We had a wonderful dose of good news this week and a little bowl of bad served up.

The bad: Dillen didn't get into the Global Education program at the elementary school we were gunning for. She's 8th on the waiting list which means it's really a hit or miss if we get a call. The children for the program are chosen by lottery. It's a great program and one I think Dillen would really excel in. And though I am not at all disappointed with the school she will be going to education-wise, it will pose inconveniences down the road (i.e., the drive through construction/traffic, no opportunity to walk the girls to school, double-duty-drop-off since the schools are split K-3 and 4-6). So, we are disappointed but it could be worse: Just over a year ago we thought we were going to have to homeschool the girls because of the school we were zoned for in Dana Point - one ranked worst in all of Orange County.

The good!: We went to dinner on Friday night and one of Dillen's karate instructors came in and asked if we needed a new studio schedule. Though the karate studio is right next door to the restaurant and the instructor probably just saw us walk through the parking lot, we thought it strange he would come in to offer us a new schedule. We looked at him a little puzzled and I asked, "Has something changed?" He smiled and put the schedule down in front of Dillen. There, at the top, was a picture of Dillen in her perfect little 5 year old refold and the words 'Student of the month: Dillen Slavin.' He also handed her a special patch to be attached to her gi. She didn't quite know what this meant but knew it was pretty special by our reactions. After dinner, we decided to head into the karate studio where the black belt/team demo class was taking place. Dillen's head instructor, Ms. Zeno, came to the lobby to greet and congratulate her - as did about 4 other students/student teachers Dillen knows. They surrounded her with hugs, high fives, congratulations and smiles - basically, Dillen was feeling the love. She was beyond happy. Ms. Zeno asked if she would like to watch a special demonstration and Dillen said yes. As Ms. Zeno took Dillen into the studio, she made the announcement to the class that "the student of the month would like to see a demonstration." The two students who performed did an awesome job and Dillen's eyes were glued to them. When it was over, Dillen quickly responded, "That was really cool!" :)

Here are some pictures from the night Dillen received her yellow belt: