where to park???

Earlier this month we took a road trip to Florida to see the last space shuttle Atlantis STS-135 launch, marking the end of NASA's shuttle program. We had only one thing planned for Friday...get to Kennedy Space Center. We finally got a parking spot, actually I made one up, the middle of where the road and the off ramp come together and I parked on the hatched marks, set up chairs and opened the tailgate. (I did it that quick too!) It was thrilling hanging out with all those people. Everyone was easy going.

A few minutes before the launch I put L in the car lifted the tailgate and waited to take a picture. Don't worry she wasn't in a hot car the top part of the tailgate was open and getting a breeze...see below. Being to close to cars I didn't want to worry about her and trying to take pictures. I decided to do a video instead of pictures.

Rem sat on top of the car and was ready. Unfortunately it turned out I was not...

I couldn't get the video to work, [user error]I had been messing with my phone trying to get the internet because Ram wanted to hear the countdown. Finally gave up a few minutes before. I was freaking out everyone was yelling and cheering and I couldn't get the video to work! Agh! I finally got it and looked at the sky to find the shuttle...WOW!!!it was amazing then it diappeared...into the clouds!!! We got to see about 20 seconds before it was gone. It was still very exciting. I did not get a video of it so I snapped a quick picture of the smoke trail just to prove I was there...

It returns Thursday, July 21st at 5:56:58am EDT.

So here is one I googled courtesy of NASA [they were able to get alot closer than we did].

this one also googled, I love this one...

Saturday...

we were off to Kennedy Space Center to enjoy the day. Ram and L with their 3D glasses waiting for the "Space Station" movie to start. [Yes, she hogged the popcorn and then spilled all the unpopped kernals all over the place. It made a loud noise when they fell on the floor and people turned around...but what can you do. Good thing it was at the end.]

This is the Rocket Garden where we spent alot of the time the boys just had to check out the rockets...in detail...

I can't name them all but the boys can, they had their favorites and they checked them out...oh wait I can name one, the one on it's side is a Saturn rocket...yea for me!

The food was not that great and very expensive, it never is at these places but they were very well behaved and we got to sit in the a/c and rest for a second. They got to check out their loot they got at the space shop, rockets...no surprise there...haha!

ohhh this picture is for Karla...haha! They had a Star Trek display next to the IMAX and we ventured in, the boys are not big Trekkies but they we all ran around the mock bridge of the Enterprise from the original series. I'm in the captains chair...yea, engage!

The memorial to the fallen astronauts is beautiful it feels like it's part of the sky. I wanted to make sure the kids saw it and know the names of the people and honor them but it turned out the boys told me all their names, what missions, dates, vehicle names and how it happened. So my work was done...Yes that is L in the foreground I let her out of her stroller.

I'm snapping the picture, a lady was nice enought to hold L up.

This is rare...they love each other.

As we were walking out the boys spotted the space person [ok that's what they called them I would have said spaceman...no comments on that please, I'm just not PC yet] and we got a picture, they are holding up their patches they are so proud of them...so her we go...

Rem has the Mercury 6 Friendship 7 capsule patch, John Glenn was the first American to orbit the earth, launched on an Atlas rocket. Mission was 5 hours long.

Ram is holding Mercury 3 Freedom 7 capsule patch, Alan Shepard the first American in space [Launched from a Redstone rocket, Ram's favorite] both are Mercury missions. Yes, boys did their homework...haha! The mission lasted 20 minutes. I didn't need a tour guide I had 2 of them.

As we drove out of Orlando we had a beautiful sunset. They can't wait to come back.

xo

Estela