Opportunity of a Lifetime

This has been an incredible day.  We woke up at 4:15 a.m. EST, and trudged to the bus.  Though I think Cape Canaveral is maybe usually a 2 hour or less drive, today was gridlock, so we arrived about 9:40 to the causeway.  The weather was strangely cooperative; though we were nervous about the shuttle taking off, the overcast skies kept the temperature and sun from being an issue.  The kids were so fantastic.  We sat behind a rope line right on the water, with thousands of other spectators.  Two hours.  After a four hour bus ride.  And not one complaint. Not one.  Not a peep. The fact that dolphins kept bobbing through the water, and that we saw a manatee do a graceless but endearing leap above the water helped keep us all entertained.
Throughout the wait period, NASA had announcers talking about the history of Atlantis and the shuttle program over loudspeakers.  At about 10:30, they said it looked good for the 11:26 liftoff time, and they were cautiously optimistic.   Finally, at 10 minutes, the whole crowd stood up and quietly listened to the announcer.  Some 40,000 people were there, and everyone was quiet.  At just about a minute before liftoff, there was a concern about some piece of equipment that might not have retracted, and I think our hearts collectively stopped, thinking that the launch was going to be postponed.  Fortunately, they were able to use a camera to confirm it had retracted, and seconds later it took off.
As you can gather from the video, we were excited.  Some of the grown ups (yours truly) were a little teary.  The kids all had huge grins on their faces.
And then we got back on the bus!  Some SIX HOURS later we got back to the hotel after another long bus ride.  The kids have had a swim, dinner and another swim, and now it's time to rest up for DISNEY WORLD!