Our first day at Melbourne Beach.  It was really the only day warm enough to brave the ocean waters!

I'm sure I looked like a silly tourist....but I loved looking at all the birds!

We visited with my dad and my Aunt Pat and Uncle Glenn.  Aunt Pat lives in nearby Edgewater, my dad and his wife just happened to be in Florida the same time we were.  Left to right (Nathaniel, Annabelle, my stepmom Cindy, me, Aunt Pat, Uncle Glenn and my dad.)

The kids had fun watching Aunt Pat put on a show with her "pet parrot" (some sort of robotic toy - called FurReal)

Annabelle and Nathaniel on the beach with Granddad and Grandma Cindy.

The gate from our hotel to the beach.

It's a real gator!  We spotted this fellow right at the entrance to Kennedy Space Center.

Outside Kennedy Space Center....for Nathaniel's 8th birthday.

Nathaniel next to an Apollo capsule model....with the Rocket Garden in the background.

Annabelle, me and Nathaniel inside a life sized model of an Apollo capsule....so we could see how tight it was and what it was like to lay on your back at take-off.

A further away view of us in the Apollo capsule.

Saturn 1B Rocket....wait until you see the Saturn V!

Annabelle and Nathaniel inside a model Gemini capsule.

We got to see Apollo 15 Command Service Module Pilot Al Worden speak.  It was the highlight of the trip for me (except for the launch!)

The Vehicle Assembly Building.  This is where they mate the orbiter to the 2 solid rocket boosters and fuel tank.  From here it is loaded onto the crawler for its journey to the launch pad.

Endeavor on launch pad 39A, just days before launching STS-130

On a viewing gantry, launch pad 39A in the background.

WOW - Nathaniel standing at the base of a real Saturn V rocket!  This is what was used on the Apollo Lunar Missions.  

A model of the shuttle.

Catching a 3-D Imax film, Magnificent Desolation.

Wow - getting Al Worden's autograph!  A nice guy!

Back at the hotel on Nathaniel's birthday evening.  Putting together a shuttle model with Dad...

Happy Birthday Nathaniel!

Relaxing on the beach!

Reading by the pool.

At Kennedy Space Center the night if the STS-130 launch.  It was a 4:30 a.m. launch....so we had to stay up ALL night!  There were plenty of things to do a the KSC...live video feeds of the astronaut preparations (that us what you see here) plus all the attractions were open!  The launch was scrubbed the first night, so we got to stay up 2 nights in a row!  TOTALLY WORTH IT!

Huddled at the Causeway launch viewing area.  It was just 6 miles from the launch pad.  It was a cold wait....it was around 40 degrees.

Wow - Ignition for launch of STS-130~

None of our pictures turned out - our camera was not sophisticated enough to capture the quick movement.  But this gives you an idea of the magnitude of the light from the rocket fire.  It illuminated the sky!

You can just make out the tail of the orbiter after the roll maneuver.  The orange fuel tank is on the upper left, orbiter is to the right.

The next morning, on the beach for our last day.  The weather was quite cool on this trip....but since we spent most of our time at the launch....that was okay!

Back home.....we were greeted by a snowstorm that delivered another half foot of snow.