Running low on power (we had gotten to the hotel in Orlando at 4 in the morning), I was a bit worried about the weather that was streaming into Orlando. Clouds, lightning, thunder, rain, and more rain. In my head came the words, "Please, please launch today!" This was my last day in Florida, and I wasn't going to leave without seeing a shuttle lift off! To boot, the mission would have to be delayed about a month if it was scrubbed again. Everyone cross your fingers!

Getting to the Press Site very late, it was already T-20 minutes, my dad told me that if the shuttle launched today, it would be the best birthday gift I ever got, since I was turning 16 in three weeks. Yeah, it sure would! Still irked by my late arrival, we started the third webcast. The shuttle was up on the pad and the weather was just fine. Before I knew it, the countdown was down to T-2. The Vent Hood (the covering on the top of the ET) was retracted. Marissa and I were still talking on the webcast and thinking, "It's really going to launch today!"

In what looked like a sudden revival, the SSMEs (main engines) glowed with light. For six seconds they fired before the SRBs ignited and the whole complex rose into the sky. By the time the shuttle left the Launch Tower, the full sound of the rocket reached us. It was as loud as fireworks, not just "pops" but a complete ear-deafening roar! The rumbles were so loud that I was wondering how the astronauts could protect their ears inside the cabin. Were we really miles away from the launch site? If I was blindfolded, I could have thought that I had my ears pressed onto a full thrust airplane engine. Those of you that heard the webcast would agree too!

The other thing that you cannot avoid is the light energy the shuttle produces. Not long after the sound hit us, it was the illumination that amazed us. Even though the Press Site lights were still on, it looked like the sun had actually risen. Was it daytime? It sure seemed like it.

Still with my jaw wide open, I saw the shuttle's quick ascent, glancing there and then to look at the close-ups on the TV monitor. It's really up there! And as these feelings still churned, we reached SRB separation. The shuttle was to the right of our view and it was just too far to see separation. Whew! The most dangerous part of flight is over. For quite a few minutes afterward, we could see the bright "star" in the sky, getting dimmer and dimmer as it neared space. By T+8 1/2 minutes, the shuttle was in orbit and there was MECO (Main Engine Cut Off) and ET separation.

After it had gone out of our view, Marissa and I were still in a bit of denial. No, the shuttle didn't really launch; it's over there. Oops! It's gone...and to boot, the exhaust plume was hovering over the pad along with a jet of flame streaming up from it! We were chattering on what we saw and how it seemed that it really didn't happen. Eileen Collins and her crew are really up there! Whoa! How could we sleep after experiencing that! It launched at 12:31 a.m. EDT.

Those days culminating into the fabulous launch will never be forgotten. Taking a last look at the pad (with a plume even after 30 minutes!) and the VAB, we turned off to the NASA Causeway and headed off to Orlando. In less than 6 hours, I was on an aircraft heading home. It wasn't the shuttle. It wasn't going to space. Perhaps someday it will though. Yes, what a wonderful birthday gift!