. I was still screaming but it felt so amazing. And before I knew it the whole experience was over. As we came back to the ground, Travis was beaming and so was I. It was something that I have never experienced ever in my life. And at that moment I knew that I had conquered something. I knew that I probably would never be scared of heights again. During this time, the people unharnessed us from the cables and we were back on firm ground. And it would be the topic that we would not stop talking about the rest of the night. 

I have to say that it was not only an amazing experience for me, but an emotional one as well. The look on my Travis's face the moment our feet were on the ground again after the whole experience changed my life. I had finally done something that I said I would do, even though I was scared out of my mind. This whole experience has taught me that sometimes we are scared of the unknown, but to really have the human experience there are times when we have to step out into the unknown and conquer our fears. This is my story of how I stepped out into the unknown and conquered one of my greatest fears with the help of the love of my life, who is also my best friend, Travis. I am so grateful that I got to share this experience with him because it has made me love him more, if that is even possible...

Thanks for reading.

~Natalie