Space Center Houston

I travel to Houston pretty regularly.  On one of my many trips, I finally decided to go to the Johnson Space Center.  I am a space buff, so it was really interesting to see it.  I did not go over to Mission Control.  (It was Houston in July and tram is not air conditioned) - now you see why.

It was a self guided tour, and there was even an assembly "Meet an Astronaut."  The astronaut that spoke was Leroy Chaio.  He has spent time on the Space Station and spoke of his training to go to the there.  He trained with a Russian cosmonaut.  He showed photos that he took from the station.  They were amazing.  He had hurricane photos, and photos of the Sphinx and other natural wonders.  From space, they look like miniatures.

I was glad that I could take the tour.  So often, we don't take the time to visit the attractions in our own backyard.  I call Houston my backyard because when I go, it is like going home because of the special people I get to spend time with when I go. 

Let's Start Over .... Again

I'm going to try again...

I have started and restarted this blog more than once - sometimes life gets in the way.  I have all types of blogs written in my head but it seems my fingers just never get to writing them.

Isn't life all about starting something new?  I think so ... so I will do it again, how long this time - who knows?  Let's see together  :)

Khyrstin (Kyssi) Andrews
October 2008 - June 7, 2015

Today, this sweet angel was laid to rest. Watching the services celebrating her life, I was not surprised at the outpouring of love for this little girl, I believe I was amazed at how such a small individual – this little person who was only on this Earth for 6 short years impacted so many people.

One of the gentlemen that spoke summed it up by saying that Kyssi was WORLDWIDE.

She was – she has more than 300,000 followers on her Facebook page. There were thousands on the live stream of her services. All of this for this little person that had us mesmerized with her tenacity and strength. When you look at any of her pictures, she has this huge smile. So much she had to endure in her short years here on Earth but she did it with that smile.

Her mother, who is her biggest cheerleader, has been there by her side through it all. She watched that baby and she shared her baby with all of us. She let everyone who wanted to attend the service to be there PLUS she ensured those of us that could not be there in person could still be a part of the day as we have a part of Kyssi’s life for so long.

I remember the first time I saw Kyssi picture, I said “she is a cutie” and clicked her picture. I read about her and was touched by her strength. Her mom kept us updated with her tests and scans – still that smile lit up the screen when you scroll down the newsfeed.

When I logged on last week and saw the post from Mommy saying that Kyssi had gained her wings, my heart broke. Over the past few days, I would go to her page and read just as I always did. Here is this little girl that I never met, I felt like I knew her and reading others’ comments – I was not alone.

I truly believe everything happens for a reason. We are all put here for something – to do something. For some, it takes longer than others. For little Kyssi, she packed so much in the six years that she was here. She touched so many people in such a short time – God knew that she was tired, and her work was done. Now, she can watch over those that watched over her. She is in no more pain, and she does not have to worry about a thing.

To Read Reviews or Not To Read Reviews...that is the question

I was on one of the many websites I have been on lately with other cruisers. You can find cruise reviews on the ship, service, excursions, and many other things. One of the reviews I read was from a first time cruiser who was disappointed with her experience. There is one thing to keep in mind – all vacations are not perfect (though many come pretty close).

Cruising for me is the perfect vacation. You unpack once and you wake up in different places each morning. You cannot beat it. I totally understand that taking a cruise is not for everyone.

I believe this particular reviewer had set her expectations really high and was let down. For example, today I was looking at Carnival’s website. It boasts about spacious staterooms. I’m sorry, anyone who has been on a ship (unless you are in a suite) the staterooms are anything BUT spacious. Room service, while it is convenient, usually only has fruit, sandwiches and pizza. It is your best bet to go get something and bring it back to the cabin yourself. Some people see room service and think that a full menu is available – NOT ALWAYS.

On my first cruise, I did not see my cabin steward until about 4 days in because he would come in while we were gone and do what he had to do. We joked about him either being on the balcony or under the bed because no matter the length of time we were gone – he would come in, straighten up and leave before we returned.

I would suggest to anyone going on their first cruise to leave your expectations open. Cruises are wonderful vacations with great ports; you get spoiled because the staff go above and beyond to make your experience memorable. When the ship pulls away from the dock, leave your worries, pressures and stress right there until you get back. Grab a deck chair and just look into the horizon – what a beautiful sight.

Vacation Preparation

I am so on information overload right now. In preparation for my vacation in a couple of months, I have been doing my usual research. Those of you that know me, know that I am totally anal when it comes to traveling. I need to know as much as I possibly can about where I am going, the layout of the city, the ship and the hotel. I have printed out the information on the sites I want to see in Seattle. I have done a virtual tour of the ship already, and I have found tours of the staterooms on YouTube. (I could only watch a few because they are either shaky and I got sick from the movement of the camera OR they were boring). One dude actually flushed the toilet. Yeh flushed it, like we don’t know what a toilet on the ship sounds like.

One thing that I have found in my quest for information is that there is not a whole lot of GOOD information. There is some here and there but you have to sift through a whole lot. So, I got an idea to try to come up with something so that anyone that follows me (and is as anal as I am when it comes to traveling) can get their information in one place.

I will be posting ideas here and there as I consolidate it. I have information from a bunch of different places from packing lists, suggestions, etc. Hey, I gotta do something as I countdown to my trip of a lifetime (thus far).

RIP - Andy Griffith

The Andy Griffith Show is still one of my many favorites to watch. I don't care how many times I might have seen an episode, I still will put the remote down and watch it. The best episodes (by far) were the black and white episodes. Andy once said in an interview that he did not mind playing the straight man to Don Knotts' Barney Fife. The two of them were magic - Barney would go wayyyyy out on a limb and Andy would be there to catch him and save his spirit - no matter how silly Barn would handle things.

Good television now is pretty hit and miss, there are some good shows out there but there will NEVER be another Andy Taylor. Yes, he has played other characters (another favorite was Ben Matlock), but to me, I will always remember him as that dark haired, easy going sheriff from Mayberry.

RIP Andy Griffith, you have given us a lot of great memories!

Oh My ... Christian Grey

Can you believe it? I jumped on the 50 Shades of Grey bandwagon. I have to admit that I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the trilogy.

When I first approached it, I thought ok, these housewives are all up in arms over this story and it probably isn't hot. Well - grab your hose and pull because IT IS HOT!

If you are not into erotica or think "OMG why would anyone want to read that" these are not the books for you. I have a friend who said that she had a church friend who said that the book should be banned because of the subject matter. Well excuse me, how do you know it should be banned? You had to read some of it. I mean live and let live.

Whatever floats your boat ... I am not into most of the things that Christian and Anastasia were doing, but they were doing it with each other and they were consenting adults. So what?

The things that people do behind closed doors is their business and who is to judge what goes on between two people who care about one another.

Okay, I'm getting off my soapbox now - back to the books.

Was there a lot of sex? Heck yeh, there was PLENTY of sex. Were there some moments that would just make your jaw drop? Yep, PLENTY of those. Aside from the sex, aside from the overused phrases, and a number of other things that drives writers and editors crazy - it is a good read because there is a story going on that explains the secretive and sexy Christian Grey to the reader and to Anastasia.

The first book, you really think - this guy is nuts, but by the end of 50 Shades of Grey, he has grown on you. You cannot help but wonder what makes him tick and the pages continue to turn until you finally find out.