Kennedy Space Center Exploration

I have a bit of a soft spot for Kennedy Space Center:). The first time I went was with Gail back in 1997 and we managed to see an actual shuttle launch from about 15 miles away. It was a night launch and absolutely incredible! The next time I went was just after 911 which was a really poignant experience (blog here). Maddy and I also saw the very final shuttle launch back in 2011 (blog here!). I still fill up when I see the little video and remember just how thrilling it was! And who doesn't love space? So after 6 weeks of rest, now that I am feeling so much better I knew exactly where I wanted to go to *explore* once again!

"We choose to get up early, hit the road and skip Sunday breakfast. We choose to do these things not because they are easy but because they are hard"

We took the amazing bus tour to the Apollo/Saturn V Center with tons of moon landing artifacts, simulations and lots and lots of knowledge. Mike and Maddy were engrossed with the NASA tour...

...while I took selfies with cool moon stuff...

The Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) is one of the biggest buildings in the world...

Now that the shuttle program has ended, NASA is building the Space Launch System (SLS), a versatile rocket that will eventually get us to Mars. There are also plans to capture an asteroid. Yes you read that right - a freakin' asteroid!!

Here is the crawler which will transport the new rocket to the famous launch pad 39B where the action happens...

The SLS launch pad under construction....

There were 5 shuttles in all and two were lost (Columbia on reentry and Challenger shortly after launch). One of the three is housed in a special facility at Kennedy Space Center. I couldn't wait to see it!

It turns out that the one on display is the very same one that I saw back in 97 and again in 2011 - the Atlantis. This craft completed 33 out of the 135 shuttle missions. It blew my mind to finally see it so close up - it is just incredible!

There is also a really moving tribute to the lost heroes from the shuttles that didn't survive. Here is the side panel from the Challenger - hard to get your head around the journey that this piece of debris has taken....

As we were admiring the Atlantis, we overheard a guy who sounded like he knew something about space. We could tell he was *somebody* so I pretended to take photos of Mike and Maddy but really was getting a shot of him. You know, like a stalker. A space stalker. A moon walker stalker...

So it turns out that he was Robert D. Cabana, the Director of Kennedy Space Center! He has flown in a shuttle 4 times (twice as Commander) and he added the last two pieces of the ISS. We managed to get a brief chat in although we were all a bit starstruck. What an amazing honor - we were giddy for hours!

We ended the day at the rocket garden...

And paid our respects at the moving Astronaut Memorial...

What an amazing day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

This year I was grateful to be well enough to join in on our traditional family Thanksgiving celebration! Some things stay exactly the same - Rich has been posing for this same shot since 2003...

And there's always a  crowd for a super delicious dinner...

And desserts aplenty prepared by a well-disciplined catering team...

Family occasions are also a great time to get lots of lovely family photos :)

 

Look at our beautiful girls!

It's hard to believe this is Maddy's last Thanksgiving before she goes away to College...

 

It was a lovely day and we have a lot to be grateful for. Thank you Jen, Rich and Mya for putting together such a perfect Thanksgiving again :)

Happy Halloween!

It was a quiet one this year but we couldn't let the first Halloween with the dogs go by without doing something. Juneau made a beautiful fairy princess...

And Bryce joined the 'Bark' side...;)

Happy Halloween everyone!

The Road to Recovery...

After a  two week delay due to Hurricane Matthew I finally had my hysterectomy operation! It was a bigger surgery then we were thinking it would be but I have been so well looked after and I'm incredibly grateful that I did it and I'm already feeling so much better!

Oprah's list may be more extravagant, but my favorite things for those first few days were: my flowers from work, a delicious casserole baked from scratch by a very thoughtful friend (thank you Keeya!), my customized, non-spill water bottle from Mike and Maddy and a pillow made by a hospital volunteer. So much loveliness - no wonder I'm recovering so well!

I've been sleeping a lot - so it's good to have snooze buddies too...

Walking heals evidently. At the moment, I'm slow and can't take the leash yet but Bryce is a very patient walking partner. He takes a couple of steps and then turns round and waits for me to catch up. He thinks he's a service dog...it's so sweet:)

Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers - you have been so amazingly kind. I'm doing really well and feeling like a new woman already:)

Sunday Funday at Animal Kingdom

For my last Sunday before hysterectomy surgery (and a 6 week recovery period:() we went to Animal Kingdom as a family. The weather is just idyllic at this time of year:)

Still working on my birds in flight photos...

We got to see some animals that are more difficult to get a good view of usually...

Such a lovely day and a perfect distraction for my pre-surgery nerves!

House(s) Update

We have just completed the first phase of refurbishing the little lake house that we bought earlier this year now that the tenant has vacated. It's really starting to come together and although we have a lot more work to do, it's definitely 'move-in ready':). Unfortunately though, our current house sale activity has almost completely stalled as construction work continues right behind our property. Ironically, they are building a couple of small business units (a dance studio and dentist have signed leases so far) and I'm sure they will very convenient for a buyer with a family. That said, for now the construction site is an eye-sore and we have resigned ourselves that we may not sell until the new year when it will all be done. We are all getting a bit tired of having to keep the house we live in 'show ready' all the time...right Juneau?!

For now, we are focused on keeping up the progress at the new place and have plenty of projects to keep us busy. I'll try and remember the camera next time we are over for some 'before and after' shots like on those cool 'fixer upper' TV shows we think we are starring in...;)

Audubon Center for Birds of Prey

We squeezed in a trip to the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey in Maitland today. It's an urban environmental Center which focuses on the rescue, medical treatment, rehabilitation and release of Florida’s raptors. During the visit we were able to see Bald Eagles, Ospreys, Kites, Owls and Falcons and learn about these amazing birds and their individual stories of hardship and recovery. I got some great photos while I was there too!

We ended the afternoon with lunch at the fantastic eclectic Enzian theater - it was a perfect Sunday:)