Laurin Loved the Launch (copied from Mel)

[Note: I'm too lazy to write my own post about bringing our Laurin on a Stick on our Orlando trip So I just copied from my friend Mel's blog.]

Back from my Shuttle Sister Trip and it was awesome!  We had such a great time-- it was great spending so much time with those girls.  We really had some good times when we used to work together.  I mean, work wasn't good times, but time spent with them always helped the days go by faster.  We rekindled that spark on this trip.  Literally, the whole 10 hour drive to Orlando was spent chatting away.  We didn't sleep, watch movies, or anything.  We just talked.  We did more sleeping on the way home, but that was mostly due to the terribly uncomfortable beds in the hotel.

Anyway, Laurin is such a ham in front of the camera, and she made me take all kinds of pictures of her throughout the trip. I thought these pictures would be a great way to tell you all about our adventure!

When we first arrived in Orlando, Laurin was super excited about going to Ikea, so we had to take her there immediately after checking into the hotel. 

I bought a few things there... I'll share them with you as soon as I get it all set up in my house :)

After shopping at Ikea, we were exhausted.  And hungry.  We pretty much were hungry all of the time.  I much prefer to be with girls who are good eaters.  And the Shuttle Sisters don't disappoint :)  Anyway, we hit up the California Pizza Kitchen (um, can you say deslish?!  I think we all ordered a whole bunch of appetizers, and it was so so good!).

Laurin's pregnant so she couldn't drink a mojito.  She had to stick to water.

We got our waiter to snap a picture of the four of us.

We were exhausted from the drive, so we just went back to the hotel and hit the sack.  Early.  We're wild and crazy like that.

The next day, we woke up bright and early to head to Kennedy Space Center (KSC) for the launch.  We weren't sure about traffic and stuff like that, so we gave ourselves plenty of time.  We figured we could kill time in the area if necessary.  We went to Ron Jon Surf Shop.  Laurin insisted.

Then we walked the few blocks to the beach.  We buried Laurin in the sand.  She said she didn't mind getting all sandy before a full day of shuttle launch watching.

It was finally time to head to KSC to claim our spot to watch the launch!  We set up our chairs (Kristy brought these uglies so I had to put my towel over it so no one would confuse me for an LSU fan).  Laurin could hardly contain her excitement.  She hates space, but she loves her Shuttle Sisters.

We had a great view of the launch pad from our seats!

See it?  No?  Ok, look here:

That's better, right?  It may not look like a great view, but it really was.  No one is really close to the launch pad.  But it was a clear day, and we could see it all really well.  We got there early so we had front row seats.  And plenty of water and diet cokes and snacks.  The four hour wait really flew by, thanks to a special visit from a dolphin and a manatee in the water in front of us.

As it got closer to launch time, we were getting really excited.  Laurin wanted a picture of herself with the launch pad & the Vertical Assembly Building (VAB), where they stack the vehicle before rolling out to the pad.

After years of waiting, we finally saw a launch! More photos of the actual launch in a different post :) This one is all about Laurin. On a Stick. Laurin on a Stick, as we called her.

After the launch, there is a ton of smoke that lingers around the pad for a while.  Laurin is nothing if not thorough, so she of course wanted her picture taken with the smoke.

Within a few minutes of the launch, everyone was packing up, in a hurry to get off the site, because we all knew the traffic was going to be bad!  And it was.  With time to kill, we did a little photoshoot in the car!  Laurin kept jumping around all over the car.  Switching seats.  First she was driving...

Then she insisted on sitting in the passenger's seat.

Next thing you knew, she was in the back.

All that jumping around made her real hungry.  She begged and begged to eat at Chipotle for dinner, and we obliged.  Because we are really good friends like that.

It was soooo yummy.  We were soooo stuffed after dinner!  We went to the pool for a few minutes, then crashed.  Early again.  Cause that's how we roll!

The next day (Saturday), having accomplished our primary goal of seeing the launch, we decided to just chillax by the pool.  Laurin is one of those pencil thin girls who always looks amazing in her bikini.  It's rough having to go to the pool with those types.

Not an ounce of fat on her.  After the pool, we did a little shopping and some dinner.  Laurin wasn't feeling well, so she just stayed at the hotel.  Fortunately she felt better in time for the drive home!  We made good time, and even managed to stop and get some Dairy Queen during the drive!  Laurin's favorite!

So it was a great trip.  Relaxing.  Fun.  Filling.  Jeez, we ate a lot!  Can't wait til the next Shuttle Sister Trip!  Two more launches-- what do you say, ladies???