We have liftoff!

I admit to being a geek, but even I didnt realize how much the shuttle launch meant to me until I was planted in front of the television glued to every second of the countdown.  Even as I listened to the controllers I was half certain that it would be called off and that the last second.  It seemed like from the moment the shuttle cleared the tower to reaching orbit I didnt breathe.  My heart sped up until the 3 minute mark (when the debris hit Columbia) then again at the 8 minute 20 second mark (Challenger) before I even thought about what was going on.  I was just waiting for disaster in some respect.   And finally, the fuel tank was jettisoned and I felt some sense of relief. 

Not that big of an entry but it needed to be stated.