Johnson Space Center Houston-NASA

Last Saturday I went to the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, NASA, in Webster, Texas right South of Houston. It was a great time as I went with my Aunt B, Mom, Dad, Lucas and Reuban. The kids enjoyed it and I'm pretty sure the adults did too. That's a great characteristic, and a hard job to be fun for EVERYONE aged 1-57 in our case. :)

Here we go, folks!

NASA time.....Nice jets!

Reu was strapped in and ready to go.

The parking lot was a lot better than I thought it would be. I thought we'd be walking for a mile or two. I mean, Houston is most famous for it's Apollo Mission's famous words, "Houston, we have a problem."

When we walked in we were immediaitely confronted with the latest exhibit on Star Wars. We actually never made it through this exhibit as we ran out of time but it was mostly for kids who took up the long lines on the sides.

As soon as you enter there's the big play-scape on the right. Tons of kids were running around everywhere.

To the left of the entrance is the Living in Space show where every 30 minutes presentations are given of how the astronauts do common things while inside the space shuttle. Such demonstrations include eating, storing items, showering, using the bathroom, and communication.

The back wall has this gigantic shuttle nose protruding out. On the other side is where you take a flight of stairs and go inside for the Mock Shuttle exhibit. See below for the inside shot.

One of the more popular things to do would be the Tram Tours. You have to wait in line for about 20 minutes (unless it's not busy or you have INCREDIBLE timing). Reu and I were ready to GO!

My Aunt B and I took the 5 minutes or so of wait time on the tram to get a photo together.

The gigantic rocket building. See below for the interior of the warehouse.

Reu was too cute riding on the tram with Grandma.

The first stop of the tram tour was Mission Control. Not a good picture since there's a big glass panel here but it would be really cool to see the people working. But I'd have to wait until the next mission. Lots of neat information given here though. Definitely worth the wait.

Had to post another of Reu riding around the facilities at NASA.

We drove by the memorials for the astronauts who gave their lives in the name of science. Very sad moment of silence we had on the tram while we listened to the President give his speech after the Challenger exploded.

Having a Rue moment (open-mouth) in front of the rockets. I believe they called this Rocket Park. It's the last stop of the Tram Tour.

And the ROCKETS red glare....

Inside the big warehouse of the rocket that shoots the space shuttles into space. HUGE doesn't describe it.

After the Tram Tour we decided to take a lunch break in the cafeteria. It was set up like a food court where you had Italian choices, American, Chinese food, and salads. It was TERRIBLE FOOD. If you ever come here...eat beforehand. It's not worth the money.

After lunch we went to the 5-floor theater screen in the Space Center Theater. We watched a 30-minute film on becoming an astronaut. Lucas really enjoyed it. The huge screen was cool. This is a shot of Lucas standing in front of the screen. Just amazing.

Mmmm Dip in Dots are so good! It's tiny ice cream balls. We had to have some of course!

The mock shuttle. This is about it when you go up this second story mock of the inside of a space shuttle. So many buttons....

Dad and Reu in the Astronaut Gallery. This museum-like exhibit had some exciting artifacts and recreations of space travelling items.

One of the exhibits was the inside of a space shuttle. It showed where/how the astronauts eat, go to the bathroom, exercise, sleep and here...shower!

Walking on the Moon exhibit.

Lucas touching a 30 billion year old rock from the moon. Awesome....I thought I took a picture of me touching it but maybe my aunt has that picture.

And after an expensive trip to the gift shop for everyone we were pooped and we headed for home. The gift shop was great. I found a picture frame, ornament, and patch. I just wish I had remembered the children's book. Not a big deal... As we were walking out I saw this plaque in the flower garden. I loved it and had to share it. It truly defines what NASA is all about. I only hope our political leaders will remain influential on the education and study of the world around us.

Children's Museum of Houston

Well, last Thursday my mom, and the kids and I FINALLY went to the Children's Museum of Houston. This place has been on my list of things to do for quite a while because it's in so many different travel guides. I'm just really excited I got to go with Lucas and Reu.

Playing with the puppets in the main hall.

The technology exhibit. To think of what they will be communicating with at my age is quite mind-boggling!

More puppet time! (Got them out of sync) Little brother follows Big brother everywhere and does everything he does. :) Catching fish in the International section. I think we were in Thailand for this exhibit.

Driving the streets in Thailand. There was a tv in front of the boys that looked like they were driving and you had to turn the wheel. Very cute.

BEAT THAT! Best picture ever lol

Inside the museum is a make-believe town called Kidtropolis. Kids get a bank account card and they earn paycheck cards by doing different jobs. Here we were at the police station. Reu was driving while Lucas was in the backseat. Coinsedence?? Lol I think not... Just kidding!

Then there was the HEB Market that allowed the kids to shop for plastic goods and even check out and pay with your little credit card.

There were so many different day cares here when we first arrived. We ended up going to eat at the cafe and then I finally got some time to study the map. I found upstairs was the Toddler area. Yay! Here there was a shut-in area with cars, slides, and toddler toys. It was a great area for the kids.
Lucas playing in a house. He poured me some tea. :)
Grandma and Reu racing cars. Gotta love that smile!

SLIDING.....

Lucas and his "girlfriend" playing in the car. He's even here with me as I write and he pointed to her and said "girlfriend." LOL love it!

And after having so much fun Lucas ended up reading with Grandma before we left. Overall, it was a GREAT place to take the kids and I hope to return when they're older to do some more investigating.

Itz

Last week my mom and I took the boys to Itz in Houston. It's a Chuck E Cheese and an indoor carnival all in one. First we partook in the many items of the buffet. Lucas and I ended up eating a total of 7 (small) brownnies together lol. Maybe more after we played lol. Anyways, then we played on the rides for the kids under 4. They had a bounce house too, so it was really cheap. My mom had already purchased some game tokens so Lucas played some easy games. Overall, it was a fun time. I had a lot of back pain and was really uncomfortable at times but I made it through and was excited to get out of the house. A week later I feel almost 100% recovered without any back pain. So excited!

The cups of brownies Lucas and I consumed :)

Reuban riding the train......

Lucas's turn....

ALMOST got a perfect shot.

The bounce house...

Rainforest Cafe in Galveston, Texas

Last weekend I went down to Galveston, Texas to visit my mom's side of the family before they left on the cruise. I so could have gone but am glad I didn't because I wouldn't have been able to get into the water and I want my first time to be the best. ;) Anyways, we ended up eating at the Rainforest Cafe. Fun place and it was really fun to be around the whole family at the same time. Love you guys!

Gotta love my uncle Jeff! LOL Love the face....

High five! Lucas was so nervous for a while but then warmed up to the place after the thunder and lightning stopped. I was so surprised he gave the alligator a high five.

Let's Get This Party Started

It's time to get back to blogging and get this summer rollin'!

It's only the end of June but I've already named Tutti Frutti as my favorite summer destination. Yes, it's only in Spring, Texas but it's the funnest place for summer fun. It's frozen yogurt that you get yourself, then you add toppings of your choice and pay at the end per ounce. Don't count out Captain Crunch. It's the glue that holds my Tutti Frutti together. :)

Well Lucas and Reuban are here. Roo is so big!! He's walking, running and trying to talk. He can say "Dada", "baby" and then "Aunt B" Yay!!! Love him. We spend a lot of our days on the back porch. We've had them for one week so far, and they are quite the handful. We get them until July 5. It's been a blast!

Just too precious not to post!

As you'll see in the next upload we went to NASA Space Center at the Johnson Space Center. It was complete fun. My back didn't really hurt as much as I thought. I was pretty impressed with walking up two flights of stairs after only 2 weeks from my surgery. ROCK STAR! :)

Ok, I'll be uploading the rest of the activities if I can get them posted tonight but it may be tomorrow....

Surgery

My bear from Brian.

Flowers from Jim and Judy, who were so great to send them to me!

Flowers from Intercermic, thanks everyone!

Well, my surgery was a HUGE success. It went the best that it possibly could. They took out the cyst and the 27 liters that were inside of it. It was a total of 55 pounds that came out of my stomach. The incision stayed at 4-5 inches below my belly button so bathing suits will still look cute. :)

The miraculous part of it all was that it was actually connected to my falopian tube and NOT my ovaries so I got to keep part of both. So basically I may still be able to have children one day. That, in itself, was a huge blessing. I just couldn't believe how blessed I have been through this journey.

This weekend was fun at the hospital because I was surrounded by my parents, Aunt B, and Aunt Barbara and Uncle Terry. Brian couldn't be there but almost as soon as I was in my room a package came with a way cute teddy bear. TOTAL surprise! The thing probably hasn't left my sight since I got it. Also, got some flowers from Jim/Judy and Interceramic. So lucky to have all them in my life. My family and I spent lots of time in the room talking and walking around. I was able to come home Sunday and have been relaxing a lot since then.

Travel updates: Las Vegas is definitely planned for the last week of July. Yippee!! Brian and I are busy planning all the fun things we want to do. He likes most of the things I suggest lol. My aunt Barbara told me we could still go to Colorado in July. SO EXCITED!! I just can't believe how lucky and blessed I am right now. I'm truly grateful. It's just amazing. I feel like I have a new life to live.

And to add to the happiness. My nephews are coming to visit this Friday for TWO WEEKS. Yes, two weeks of a fun filled time with them and all over Houston.

So, this summer is saved. I feel good. Look great ;) And can't wait to see what the rest of the summer has in store for me.

Love you all!! And will post some hospital pics when I get a chance.

It's OFFICIALLY summer break!!

Well, I'm not heading to Colorado tomorrow but I've learned a valuable lesson this year. Rather than travelling all over the world as expected I'm going to stay and enjoy the journey of my friends and family. I have learned in the past few months how valuable good friends can be. I work with and am friends with some of the most amazing people and I say that too often but it can never be said enough. People I don't even know that well, I hear their prayers and feel their hugs. It's just very....uplifting.

My surgery where they remove the mass is next Friday. Family is coming in on the weekend and then it's RECOVERY for all of June. Now, how many women go through the process of child birth for practice?? LOL The doctor says the surgery and recovery will be quite similar to women who have had a C-section so that's basically what I meant. I am NOT having children haha but if I were there would be four of them that fit inside the mass. C-R-A-Z-Y

Other than that we're still planning Vegas in late July or early August. Then I'm planning my mom's birthday dinner and going to THIRD GRADE classes :) Yes, you're looking (well you're not LOOKING but you get it) at the newest Third Grade Teacher at Lamkin Elementary. What, what! Oh, and then Brian, Deborah and I are planning a Chowdown Countdown tour of Texas in July. Love it.

So, all in all, I'm really not that disappointed in how the summer/June has turned out. I'm on the road already to recovering and having a very healthy body and spirit. I've got some wonderful people that I love dearly in my life now and to be honest I'm just....happy.

And isn't that everyone's goal? The pursuit of happyness, right?

So-movies, music, water, fruits, veggies, good friends, good people, family
What else could a girl look forward to for the next 3 months of her life? :)

Give ya an update after the surgery!