Astronauts and Autographs.

A few weeks ago (August 8, to be exact) I had an opportunity to meet my very first astronaut. His name is Kevin Ford. He was on Space Station for Increments 33 and 34, and was the commander of Increment 34.

I totally fan-girl'd.

So the situation was that Commander Ford was visiting the HOSC as a part of his post- increment tour of the Stations Operations Centers. Earlier in the day, he'd made a speech to a general Arsenal audience. Unfortunately I couldn't go to that because I had just gotten off a night shift.

Either way.

I got off work at 7am. I went home and slept until 10am, when I then got up, got out the Puppy, showered, and got dressed for lunch. As excited as I was, I was the first person in the room, which was laid out like this:

For some reason, I had expected, at this lunch that Commander Ford was going to be speaking. Not eating. So I sat in a chair that, to me, seemed close enough to the podium, but not so close as to be creepy.

But then people started filing in and other people were setting up at the podium. I was a little confused. But then it happened.

He sat in front of me.

Now, when I say that I was freaking out, I mean it. Like. I was looking around the room, amazed at all the people somehow maintaining composure while I was near a catastrophic meltdown. How was no one else in awe? Surely they didn't realize they were sitting in a room with an astronaut.

I snapped some phone pictures in the heat of the moment.

I told you I was fan-girling.

Then he answered questions, and there were some Lessons Learned and Best Practices and work-related things that happened. Then it was time for autographs, and I was second in line.

I introduced myself, and told him a bad joke (as I've been known to do), and we shared a laugh. I asked him for a final favor (the first was asking him to sign a second poster, for my mom's coworker's son)- to take a picture with me:

After the autograph-and-picture moment ended (which felt like hours, and only lasted mere minutes), I had to go to my car to calm myself.

It was a big day for me.

Then I went back home and went back to sleep, since I was working another 11p-7a shift that night.

"To Nicole!" With an exclamation point!

Like he knew how big this was for me!