GO ATLANTIS!

The fun and adventure have not stopped yet! Thursday morning I had to take care of a few things... namely I took a walk on the beach and took pictures before getting a misto coffee and having a peanut butter and honey bagel for breakfast. =) THAT is how the day gets started off right!

And we got VIP treatment at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex (KSCVC)--i.e., we got in free! We got a special packet of information with bus passes for the launch and fact sheets, then went to a mission briefing for the STS-132 mission (STS stands for Space Transportation System--just learned that yesterday!), and it was excellent. They talked about Space Shuttle Atlantis's history since its first mission in 1985 (it's as old as me!); this is its last flight, which is, of course, bittersweet for all NASA workers, but especially for those at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) since Constellation got cancelled.

But that's a whole 'nother can of worms. :)

Anyway, the first speaker at the briefing was a retired Marine Colonel--he was a fantastic speaker! It's so nice to listen to someone who is so articulate and personable, especially who is able to talk about NASA stuff, you know?

The final speaker was someone who was actually in one of my meetings at work on Tuesday! I went and talked to him afterward and gave him my card. It was so nice to talk to him because he has it right--as in, he gave facts, not speculation or false assumptions. But I digress... I love meeting people--you never know when you'll run into them again!

After the briefing, we got to go all over the Visitor Complex and I got to "work". (I had to try out the new Constellation exhibit there!) It was actually kind of sad. All the pictures of Ares, Orion, Lunar Rovers, etc., that were canned as part of the Constellation Program were labeled as "early concept vehicles" or something similar.

This is me on my soap box: It's not a concept when you have hardware. We have hardware and successful tests behind these vehicles.

And now I'm off the soapbox. =) I also got to meet one of my co-workers from Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville! She was there as part of the Space Flight Awareness, a prestegious award that gives honorees THE VVIP (Very Very Important Person) treatment at a launch. They get to take special tours of different facilities at KSC as well as see the launch from the best viewing spot! Anyway, I'm on weekly telecons with this lady, Twila, so I know her voice (and am friends with her on Facebook!) but had never met her in person. When I found out she was going to be down here, I e-mailed to tell her to call me so we could meet up! I met her and her husband and gave her a hug and all that. She's always to kind, and I'm very thankful she's on the team with me. :)

So that was great! And you know what else is great? I had a big soft pretzel for lunch. Woohoo! Yum yum. It really doesn't take much to make me happy! Jared and I had a good time and got to see a lot of cool stuff at the Visitor Complex. I really do have a cool job! Oh, and I was able to talk with the travel agent and get a hotel in Orlando for Friday night--whew! Relief is spelled S-H-E-R-A-T-O-N S-U-I-T-E-S!

After we got done there, Jared and I went to a great seafood place I knew about right on the water. There were pink hibiscus and a breeze and fresh seafood. We loved it! Jared got some sampler platter and I got raw oysters. MMM MMM!!!! =)

We went back to the hotel after that (thank goodness we were able to get the same one both nights!), and Jared took some time at the beach while I made a couple of phone calls while laying out by the pool. =) I took a walk over to the Winn-Dixie across the street for some fresh fruit and came back to the hotel to sit in a rocking chair by a water feature and read for a little while. I don't mean to sound like I'm bragging or all I did was take it easy--I did work in the room, too!--but I can't tell you how nice it was to have the change of pace.

So that was Thursday! =)

And Friday was Launch Day! After another perfect morning (beach, prayer time, coffee, PB&H bagel!), Jared and I headed back to the Visitor Complex to get on the bus and head out to the Banana Creek viewing place! (With a quick stop at Subway to go!) We got there about 11:45 that morning and got some good seats. We met several interesting people, but particularly a woman named Rose and her husband Hank. They let us sit on their blanket and were great to talk to! They're Christians and have a daughter who lives in Nashville. I gave Rose my card and told her to e-mail me so I could send her some NASA stuff for her school class--I think she said she teaches 5th grade. I love my job and the things it allows me to do! :)

And then it was time! The National Anthem was sung, the clock restarted, and the countdown to launch came over the loud speakers! With my camera at the ready, we watched the engines ignite, and STS-132 rose from the cloud it created. It was loud, it was BRIGHT, it vibrated inside my chest, and it was amazing! I am officially an American!!!!! =) I loved it! I feel so fortunate to be able to witness one of the final three shuttle launches. Jared seemed to like it, too--sort of a sensory overload, but definitely a worthwhile experience!

And then the real trek began--bus back to the Visitor Complex, walk to the Mazda 3 (WAY in the back of the parking lot!), and the three-hour drive in HEAVY traffic to Orlando. If I thought I loved metro and walkability before, this definitely heightened my appreciation for both! The 3 is fun to drive (ok, so it has no power locks), but I'll be excited to be back to DC and fabulous public transportation!

So once we FINALLY made it to the hotel in Orlando--the most fabulous Sheraton I've been in!--we checked in, dropped our stuff in the room, and made a beeline to the best sushi restaurant in the area! If you're ever in Orlando, go to the Tokyo Japanese Restaurant. It's fabulous!

When we got back to the hotel we just relaxed for a couple of hours--Jared watched TV and got on the computer, I worked out, showered, worked (had to check and respond to e-mails, etc.), and went to BED! Despite a bit of a sunburn (inevitable!), I slept so well!

This morning we took advantage of free breakfast (hooray fresh fruit!!!), took our time getting ready, and we're about on our way. Jared is already at the airport getting ready to go home (he leaves for China on Tuesday!), and I'm about to check out of the hotel and head over to my friend Michael's! I know him from church up in VA, and he moved down here to work at a manatee refuge (what a cool job!) in Crystal River last year. I get to catch up with him, see his church, go swimming, and see manatees! Hooray!

So that's the next phase of this adventure. Pictures of the last couple of days (including the launch!) to come soon. Love y'all! E-mail me or leave a comment and let me know what you're up to!