Word of the Day: comestible 31 November/1 December 2000 On the way to Ganado, Aaron said, 'One question. Do you want to make this our first date as a couple?' I looked at him with a big old grin plastered on my face. He said he was trying to be unique. I replied in the affirmative. I sort of liked my week and a half of freedom, but Aaron makes me happy. Now, let's see, who all was there...Caren and Crystal, Kathy and Charlie, Lee and Lacey, and Travis. Caren and Crystal saved a seat between them for Travis. He was going to sit with the other couples, then Kathy said something about Crystal being by herself. Travis took it upon himself to sit next to Crystal, but not in the pre-planned spot. However, Caren put him in his proper place. She was happy--I could tell. I have been selected to be in the NASA Fly High program. I won't be able to go up in the plane, but Agnes will. That is one lucky girl. Me and Lacey are on Ground Control. We get out of school for four days in April (I'll miss my Aaron!). Well, I will most definitely have sweet dreams tonight (thank you, Aaron). Good night. Love, Ashley :) __________________________________________________________________ How good life was then. I had my Aaron and we were in the budding stages of out love. I was drum major with a driver's license, going on the KC-135, life couldn't have been more perfect. Speaking of Fly High, here are some memories, courtesey of NASA. Left to right: Eric, Chris, the back of my head, Josh, and Jatan, EHS flight crew and alternate, going through physiological training. Man, that was freakin boring. A more better picture of me and Chris, flight partners. Look as Chris with his pencil there, waiting to note what to do in case of fast decompression of the plane at 45,000 feet. Josh, me, and Chris, taken like five seconds after the one above this one. Look at that bang action of mine. Man, did I not have a brush? Oh wait, we're in Houston in April (humidity + wind = my bangs looking like that). The five of us again in reverse order: Jatan, Josh, me, Chris, and Eric. I can't believe I was the only girl and the only junior flying. Me in the decompression chamber without oxygen with simulated atmosphere of 45,000 feet above Earth taking that damned test. Too bad you can't see the connect-the-dot action I tried to pull. Cracks me up every time I think of it. In the picture I'm probably trying to answer the question 'Spell your name backwards'. The lack of oxygen was getting to me already, so I'm all like, 'I can't remember the last letter of my name. Damn it, I'm just gonna write it from right to left, that should be good enough.' This is all of us in the hanger at Ellington Field explaining the stupidest experiment in Fly High history to the NASA people (AKA our test readiness review). Left to right: Mrs. Hedges, Agnes (the blonde hair behind Mrs. Hedges), Laurel, me, Jatan, Chris (wearing the Senior 2001 shirt), Josh, Michael, and Eric talking to the people. We were all supposed to look serious and professional, but I was trying not to laugh. And I still have that Edna High School sign, too. Chris and mine's flight date. This is everyone on our flight in front of the plane with all the NASA people. We're the last to kneeling on the right (once again, check out the bang action and that smile of joy). Me, Mrs. Hedges, and Chris getting off the plane after our flight. One of the best feelings in the world: the feeling of gravity after two hours of switching from weightlessness to twice earth gravity and back to weightlessness. The perfect picture of me doing pushups during the Martian gravity parabolas. I could clap my hands between them!! Mrs. Hedges and that damned yip-yap dog. I hated that little annoying thing. Chris and I trying to keep from floating while trying to perform our 'experiement'. Yeah, that didn't work out so well. I loved it when we decided to pack the stupid thing up and play. Me trying to keep the bottle steady. I shouldn't have put my hair in a ponytail. That would have been awesome. Well, that was some good remembery. Man, I wish I could do that again. I need to call Aaron and tell him happy 'anniversary'. I love him. 'Raskolnikov, eat your soup!' 'NO!!!!' 'Ashley, write your essay!' 'NO!!!!'