To infinity and beyond...

We have been following the latest space shuttle launch with Ava. We watched it the other day, and she has been really excited about it. Well, I saw on the news tonight that we would be able to see the shuttle in orbit making its way to dock at the International Space Station. It would only be visible from 7:07-7:12pm. So, we headed out to see if we could catch a glimpse of it. Sure enough, we could make out the flashing of the shuttle and the smoke trail behind it as it was maneuvering over. Ava was soooo excited! And I have to admit that I was, too. She kept telling me how important it is to have a space suit if you want to go into space. Of course, she is concerned about the wardrobe aspect of the whole thing.

It was really neat to be seated on the curb staring up into the sky with my little in awe of the concept of travelling to space. I clearly remember feeling the same way. Many school projects were done on different space topics. One of the more memorable ones being the biography report I did on Sally Ride in the third grade. I still wish I could go to space camp, too.

I think the whole concept of space for me signifies achieving dreams and goals. I suppose, literally reaching for the stars. I thought about how much I hope to instill a sense of yearning to achieve greater things as I sat there with her. That gave me just as many chills as seeing her face light up at the sight above us.