We took our adventure to a whole new level on Friday by renting a minivan and driving to Kennedy Space Center to see the STS-132 Shuttle launch...the last flight of Atlantis. We lucked out at the last minute and got a causeway pass (well, actually two, but that's a whole other story), so we were able to see the launch from about as "up close" as we could without being VIPs. Above, the girls watched the Shuttle on the pad (and dolphins in the river in front of us) in eager anticipation.
All three girls were such troopers through the whole event. We got to the causeway about 4 hours before launch just to ensure that we'd get a good location (these launches are getting more and more crowded since there are only two left before Shuttle retirement). They mostly entertained themselves during the whole wait--we were impressed and thankful!
I felt compelled to use my new Mother's Day crafting tool (thanks Clint!) to make matching shirts for the "mamas" and the little girls. Thankfully for them, I spared Bucko and Roger having to wear matching shirts. We quickly realized once we were on the causeway that we could have at least paid for the minivan rental and gas if we had set up a little table selling these shirts! :-)
Grammie and Bucko waiting for the launch. As the "original space geeks" of our family (worked at NASA in the Apollo era), I was so thrilled that they got to see a launch before the Shuttle retires.
Bucko and his girls...
An absolutely beautiful launch on a gorgeous day. We couldn't have asked for anything more...
The girls loved having a minivan so that they could all ride together in the "way back" (thank you, Swagger Wagon). They spent the ride from KSC back to Orlando catching up on sleep from a late night of watching fireworks and a long day of waiting for the Shuttle launch. While Syd and Anna mostly rested peacefully, poor Natalie (far right) seem to suffer the most from my sudden stops in traffic. Sorry sweetie! Hope the whiplash has passed...
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