AH-MAZ-ING

I had the best weekend ever. I'm serious, one of the best weekends I've had in a VERY long time. There was nothing bad about this weekend. I'm relaxed and happy and just really don't want it to end.

Friday night was supposed to be my Girl's Movie Night but attendance was going to be very low so I canceled. Joe and I took the opportunity to have a nice little date night. So we grabbed some dinner and saw a movie, Observe and Report. The movie was kind of weird but definitely had it's funny moments. Even though it was low key, we still had a great time. We were relaxed and just enjoying each other's company.

Saturday we got up early and took my parents to the Kennedy Space Center Family Day. Family Day is an event that allows me, as an employee, to bring family and friends out to see the areas of the space center that normally only badged employees have access to. But, being that I am WAY down on the totem pole in the grand scheme of the space center, I don't normally get to see much besides my little office. So I was just as excited as everyone else to see all the cool stuff. The weather on Saturday was GORGEOUS. The sky was a beautiful blue, the temperature only in the mid to high 70's, the sun was shining and there was a slight breeze blowing. Like I said, gorgeous. We headed out early, pretty much as soon as the gates were open and decided we wanted to see the shuttles first. Right now we have two shuttles on the pads. That doesn't happen often so I definitely wanted to take advantage of the great view. Apparently everyone else wanted the same thing. We crawled slowly through a line of cars towards the launch pads. All in all it took us 2 hours to make the maybe 10 mile round trip but it was so worth it. Here are some pictures we took during our drive. The shuttle on the left is Atlantis, the one on the right is Endeavour.


After seeing the shuttles, we walked through the VAB building. I've never been inside before and it seriously made me dizzy. I knew the building was huge but I just had no idea. The sign outside reminded me that the roof of the VAB covers 8 acres! HUGE! It was hard to look up to the ceiling and not have your palms get a little sweaty. There were some cool exhibits in there, including the beginning stages of the new spacecraft we're building. It was in pieces but still pretty neat to see.

After the space center tour, my parents, Joe and I went to a restaurant at Port Canaveral called Milligan's Reef. We ate outside on the deck overlooking the water, had a couple of beers and listened to the band. The food was really good but the atmosphere was amazing. The weather was still perfect and it made us all just want to hang out all day. But, we had to get home to feed our dogs so home we headed. Joe and I stayed home with the dogs for a little while then headed out to Orlando to pick up a few things we needed for our trip. We had a quick dinner and then came back home to relax.

Today was another gorgeous day. We got up early and got out the door by 9 to head up to New Smyrna Beach. We filled a cooler with some snacks and drinks and took the scenic route, up US1, with the windows down and the Jimmy Buffet blaring. We got to the beach early, before it got too crowded, and got a prime spot on the sand. It was a little chilly still so we took a walk up the beach to collect shells. By the time we got back to the truck, the crowd had gotten a little thicker and the sun was much warmer. So we turned on the radio and just enjoyed the sun and the sand and the waves. I love my pool, but there is something so relaxing about the beach. I think the sound of the waves must hypnotize me or something because I just get so happy at the beach. I was careful with the sunblock as I didn't want to get sun burnt before my trip. I did manage to get a little color though, the first of the season. I always love the sun kissed look on my face. It makes me look so much healthier and alive. We stayed at the beach for a couple of hours before our appetites got the best of us. We headed north to Daytona Beach and ate at one of our favorite restaurants. We've been calling it "The Down Under" for years now, not realizing the actual name of the restaurant is DJ's Deck. The restaurant next door is the "Down Under". Duh. But DJ's Deck is great. Picnic tables set up outside next to a little marina overlooking the inter coastal waterway. Perfection. We had some fish and shrimp and oysters... and a margarita for me, a Corona for Joe. It was great.

I'm sure you can see why I'm not looking forward to going back to work tomorrow. I kind of wish I could extended this spectacular weekend. But, I guess I have to keep in mind that I only have to work 5 days before being off for 9! We are so looking forward to our trip. We decided that we are definitely going to the Grand Canyon. Joe found a deal on a Cadillac so we'll be riding there in style. My family was very sweet and pitched in to pay for my massage at the spa so now we have some extra money to spend somewhere else. We've talked about a few other things that we'd really like to do but no definite decisions yet. I think we're going to just get out there and see where the strip leads us. Once I get my laundry done I'll be taking pictures of what I'll be packing so you guys can critique my choices for me. Look forward to that soon! Have a great week!