Well, I just got finished with one of the most incredible events in my life! Can you imagine, a photo-shoot with three of the most famous female astronauts: Eileen Collins, Yvonne Cagle, and Ellen Ochoa?

Needless to say, I was nervous... What would I say to them? How should I act? Should I shake their hands, or kiss their feet? (smile). As we approached the site of the photo-shoot I nervously smoothed the wrinkles out of my pants and tucked my hair back behind my ears. Craning my neck to look out the van's windows hoping to catch a long awaited glimpse of the women. Unfortunately, tinted windows do nothing for someone who wants a view! As the van careens into the parking space the sound of belt buckles unsnapping occurs simultaneously. The van door swings open as four overly excited teenage girls jump out. As calmly as our excitement would allow, we make our way over to the astronauts.

I never truly expected the women to be so friendly, to tell you the truth I thought they would be less "down to earth" (no pun intended). Yet the astronauts not only made you feel welcome but like you had known them for years. They joked around a lot, which really made you relax. Not only that, but the confidence they generated was amazing. You could truly tell that they were comfortable with who they are and what they have done. A person can't help but admire a talent like that.

OK! Make up time!! Wow! They sure do like to paint you with some heavy stuff! It took awhile to get all the other girls done and the astronauts. Although, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

The actually photo-shoot was the hardest. Lori and I had to kneel on the ground the majority of the time, and trust me, asphalt does nothing for the knees! I discovered something new about myself while kneeling on the ground all that while. I always believed that smiles were endless, but when you smile for a really long time, they start to get fake. That is a terrible fate to come across when you need to keep them genuine! Well, the whole experience was somewhat blurred.

The photo shoot was just the beginning of our day. We went on to tour Mission Control, the Simulation Lab, and the fixed base cockpit, where you can see me here. You can read all about that in Kim's journal.

To find out more about what it really takes to book astronaut appearances, read the profile I wrote on Linda Kennedy. She has been handling post flight tours and astronaut appearances for quite some time. I think you'll find her work fascinating. The astronaut office gets hundreds and hundreds of requests weekly for appearances. There are various means of sorting through these. The fact that we had the opportunity to spend the morning with this esteemed group is astounding.

I have this last photo as a wonderful memory of that day - a day I am sure I will always cherish.