"The Eagle has landed."

Forty years ago this day, I was a 14 year old kid who along with my family (and the rest of the world) was glued to our TV set, watching a fuzzy picture and holding our breaths as we waited for Neil Armstrong to take his famous first steps.

I vividly remember the moment he stepped on the moon and the scratchy voice coming across those thousands of miles.

On July 20, 1969 a man walked on the moon. I sat and let the enormity of the moment sink in. A man has walked on the moon today.

I remember getting all goose-bumpy and teary and thinking to myself, "Wow, anything is possible."

In May of this year, we had the privilege of visiting the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum and got to see the Apollo 11 craft up close and personal.
Apollo 11

As my husband and son stood and posed for this photo, I couldn't help but reflect on just how far we had come. Not just mankind, but me personally.

As I snapped this photo I thought, "I'm standing just below the actual Apollo 11 spacecraft." The same one that brought astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins back from the moon. From the moon! (I'm sort of an uber-dork, you know.)

Nowhere in my wildest imagination could I have predicted this moment. It was totally surreal. (And yes, I know I was a bit exhausted and jet lagged, but that's not important right now.)

And then I looked into the eyes of my 13-year-old-wasn't-he-just-a-baby-a-minute-ago son and got all choked up once again.

I thought, "Wow, anything is possible."

594px-Apollo_11_bootprint

"That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind" ~ Neil Armstrong

Speaking of Moonwalks.... go here to see something really cool.*  =D

(*Thanks, Lee!)