delara, interrupted

I have had more fun in the last week than... I don't even know what to say. Work and service often don't feel like work when you are with people you love and you have this good a time! The SED Conference was amazing, as usual. And the seminar on education for sustainability (check out the Sustainability Education Center) was even better, if that were possible. I caught a glimmer of what future path may lay ahead for me - a path that renews my passion for education and links it with sustainable development as an integral part of anything we do. Anyway, my total reflections on the past few days are yet incomplete... stay tuned.

"The crew" (Lacey, Aaron, Greg, Paulie, Javad, Naseem, Atoosa, Shadi, Nava and Yasmin - friends old and new) had SOOO much fun today! And that was just a continuation from last night - dinner at this great Thai restaurant with a party of over 30 people (you know how these groups grow and grow!). That crew included contingencies from Atlanta (Sof, Joanna, Sima, Laura, Alex, etc.) and DC (Andra, Mojgan, etc.). We were all representin'.

Then today, after the conference program ended at noon, a few of us met up with supah-cool George - a dear friend of Lacey's who lives in the area and is an aerospace technologist with NASA. Does that tell you just a little bit how cool he is? (Actually, more fabulous than that is what I perceive to be his generous spirit and love for life.) So, we had this amazing lunch at a charming Italian restaurant in Winter Park followed by what had to be the craziest car ride since our Friday night fiasco. Circus clowns jammed into a small toy car come to mind. After making it to the outlet mall and purchasing a few gifts for people (the perfect thing to do after a conference on SED projects, right!??), we had dinner at the Samba Room, completely took over the place with our laughing and storytelling, and immersed ourselves in that love that we all have for each other. I sat back at some point and reveled in how blessed I feel to be surrounded by so many amazing people.

So, there you have it. Well, not quite, right? Recall the rocket launch excitement Friday night? We made it out to Cape Canaveral by about 4:00 am and hung around (half-awake, half-hallucinogenic, half-asleep) until just before 7:00 when we decided we needed to head back. WELL! George tells us today about how the rocket launched at... what time was that you said? Oh yeah, 7 freakin' oh five! WHAT??!?? Needless to say, Greg and I shall remember that adventure as rocket not. But at least we tried, right? Nothing ventured, nothing gained. And there was a whole lot gained along the way. Sometimes the journey is the destination...