Southern Hospitality

Last weekend, Maki, CJ and I had the pleasure of attending the Alabama Associated General Contractors chapter-wide convention in Sandestin, FL.  Matrix Group had just launched the new ALAGC site and I was invited to present the new site at the business meeting on Friday morning.  The launch was a success and I just know this site will be the best AGC site out there.  But that's not what I want to talk about here in my personal blog.

What I do want to talk about is how real southern hospitality is.  From the moment our plane touched down and we were picked up at the airport by ALAGC's VP, Jim Rives, we felt truly welcome.  Jim and his wife, Sandy, were gracious hosts all weekend; they sat with us at the Board dinner; introduced us to Board members, partners and members; played with CJ during the pool party; took us to lunch our final day; and drove us back to the airport.

The ALAGC CFO and his wife, Daryl and Sherry Hutchins, could not have been kinder.  They, too, made sure we felt welcome, and,

 get this, they asked their children, Katelin and Hunter, to take care of CJ so Maki and I could attend the Board dinner and awards banquet.  I have to say that Katelin and Hunter defy the notion that all teenagers are cranky, sullen and uncooperative.  Katelin and Hunter were a joy.  They were sweet, they wanted to hang out with their parents, they chafed at some of their parents' rules but they knew their limits, they are interesting and accomplished in their own right, and they were amazing with CJ.  A few days after we got back, I asked CJ what were his favorite things about the trip and he said, "Katelin and Hunter."   His next favorite was Jim Rives.  Tells you a lot, doesn't it.

Well, let me tell you that we thoroughly enjoyed Sandestin.  We had fun at the beach; CJ made sand castles, buried his mommy, got buried by mommy, and played in the waves with mommy and daddy.  CJ loved fried crab claws, sweet potato fries and shrimp.  He also had his first peanut butter and jelly sandwich on white bread and loved it.  His new phrase from the trip is, "mama, I loved this."  And he said that a lot on this trip.

These Alabama and Florida contractors sure know how to hold a convention.  This convention was family-friendly, but there was also a lot of networking and dealing going on.  I'm going to have to figure out a way to get there next year.

Here is a video of CJ dancing at the beach.  He just loves to dance and he loved the beach!

First visit to Kennedy Space Center

NASA had arranged for guests of the astronauts to have a tour of Kennedy Space Center and the shuttle area on Sunday, March 9.

We met Maki's parents for lunch in Titusville. Of all things, we found a Malaysian restaurant, the Pineapple Bay, in Titusville. The food was good and Maki and I enjoyed introducing Malaysian food to our parents.

The main activity of the day was getting our special passes to the family tour and launch. We had to go through a security screening at Kennedy Space Center before entering the administrative office to get our credentials.

Once we got our tickets, we were free to wander around Kennedy Space Center, which is kind of like a NASA Disneyland. We watched a 3D IMAX movie about the moon (narrated by Tom Hanks, of course), we walked through a couple of exhibits, we went inside a space shuttle, and went on the Shuttle Launch Experience ride. The Launch Experience ride is a trip. You get a little briefing, then you go on a ride that is meant to simulate a launch, complete with 45 degree angles and a bit of G force. Of course, we enjoyed space dots, the space age, frozen ice cream, which CJ just loved.

I especially liked the posters that showed the different technologies that were developed through the space program, like food safety testing, breast cancer screenings, climate change detection, etc., you get the idea. We all enjoyed seeing the inside of a space shuttle. The space shuttle is like a smallish plane, with pretty much just room for the astronauts and cargo.

After a full day or sightseeing at Kennedy Space Center, Maki's parents left for a NASA reception and to pick up Maki's brother. We had a fun dinner at Taco Bell. I could tell I was going to get a lot of junk food on this trip. So much for Joe Dillon.

Florida, here we come!

Last Saturday, Maki, CJ, mom and I flew out to Orlando to visit the Kennedy Space Center to view the night launch of the space shuttle Endeavor. So how did we get this gig? It goes like this. Maki's dad works for JAMSS America.

JAMSS America, Inc. (JAI) is part of the Japan Manned Space Systems Corporation (JAMSS), the prime operations contractor to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). JAI is an aerospace engineering consulting company that provides various support for the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM). Yes, Maki's dad is a rocket scientist.

To make a short story long, Maki's mom is good friends with Hitomi Doi, the wife of Takao Doi, one of the astronauts on the Endeavor. Hitomi invite Maki's parents and us and my mom to view the shuttle launch as their guests. Astronaut Doi is part of the Endeavor crew because Kibo, the Japanese experiment module, was scheduled to go up with the launch.

So, on Saturday morning, we flew to Orlando. Kennedy Space Center is a mere half hour away from Orlando Airport. Who knew? I've been going to Orlando all these years and kept missing the Florida space coast.

We arrived around lunch time, got our rental car and drove to the Best Western in Titusville. The weather was surprisingly cold (30s), so I broke the news to CJ that he was not going to get any beach time.

Titusville is not much to look at. The Best Western, which bills itself the Space Shuttle Inn, is surrounded by fast food restaurants and big box retailers. We were next door to Home Depot, McDonald's, KFC, Target, well, you get the idea. We met up with Maki's parents for dinner and turned in early so that we could get a jump on Sunday.