3...2...1....

Today is another beautiful day here in sunny Florida- I have no complaints. :)

Tonight is the space shuttle launch, and I have to say that while I am not a big patriotic person, watching a shuttle launch truly brings tears to my eyes. I have yet to figure out why it does that, but it does.

We saw our first daytime shuttle launch out of sheer luck, two years ago when we were vacationing in New Smyrna Beach .We heard about it on the radio, and decided that it was worth the drive (90 min or so) and headed that way. We saw our second one in passing, they launched it the day we moved down here last May, and we saw it from our apartment parking lot in Jacksonville. It is ALWAYS packed at NASA with people watching- some you can tell have made a day out of it, with coolers and food and radio, etc. There are news crews everywhere, and there is just such an excitement in the air. I feel like a school girl all over again ;)

The last launch that we watched was this past November.It was at night. My parents had decided to come and visit one weekend, when I checked and realized that there was a launch that following weekend. I knew it was something that my dad would LOVE, and for those that don't live near by, it truly is a once in a life time opportunity. It also happened to be the last night time launch ever, as the space program funding is set to expire soon. We met my parents down there, about an hour and 45min drive, and got a prime spot right near the countdown clock, across the water from the launch pad.

I have to say that when that crowd started counting down, I had no clue what to expect at night, until the entire sky literally lit up, as if it were daylight again. It was beautiful. The crowd cheers, and then it gets really quiet except for the absolute roar of the shuttle.

The shuttle that is launching tonight is now a night time launch, due to it being canceled and rescheduled several times because of technical issues. I so wish we could go to see it, but I don't want to keep daughter out until midnight on a school night. BOOOO. Last time we hit traffic like nothing I have ever seen, otherwise it wouldn't be too bad of a drive and I would take her.
So we're going to settle for driving down to the beach tonight and watch it. While we are about 1hr 45min from there, you have NO problems seeing it, and the forecast tonight is supposed to be fabulous for viewing. Of course it's nothing like being right there in person, but there are several launches this year and I will be there. Nothing beats a night time launch though ;)

****Whoops! Looks like the launch has been scrubbed until tomorrow night. I am shuttle bound! ;)

Hope you're all having a nice day :)