Houston, We Have a Vacation! 🚀

If you had told me our Houston trip would involve dodging rainstorms between rocket ships and baseball diamonds, I might have packed a few more umbrellas (or at least an umbrella)! 🌧️ My partner and I recently spent a few days exploring Space City, and despite the very enthusiastic Texas weather, it turned out to be one of those trips where the detours and downpours just make the memories sweeter. 🚀 From walking in the footsteps of astronauts at NASA's Johnson Space Center to cheering on the Astros under the roof of Daikin Park, Houston kept us busy, soggy, and completely charmed. Here's how it all went! ⚾

Day 0 — Two Journeys, One Storm, Zero Complaints

The trek to Houston is officially underway! My flights from MDT through ATL were smooth and on time, and I touched down in Houston at 11pm — not bad at all. My partner, however? A whole different story. Snow in Denver had other plans, and he didn't roll in until around midnight. Thankfully, his aunt A and uncle B were kind enough to pick us both up from the airport, which honestly made everything so much easier. We got to their place, cleaned up, and crashed — tomorrow's adventures could wait.

Day 1 — Slow Down, Texas Style

After the late arrival the night before, a lazy morning felt very earned. Aunt A spoiled us right out of the gate with a full spread — bacon, eggs, toast, fruit, the whole shebang. We spent the day just being, which is honestly a vacation in itself: beautiful weather, two friendly dogs, good conversation, and zero agenda. We were planning to get in the pool, but Texas had other ideas — a massive storm rolled in that afternoon and shut that right down. No complaints though, because Anna came through again at dinner with smoked chicken tacos that were absolutely worth the wait. We wrapped up the evening playing Catan with the family, which felt like the perfect low-key start to the trip.

Day 2 — From Mission Control to Daikin Park

Big day doesn't even begin to cover it. We were up and out the door by 8:30am, and the first stop? A private tour of NASA. Yes, you read that right — my partner's aunt and uncle both work at Johnson Space Center, so we got to see it in a way most people never will. We started at the Rocket Lab, which has a full-scale Saturn V model (jaw-dropping) along with several other rockets on display.

Then it was over to Mission Control Center — where we saw the restored Apollo-era MCC, the current ISS operations center (we actually walked onto the floor and chatted with the Flight Director 🤩), and the room where Artemis II was controlled from. The mission had just wrapped a little over a week prior — I watched it from home — and standing in that actual room was completely surreal.

We also got a tour of the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility where uncle B works, including ISS training modules that actual astronauts use, which we were NOT expecting and were absolutely floored by. We also saw the mockup of the Orion capsule, seeing the life-sized living quarters of the astronauts that they orbited the moon in. Talk about a once-in-a-lifetime moment!

After all that, we headed to Daikin Park for an Astros game — a first for me since it was my first time in Houston. They were playing the Cardinals, and it was a genuinely exciting game that went into extra innings… the Astros ultimately lost 5-7, but we had a great time regardless. We came home, A made Texas chili and cornbread, and I started outlining this very blog post while the boys played Wii Sports. A full, full day. 😅

Day 3 — Back to Earth (Literally, I Had to Work)

Reality check: I had to work today. 😞 Silver lining: my partner had the whole week off and chose to sit with me anyway, doing his own thing while I knocked out my to-do list. It made the workday genuinely enjoyable — there's something really sweet about just being in the same space as your person. The day was relatively chill work-wise — helped a coworker with a project he's taking the lead on and chipped away at some lingering tasks.

After work, we headed over to his uncle's parents' house for dinner. Plot twist: Domino's chicken wings (didn't know that was a thing — they're actually quite good!), plus his aunt made me a pasta dish with red sauce since my food allergies put most of the spread out of reach. She's been such a thoughtful hostess all week. 🥰 Everyone was warm and welcoming, and we had a great time chatting before heading out — the youngest cousin had to drive back to college that night. Back at home, my partner and I wound down with some Don't Starve Together, which is always chaotic in the best way, before heading to bed after a long day.

Day 4 — A Rough Morning, A Good Evening

Not gonna sugarcoat it — work was rough today. A coworker didn't show up to an assigned duty and I had to scramble last minute to find backup coverage. Stressful. But again, my partner was right there next to me, which made even the hard moments more manageable. I'm genuinely enjoying that so much about this trip. ❤️

Once the workday was behind us, we had a proper date night at Oceans, a Japanese sushi and ramen spot nearby. I went with salmon roll and teriyaki chicken; he had seaweed salad and ramen. Good food, good conversation — exactly what the day needed. We came back home and played hot pot with his cousin, then spent some quality time together before bed. This was our last night together before another month apart, so we made it count. 🥺

Day 5 — Goodbye, Houston 🥺

The last day snuck up fast, and yes — I had to work again. I let myself sleep in a little since nothing urgent was on the docket, and I made the most of the morning by taking the dogs outside to work from the backyard with my partner out on the patio with me. (Until the mosquitoes staged a full-on attack. Texas, man.) I had leftover Oceans for lunch — still delicious — squeezed in some more work, and then it was time to pack up.

Around 3:30pm, my partner's aunt drove us to the airport (only 20 minutes away — bless). Said our goodbyes to her, sailed through TSA PreCheck in under five minutes (just get it), and then sat at the gate together for one last stretch of time before our flights went different directions. When it was time to board, we said goodbye, and I tried not to feel too emotional about it. 🥺

The HOU → ATL leg was smooth and landed a bit early. Quick Plane Train ride from B to D, grabbed some Popeyes (an airport staple, no notes), then caught my connection to MDT — which was delayed but not by much. I landed in Harrisburg just before midnight, my mom was waiting curbside, and I was home 30 minutes later. Showered, texted my partner, crashed. Trip complete. 💛