Yesterday we spent some of the day in Ocean City, Maryland. I'm on Spring Break this week and Rex had off from work. We left Wednesday night and it only took about 2 hours to get there. Thank you GPS! It was my first time in Ocean City and Rex's second time. We had a great time. There weren't that many people there, which was nice. Many of the attractions were gearing up for the summer. It was relaxing to walk along the beach and on the boardwalk.  It was a bit chilly in the morning but it warmed up by the afternoon.

We stopped by The Dough Roller for breakfast and the food was great.  We're planning to go back this summer we some of our friends and possibly stay for a day or too. We headed back from Ocean City around 12 and stopped at the Casino at Ocean Downs along the way. It was Rex's first time in a casino. We're still waiting for that jackpot, it was nice to play though. Rex did pretty good on one machine, but we just wound up contributing to the casino fund. It took us about 2 and half hours to get back. Here are couple of pictures from our trip.

I was on Capitol Hill in DC yesterday, helping to lobby for a program called TRiO which helped get me to where I am today. Recently the program has undergone loss of funding and support for students has been significantly reduced. Some programs may even been shut down for good.  I met up with one of the directors of the Ronald E. McNair Program at Kean University. She has come to Capitol Hill in the past, showing her support for the TRiO program and helping to show its importance.  There where also many other members of the TRiO programs all over the United States. We met with legislative coordinators and members of congressmen from both political parties. I voiced my story about how McNair helped me acquire research skills and helped me get into the Ph.D program at Howard. I also voiced about how beneficial the TRiO program is on giving students an opportunity.

We also took notice to the earlier blossoming of the Cherry Blossoms. It was nice to see the Cherry Blossoms and get away from the ugly head of politics.

For more information on TRiO check here.
For more information about Ronald E. McNair for which the McNair program was created after click here.

Below are a few pictures of the Cherry Blossoms.

 “Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Rex has started the process for getting his US citizenship.  He's finally eligible and he's studying for the test.  I know he'll make it. We're both so happy :-) Yay baby!

We attended a NASA Tweetup for Valentine's Day 2012.

You may be wondering what a Tweetup is.  According to NASA, "A Tweetup is an informal meeting of people who use the social messaging medium Twitter. NASA Tweetups provide @NASA followers with the opportunity to go behind-the-scenes at NASA facilities and events and speak with scientists, engineers, astronauts and managers. NASA Tweetups range from two hours to two days in length and include a "meet and greet" session to allow participants to mingle with fellow Tweeps and the people behind NASA's Twitter feeds. Registration for NASA Tweetups will be announced on the NASA page, @NASA and @NASATweetup." The first tweetup was held on January 21, 2009 at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in Pasadena, CA.

This tweetup is our second tweetup. We had actually gone to our first one back in October 2011 at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. The tweetup participants are selected at random and at first I was not selected for the October Tweetup. I was on the waitlist and 3 days after that I heard received and email that I was selected. We saw Astronauts Chris Ferguson and Sandra Magnus of STS-135, the final space shuttle mission for NASA. It was cool hearing about their experiences on the shuttle and in space. I even got a picture with Astronaut Sandra Magnus:

We got to see Astronaut Ron Garan this time. Garan spent 164 days in space during the Expedition 27 and Expedition 28 missions to the International Space Station. He and his crewmates launched April 4, 2011, and returned to Earth on Sept. 15, 2011, according to the NASA website. Mr. Garan was very personable and had a great sense of humor. He told stories of his travels aboard the International Space Station, gave more information on harvesting energy from the moon and about his work Fragile Oasis. We did not get a photo with Garan, he had a meeting to go to after the event.

We had a good time, and people of all ages, come to the tweetups from all over the world. There were mostly people from inside the United States at the recent tweetup we went too. Some of the farthest travelers came from California and Arizona. It is a great way to meet people that share a common interest.  The event is also broadcasted live on NASA's website.  Here are more pictures from the event:


For more information check out this website.

-Tasha