NEWS FLASH

It has been a few years since I last watched the space shuttle launch on TV. I knew the launch had been postponed on Monday and was rescheduled for this evening. I remembered at 4:55 pm Central Daylight Time to look online to see if a live feed was available (we don't have a digital converter box yet). I saw that the launch was scheduled for 3:03 PDT, wondered why it was listed in Pacific time when the shuttle was launching from the East Coast, quickly did the conversion to Eastern time and excitedly found a live feed on NASA's website. We started watching at t-minus five minutes - just in the nick of time.

As the kids and I watched, we marvelled and wondered aloud if Jesse made it to see the launch. He has been in Orlando this week for a training class. He had called us Monday from Cape Canaveral disappointed that the launch, originally scheduled for that evening, had been postponed until Wednesday due to lightning storms. He was not sure if he would be able to come back, but the group he is with, all nerdy engineers (oops, don't tell Jesse I said that) who, like Jesse and I, grew up watching the space shuttle launches on TV- even in school - decided for a second try.

Jesse called five munutes after launch and told us he had seen it!!! He was on the eastern side of the island watching in person as the Space Shuttle Endeavor launched!!! His main comments about the sight were that first, he was amazed that the sound of the rockets was slow to travel to where he was and second, that the shuttle quickly disappeared into the clouds, while we here at home kept watching via NASA cameras for the rocket separations. I asked him if the ground shook, but he said he wasn't close enough to actually feel it. (I thought that that the power of the booster rockets was so great that you could feel it for miles - obviously, I was naive.)

We are very excited for Jesse! He said proudly he could cross "watching the space shuttle launch in person" off his Bucket List.

Video Time

While Nana was in town for Julie's baptism, she taught Julie to play the piano. I have faithfully tried to keep up lessons over the last two weeks. Julie proudly shows off her talent.

When Deborah walked in the door after getting her hair cut this afternoon, one of the kids exclaimed, "Look! We've got a new mommy!" We love the new hair cut!

Ticket to Ride

Happy Fourth of July! We celebrated by taking the training wheels off Josh's bike.

Life is a lot like riding a bike for the first time- you don't just jump on and do it (unless of course you're David.) You crash, get up and try again, crash again, get up again... you get the idea. Each time you try you get a little better at it. The trick is to keep getting up.

Josh kept getting up and jumping back on, and can now ride a bike without training wheels! He hasn't mastered the finer points of starting, turning, or avoiding parked cars- but he can ride in a straight line without falling! Good job Josh!

This Is Early, But . . .

I bought my first car, a Toyota Tercel, about a year after I graduated from college. I brought it home from the used car lot and parked it on the street (After all, I didn't have a parking permit for my apartment complex - yet.) I woke the next morning and walked out to my car.


Realization struck: This was my very own car. I did not have to return it to anyone. I could keep it and use it and, of course, take care of it. The realization brought with it a feeling of great pride.


The next time I experienced that "wow / whoa" feeling was when I brought my daugter - my first child - home from the hospital. The hospital stay was very sheltered. We had no schedule to keep but our own. Nurses were available to counsel when problems occurred. The experience was real, but we were in an alterate reality.


We took her home in my "first" baby, the Toyota. I rode all the way home with my new baby in the back of the car. I just couldn't leave her alone in the car seat. I carried her gingerly down the stairs into our basement apartment and sat down on our couch. Jesse took a picture of us - I was crying.


As I held her in my arms, on our couch, in our apartment, the realization struck: She was mine!!! I could love her and take care of her and watch her grow. No one else could do it for me! This realization brought not only pride but fear as well. Could I take care of her without the nurses' help? Would I be a good mom? What had I gotten myself into?!


I now have eight years worth of loving her, taking care of her, and watching her grow into a beautiful, bright girl. In spite of me, she has a blooming testimony that Jesus loves her, that Heavenly Father will answer her prayers, that the scriptures are the word of God.

I have truly been blessed by her presence in my life. She reminds me that prayer works. She reminds me to think before I reprimand so that feelings aren't too hurt afterward. She amazes me with her sharp intellect, her quickness to learn and to remember. She reminds me that it is okay to admit I'm wrong
. . . sometimes.

She inspires me to be better!

Happy Birthday (on Thursday), Ju!

Love yer guts!

NEWS FLASH- JULIE HAS GLASSES!

Jesse's annual eye exam came due. He was worried about Julie's sight (she couldn't read the huge time clock at my last 5K), so he set an appointment for her as well. Julie seems to be following in Jesse's footsteps (although we hope her sight will never get as bad as his). We picked up her first pair of glasses on Thursday.

Julie says, "It is incredible to see more clear."