Honors Received in Due Time

Miss M was inducted into the National Junior Honor Society on Thursday Night with a ceremony and dessert reception at the Country Club.  It was a well deserved honor for a child who doesn't always get the accolades at school.  It's tough to follow in your big brother's footsteps at a school that nearly fell over backwards to honor him with everything under the sun.

When Mallory was asked to apply for membership, I think she was a little skeptical that she would get invited to join.  She has great grades, but due to her commitments with dance and confirmation, she has not really been able to participate in many "at school" activities.  However, as we filled out the form, it quickly became obvious that this girl has done a lot of service hours.

Not only has she helped with a food pantry and rang bells for the Salvation Army, she's helped with Blood Drives, Linus Blanket making, and other things through Girl Scouts and church. When M realized that as part of NJHS she'd be required to put in at least  four hours a month, she told me "that will not be a problem."

To make the invitation to join NJHS even more exciting, we put tickets to the Taylor Swift concert in the letter from the school inviting M to the ceremony.  When she opened the letter (which we'd already read), she nearly flipped out, jumping in the air, and screaming.  At first, I think she thought that the tickets were from the school and then she realized that we must have given the tickets to her.  Tricky parents!

The Induction Ceremony was a special evening for Miss M and my husband and I.  We were thrilled to see the huge smile on M's face when they called her name ND gave her the certificate and pin for NJHS.  A well deserved honor for a special young lady.

We are so proud of Miss M and how hard she works to maintain her excellent grades, but even more how willing she is to share and give to others.  Her compassionate heart and empathy for others is so sweet.  We are confident that God has big things in store for Miss M and that this award and accomplishment are just another step on the path.

Way to Go Miss M.  We love you!

Happy 12th Birthday Miss M

Miss M is now a twelve year old.  May 8th, 2000 in so many ways seems like just yesterday, but now we are celebrating that in one more year she'll become a real teanager.  Help Me Jesus!  You could say that Miss M is a birthday girl.  She loves all thing birthday.  My grandmother who was a May Girl too, claimed that all May Girls are birthday girls.  She might have been right!

Of course, the problem with having a May birthday is that it is the crazy month with activities wrapping up and evenings filled to the brim.  It didn't help that Miss M's birthday was on a Tuesday (our crazy day) so we had to "fit" in the celebrating on that day and then carry over the activity to Mother's Day.  So kind of like "double Birthday."

We did get to grab dinner at Five Guys, have a little present opening, and she took treats to FCA, Dance and to her homeroom!  She was a busy girl that day. Miss A was just as happy to help Miss M open her presents.  I'd say Miss M will be busy shopping at Justice, Forever 21 and Charming Charlies soon.  She also plans to pierce her ears once she gathers the courage.

The birthday cake was a Miss M design.  She had doddled up a design for her perfect birthday cake, with polka dots, strips and special candles.  I "stole" the doodle and gave it to the cake designer at the bakery.  It was the first customer designed cake she'd ever done and she was impresed with Miss M's sense of style.

Having a daughter placed in my arms twelve years ago was one of the best days of my life.  I've loved every minute since too!  What joy.

Fulfilling Dreams

Miss M has been dreaming of going to a Taylor Swift concert for months and now that dream has been fulfilled! Saturday night was the big night. Miss M and P had an evening to remember. According to Miss M, it was her favorite birthday present ever and the best concert of her life.

Here are a few of Miss M's observations on the evening:

The line for t-shirts was really long. Had Miss M not had birthday money buring a hole in her pocket, she might have skipped the line (or convinced dad that she really, really needed one). However, she had her heart set on getting a t-shirt so, thankfully, Miss M and her Dad waited the line out. Red Taylor Swift Shirt ....check. Taylor Swift poster...check.

Having Club Level tickets means you have access to the Lounge and they have fancy drinks inside. Miss M loved her Wavebender. It was Fabulous.

She saw a girl from her softball team, a girl from school, and one of Miss A's friends. It was the social event of the season.

The line for a Covergirl Makeover was way too long. She got the free lipstick, but skipped the process. Miss M didn't need a makeover anyway!

Taylor Swift really rocked the show. She flew across the arena, she changed her clothes dozens of times, she sang tons of Miss M's favorite songs, and the backup singers and dancers put on a real show.

Miss M was in seventh heaven the entire show. She sang along to the songs, she screamed with all the other preteen girls, and gushed over Taylor's clothing and dancing. It was fabulous. Even dad thought it was a great show!

Not even the 1/2 hour waiting to leave the parking garage detered her enthusiasm. When Dad captured her sleeping on the way home, she quickly woke up and asked if he thought she'd been sleeping. According to her she was not sleeping, just resting!

Happy belated birthday, Miss M.