My Family FTW!!!

My mother went back to school when I was 14. She had always dreamed of being a teacher, and I like to think that I set that plan into motion when I was conceived. She was shortly thereafter ordered to bedrest and ended up quitting her accounting job to stay home and manage me. Just kidding...you know, mostly.

Long story short, she's now the most motivated, hardworking and inspiring teacher I've ever met. She alway goes to work early, stays late most days, adjuncts at our alma mater, tutors and teaches homebound students. We usually can't go grocery shopping without a student or parent hugging her and telling her what a difference she's made in their/their child's life.

For these and many, many more reasons, I'm so proud for her that her hard work has paid off in a way she hoped for but never expected: last Tuesday, my mother (and another lady) won the 2011 McGlothlan Award for Teaching Excellence.

{Source}

I wasn't at the ceremony. I was at a graduation party that one of the healthcare corporations planned for the area's nursing students. They had casino games for us to play with fake money, and at the end of the night there was a blind auction. It just so happens that Justin is very good at black jack and won quite a bit of fake money.

As the auction started, a handful of people form our school gave him their money so someone we know would have a chance at winning something. Justin bid and won whatever prise was in envelope #5. He's now the happy owner of...an ipad.

With all the calling and texting back and forth about the good fortune of my family, I learned that my sister was at a concert that she'd won tickets to.

Good luck evidently really does come in threes!