State Sterling Scholar Finals 2019

Tonight was the Awards Ceremony for the State Sterling Scholars and our Crafty was up for a possible award in Family and Consumer Sciences. It was a stressful evening, both getting there and then waiting while they gave out numerous awards in other categories. There were 12 finalists in each group and that meant plenty of waiting.

We dropped Crafty off at the Conference Center Theater at 5:00 and then we drove to PF Changs for dinner. I had been so excited all day for this date with my sweetie and when we finally got our table and it was time to order, all I could think about was my pounding migraine. I'm not really the sort of person who gets these types of headaches unless I am really stressed or really tired. Today I was both.

I was pretty certain that Crafty had a good shot at winning and that made it even harder. There were 168 kids on that stage and all of them were amazing scholars and all of them wanted to win.

When it was finally time for the FACS category, all 12 girls walked to center stage and then as their names were read, each stepped forward from the group and gave the audience a wave. Then it was time to announce the winners. Two words into the announcement for runner up and I knew it was Crafty. Then they called her name and she stepped forward.

For half a second, I was a bit disappointed, but then I was elated! None of our other children had gotten this far. Princess stood on that stage a few years ago, but she was not called to stand in the winners circle, and now Crafty was one of 2 students chosen to be runner up to the State Sterling Scholar FACS winner. Along with her title came a scholarship for $1000 to be used at any school.

Following the ceremony, we were treated to a nice reception with fruit and various sweets. Then Crafty stood in line to receive her certificate and a swag bag. After a few more pics, we headed for the elevators. Crafty's quest for the winners circle was over and as we climbed in the car, I realized that my headache was gone too.

Raising kids is hard work and picking up the pieces of a shattered dream is never fun, but there is nothing like the feeling of watching your child walk across the stage, realizing that the hard work, sweat, and sometimes tears, had all paid off.

So proud of you, Crafty!