Shuttle Launch and more...Check!

Between still being totally sick, a million doctor's appointments and lots of test I've managed to put a couple more check marks on my totally awesome Florida to do list!
We drove up near Cape Canaveral early Thursday morning (February 24th) to watch Discovery's last ever shuttle launch. NASA is phasing out the launches but if I remember right there are two more rocket launches. We packed lunches and found a great spot in a park across the water from the launch site. We got the last few parking spots in the park, we set out chairs and blankets on the dock to save our spots and the kids had fun playing while the girls got to chat. Mike made it later in the afternoon and came up with a car full. As we sat on the dock waiting for the countdown (which never really happened) I was so excited I had a serious case of the butterflies! I set up the video camera & camera so I didn't have to see the only shuttle launch I'll ever see in my life through a viewfinder. It just wouldn't be the same experience. As soon as it had taken off & I saw the fireball behind the shuttle my stomach dropped, it really was the coolest thing. I guess I just couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that this shuttle is launching right before my very eyes and soon it would be in space delivering spare parts to the international space station. How cool is that!? It was so awesome! No, it didn't last very long but YES, it was totally worth it! I kept hearing how loud it would be and sadly it wasn't that loud. I wanted it to shake me! Anyway, so cool. CHECK!







Bree & Cooper are gonna get married! Don't they look like they're in love?











Another Check...Mike & I spent a day fishing in the keys. We left both kids overnight for the first time ever (thanks to an awesome friend) and we partied with a friend of Mike's and his fiance!! We spent the day catching black fin tuna, skip jack and dolphin/mahi mahi. We traveled about 25 miles off the coast of Colony Beach, Marathon Key. I've never seen such amazing blue water in my whole life. There was nothing but water everywhere we looked it was so much fun and hilarious to think about all the possibilities if we were stranded out in the middle of the ocean. For a few moments Nichole & I contemplated jumping in and cooling off, moments later the nerves would take over & we'd laugh that we even thought to throw ourselves to the sharks (: We're really just too chicken for that. I'm daring but when it comes to sharks, not so much! Have you ever watched a flying fish? They are SO fascinating! It's not like they just jump out of the water, they fly a looong way (for a fish) & what the heck are they flying for anyway? I caught the biggest skip jack which isn't good for eating but the best fight. HOLY SMOKES, after fighting a fish like that I felt like I'd lifted heavy weights for a long time & ran a marathon, I was exhausted! The first fish I pulled in I had to hand over to Mike cause I was too tired. I felt so wimpy but I used every muscle I'd never used before. Such a fun trip! We caught tons of fish, we ate the tuna right off the boat. Yep, raw! That's big for me. Considering I never even used to touch fish & now I'm watching as we bleed the fish then rip the guts out and make fish filet, then straight up eat the thing! That's part of the salt life I guess. I'm not much of a fish eater but the more I eat fresh fish the more I like it! Give me some credit, I'm from Kansas, there's no water anywhere so any fish we ate was frozen & had been shipped in from a far off place, it was super old and tasted like fishy fish. We were out in the middle of water for so long we were getting crazy! Mike started kissing fish and Cliff even pulled the heart out of one and ate it! That's just SICK. The keys are the BEST and yet another location I'd live for the rest of my life and be completely happy. Have I ever said how much I'm gonna miss this place? ...LOTS!

Double catch!

When does the ocean ever look this glassy? Best fishing day ever.

Isn't he so cute? Look how happy he is!

What we kept


Little, but my 1st ever dolphin!

And lastly, I went on the Stake Relief Society Temple trip. I left Mike with the kids Saturday and jumped on the 4 am bus headed for Orlando! Such a great trip, how could it not be? Great place & great friends! The 4 of us had a great time, lots of laughs & lots of fun! It took me back to the fun bus trips from high school track. Good times.