I began following NASA on Twitter after Katie Jo and I went to Florida on vacation earlier this year.  Never having really studied the landscape of Florida, somehow thinking each of its famous destinations was mutually-exclusive from the others, I failed to realize that the Kennedy Space Center was so close to where we were staying at Walt Disney World.  Couple that with the fact that the Space Shuttle Discovery was scheduled to land in Florida while we were there, Katie indulged my desire to be at this Space Mecca.  So, off we went down SR 528 on that rainy day only to find the Visitor's Center closed and the landing scrubbed and moved to California.  But it was exciting to almost be part of a shuttle landing. 

Then a few weeks later I saw a news story about a Tweetup NASA was doing for the launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis.  The first 100 people to register online at a specific date and time would get in to the event.  When that moment came I registered, despite the assumption there was no way I would beat 100 people in the WORLD to go.  But a few days later the notification came that I indeed made the cut and began making travel plans, including my *gulp* flight to Orlando.  I figured when buying my ticket if these brave men can fly into space, I can fly an hour or so to see them take off.

So here I am pushing 40 and am finally getting my NASA credentials this weekend for Monday's launch.  That awkward 11-year-old would be so proud.