the final frontier (or a dream come true)

I've always been a little nuts about

SPACE: THE FINAL FRONTIER

and the people who go there (and even the people who play people who go there).  I've read lots and lots of biographies about the real astronauts over the years, trying to imagine their perspective of our lovely planet, the rush of flying that fast and far into space, and the feeling of doing something that few people on this planet will ever get to do.  For a short time, I even wanted to be an astronaut.  Then I was told that in order to be an astronaut I had to lots of math, and that was the end of that.  Math is just not one of my stronger areas.

I had crushes on astronauts as a little girl.  Without internet I had no pictures up in my room or anything like that, but at school when I would see them on TV I just thought they were the handsomest men in the whole wide world... Heck the whole wide universe for that matter.

I once had a major crush on this guy!

John Young,  Captain of STS-1,

the maiden launch of the space shuttle program.

He too walked on the moon.

Plus he was a major hunk.

I currently have a major crush on the guy on the right.

And I do have to admit that the guy on the left was rather nice.

(yes I know they haven't really been to space)

But that's a whole other story.

My love of all things space extends to:

Star Trek

Star Wars

(the original trilogy, of course)

Stargate

(I love Macgyver)

Firefly

(Seriously, Fox what were you thinking when you cancelled this show?)

Defying Gravity

(So sad it was cancelled)

and a multitude of other shows and books and people.

I clearly remember at the age of seven, sitting in school and watching the first space shuttle launch on television.  I was amazed and remember saying to myself, "Someday I will see that in person."

Guess what!?!?!?

On Friday, 14 May 2010 at 2pm

I will be at the

Kennedy Space Center for the launch of STS-132,

the final voyage of Space Shuttle Atlantis.

Seven year old me is jumping up and down for joy.

I'm so excited!

Yes, this is me and just last year.