Florida Again!?!?!

My most recent travel post was from Florida in early November. In early December, I have another Florida trip to report on. Last time, we explored the eastern coast of Florida leading up to a Caribbean cruise. This time around, we flew out early for an event in Orlando. Different circumstances, but one big commonality- the Kennedy Space Center.

I feel like every museum or zoo recommends more than one day to explore. For the Kennedy Space Center, it was actually needed. In November we spent all day at the center and only got to about half the exhibits. It was nice getting the opportunity to correct that mistake.

This time around, one of the first things I noticed was the “Chat with an Astronaut” event. I didn’t know what to expect; part of me figured that it would be someone who technically went to space, like someone who rode on a rocket with Jeff Bezos or Richard Branson. I couldn’t be more wrong – the astronaut was Frederick Gregory. If Frederick Gregory retired before he became an astronaut, he would have accomplished more in his life than I will in mine. A decorated USAF pilot who became a test pilot, Frederick Gregory joined NASA and piloted space shuttles Challenger, Discovery, and Atlantis. After that, he served briefly as the administrator of NASA. He’s a member of the NASA hall of fame.

We planned our day around the “Chat with an Astronaut” event, but a small surprise waited for us. Browsing in the gift shop early in the morning, I looped up. Lo and behold, Frederick Gregory was sitting on the second floor!

Gregory was signing autographs, and we approached him for a quick chat. I asked him how realistic films about space travel were. His answer? The Martian is the only film he felt handled it well. Maybe The Right Stuff, too.

Later the same day, we attended the chat with Gregory. He talked about his experiences as well as the current state of space travel. What stood out most to me, though, was his desire to push boundaries. He got bored as a test pilot and became an astronaut. Once being an astronaut became too routine, he moved on from that. It was a great challenge to avoid complacency and to keep growing and learning throughout life. I’m taking this chat back to my daily life, to shake things up and push boundaries.

We got to do plenty of escape rooms on this trip, including four TERPECA nominees (two finalists). One Friday, three Saturday, and three Sunday – the rooms were the mortar that held our weekend together. I have plenty to say about these rooms and will write about them separately.

This trip was also a reminder of how much can be accomplished in a weekend. If not for my event, we could have flown home Sunday evening and had an EXTREMELY full weekend in Florida. It’s important not to take time for granted- every weekend is a treasure!

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