Chickenhawk Express' Connection to the Space Station

Those of you that read my blog regularly know all about my daughter, my new grandson, Boston and my granddaughter, Olivia. But you don't know about my 26 year old son and how he is making quite a difference in this world and even in outer space.

My first born (who inherited his brains from his Mom) is employed by a major firm that works with NASA. His main focus over the past year has been working on the design and functionality of the Harmony Module that was just attached to the Space Station. AND he's only 26 years old.

When T was a little fella, we went to Cape Canaveral on vacation. We took the bus tour and were priviledged to see one of the Space Shuttles being flown in on the back of a 747. He's always been interested in space exploration and aviation. The two of us spent an afternoon at the Savannah Science Museum watching the closed circuit feed of the first Mars Rover - spent 4 hours watching it move less than 5 feet. So when he opted out of a partial scholarship to the Citadel to attend Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona, I wasn't surprised. After a few bumps in the road and typical "I'm on my own-itis" (but a helluva lot of great experiences that I was quite jealous of) T got offered the position with the NASA contracting firm. And the rest is now etched firmly in the history books...

So excuse this proud Momma's gushing but DAMN it's great! You pray and worry when your kids are growing up that they will reach their goals and their dreams will come true. And no, it doesn't stop when they reach 18. But when you get to see their hard work and one of their dreams come true, your heart soars and your eyes get teary.

I have experienced so many moments of pride and joy with my kids and I look forward to many many more. But this moment - watching the shuttle mission end successfully - holds a special place in my heart. My only regret is that we live so far apart and couldn't watch these moments together. But when I get to see him in a few months, I'll make up for it with lots of hugs. In the meantime, emails, text messages and phone calls will have to suffice.

One problem though - every time there was a headline or newsbreak saying there were equipment problems on the Space Station, my heart skipped a beat... My hubby calmed me down with his wise words of wisdom though - "If they say the equipment malfunction was due to a bunch of empty drinking glasses with varying stages of mold sitting around the station, then we know T was involved. Otherwise it's all good."

Way to go T. You've made your Momma proud (again).