A Whirlwind of a Weekend!

Oh gosh. I think I could go a year without eating birthday cake and be perfectly content. Seriously. After all of the dessert I ate this weekend, I'm pretty sure that I no longer have blood running through my veins. Nope. It's just straight sugar.
Friday was spent celebrating Graham's and Hilary's birthdays at the Russell Family hot spot: Fuddruckers. We celebrate most every Russell milestone within its hallowed halls. What can I say? We like a good burger.

Then, Saturday was my dad's birthday. He turned 56. Wowza. That's old. We celebrated by eating a delicious family style meal at Panda County. Ooooh...house special chicken is a delightful little dish, I tell ya! Then, that was followed up with my Dad's favorite dessert: German chocolate cake.
Side story: my dad has a habit of "sneaking" frosting out of the pantry. He opens up the little canister, scoops up a healthy finger full, and then carefully replaces the foil covering. Then, when my mom goes to use it, say, a month later...it has gone bad because it was opened and then not refrigerated. He has gotten in "trouble" for this little proclivity with a great deal of frequency. But he still persists. I was quite entertained while my mother yelled at my dad on his birthday for eating half of the can of frosting. He believed that because it was "his" cake he wouldn't get in trouble. Haha. Yeah right.

Then, on Sunday we celebrated both Graham's OFFICIAL birthday, and the day of mothers. I was quite proud of myself, I must say. Those who know me are aware of the fact that I'm not very talented in the kitchen. So, when I asked Graham what cake he wanted for his birthday he replied, "Um duh...my mom's chocolate chip cake." So then I responded, "ok...I better call and get the recipe from her." Then, the little brat said, "No. I want my mom to make it."
Oh ye of little faith! It was stressful, but I produced a PERFECT cake. After consuming the first bite, he proclaimed, "Kim it's a miracle. She's been domesticated!" That's right! I just hope he doesn't expect me to bake/cook with regularity!
My mom was gifted with a lovely little necklace from all of her daughters from origami owl. She cried, so we know it was a success. And Graham got what his little heart has been desiring for quite some time: A GoPro Hero 2. What a spoiled boy! But he's very worth it!

The Big Day

Today was the big day.
The day that I got my sweet award.
You know, the award that I thought I wouldn't win?
The one that says that I have demonstrated "excellence" in teaching (wha'??)??
Yeah...that one.
I kept telling myself, and everyone else, that it was "no big deal," downplaying it as much as possible. As much as I like to be the center of attention, I'm uncomfortable with praise. It makes me antsy. Then, we went to the awards ceremony, and I've got to say...it was pretty legit. They even gave me a name tag. And we got to eat quiche and pound cake. Now that's official.
Graham informed me, "Whit, you should get awards more often. I feel like a rich person. Look, that's not just regular water. It's 'iced' water." I guess he was impressed with all of the tags on the various beverage dispensers.

But, all joking aside, I was very honored and touched by the award. They even said some pretty nice things about me. Like that I was a "natural" teacher. And a "superstar." It made my mom cry. I'm still blown away, and am incredibly humbled by the experience. Now...it's time to find myself a teaching job so I can have a desk to put my sweet award on.