Twenty years ago today................
Twenty years ago I was 23. I was working the grave yard shift. I came home exhausted and collasped into bed. I don't remember what awakened me. But the radio went off and I heard something about Challenger exploding. I raced downstairs to see the horific images of the shuttle exploding. Two pieces broke away from the main explosion and almost looked like they were going to collide. I remember the camera on the faces of Christa McAuliffe's parents; her mother clearly disturbed, her dad smiling- not understanding what he had just witnessed. I thought of Christa, the first civillian in space. She was a teacher. I always thought it was wonderful that a teacher was going first. It was a hugh honor for her as she was chosen from thousands of candidates including a teacher from Maryland who taught at a school not far from my home. I followed the story leading up to launch. I recall she almost didn't make it because of air motion sickness. That was something I could relate to. Christa, to me, represented the common man. She wasn't a scientist or trained pilot. She was a teacher, an extraordinary teacher, but a "regular" person who was given this great opportunity and was going to make the most of it. When she and the other astronaunts died in front of the whole world watching-a part of me died. I can not explain this feeling except that what she could have taught us- that space is for everyone and we could all maybe experience it one day gave way to a tremendous grief. I can not imagine how her family felt; her husband, her little kids, her parents and the students at her school that were sitting in an auditorium watching what was to be a joyous event turn into castastrophe. But Christa did teach us something. She gave the ultimate gift to tell us that space and space exploration is dangerous. We had become complacent at that time. So many shuttles had gone up without incident that the news barely mentioned them if at all. But that was a wake-up call. It taught us more about the structure and the function of the craft and it made us more cautious to send people. Christa, her life and her quest to be the first to teach a global class from outer space, stayed with me and that is why I named my daughter after her. I hope for my daughter what Christa hoped for her students, a curiosity and never-ending,child-like wonder for the world. To strive beyond your limits and reach for the stars. Her motto was "I touch the future. I teach".
She certainly did.

I have been thinking about names .....

How could we forget the Ben and J-Lo union? At first I thought Bennifer- now thats clever. That feeling didn't last long as every celebrity tabloid and newshow picked up on it and now it actually makes me cringe. I am sure Jennifer Garner did not appreciate Bennifer2 either. Now we have Bradgelina. Geez. So I'm thinking about me and my husband. His name is Joe. So we could be Roseph or Jobin. Not too great. Some names just do not bode well for celebridom. Think Gweneth and Chris- Chriseth-Gris? And what about companies who are named after their founders. Would Trump have put his name on a building if it was "Slumpfump" or "Turdish"? What about Micheal Dell? Would he have put his name on a computer if it was "Dinglemeister" These are things I think about.
My maiden last name is a first name. Until I was married people would mistake my last name for my first name all the time. I could not wait to change it but when I got married I hyphenated my name. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Now that causes all sorts of problems but at least it sounds like a last name. I blame it all on my mother. She is lousy at naming things. Her dog is named Peppe. No its not a french poodle. Its a schnauser, a salt and pepper schanuser hense Peppe. I guess Salty had probably crossed her mind but with her cholesterol problems. Well you know. Well maybe the fault really lies with her mother, my grandmother, who had three children that honestly had some of the worst names I have ever heard. When the time came to name my daughter I wanted to incorporate my mom's name in her name. My mother vehemently declined "Don't you dare name that child after me. I have hated my name my whole life!" Ok already. I shortened her name "Josephine" to "Jo" and now it is my daughter's middle name. She sounds like a relative to the Waltons but at least my mom is happy. We are NOT going to talk about how my daughter feels about her name....

And so it begins....

Ok. So the world needs another blog. I think I will write about my life and observations about being a wife and mother of an autistic child, the books I read and the crafts that I do and maybe put in some exercize too for motivation. So welcome to my world!