4 Out of 5 Friends and Relatives Tell Me to Frame It

Ever since I went back to school full-time, my competitive side seems to have reemerged in a BIG way. In my first go-round at college, grades were not something I paid much attention to. That’s probably because I was too busy paying attention to the hot guys around campus, drinking WAY too much, and focusing on my tan. Now that I’m older and paying for my education, I actually care about getting good grades. Actually, I care about learning…and kicking some ass grade-wise.

When I finally came up for air this week, I noticed the following letter in my stack of mail. I had to read this letter twice, because I have honestly never seen one of these letters before in my life:

Dear Melinda:

I want to congratulate you for your outstanding academic performance during the Fall Term of 2008! Your grades for that term qualify you for the honor of being named to the College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s List of Scholars.

I am extremely pleased that the academic programs in the College of Arts and Sciences attract students of your caliber. The Dean’s List of Scholars is only awarded to the top ten percent of the majors in our college who are full-time students. You should be very proud of your accomplishment.

Once again, congratulations on being named to the Dean’s List of Scholars and best wishes for your continued success at the University.

It was at this point when I fell out of my chair. Holy crap! My friend Stephanie told me to scan it, make copies, post it on my Facebook page, and mail one to my mom. Okay, maybe my buddy went a little overboard, but I am quite excited about this. Especially since I had a less-than-auspicious beginning to my academic career. And, of course, now I want to get another one for the Spring Term. I’m going to have to load up on some caffeine.

Cupcakes and a Movie

I really need to give a shout-out to the folks over at Cherrybrook Kitchen. A while back I tested their Gluten Free Sugar Cookie Mix, and was very pleased with the results. This time, I tried their Gluten Free Dreams Chocolate Cake Mix, and it was heavenly. The product is gluten free, dairy free, egg free, peanut free, tree nut free…and FABULOUS! All I added was some oil, water, and vanilla; poured the mix into these cute little Barbie cupcake cups, bake at 350 for about 18 minutes, and presto! Baked yummy goodness. I topped these little gems with a homemade icing–which had some cocoa added to it because, you know, I love having a little chocolate with my chocolate! The texture of these cakes is perfect; not unlike a certain boxed cake mix that I used to buy in the supermarket a long time ago. Mmm…

The heat is oppressive around here lately, so I’ve been keeping the kids entertained with indoor activities. After dinner we turn the kids loose outside (by then the hottest time of the day has long since passed). After the cupcakes were out of the oven, I popped in a movie: Flicka. Ayden was not too enthused about it–I guess it’s because it wasn’t animated–but I thought it was very good. Since the kids have been around horses at their grandma’s, and because there’s a strong young female character in the movie, I thought Zoe might enjoy it; and she did. And because I’m a bit of a sap, I shed more than a tear or two by the end of the movie. If I don’t get back to my homework soon, I’ll be shedding a few more tears come exam day next week!

She Did It!

Congratulations to Zoe on her graduation from speech and occupational therapy. When she first started therapy Zoe was unable to speak, made little to no eye contact, and had significant delays in her fine and gross motor skills. Eight years later my girl can talk up a storm, rides her bike, performs with a song and dance group, takes piano lessons, and is more present than she ever has been. Sure there are challenges; Zoe has her difficult days–but they are far outweighed by the good, great, and just plain wonderful ones.

This is her first post-therapy week, and Zoe’s concerned about the fact that something that has been part of her routine for eight years is no longer there. She even asked for new goals, since the ones set by Miss Amy and Miss Lisa (her therapists) have already been met. That’s our girl for you. To commemorate the beginning of a new chapter in her life we threw a party for her this weekend, and what’s a party without cake?

I Read The News Today

Zoe gets major kudos today for a job well done. She came home and surprised us with news that she was an anchor on the school’s morning program. When I was a kid, there was no such thing as a school morning show, much less one with students working on it. Our district schools have morning announcements on closed-circuit tv, and my baby got to read the news today. Great job, Zoe!