My son passed the first of the four sections of the CPA exam today. Still three more to go but this was a great confidence booster for him. So happy for him!
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Old timers know that I lead the evening bookclub at our city library. Tonight was The Silent Patient. We had 17 people come, half newcomers, in August!!! Not a great book, but a lively discussion.
Today, my Irish dancing daughter finally won first in one the solo dances she’s competed in 31 times over 4+ years. She needed that 1st place win to move up to the next level. She persisted!! So proud of her!! Getting tears in my eyes just thinking about it ?
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D has been named a Susquehanna Scholar (GPA higher than 3.75). She didn’t make honor roll many times in high school, but she’s worked really hard in college. The recognition program is during family weekend, which I had already planned to attend! 
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The first service puppy I raised has been retired and is coming home to us. Every time a puppy leaves us to go on to training and work, I have to sqiush down my feelings of sadness and loss, though I am always so proud of them, too. I still remember the last walk I had with that puppy and how I hid in my bed and cried after she left. I had no idea if I would ever see her again. And now she’s coming back for good tomorrow. I can’t wait.
What a wonderful homecoming that will be! How old is she now?
Yay! We are getting more healthcare providers to attend our annual event so they can share info with the patients they serve! I’m very pleased!
I’m proud of the Governor of Michigan who has banned the sale of flavored e-tobacco products because of the dangers and harms to people in the state. I hope other follow his lead. More than half the HS kids in our state have used flavored electronic smoking devices and it’s very scary with young people being hospitalizaed and some dying.
@VeryHappy She’s almost four. She had a short career because she wound up being used for breeding since she had really good traits for her “profession”. She was a remarkably healthy, intelligent, confident, and calm puppy. Now she has given birth to twenty-two puppies of her own, and all will be raised and trained to be service dogs…if everything goes well with each of them.
It was so amazing to see how happy she was when she got here and how well she remembers everything, like she never left. And D20–the one who would wake up with her at four in the morning when she first came to us–is still her favorite person. I expected her to be tired and worn out after having twenty-rwo kids but she’s been very playful and affectionate.
I kind of feel like I do when all my kids come home for a holiday and we’re all under one roof.
Once things settle down, I will explore a second career for her. These dogs that are bred for working are much happier when they kept busy and challenged. She might be a good therapy dog to visit nursing home residents or college students or a good listener for beginning readers to read to at the library. For now, she is helping me with my current service puppy.
@HImom Thanks for sharing that good news. I had been feeling so down about this vaping epidemic and hoping someone would step up.
Not only are HS students I know seriously addicted, nicotine vaping products are being used among elementary students at school in our area. And it seems some of this kids are moving on to other substances. Maybe it would have happened anyway, but I’d like to see a study done examining nicotine vaping as a “gateway” drug.
My D got engaged this weekend to a wonderful young man.
It scares me that people are essentially playing “russian roulette” with their lungs and bodies. There is evidence that vaping is indeed a gateway to other dangerous substances and behaviors. Just when we were doing so well in convincing so many that tobacco was bad and should be avoided. Whack-a-mole time!
Yay! I’m slowly learning to use the internet for more of my financial transactions–was able to deposit a check with online app taking photos of front and back of check; was able to pay estimated taxes for both state and federal government via online instead of writing a check and having to print our SSNs on the check (really, governments, have you not heard of ID theft)! Phew! D’s happy I’m entering the 21sth century, screaming and yelling maybe, but working towards it.
I WIRED MY SON’S LAST TUITION PAYMENT TO THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF BEIRUT TODAY!!!
About 1 1/3 semesters to pay off for my daughter, then we’re DONE!
Another “good.” Last spring, I contacted my kids’ high school and connected the social worker with NAMI Maine. As a result, the school is going to be one of the first in the state to implement a suicide prevention program called Sources of Strength. https://sourcesofstrength.org/ I heard a presentation on it and it sounds AWESOME! NAMI Maine has received a grant of $420,000/year for five years to fund the program in Maine schools. It feels really good to have accomplished this. 
Congratulations @MaineLonghorn, great to hear about something positive in my home state.
I’ve got a painting on display at the China Institute gallery in NYC and two were accepted for a juried show at a local art association.
Celebrating my brother’s first book release today! So cool to see/watch/listen to all the press/interviews for the book.
@MACmiracle consider taking your dog to a children’s hospital to visit sick kids on a regular basis. My D spent lots of time in 2 different Children’s hospitals while she was in high school. She was hooked up to all sorts of machines. The only times she was unhooked and moved to portable machines was when a therapy dog was visiting in the children’s play room. The doctor gave her permission to go for 20 minutes or so to pet the dog, then come right back to bed and the permanent machines.
@MaineLonghorn we now live in a different state and school district than where my kids graduated. I just heard that the schools that are now local to printed the national suicide hotline number on all student ID’s this year. I think schools are starting to take student’s mental health more seriously.
@bajamm, I hope so. A NAMI Board member who lives up the coast in a rural area is very discouraged at the response she gets when she tries to get mental health programs introduced at schools there. Nobody is interested. 