Wow…that’s the first word that popped into my head as I watched the LRO/LCROSS mission take off late Thursday afternoon.  What a moment, and how honored I felt to be sharing that moment with people connected with the project and their friends and family.  It was certainly an eventful on the edge of your seat kind of moment, not sure if the launch was going to happen or not.  The clouds started moving in, I felt some sprinkles, and they said there was lightning in the area.  STOP, we can’t launch, we are putting this on hold.  Eeeek!  In my mind I was telling myself that it was ok, I had had a wonderful experience, met lots of new people had felt the energy of those waiting for the launch I could go home and still be happy.

Then the announcement came that they were going to try for the last window of opportunity at 5:32 if the launch did not go, then it would be pushed to Friday.  Not a big deal, unless you are scheduled to leave on a plane Thursday night.   Twenty odd minutes to wait, and the dark clouds were not going away.  The collective anticipation of those sitting in the bleachers, and lined up at the fence with cameras and binoculars created such a hum of excitement.  You could feel it go through you like an electrical current.

And then, they announced that the launch was a go.  I really had a tough time choking back the emotion, not sure why. Maybe it was the joy of being there with a group of people that had been involved with this mission from the beginning, that their moment was about to happen.  As they went down the list and each area of the mission checked in with a loud “GO” things started going a bit crazy.  This was really going to happen.

A break in the action to sing the Star Spangled Banner prior to the launch, good grief I’m not sure I knew my name at that point, let alone the words of the Star Spangled Banner to actually sing it.  Yet I stood, and numbly looked around for a flag and mumbled a few lines of the song.  Forgive me forefathers, normally I am a hand over my heart kind of person, but on this particular day I was sorta out of it. 

When the rocket shot up in the air, time seemed to move forward at warp speed.  I snapped a photo with my camera phone and still could not believe I was really there, really seeing this launch.  As a child, I can remember those first steps on the moon.  I was at Billy and David Eggleston’s house watching them bouncing around on the moon from a black and white console television.  For us, this rockets going into space thing was a very big deal.  You know what? It’s still a really big deal to me, even more so now that I know how enormous those rockets are. 

In just a few seconds, the rocket was enveloped in clouds and out of view, but that is when the noise began and you could hear the rocket climbing even higher into the sky.  What a moment.  There were lots of cheers, lots of hugs and a few tears.  Tears of happiness for sure, it was a stirring moment to be a part of. 

My journey to Cocoa Beach took quite a few twists and turns along the way.  I think that is also a lesson that I took away from these moments.  When the invitation came from NASA to attend the launch I was very excited, decided that it was something that could not be missed.  That was my first reaction, then I started looking at flight prices, hotel rates, rental cars, the need to maybe be there for about a week and decided that it was a bit beyond my budget.  Then a call from my friend Steph, we have a couch you can sleep on; we can get you to and from the airport, just stay for two days and let’s see what happens. That’s not the kind of offer that one can easily look past.  I took that as a sign that I needed to try to find a way to make this happen.  So I scheduled a short trip.  I flew out of Dallas late Tuesday afternoon, and flew home late Thursday night.   I had a voucher for two free airline tickets from AirTran, with the change in dates for my trip and the mid-week travel I was able to use my free ticket.  When I booked the flight I knew that would give me Wednesday and Thursday to see the launch if it were delayed.

The night before, I talked to Steph, change in plans, the space shuttle was going to launch in the wee hours of Wednesday morning. That would probably push the LRO launch out to later in the week which meant that I would miss it for sure. A shuttle launch sounded very cool, what a chance this would be.  But fate has a way of lining things up the way they are meant to be.  The Endeavor mission was scrubbed, and LRO was back on to be the launch I would get to see.  I’m sure the Endeavor may have been a bigger deal—not sure since I didn’t see it.  But I liked the extra part of sharing this experience with people that I knew, who were involved with this mission.  I’m not sure that is a feeling that could have been replicated.  To me it was very humbling to be a part of other people’s dreams, hopes and goals.  I was a spectator in the stands, but watching much more than just a launch.

You would think that seeing the launch would be the icing on the cake, the cherry on top of my adventure, but as the infomercials say, “But wait, there’s more.”

Steph and her husband Frank were going to drive me back to the airport after the launch, plenty of time for me to make my flight.  That would mean that they would have to leave at the height of the celebratory moment, when the buzz was the strongest.  A call came into both of their cellphones, Brook and Stephanie Shipp had found me a ride to the airport with two of the library ladies attending the launch. You know me, I’m always getting into cars with strangers, so this really did not seem unusual to me.  Steph said maybe I could have a drink with the library ladies prior to the flight..ummm these are library ladies, remember? I don’t think so.

I called them Thelma and Louise.  I truly believe that all sorts of people are put into my life to give me lots of experiences.  I looked at these two elderly ladies, just another stone in that path.  Louise was the navigator for her sister Thelma.  They weren’t quite sure where they had parked.  Louise was on the phone when they arrived, so she couldn’t remember.  As Thelma and Louise wandered off to find their car, a cream colored PT Cruiser, I headed off to retrieve my suitcase.  I told the ladies where I would wait for them.

First, I saw the cream colored car go one way, and then I saw it come back again. It seems they had shifted things in the parking lot, so you could only exit.  Somehow they managed to make their way where I was standing.  I waved goodbye to Frank and Steph as I put my luggage, and myself in the back of their car. Within minutes of getting in that car, the laughs began. 

“So, you are both library ladies?” I thought that was an innocent enough question.

“Heavens know.”

“Ahhh, so you two really own a strip club in Colorado?”

“Yes, and we are not the management.”

I knew I was in for quite an adventure with these two.  It was non-stop laughter for the one hour drive to the airport.  I was a new audience for their stand-up act, and they were not going to waste the opportunity.  I learned that they were sisters, close in age, best friends and travelling buddies.

“She went to school first, and came home and taught me how to read and write.”

“Yes, I did, when she got to school they thought she was very smart.”

“I still write like a third grader, she didn’t do a very good job at it.”

At this point, I was snorting, and that’s when I told them that I was calling them Thelma and Louise for the rest of the trip.

“We call our GPS system our ‘Navi-Gator’”. I felt reassured that we had GPS that we would get there ok. 

“You know, this think kinda shimmies when you go over 70”.  That was in reference to their cream colored baby.  When I asked what kind of car Thelma drove in Colorado she told me “An old lady car.”

At one point Thelma was wrestling to get something out of her pocket. 

“Thelma, what are you reaching for?” Louise looked at her like she was crazy.

When Thelma pulled the half eaten bag of Skittles out of her pocket I began to laugh.

“They gave me these before we left, they said if she started acting all goofy and stuff this would help to calm her down.” 

The time driving to Orlando zipped by as we talked about the launch and the experience of it all. They were scheduled to fly out the next morning back to Colorado.  As we waited in line at the toll both to get into the airport, Thelma remarked that she couldn’t see because she had rocket dust in her eyes.

In truth, Thelma was a retired middle school science teacher/principal who now does consulting work on educational programs. Louise works as an accountant. They told me not to tell that they weren’t really library ladies. Shhhhhhhhhh…

On the way to the airport I received a call that my flight had been delayed, that I would miss my connecting flight in Atlanta.  They could schedule me on a later flight that was also delayed, but it was a direct flight.  So I left an hour late, and got home an hour early.  I had time for a nice dinner at the airport, time to do a little knitting, and time to reflect on my short trip to Florida.

I came away from this trip believing that life puts us on all sorts of paths. Some paths you choose some paths are chosen for you some paths you choose not to take, some paths you stand on the edge of trying to decide whether or not to go.  If you forever stand on the edge of the path trying to decide what to do, your life can continue on, more or less the same.  But if you take a step outside of that comfort zone, there is a big world of new experiences out there.

There were so many memories made on this trip, moments that I tried to imprint on my brain and in my heart.

• Watching Brooke in the days leading up to the launch, and at the launch.  It still makes me a bit teary eyed. What an incredible person, and I was so happy to be a part of the launch with her.  I would be in her posse anytime!
•  Swimming in the ocean at night with the plankton luminescence. Who knew that my breasts could still sparkle like that? (Even Thelma and Louise new about the plankton luminescence!
• Attending the reception on Wednesday evening and having people wander up to me wondering just who I was.  I decided to shock them and tell them that I met these people on the Internet.  Stephanie Shipp gave me the title of New Media Expert.  That seemed to impress them more than my story.
• BUNKY’S!!!

Thank you for my friends Frank, Steph, Steph2 and Brooke for sharing their condo, their car and their moment with me.  I never would have thought that I would ever have such a life experience as being at that launch. 

Wow…

I can’t sleep..I think he culprit is the caffeine that I had too close to bedtime. So, I thought perhaps gettng up, writing a few random thoughts might help slow my brain down so I can get a little sleep tonight.

Good news at the pulmonary specialiast today–he thinks the coughing is due to allergies and recommended that I begin taking Claritin D to see if that helps relieve the cough. I’m to try that for two weeks, if no improvement he gave me samples of Flonase to try for two weeks. I’m feeling better, even walking again, knitting in the evenings, feeling like I have some of my old energy back. Now if I could just sleep at night without being awake with a cough most of the night.

I spent last weekend with some friends from Ohio. I lounged in the pool most of the afternoon on Friday sipping pina coladas. Ahhh the three day weekend certainly helped with my recovery. I’m starting to get a little color, even with the SPF 30 sunblock. Saturday was spent at the nail salon getting a manicure and a pedicure, and Saturday afternoon we went to the movies and saw Angels and Demons. I liked it..I read the book, but it was quite some time ago. Long enough that I forgot some of what was to happen, so it was a bit of a surprise for at least part of the movie. Sunday we journeyed to my corner of the world, so I could show off my apartment, the neighborhood, and a quick tour of the parking lot of the building I work in. It is a big building, and looks most impressive.

When I got home, I had the BEST surprise in my mailbox. A very official looking invitation from NASA no less, inviting me to the LRO launch in June in Florida. If I can find a decent (translation cheap) ticket from DFW I am going to try to make it for the launch. How often in one’s life does one receive such an opportunity? I’m very excited at the prospect.

I finished another toddler sweater tonight for Dulaan. I picked up the yarn–called cupcake of all things for around $3 total. I should have more than enough yarn left to make at least a hat. The deadline is July 1 to ship these treasures to Arizona–still more time to knit and use up some of the yarn I have had stashed away–and an excuse to buy more yarn.

I’m looking forward to the 3 day weekend—two in a row! I plan to get out and enjoy this beautiful Texas weather. I know soon enough it will be extremely hot, but for now, the weather is wonderful.

How’s life in your corner of the world?

I haven’t posed a question in oh so long..but this one seems appropriate:

If you could go anywhere in the world for a holiday, where would you go?

My response may seem a little morbid, but for Memorial Day, I would like to visit Arlington Cemetery. I’ve been to Arlington before, it was a cold and rainy day one March. It was a very somber and emotional experience for me. I can remember as a senior in high school going to the local cemetery and reading “In Flanders Field”. That memory has stuck with me for a lifetime…

I arrived home from Miami at about 6:00 on Monday night. My luggage trailed behind and was delivered to my door after midnight. Even losing my luggage for a short time could not put a damper on the way I felt after attending SXSE 2009 in Miami. I felt well-rested, relaxed and like I had been away for a week at a spa. One would think with a weekend filled with lots of fun activities I would be exhausted by the time I returned. I have to say that the organizers of this unorganized event did a great job of balancing time for fun, and time to just chill out and talk with friends…face-to-face, not device to device on Twitter. Thank you to our Miami hosts ViceQueenMaria, DearYvette, MKHall and MKLopez for making us feel welcome and part of their corner of the world.

There have been quite a few photos posted of the craziness that was the weekend. I’m sure that some of my Twitter friends are looking at them and wondering..WTH? Oh, right it’s AnnOhio, that makes perfect sense to me now.

I found myself having a few emotional moments during the weekend..thinking of Twitter friends I was missing–maybe next year they can join the party. But making some new friends from South Florida helped…crazy creatures, I felt right at home.

I’m not sure I can put into words the feelings, the emotions, the way it felt to be surrounded by so many people who have supported me through all of my ups and downs the past two years. You are my family…and it’s hard to explain to people that moving from Ohio to Texas was made easier because my support group is with me..always. I don’t think it matters what other people–the post-Oprah tweeters think, or get about this social media stuff…for me..it makes a difference each and every day.

I realize that a big part of my heart–my youngest daughter LeighAnna is still in the cornfields of Ohio and as I watched the show I thought about all of the different performers there that we had seen in concert over the years. So many great memories of seeing Kenny Chesney I don’t know how many times, Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts, Dierks Bentley, John Michael Montgomery, and a list of famous and one day to be famous acts. It was flat out fun and I hope that she thinks about those times from time to time too. I think the tears tonight were in part missing her, and missing a lot of what is happening in her life these days. I text message and check in with her at least once a week. (She’s not a big fan of talking on the phone..neither is her sister…but texting they will keep in contact once in awhile.)

I also have some good memories since moving to Texas of meeting Lady Antebellum back stage at the Texas State Fair, seeing Kelly Pickler, and going to a concert at Billy Bob’s and getting to see Pat Green. The person who took me to those places has long since moved out of my life–but I believe he came into my life to show me the real Texas part of Texas..and for that I will always have fond memories.

I went to the doctor on Friday, more tests are being lined up, but I now know a lot of things that I don’t have, so that’s a plus. I still have no appetite, which made shopping for new clothes for SXSE yesterday a whole bunch of fun. I’ve lost 22 pounds, so that meant a smaller size. I don’t recommend this as a diet plan, and I look forward to narrowing down the cause.

One of the last things the doctor asked me on Friday is if I was depressed. I chuckled, and said no, just a bit frustrated. I’ve been thinking about that off and on all weekend. Heaven knows I’ve been through some things that could put a person into a major depression…but life is too short for that to be of much use. Yes, I have times when I get down–I am normal after all! But it’s usually only for a day at the most, then I dust myself off and get back into the race. (These days it’s more like into the walk, I don’t run after all!)

I’m very lucky to have so many kind and caring friends as a part of my life. I always shake my head in amazement at that. Maybe that’s a part of the reason why depression is not an option? There’s always somene a phone call, an email..a tweet..a Facebook message away to connect with? I’m really looking forward to SXSE and connecting face-to-face with friends again. I have lots of huggin’ the stuffin’ hugs ready for the event.

Have one terrific week, will ya?

Ann

It sure sucks sometimes…  

I’ve been sick with something for well over a month now.  I’ve been to the doctor, large quantities of blood have been taken and so far I know mostly what it isn’t, than what it is.  It’s not the flu, it’s not strep, it’s not mono–at one point it was maybe pneumonia, but I think that’s been ruled out at this point.  I just have a cough that won’t quit, I’m tired all of the time and I’ve lost my appetite.

This past weekend I was to go to Austin for SXSW.  I’ve been looking forward to this adventure for months!  But the weather on Friday when I was to drive the 3.5 hours was 40 and rainy.  Not good weather for someone who is ill to be stuck in…so I opted to stay home, and spend my vacation day and most of the weekend on the couch resting.

Since moving from academia to the corporate world I have a bigger salary, but not much time off–so far I’ve taken off 4 of my possible 15 days off for the entire year trying to kick this.  I am feeling a little better every day, but I’m far from being my normal bouncy self. 

So, instead of venturing to Austin, and risking getting sicker, or ending up in the hospital I did the responsible adult thing and stayed home and rested.

I’ll just make plans to go next year.  Life goes on, there are far greater tragedies than missing a weekend with friends. (At least that’s what I’ve been telling myself the last 3 days…

I have to give @brendajos credit for giving me the idea to go “green” with my gift bags for hospice this time around.  It would have been much easier to just buy those paper bags with the handles on them, and stuff them with the goodies I found yesterday.  It’s a challenge for me to try to find all sorts of fun stuff for a dollar or less to put into these bags.  Yesterday’s hall was probably the best ever with note cards, bath stuff, old lady powder and pinwheels.  I even found some book lights!