wElcome tO sTephen's wOrld

Go Green Bags

2009-09-11T17:30:00.001-05:00

Here are some reusable grocery bags that are priced just perfectly.

Go to http://gogreen-bags.com for more information

Reusable Grocery Bags

2008-12-12T16:28:00.001-06:00

GoGreen-Bags.com

I purchased a few hundred reusable grocery bags from these guys and they are very nice. If you are ever interested in Reusable Polypropylene Bags, call these guys and they will give you one hell of a deal. I even added

Yes...a shameless advertisement for one of our new websites...

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30th B-Day (Victor Tango's in Dallas)

2008-10-06T09:30:00.008-05:00

Bet ya didn't know today starts Physician Assistant week...http://www.aapa.org/newsroom/pa-week.html...just a random gee-whiz fact.

My actual 30th B-day fell on Thursday, September 25 which was the same day as Brett and Kelly's rehearsal dinner in Austin a little over a week ago. The rehearsal was at a house off 620 in Austin's famous hill country. The view, weather, and company were unbeatable. After the rehearsal dinner everyone met at County Line off Bee Caves for some BBQ and Beer. The dinner was super duper fun. Congrats to Kelly and Brett for finally tying the knot. I hope they have a looong and memorable marriage. I know they will. They are perfect together.

After the rehearsal dinner....Carter, Geoff, Dedo, Banks, Ben and I hit downtown Austin for some shots and drinks. It was about 12:30 when we made it down there, so drinks had to go down....FAST. Needless to say, we all got drunk. Thanks fellas...I don't remember much, but I bet I had fun.

So...a little over a week passes and I get some unfortunate news that Leslee is moving back to Austin...on Sunday. I'm bummed...

Little did I know that Sister and Leslee had a little trick up their sleeve and were planning a little surprise party. Leslee played the part very well and had me going the entire time. Im usually very aware of whats going on around me and still cant put together all the clues to give the surprise away. I really thought we were just meeting Shannon and Eli for a quick dinner and then headed home or to another bar to meet Geoff and Dedo. Lately, Victor Tango's has not been on my "favorites list" because I always thought it was was a crowded claustrophobic bar with a long wait...to me, that combination is equals ANXIETY. Luckily, when we walked in it was NOT crowded at all. It was actually a little slow for a Saturday night. I quickly felt relieved. Leslee brought me to the back of the bar to say hi to Greg Cats (GM) and I hear "whats up bitches?!" from a very familiar voice. It was Geoff. Then Adam, Clark, Jeremy, Brooke, Dedo(nt), Banks, Sarah, Lizzie, and Shawn all followed out after. I was shocked. Sooo...hats off to Leslee and Lizzie for making this happen. I really had no idea that this was planned. 9 shots and god knows how many Beers and "Moscow Mules" later...we made it home. I felt surprisingly well on Sunday morning, but bummed out b/c I knew Saturday night was the last night Leslee was going to be in Dallas...

Thanks everyone for making it out. It meant a lot to me...

Skydive Arizona Trip

2008-09-08T20:11:00.005-05:00

A few months ago I found out Mr. Brett was going to have his bachelor party in Scottsdale Arizona. Hearing this made me very excited because I knew this was going to be a perfect opportunity to leave a few days before hand and check out the largest skydiving center in the world in Eloy Arizona. Not only is it the largest dropzone in the world, but it is also home to one of the nicest wind tunnels in the world. Just to give you an idea of the massivness of this place, here is a list of airplanes they have to cater to all the crazies that enjoy leaping from...errr...not so perfectly build airplanes.

• 3- SUPER TWIN OTTERS 23 skydivers (each)

• 4- SKYVANS 23 skydivers (each)

• 1- KING AIR A100 16 skydivers

• 1- DC-3 43 skydivers

• 1- BEECH 18 10 skydivers

When I arrived, I honestly felt like I was Clark W. Griswold pulling up to Wally World for the first time. It was early in the morning and completely dead....after all it was a Wednesday morning. I headed over to the wind tunnel and purchased an hour block which is equal to about 70 skydives. If you are not familiar with wind tunnels, they are training grounds to allow people learning to fly, to practice flying or flailing for hours at a time. They are very expensive and much harder than the videos you might have seen on the internet. Shit, I couldn't even stand up in it...I heard it was hard, but I really had NO IDEA (watch the video, you shall see). When I arrived, As I arrived at the highly anticipated wind chamber, I was ready see how shitty I really am in the sky.

All the people there were really nice and I

All the folks that I drank beer with on Wednesday night were super friendly (and funny). The coaches in the Tunnel were amazing flyer's and extremely helpful....

The trip to skydive Arizona was fun. It was another one of those trips that I completely winged from beginning to end and everything worked out perfectly. I didnt know where I was staying, how I was getting there, or how long I was going to stay. It turned out everything worked out perfect. I even got to make a few jumps which was nice. I will be going back next year to redeem myself in the tunnel.

6th and Brushy...Gone

2008-08-04T15:33:00.004-05:00

I was so excited to move into my very first "Home". Well, I lived there for about 6 Months, then realized I was moving to Dallas, so my first "Home" is gone. I only have pictures of it...

After moving to Dallas, I can honestly say I dont miss it AT ALL. I do miss my neighbors though.

Rob Parker :(

2008-07-21T20:34:00.007-05:00

Today, I found out some very unfortunate news...

I found out that a good buddy of mine has critically injured himself in a skydiving accident. My brother broke the news to me this morning, but was unaware of the seriousness of the incident. The first thing I did was send Rob a Text. No Answer. I then called. No Answer. A few minutes later, I got a phone call from Rob's phone. It was his partner...Chuck.

I have never met Chuck, but he seems like a wonderful person.

Long story short, Rob made a low turn and hit the ground pretty hard. He shattered his pelvis, legs, foot and broke a few vertebrates. Luckily, there was no upper body or head trauma. That being said, he still has a long road to recovery and he and his family will be in my prayers. This is Rob's second serious skydiving accident and I have a feeling it might be his last. Some are saying that he will probably never be able to skydive again, but only Rob can decide that.

Rob was the first person that I met at Skydive Dallas and I feel like he took me under his "wing" and "showed me the ropes"...so to speak. He was the only person to reach out and I'm sad he will be gone.

A few months ago, we were sitting in the plane on the way to altitude. I have a natural tendency to bite my nails (been biting them since I was 3 years old). Rob caught on and smacked my hand out of my mouth and told me to quit biting them. Ever since then...I haven't touched them. He will be proud...

GodSpeed Rob...heal fast brother...see you soon...

Video of us jumping! Old, but funn....

Lake Tahoe Trip

2008-07-07T22:51:00.004-05:00

The original reason to stop by Lake Tahoe was for the annual e-Quantum conference that is held in random locations around the USA. This year happened to be in South Lake Tahoe. Holy shit....that place is absolutely BEAUTIFUL. It brought back memories from the time that I lived in Steamboat Springs Colorado. It was a small town that was controlled by the locals and the casinos.

The time there was fun and I have to say that I met some really cool people. The first night I was there, I met BetZ and her mom at Fire and Ice which lead to drinks and gambling at the Harrah's Casino. I had no idea what i was doing so BetZ lead the way to winning a hefty sum of $1600 bucks on one pull of the slot machine. How FUN! I didnt even know what happened and woke up and a bunch of hundreds in my pocket. After all the gambling, I came out ahead about 1200 dollars and threw it in my suit case so I couldnt blow it all...which almost happened (a few times). Anyway, if you read this, thanks for the luck BetZ and see you in Cinci soon!!

The recent trend that I have been following has been to mix work and pleasure when I travel. After the Conference, I decided to wing the trip, stay a few extra days, and head over to Minden (about an hour away) to make a couple of jumps and meet the folks over at Skydive Tahoe. I kept hearing and seeing pictures of how beautiful the lake looked from altitude and felt the need to experience it first hand. Ajah (DZO) was nice enough to pick me up from the hotel and drop me off at the DZ. Everyone was super nice and helpful. I was really hoping their PAC750 would be there in time for my trip, but due to gas prices and shipping methods, it was on a bit of a delay...so not PAC750. Their plane was a 206 which took FOREVER to get to a dinky 10,000 feet. There were a few things that really surprised me. One...the air is much thinner up there b/c we are already 4500 feet from sea level which means freefall and canopy ride are much quicker. Each freefall (SitFly) was only 35 seconds or so and my Sabre2 170 flew like a 135 or 150. It was INSANE! I liked the speed though. It was fun. The only thing I didn't like was the landing area. It was small and a van ride from the hanger.

A few months ago, one of the owners had a terrible spinning malfunction and hit the ground at a unsurvivable rate. I saw pictures of him and could help but feel like something was missing. Nobody spoke of his death, but pictures all over the hanger let me know that he was truly missed and the place and energy were not the same without him.

I took a few pictures. One picture is of a group that called themselves the "Flying Elvi". The "Flying Elvises" was taken and not allowed to be used because it already belonged to the guys from "Honeymoon in Vegas". There were ten guys in all matching suits jumping out of two places with smoke cans on their feet. Dunno what they did in the air, but it looked funny.

I also saw the new "Indiana Jones" movie, ate at a few really nice restaurants (Wild River" in Reno was delicious). Stayed at a strange and obscure hotel in Reno, Took a boat on Lake Tahoe for a few hours, and ran about 8 miles along the Lake Tahoe shore.

Its good to be alive.

Sit Flying Over Dallas

2008-06-03T23:39:00.004-05:00

1 Year of Flying

2008-06-02T13:56:00.006-05:00

We, The Motor Boaters, got our asses handed to us in our first softball game (0-12...yeah, thats zero to twelve). We were totally unorganized at bat and in the field, Brett almost got ejected from the game before the game even started, and Carrie was our MVP. The beers were fun afterwards and I really think we are going to do better our second game....we better!

Chris Hewett is now engaged (congrats!!) We had a totally stellar Keg Party on Friday night. I had the opportunity to visit Candace's little niece. I saw Shake for the first time in a few years. Met up with Tweet and friends on Saturday night (so awesome), AND squeezed in 15 skydives (puts me up to 172 jumps).

My sit flying is making progress and I'm VERY lucky to have Matteo as a coach. He has an excellent coaching technique which really encourages me to be a better flyer. I spent almost all day Saturday and Sunday working on my sit and I think things are starting to click. Exits have been better, stability doesn't seem to be a HUGE issue, and docking has improved significantly. There are a few things that need to remember to work on, but besides that, Im really starting to feel comfortable in the air.

I have really started to enjoy Skydive Dallas. The folks there are all so helpful and nice...Just like any place, there are a few dickheads, but its pretty easy to avoid them in such a big place...

Also...today Marks my 1 year anniversary to the sport of solo skydiving. I made my first tandem in 1998...ten years later, I decided to go solo...172 skydives in 1 year. ...not too shabby :)

Los Cabos (May 08)

2008-05-21T11:28:00.016-05:00

Cabo Wabo

Considering the fact that we winged the entire everything, it all worked out perfectly. The only plans that we made was staying at the Monte Cristo. We improvised everything else...

ATV, Squid Row, Cabo Wabo, The Public Beach, Giggling Marlin, Sams, and many many other funny ass things.

This goes down as one of the top vacations of a lifetime.

MVP goes to Brandon Hardesty!!!

Note to self...always put a few extra names on the list. Geeeez...

Houston (Charles Graduates!)

2008-05-11T23:03:00.008-05:00

Cousin Charles graduates from RICE...

Congrats Charles Griffin Sharpless IV on your four year journey through RICE University's architectural program. I felt honored to be at your graduation this weekend and it was so nice to see all of you guys again. It has been way too long! The fireworks, campus pub, Thai Spice, party, food, graduation ceremony, cold beer, Jim, Jessica and family, mom, dad, aunt, skydive, uncle, cousin festivities were a blast...Have fun in Boston man.

Check out the pictures from graduation AND Skydive Houston...

Journey to Florida

2008-05-08T21:58:00.011-05:00

It's been a while since I recorded anything here, so I thought it was about time. Every year there is an event called the "Annual Premier Group" meeting which is held in various locations around the world. This year, it happened to be in Sarasota Florida at the Ritz Carlton. This meeting is meant to bring business owners together in the ADS industry so we can share thoughts, experiences, and ideas to help eachother's businesses grow. It was an excellent experience to meet all of the "veterans" in our industry and was very encouraging for a new-comer like myself....

Pops and I headed to Sarasota a day early so we could squeeze in a game of golf. Once I realized that the weather was going to be absolutely BEAUTIFUL (and perfect for skydiving), I worked my way out of the golf game and drove up to Zephyrhills. Z-hills is home to one of the most well known dropzones in the world and I was excited to see what the craze was all about. As I drove the piece of shit smelly ass rental car (I could have sworn someone left the windows down right before it rained, took a piss and dump all over the back seat, then rolled up the windows to let it ferment in the Florida heat b/c it smelled awful...haha, gross), I started to get the excited nervous feeling that I usually get when I realize that I am minutes away from dangling out of the door of an airplane...

When I pulled up, it was nothing that I expected it to be. It was actually much less, but much much more. What I mean by this is it was less commercialized than I expected it to be. My preconceived vision was that this dropzone was going to be very commercialized. I expected there to be tons of concrete and metal housing (similar to skydive dallas). Wrong! It was actually the exact opposite. The packing areas were nothing more than a few old patches of carpet laid on the grass, covered by a few metal tents. All lounge areas were made out of wood and looked to be just strong enough to hold the camo netting that hardly blocked the spectators from the hot florida sun. Manifest was nothing special, but they did have a different lift ticket method that seemed to work pretty well. I guess a good analogy would be comparing two different surf shops. In one area we have a new commercialized surf shop in a very popular area with all the "popular" brands, vs an old localized surf shop in the middle of nowhere that only had die hard locals riding on pieces of wood that were constructed in the 70s...hehe (not quite, but an exaggerated description). So why was this more? I guess I liked the fact that it surprised me and that its popularity did not cause the original people to conform to the new "standards" that new jumpers probably have. My view on this DZ might be completely skewed, but this was my first impression on a 7 hour visit.

Anyway, it was a slow day and I only got 3 jumps in, but I did meet a few cool folks while I was there. I think CON stood out the most which quickly coined me the name "tex" because it was obvious that I was an outta-towner and had a slight "southern draw". I took a picture of CON in "Nylon City" and promised to deliver it to our mutual friend in Dallas.

The rest of the trip was great and has now encouraged me to check out other dropzones throughout the world...

Cheers,

Softball Team Name (Vote!)

2008-04-21T14:48:00.002-05:00

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Brett's 30 In San Antonio

2008-03-30T23:34:00.006-05:00

Happy 30th Brett! It was actually earlier this week, but we all got together and celebrated it in San Antonio, Texas over the weekend. The city sucks, but having everyone down there together made it a very awesome and memorable experience. There were so many funny things that happened and I cant even begin imagine how much alcohol was consumed. I was very intoxicated the entire trip, so keep that in mind when looking at the pictures...as if its not obvious. After this weekend, I am never going to drink again. Yuck...

Bottled Water Statistics

2008-03-10T22:31:00.004-05:00

Found this a little interesting, so I'm posting it here. Did you know this??? Who am I asking anyway...?

(click to enlarge)

Door of Fear

2008-02-25T00:12:00.003-06:00

Door of Fear - It’s a lot to read, but this what I felt...and yes, it's another plastic bag moment...

I went jumping over the weekend and experienced a feeling I had only heard about by one of my instructors. I’m not exactly sure if it has a common term but he described it as the "Door of Fear". Basically, the "Door of Fear" is the feeling people get at certain points of their skydiving career that keep them in the plane when it’s time to get out. In some cases, they decide not to jump, and in worst cases, they decide to quit.

I was in the Airplane this weekend and I believe I faced the "Door of Fear". It started shortly after the ritual that I perform before the airplane reaches 1,000 feet. My rituals consist of a short prayer, multiple handle checks and the anticipation of hearing the beep in my helmet that lets me know it’s safe to unfasten my seatbelt. At about 4,000 Feet, I asked myself a question that I had never asked myself before. I asked myself..."What the fuck am I doing in this plane right now and why do I have this thing on my back?". This question shed light onto a different perspective into skydiving that I had never seen before. It could be the same perspective that many non-skydivers have that keep them from even considering the act. Distancing myself 2 miles from the earth and not knowing the final results started to become difficult for me to swallow. Knowing that my death could be waiting at the place I call home...knowing that "the thing on my back" was going to have a significant influence as to whether I was going to reach the ground safely or not...knowing that I had a certain amount of responsibility for the lives of the other jumpers in the plane and they had responsibility over mine ALL entered my mind. My heart started to beat at an uncontrollable rate and my body started to tingle from head to toe. At 10,000 feet, breathing became difficult and I thought I was going to throw up (I think I farted too). I became dizzy and a little disoriented. All of these feelings became a bit overwhelming and the option to ride the plane down entered my mind. After the belly fliers in front of us exited, my jumping partners and I headed to the door...the "Door of Fear". When I looked out, I quickly realized that this door was not my enemy. It was my friend. I started to remember how beautiful the earth looked from 13,500 feet and how much I loved the concept of human flight. The cool breeze flowing through the fuselage of the airplane reminded me that the feeling I was chasing was just a simple leap away. After a few deep breaths and a big smile, I nodded at my jumping partner and took the simple leap. Needless to say, the jump was amazing and answered all of the questions that I had just seconds before…

Sometimes we lose sight of the things we do and the reasons we do them. We have to weigh the positives and negatives in all situations to help determine how we want handle them. Earlier this weekend, I faced the "Door of Fear" and simply realized that there was nothing to fear. It’s the gateway to experiencing the most beautiful thing in the world...SKYDIVING!!

I love this sport more than words could explain and will continue to jump until the day I die...

Skydive Dallas Bizarr-athon

2008-02-11T00:40:00.000-06:00

"Aviation is proof, that given the will, we have the capacity to achieve the impossible"
-unknown

This weekend was nice and RELAXING. I didn't drink much and I spent a fair amount of time outdoors and in the sky. The two elements that I dread when I wake up on weekend mornings are overcast skies and high wind speeds. When neither exist, I'm a happy camper and know that its time to play.

Banks and I decided to head out to SDD so he could complete his FIRST tandem and I could continue on with my jumping addiction. There were a fair amount of fun jumpers and a few tandems. This was not my first time to jump at SDD, but was the first time I feel like I tasted what summer days might be like...on a smaller scale. I ran into Rob (very nice freeflyer) and was quickly invited to do a two way sit fly. I was a little nervous, but took on the challenge. We had a great exit and I held my sit all the way down. It was a similar feeling that I had when I felt stable on my belly for the first time. Wow...what a RUSH.

I also felt privileged to jump on Nikki's 100th. Congrats to her!! There were 14 of us in one big happy zoo. Haha...we didnt do what we planned on, but it was still soooo much fun! Here is the picture that she sent out (click to enlarge)!

Here is the video:

Here are a few things that I found to be interesting about this weekend:

A student froze up under his parachute and flew about two miles from the dropzone. When they found him, he had struck some powerlines and hung there for a few hours. They finally cut the power and took him the the ER. I think he's ok, but holy moly....
Nikki's 100th! Congrats!
First successful freefly with another person (Rob)
First Track Dive...
First Three way sit fly
Banks first Tandem
Brothers first AFF (lvl 1-2)
NUMEROUS face plants from students
First jump with a wingsuit flyby (very cool)

Lots of skydiving stuff, but thats all I really did this weekend.

Its good to be alive...

Van Halen Concert

2008-01-28T20:00:00.001-06:00

It has been a while since I had posted on here. I'm totally out of my groove and probably won't get back in it until I find a place to live. At this point, I am still trying to sell my condo in Austin. Once it sells, I will find a place here in Dallas.

I was supposed to go to Austin this past weekend but Geoff, Dedo, and Chris convinced me to stay by waving 10th row Van Halen tickets at the AAC in my face. How cool was that??? It was pretty much awesome. My mom and brother went to the 1984 concert, so I grew up listening to the group.

Eddie Van Halen had an insane solo, Wolfgang was entertaining to watch, David was extremely quirky (and in incredible shape??), Alex Van Halen had a pretty cool drum solo. The fact that I had not seen a concert in 8+ years made this a memorable experience. We went to knox street pub to meet up with carrie and angela for the after math. I dont remember anything after the bar....

Check out the pictures:

Las Cabos

2007-12-28T18:53:00.000-06:00

This was the first family vacation that we had taken in about 10 years and it was a blast. After the plane landed, we jumped in a taxi and headed to the hotel. As we drove through the city, I noticed a few landmarks that looked familiar from my last trip back in 2005, and was eager to replace them with new/fresh once.

The hotel that we stayed at was 5 star, the restaurants were delicious, and the weather was perfect. The hotel was built along the wall of a small mountain and was probably one of the nicer hotels Los Cabos had to offer. We were fortunate to have all sunny days with temperatures in the upper 70's. Aside from being terrified from eating the food in Mexico (I think I actually lost weight), I can say that my favorite restaurant was a new Sushi joint called "Bo-Hi". The fish was fresh, the atmosphere was chill, and the service was great....I'm ready for next years trip.

Little did any of us know that Los Cabos was going to be considered our home away from home after this trip. Mom and Pops don't surprise us kids with much anymore, but they surprised us this year.

(click slideshow to enlarge)

Hola Dallas Tejas

2007-12-24T14:22:00.000-06:00

Im in Mexico right now, so here is my blog in Spanish...It just wouldnt be right posting in English...

Supongo im oficial Dallasite ahora (es que incluso cómo lo dice?). Viviendo en Austin para los últimos 8 años ha habido una explosión, pero su tiempo para un nuevo capítulo. Esto significa nueva ciudad, nueva casa, nueva profesión, nuevos bares, nuevas calles, nuevas personas .... todo va a ser diferente y estoy listo. Me siento tan afortunado por tener un gran grupo de amigos en Austin y se perderá todos ustedes. Geoff arrojaron lo que terminó siendo una gran sorpresa "Bon Voyage" Molotov y fiesta en el Parque Unión. Se trata de una lluvia, el frío, el martes en medio de la temporada de fiestas y que significaba tanto que todo el mundo hizo que fuera a decir adiós. Mary y Kara detenido por Austin de decir adiós. El almuerzo fue deliciouso y la tarjeta T-Shirt y es fabuloso (estoy en México en este momento, por lo que actualmente el español es mi segunda lengua). Después miramos algunos "culo intensa la inhalación". Haha ... Kara.

Este no es el final de nada. Su sólo un 3,5 horas en coche de las dos ciudades, y me visitan en la medida de lo posible.

Holiday Nakedness

2007-12-09T18:20:00.000-06:00

I hit my 100th which is a HUGE milestone in my life. It's tradition to make the 100th skydive naked. Some choose to follow the tradition, so do not. This video documents which route i chose.

Voodew filmed Skymomma and me on this wacky jump.

Happy Holidays!!

Snowball Fight!!

2007-12-05T01:11:00.000-06:00

HAHA!
Classic Face Gissler
Dedo...I owned you just like everything else.

Happy Holidays

BTW...You have to view this in FireFox for it to work properly. Download FireFox HERE.

You should be using it if you don't already. Its much faster, more secure, and straight up better than Internet Explorer.

Enjoy the Video!

Giving Thanks for Thanks Giving

2007-11-26T15:51:00.000-06:00

That was a nice trip back home.

Geoff and I pulled into Dallas on Wednesday afternoon. I wanted to make sure that I could get plenty of rest for the 2007 Turkey Trot that was held at 9:00 on this year's Thanksgiving morning. Brother, Sister, Mom, Dad and Mr. B all woke up and headed to downtown Dallas. I jumped out of the car while they parked so I could get warmed up for the "big race". Actually, I wasn't racing at all. I just wanted to finish without stopping. The run went fine and I finished the 8 mile in a little over an hour (hour and 14 minutes I think). This was the 3rd Turkey Trot that I had attended. The one thing that was different this year was that Daddy-O and Mr. B. joined in on the fun. I must say, I am very proud the the two of them. It cant be easy supporting such a fat body with those stubby little legs...haha. Not you Dad...

After the trot, we all went home to eat the greatest meal of the year....gobble gobble.

Friday afternoon, brother and I drove out to Whitewright TX so that he could make his 3rd tandem and I could make my 94th - 95th jump. It was a little nerve racking because the dropzone was completely new and all the folks there seemed to be a bit older. Just to test it out, I decided to make a hop and pop for my first jump. I got all geared up, crawled in the plane and started our ascent. At about 100 ft off the ground I thought, "OH SHIT!". I forgot my altimeter. I had never jumped without an altimeter. I use it to aid in my landing so that I know when to make turns in my landing pattern. Well...it was a bit too late, so I peeked over at one of the other passengers hand and saw that the plane leveled out at about 4,000 ft. The Red light turned on and I opened the door. It was freezing. The green light turned on. I gave everyone a friendly wave and dove out. As I dropped, I looked up at the plane and noticed one of the jumpers threw out a peace sign so I returned the gesture. Since I didn't know my exact altitude, I pretty much pulled right outside the door. Geeez....that ride under canopy was freezing. I didn't have any gloves on and my shirt was super thin. Trying the eyeball the landing pattern wasn't incredibly difficult, but it did make me feel uncomfortable. Needless to say, everything went fine. After my safe landing, I ran inside to pack up for one more jump.

I had fun at Milo's on Thanksgiving night. Lotus on Friday night, and Frankies on Saturday night. It was so nice to see everyone!!!! Next stop to Dallas....December 16th. Yee haa!!

-sTephen

Our Storm Troopers...

2007-11-14T10:58:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, I received an email from a very good friend asking to keep our troops in my prayers. The message hit hard when I realized that many of our troops will not have the opportunity to spend the holidays with their friends and families and will take all the support they can get to help pass through these difficult times. I consider these precious people elite heroes and would do anything to ensure they return home safe to their friends and families.

I don't have first hand knowledge and don't believe my imagination could even fathom the living conditions that some of our troops experience, but I know that these conditions leave little to be desired and our thoughts, love, prayers and support can go a long way. Lets take time to remember what is important in life and thank our troops for the protection that they provide.

I would like to thank all troops for being strong and standing on a line that so many would be reluctant to face. All of you deserve more than most can give, and I would like to shake your hands and hug your families for sacrificing all that you cherish in life to protect our country. Cheers to our Storm Troopers...

12 More to Go...

2007-11-05T23:57:00.001-06:00

Thanks Mary and Kara for such a wonderful (and safe :)) weekend! Its only Monday, but our last jump gave me enough fuel to make it through the week. Mary got an otter bite (ouch!), I swooped twice, the three of us docked, and I gave Mary a very SCARY face! In fact, it was so scary that it pushed her back about 10 feet. Grrrr....haha!

We live a little more than 10,000 minutes a week and that one minute that we spent in the sky is helping me make it through the week...

I think I'm ready for some four way scrambles!! Ready Set Go!!!! (Kara)

Skydive San Marcos Halloween Carnival

2007-10-29T21:42:00.000-05:00

"...For once you have tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you long to return..."
- Leonardo Da Vinci

This highly anticipated weekend was so much fun and exceeded all expectations that had built up throughout the week. The SSM Halloween Carnival was my first Boogie and I am excited to have experienced all of these things for the very first time with such authentic people.

Jumped out of a Helicopter: This was an amazing experience. The pilot took two observers and me on a thrilling ride to 6,000 ft. and said "alrighty, jump on out". As I leaped from the spinning blades of the Robinson 44, I turned around, looked at the pilot and smiled. Jumping in dead air was an unusual experience and I can't wait to do it again.
Jumped out of a CASA: Two words....Hog Daddy. The CASA was awesome, but for some reason I feel more comfortable in the Otter.
Raft Dive! (the video pretty much explains it all. It shows pure dedication. Nobody would let go and stayed committed to the raft and the two lovely girls...)
Chase Mary Speed Star (so much fun!!):
First Horney Guerrilla:

Here are some pictures from the Halloween Party that Skydive San Marcos held on Saturday night. It was a nice surprise to see so many people in costume. All of the costumes were very creative. I combined Syraya's and my photos together.

Here is the video of our Raft Dive. Many folks didn't believe we were going to hold, but our determination proved otherwise. Each one of us had either a kung foo, death, or he-man grip on that raft and REFUSED to release. Once we flattened out, the girls (Angelina and Nikki) had the ride of a lifetime (haha). On top of all this, I wore my heart rate monitor that shows my heart rate skyrocket during our flight back to earth. (Click on Image to enlarge).

Thanks SSM for putting together such an entertaining event. I cant wait until next year!!

Living in the 70's

2007-10-22T00:22:00.000-05:00

70 jumps and its still as exciting at it was my first jump. Someone said I look like a kid in a candy store when I'm sitting in the plane...haha. I made 7 jumps this weekend and pretty much ripped my fingers to hell (trying to pack my parachute). I don't think biting my nails helps...

I opened my parachute 2.65 miles from the ground on Saturday (14,000 feet. 168,000 inches. 426,720 centimeters). That gave me about a 15 minute canopy ride which was probably 10 minutes too long...my legs started to fall asleep and my arms became numb. With all that aside, it was still really cool.

I cant WAIT till next weekend. Helicopters, Casa, Costumes, Beer, Skydiving, live music, and FUN PEOPLE?! Who wouldn't be excited about that??

(click to enlarge)

Clay is a Married Human Being...

2007-10-21T22:14:00.001-05:00

Wow...late post, but today marks a week since Clay and Kyle got hitched. I felt super honored to be the best man and I'm glad that everything turned out so nicely. Kyle, and Clay...I wish you the best and will see you folks soon. Here are a few picture from the wedding from Beth's camera. Thanks Beth, you're the greatest!!

The Dallas Museum of Art was a great representation for Clay and Kyle's appreciation for creativity and it was the PERFECT place for the pre-wedding dinner. That was cool. I love that place. I need to post all the picture from the photographer, but they aren't available yet...

(click to enlarge)

Jump and Drink...weekend was fabuloso!!

2007-10-07T23:28:00.000-05:00

Jump and Drink is exactly what happend...to the TEE. Friday night, I met up with Cade, Stephanie, Chrystal, and Rebecca. It was a nice surprise to see Cade get off. More friends + alcohol = great times. It's a pretty simple equation really...

I took a few pictures Saturday night, threw them in photoshop, and posted them here. I have to post pictures. Im a visual person, so pictures help make it more memorable. So, thanks George Eastman ....for inventing film and the first small camera. It sure has made the lives of "visual people" more enjoyable.

Saturday night was great fun. Molotov to Canvis....and lots of drinks in between. Stephanie, Chrystal, Cade, and Justin....good times! :)

Saturday and Sunday were both spent in San Marcos. Syraya and I did a fun exit from the otter. We were tucked in a little ball falling at about 130 mph to the Earth. It was really cool b/c we hear each other yelling on the way down. Once we broke, Chunks came in and we attempted to form a hybrid. Big "F" on that one. It was still kick ass though. Ted was nice enough to video the attempt. Check out the video....it's kind of cool.

Bed time...Im tired as a mo-fo.

The Big-Two Nine

2007-09-26T22:33:00.000-05:00

Well...not only was yesterday National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims...but I'm hitting Interstate 29 now. Yesterday was also my 29th Birthday and I have to tell ya....I feel very fortunate to have such great friends. All of the text messages, phone calls, and emails really meant a lot to me. I can think of a few that REALLY meant a lot and put a big smile on my face ;)

I didn't really plan on doing anything for the 29th year since my birth, but somehow I managed to get really drunk with a few encouraging friends which lead me to make some good and not so good decisions. I thought they were buying me shots to celebrate the b-day, but now that I think about it....they were just trying to get me really f*cked up. I don't know what was funnier...trying to get a dance from the ONLY girl that not only happened to be a non-exotic dancer, but also happened to be there with her boyfriend...or trying to talk sign language with the dancer that had a hearing problem. Its like a circus in those places. I only go for amusement....not for erotic fantasies.

Geoff, Cade, Carter, Brandon, Green, and Rebecca....thanks for one funny night. Wish I could have taken pictures in Palazio.

This is the last year of my 20's. I have a feeling there are going to be changes in my life this year and I plan on making the best of it.

sTephen

Sunday in the AIR

2007-09-23T21:43:00.001-05:00

I have been trying to figure out the purpose of this blog and what it means to me. Life has been pretty good to me, so I would like to give a little back by documenting things that are worth remembering. If for some reason I forget what has made me happy, I can use this as a reference to remind me of the things that I hope I never forget.

This weekend was pretty cool. I don't have the motivation that it would take to get into detail so I will bullet all of the things worth noting.

Open bar at Molotov! Thanks Cade! Haha...during lunch on friday, we went to my favorite restaurant, Maudi's. After we were finished eating, Cade bet me a bar tab at Molotov that I wouldnt eat what looked to be about 3 or 4 HOT Serrano peppers cut into slices. I always considered my tolerance to be pretty high when it came to HOT food, so I took him on the challenge. I wrapped all the peppers in a corn tortilla and stuffed the whole thing in my mouth. It was so much food, that all I could do was chew, which is the last things that I wanted to do with this particular food group. I finally swallowed all of it and earned myself a nice tab on the bar. Yee haa...
Watched Forrest Griffin beat Showgun's ass and almost cried when Chuck Liddell lost the decision.
Grilled "Cowboy Burgers" from WholeFoods for 5
Completed 3 Hop 'n Pops on Saturday.

Today was really kick ass. I only jumped 2 times (which makes that 51 total), but I had the opportunity to ride in the plane with Eddie for the first time. That was really cool. I saw everything from a totally different perspective. After all the fun jumpers exited, he let me grab the "yoke" and steer the plane. Flying an airplane is now on my "Things to do" list....

After I got under my canopy, I whipped out my camera and took a few shots.

click on the slide show to enlarge

The Skydiving "Buzz"

2007-09-16T23:07:00.000-05:00

I believe there is a misconception about skydiving and would like to clear something up. I once thought that skydiving was a hobby for crazy people that like the thrill of doing something dangerous. Don't get me wrong, this is true, but that statement doesn't even scratch the surface of the hobby and the people that represent it.

There is an overall feeling that I believe people chase each time they consider jumping from a plane. For those of you who have attempted it, you know what I'm talking about. For those of you who haven't, I don't really know how to explain it but will make an attempt. It's almost like injecting success, accomplishment, defiance, freedom, and flight (in their most raw form) in your blood stream at a very high dose. Some would say this is adrenaline. I have felt adrenaline many-o times and is much different than the feeling that I am referring to. This feeling hits once my toe touches the ground. The second the tip of my Converse touches the earth, I stop, take a deep breath, look up in the sky and absorb all the feelings that my mind and body had just experienced. Part of these feelings are that of accomplishment. Accomplishing something that human beings were not designed to accomplish makes me feel like I have defied one of the most important universal laws to skydivers (but understand that I had simply proved it :-D). Sir Isaac Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation. Many people say that skydiving is "falling". This is not true. Skydiving is flying. We actually treat our bodies as wings and soar through the sky. The feeling of flight is freedom at its best and that alone is enough to keep me interested in the sport. Experiencing all of these feelings in such a short amount of time is extremely overwhelming. I believe all of this is why people are so passionate about skydiving and is why the skydiving community exists. We all get together and chase that "buzz" that very few people in this world have actually experienced, and know what it takes to get us there. But I always have to remember something. Gravity is my mistress and I am its bitch...so I try to be as safe as possible and not do anything stupid that will get me killed ;-)

Writing this kind of stuff is very difficult for me, but had to give it a try.

I just thought of something... I think I sound like that guy in American Beauty. You know, the brown paper bag guy? Oh well...we all have a little "crazy" in us don't we?

:)

-sTephen hOlden

Back in Austin

2007-09-16T21:18:00.000-05:00

Well, this was the first weekend back in Austin in three weeks. I was a little worried about the difficulties that I might face trying to get back in the swing of things, but I guess there were no problems. Friday night, I went out to Union Park and ran into Katie (had fun if you read this!). Hung out for a few hours, then headed to Molotov. Very interesting experience in it's own...

Saturday morning, I woke up and headed to San Marcos to try my brand new (used) shiny rig that I bought in Dallas a few weeks back. First jump was a hop n' pop @ 4,000 feet. It opened beautifully. The canopy ride was amazing and my landing was great. I packed it up a made two more jumps. One Solo and one with Jim. To show my appreciation for some of the guys at the drop zone, I bought a case of Corona for everyone's drinking pleasure. Drank one myself then headed back to Austin.

Went out Saturday night with Geoff, Chris, Cade, Sheen, Will, Karen (and others) to Molotov and Union Park. Everyone went to Ricks for an after party, but I decided to head home because I didn't want to feel to pain of an early morning hang over. I wanted to jump Sunday morning, so feeling great was my number one priority. First two jumps where three ways with Al and Jim. The third jump was a hop n' pop. My canopy opened great, and I had another amazing ride down to the Earth.

I lived to jump another day!!!

3:10 to Lame-O

2007-09-12T10:51:00.000-05:00

I dont know if anyone reads this stuff but what the hell. I'll post my take on the movie 3:10 to Yuma.

Geoff, Rachel, Leslie, Jim (a few others) and I caught the 9:55 show at the Alamo Drafthouse. Leslie and her friends saved us great seats.

First of all, I had never even heard of this movie, so I was excited to see it. I love watching movies I know absolutely nothing about. After getting about 1/4 of the way through, we all noticed that a group of 3 or 4 people sitting in front of us thought that the weirdest parts were REALLY funny which sparked the most annoying laughs. Jim had a funny comment after the movie was over. Mocking the people in front, he said..."Boy, that was almost as funny as Schindler's List". Funny stuff...

Anyway, I thought it was fun and glad I went, but the movie sucked. I fell asleep a few times (which I normally don't do) and felt distracted @ parts due to the the obnoxiously loud laughs coming from the group in front. Russel Crow and Christian Bale are pretty cool actors, but I think their characters were underdeveloped, the plot was thin, and far too unrealistic. I'd give it a 5 out of 10.

Still had a super duper good time though...

Clay's Bachelor Party

2007-09-10T00:53:00.000-05:00

Click on Slide Show to enlarge:

Wow...what a weekend. Sturkie ranch witnessed many firsts this weekend. first, congrats on the engagement clay. that was one hell of a celebration.

Thursday Night: we started out the night with a surprize paint ball war. The prize? Lots and lots of beer. Dinner and fireworks followed. very funny/dangerous game.

Friday: Skeet shooting, fishing, croquet, grilling out, hitting golf balls into the middle of nowhere.

Friday Night: Limo picks us up and takes us to the "wooden nickel". Then we go to Baby Dolls in Paris TX. Baby Dolls was jammed packed with 3 girls. Limo takes us back to the Ranch (btw, that’s probably the first and last time Sturkie ranch will see a Limo). Got home at ~2:00am and watched Grant grill some bad ass steaks and asparagus from central market. Grilled to perfection...

Saturday: woke up and had a great breakfast (thx Greg). Grant and I went into town to get missing ingredients for "summer beer", picked up some live bait from the local bait shop (funny experience in its own), and headed back to the Ranch. After Grant made up a nice batch of "summer beer" (limeade, vodka, beer, fresh limes, and ice) we headed to the main lake to do some fishing and shooting. Didn’t catch much, but Grant hit a turtle and bird with the 17. After the lake, we went back up to have a shoot off. Clay, Geoff, Brandon VS Brett, Grant, myself. Loser had to clean up dinner.

Saturday Night: Geoff made his famous chicken fried steak, fried okra, mashed potatoes and spinach salad. F*ing awesome. After clean up, we went spotlighting. We got back to the Ranch and had a poker tournament. prize? $140. Brett won, Grant got second. Stayed up till about 6 AM then passed out.

Thanks for the great weekend fellas!!

Skydive Sunday

2007-09-02T20:04:00.000-05:00

Click on Slide Show to see larger pictures:

Jake, Anne, Lindsay, Jeremy, Brooke, Jamie, Dedo, Keefrider, Sherilyn, Mom, Brother, Lizzie, Geoff and I all had a fun jump day in the sun. Beautiful blue skies, perfect temperature, calm winds, and great friends all helped make this a super successful trip. Thanks so much for giving this a try. I think all of you loved it as much as I had hoped! We all lived to jump another day!!

You guys Rock!!

-sTephen

City Tavern Extravaganza

2007-09-01T14:09:00.000-05:00

Click on slide show to see larger pictures

Thanks everyone for trying to make this a memorable experience. Brian, you sounded great. The hypnotist was a miserable failure, but what can you expect when you get a bunch of friends together that haven't seen each other in a long time. Alligator Dave was funnier than hell. I really enjoy watching new peoples reaction to his music. You either love it or hate it...

Lindsay....I dunno what to say about that. Good thing you're OK!! That was kinda scary.

All in all, I would say it was a pretty damn successful party.

If you have pictures, please send them to me. I would like to add them to my album!

Now, who's ready to jump!??!

-sTephen

Shuck 'n Jive

2007-08-31T10:42:00.000-05:00

Click Slide Show to See Large Copies:

Jake, Anne, Lindsay, Brian, Clay, Jeremy, Brooke, and friends...thanks for the good time at Shuck 'n Jive.  The night started off interesting, but things started to fall into place once Anne found her license and the guys frustration was subdued by the sweet taste of Redbull and Vodka.  We are getting up there, but can still throw down.  Looking at the receipt, we consumed a shit load of shots:
3 Roaring Lions (wft is that??)
13 purple hooters
8 Jager
9 Washington Apples
10 Red Headed Sluts
2 Three Legged Monkeys
1 Crown (haha..who's the lone gunman?)

I needed two days to recover from this one...

Thanks Guys, it was fun!

-sTephen

The Meltons!

2007-08-26T21:20:00.001-05:00

Jake, Anne, Jayden and Holdyn...thanks for coming by today! What an awesome little family you guys are. You girls are getting huge. Holdyn has an evil whit about her, and Jayden has a hilarious/amazing imagination. Everyone keeps saying this, but its true. Jake, you're going to be in trouble when these girls get older. Kids are cute, but I dunno about having my own...I want to play my whole life too!!

Love you guys...

Click on images to enlarge

Water Balloon Madness

2007-08-22T13:00:00.000-05:00

Some might consider it mean. We thought it was kinda funny. It brought back memories of being in high school. Will, Karen, Brian, and I (we are all neighbors) hung out at the top of his roof top deck on 6th street downtown and launched about 50 water balloons at the homeless people that we see hanging around our place. If the cops cant clean up our neighborhood....dammit, we will (click to enlarge).

Funny thing is, Karen went down to the street and people said "Kids are launching water balloons around here, so watch out".

After Water Balloon Madness, I met Clay and Mark at Union Park for a beer. We had a night cap at J-Blacks and called it a night. Fun stuff...

I received an SCR!!

2007-08-21T14:10:00.001-05:00

Well, after I received my jumping license, I was eligible for an SCR. SCR stands for Star Crest Recipients. You have to complete a jump and hold at least 8 people together for 5 seconds. We successfully had 10 in our group before the 11th person broke it up. After we broke up, everyone went their own direction and pulled. We jumped out at 14,500 ft and pulled at 3,500. Check it out....

Click on the image to enlarge...or watch the video below.