We did NOT run the Houston Half Marathon. The others on our team ditched because of flu and weather, and when Paul and I woke up the morning of the Houston Half, we thought it best to ditch too. Cold and rainy wouldn't usually deter us, but given that this week would be my astronaut selection interview week, now wasn't the time to go injuring myself. Turns out it was a good decision, knowing now what I do about how that interview week went, and also when I talked to people who did run it, they confirmed sideways sheets of rain, people zig zagging in and out of pot holes and puddles, running into each other. I could take a few hours of a challenge like that but not at the risk of showing up for the interview process with an injury!
So this week started really with Anna's first piano recital on Sunday :) She did great, and we are SO PROUD OF HER! She played Merrily We Roll Along (to the tune of Mary Had A Little Lamb) and got up in front of the crowd all by herself to play. LOVE HER!
This week she also participated in Gifted and Talented testing. The selection board for GT meets at the end of Feb to decide if she's made it. Fingers crossed! GT would give her many more opportunities to different class choices as she grows...
Wednesday started my astronaut selection interview period. Wednesday through Friday saw lots of tests (they were actually really fun and introspective), a butt-kicking group workout with the astronaut strength and conditioning trainers (cross-fit style!), and a selection board 1 hour interview at a table of around 15 people (astros and non-astros) asking me about myself. Mine was the second-to-last interview of the entire week, and I'm not sure what those listening to me thought, but I sure as heck had a blast! I wasn't nearly as nervous as I thought I'd be, and it was conversational, thoughtful, and friendly. I can't imagine what it must be like for them to have to hear the life stories of 120 interviewees like this, but hopefully mine wasn't too painful :) While I don't have any real edge-of-seat thrilling llife stories, I do have some fun ones and have enjoyed getting to where I am today. They asked some great "what-if" questions, and I think I did just fine! How fine I did remains to be seen, though! They will call back 50 of us 120 to go through more extensive interviews and medical exams, and narrow down to the last 9-15 who will finally be selected to enter the astronaut office (they'll be called "astronaut candidates" for the first two years of their training before graduating to "astronauts". So technically we are interviewing to be "astronaut candidates").
One thing's for sure, I can bet there's not many other jobs where the competing interviewees are so helpful to each other! The other 9 folks in our group really did their best to cheer each other on, as well as calm each other down. They ranged from test pilots to engineers, and we also had an educator. All were so really cool, and hope to see them in the next round!
Soo for now it's back to reality, keeping busy at work as usual until hopefully I get a call to the next round. No matter what happens, I am so darned happy to have had the chance and had a super great experience. Having no regrets, doing my best, and having a great overall experience is the best feeling in the world!
Meanwhile, Anna-Marie was surprised at school with the Ward Good Character award for her class for the 9-week period! I couldn't make it (it was on Friday during my interview week!), but my mom and Paul attended and said she was so surprised :) It was hard for me to keep it a secret! We get to display the Good Character sign in our front yard for awhile. She had a few whiney months in the fall where I thought I might pull my hair out. But she's been coming out of that phase (thank GAWD) and growing up so fast. She knows she's growing up, too, and she's proud of all of it!
Also her reading ability has gone off the charts. I can't believe what I hear when she reads to us, and it's so fun to watch this develop. She even catches on when Paul and I try to hide things from her through the typical spelling approach. Busted. Dang.
She's catching on to science big time right now, and loves to watch magic tricks. In fact she has a magic kit on the way in the mail right now so she can practice. She wants a magician at her birthday party :) She's also started taking up dance class again (DARN IT!) and she loves it. Can't hold her back from that, the force is strong with this one :) But she will have to cut out gymnastics. Gymnastics, piano, and dance is too crazy on the schedule (and cost!). She is too young for that and really needs to appreciate balance and decision making.
...And Paul's clinic is booming through the roof! Life is good!
