Author Archives: Ruth Marie Oliver

Along the Trail

Today at Aviation Challenge we graduated our Mach 3 – Twelve Day trainees, campers that are so die hard they come back year after year. They survived our watered down version of SERE, flying F-15s into simulated combat, several bumps … Continue reading

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Shrimp & Grits

Every morning during training at Space Camp I make a packet of instant grits for my breakfast. Some people would think that instant grits are not real grits and would suggest I wait. Grits aren’t served on the camp line … Continue reading

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Sandwiches

Remember on “Friends” when Joey had one of his meatball sandwiches. And there was that time when Joey appeared to be protecting Chandler from gun shots. It turned out that Joey was only lunging to save his meatball sandwich. There … Continue reading

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Dead Bird

Friday morning I visited Space Camp to check on graduation and such. I visited the Davidson Center, aka the building with the really big rocket! At that time I did not know that there was a moon walker on property. … Continue reading

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The Farm

On Friday morning I woke up shouting “We’re going to the FARM!” This did not make the husband or dog very happy. But I was so excited to be on my way to Carroll County, Mississippi. Going to the farm … Continue reading

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Ode to the Raptor

Oh, how I love thee, let me count the ways… The Raptor is our camp van. It is a 1997 Ford Aerostar mini-van. It was originally Aviation Challenge California’s van before making the trek to Huntsville, Alabama. There are many … Continue reading

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Khaki & Blue Memories

Recently the Space Camp managers have moved from white shirt to light blue shirts. Being a red head, I couldn’t be happier about the change! But now that I wear a blue oxford shirt with khakis I am reminded of … Continue reading

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1388 – 2/HB

On the corner of my desk sits a coffee mug with a variety of writing utensils, a pair of scissors, various paper clips, an x-acto knife, and a glitter wand. If you are ADHD you will pick up my glitter … Continue reading

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Call Signs

Growing up I always wanted a nick name. With a double name like Ruth Marie life is made difficult in the 80s. Most girls only had one name and many pops stars didn’t even have a last name. So I … Continue reading

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Plumber App

Never call me to be your plumber. This afternoon I tried to fix my leaky faucet. This is an epic tale of stupidity, rushing water, and fatigued belly dancing abs. I felt very confident in my repair skills. Heck, I … Continue reading

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Blue Light Special

Growing up I loved watching the movie Smokey and the Bandit. The Bandit would play an elaborate game of hide and seek with Sheriff Buford T. Justice as Cledus bootlegged something cross country. My life is similar to the Bandit’s … Continue reading

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Associate Discount

We all dream of what we will do to make money when we grow up. I dreamed of being an astronaut, architect, or teacher. Growing up, I never dreamed of working in a retail store. But the winding road that … Continue reading

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