I've loved the stars for many years, and always had them on the back of my mind, but I never put more thought into them until recently. The last couple of years have been life changing. I started reading more about various astronomical happenings and became increasingly intrigued. I started reading some more on my own learning about the wide assortments of possibilities, and haven't stopped since.
Astronomy really hit home for me when I went to a public observing night at a local college and entered a raffle. My girlfriend and I ended up winning the best scope they were offering that night, for $15! By chance, she happened to have cash on her, and I didn't! Good thing! It was a Vixen 95mm Mak-Cas. I brought it home, and even the first night I was completely hooked. Seeing the Orion nebula, Jupiter, and Saturn completely changed my entire mode of thinking. I couldn't believe I was seeing objects so far away. The first night I viewed Andromeda I cried, shortly followed by running around my yard in the middle of the night..... Coming to the realization I was seeing an entire galaxy, full of it's own happenings and mysteries, was the final straw for me.
I finished my then-current schooling in Automotive Tech, and applied to the local college for Physics with the intention of continuing on to astrophysics. I just finished my first semester and about to start my next, and I cannot wait. A new life is just beginning for me, and I don't have arms wide enough to embrace it. With all of you I meet here, you'll help me realize a level of happiness I cannot express to you in words. So to all that I converse with in the future, and those whose posts I read, thank you for your help and guidance.
The clearest of skies,
Tom