Jared, king of the 21 club

I'm 2 weeks late posting this, but Jared had a great piano recital this month. He performed his 2 pieces without incident (thank heaven!), and then came the award ceremony. He received his gold medal for getting a perfect score on the state music theory test (he knew that was coming). Then he was given the 1st place trophy for most measures memorized during the 2007-2008 school year, out of all of the 50+ students that take from Ms. Ana. 1241 measures, to be exact--printed right there on the trophy. (This was a surprise to all of us). Jared had been first to enter Ms. Ana's 21 club this spring (the group of kids who memorize at least 21 pieces), but I assumed some of the older kids would have a greater total number of measures memorized. His "Mr. lemon-head" grin was going from ear to ear.

1st Year Finished!

Today I donned my Hawaiian shirt and made the trek to campus in the wee hours one last time for my last final exam in physiology, completing my first year. What a year it has been!
As I look at the pile of notebooks on my desk and the gigabites of powerpoint and mp3 lectures on my computer, I am amazed.

Integrity

I married a great woman! This week Christa is at a conference in Chicago where the business development side of her company is getting training on negotiation skills. Some of the activities are designed where two sides are negotiating with each other, and you will always do better if both sides cooperate (expand the pie) rather than try to shaft the other party. The tension comes as both sides have an incentive to stab the other party in the back, each side doesn't trust the other side, so both parties defect and they end up doing poorly (prisoner's dilemma).
Christa's group ended up winning the competition--both teams cooperated and made the best deal. The other team said afterwards that when they heard Christa was on the other team, they knew they could trust them because 'Christa always tells the truth.'
Sometimes we don't see how we are making impressions on those around us: neighbors, family, co-workers, etc. A lot of little actions add up to people's perceptions of who we are and what we stand for. I'm proud of Christa for living in a way that everyone around her knows she lives and acts with integrity. Way to go!

Waffle Irons and a book on CD

I am completely thrilled because today (Sunday) for lunch, i added waffles to my list of things i know how to make!!!! KUDOS FOR EMILY!!! besides waffles theres only box brownies....... ...T-T........BUT this is still a major accomplishment becaaaauuuuuuuuuse mom is still at grandma's house--i.e. i made them completely by myself!!!!!!! yes, there was no one in the kitchen besides me, the ingredients, and the cookbook!! unless you count dad, who was TRYING to help but ended up wandering around the kitchen, occasionally getting in my way. it's the thought that counts, though, right?? ;D