I have to tell you about a great day in my life! :]
So the day was supposed to start out with my twin sister, Jackie, and I going out to our high-school and speaking to the College Preparatory Class (CEP) at 11:00 about the UNLV Honors College and explain how students could ease their pain when reigstering with the Honors College at the University Nevada Las Vegas…so I thought!!!! However‚ I had been set up, and in the end, the day would unfold much differently than I had anticipated.
Let me backtrack a little
Jackie and I left our house at 10:30 in the morning, stopped at Stabucks and got a tall, Non-fat, Sugar-Free Vanilla Latte, with a Sweet-N-Low (remember, i am a diabetic, but real sugar would‚Äôve been soooo much better! oh well, some day.) Soon we were back on the road again, and to quote the fabulous Country Artist, Dierks Bentley, “free and easy down the road I go‚” but i don’t think Dierks Bentley had us going as slow as Jackie was driving. The only good news was, she stayed in the far right lane on the freeway so she wouldn‚Äôt bother anyone else. The slower we went, the more annoyed i was becoming, since the speed limit was 65 mph and she was doing 55 to 60..tops! One after another, cars, trucks, motorcycles, were flying by!! Eventually, we made it a little further than half way to the school, but were side tracked when Jackie’s phone rang and it turned out to be our Principal, who asked if we wouldn‚Äôt mind getting her a coffee‚ Jackie told me what our Principal wanted, and then got off the freeway. Once again, we went to Starbucks, to get some more coffee. This took about another 10 minutes, and eventually, we got back in our car, and i was relieved, becuase I knew that once we were back on the freeway, school was the next exit, leaving us enough time to prepare ourselves before the CEP class started.
However, this morning was anything but normal, and that includes Jackie, who, as we went to get on the Freeway, a route we drove every day during the past semester, got on going the wrong direction! As i tried to tell her I thought we were going the wrong way, Jackie, who ususally has a better sense of direction then me, assured me that I was wrong and she was right, “No Mollie, I am sure this is the right way!!!” Jackie remained “Sure” until we started passing buildings and mountains that looked very familiar, as though we had just passed them….Oops! We went the wrong way! And there went all the extra time i thought we had to prepare for our presentation! Jackie sheepishly looked at me, smiled her Garfield smile, turned around, and finally headed in the right direction.
Untimately, we reached Nevada State High School, and Jackie, who normally likes to leave parking spaces that are close to the entrance, for students or professors who may need a close spot, chose to be extra generous today, and parked the car across the street from the school‚ farthest parking lot, which was over the river and thru the woods, not to mention we were almost past the railroad tracks (for anyone who goes to NSHS)! I was terribly flustered, not to mention agitated‚ after all, here i was dressed very nicely in my new black shoes, which are now grey from the dirt and dust I walked through to cross the road. To make matter worse and in an attempt to hurry up, both Jackie and I spilled a mocha/latte on our white capris. I tried to shirk it off, and relieved my irritation by marching across the street ahead of my sister. I was walking so fast that I left her on the side of the road, but i could hear in the distance a faint voice, yelling, “Mooooolllllllieeee, wait! i have to lock the car!” I knew she could catch up with me, so i kept walking, determined one of us would get to class on time.
As we arrived at the front doors of the school, Allyson, a friend of ours, talked to us for a while outside and then Allyson opened the door, knowing we needed to get inside. In hindsight, if i had thought about it all, i would have realized that my sister, Allyson, the principal Dr. Hawk, were all stalling for more time, because I was about to be honored but since i insisted that we leave early, i would have gotten to school before everyone else was ready to make the presentation. But having no idea that i was going to school for any other reason than the presentation that i was supposed to make, I just never ever put the pieces together. Anyway, when Dr. Hawk met us at the door she said, “come on girls! they’re all waiting for you!” I thought it was strange that she seemed so rushed, when it was her idea to stop and get her a coffee, but as Jackie jokingly said, she was only out of sorts becuase she hadn’t had her coffee yet!
We walked up the hallway to the CEP class, Jackie opened the door and I followed her inside the room only to discover a room full of students, who immediately began yelling “SURPRISE!!!!!!” i even heard someone say, “Happy Birthday!” (haha). I looked around to see who they were yelling surprise to, and when i looked back, I saw my parents, my grandparents and Jackie looking at me, and then I realized that they were talking to me.
I was ushered to the front of the room, where a very nice gentlemen from Prudential, named Mr. Hartung , explained to me and my peers that i was being honored by Prudential and the NASSP, with the Prudential Spirit of Community Award, for Outstanding Community Service. This was truly a humbling, yet rewarding experieince.
If you’re wondering what i am doing in this next picture, it may not be apparent, but the Medellion was deceivingly heavy, and I was having a hard time getting my hair out of the ribbon, it was all good.
All of a sudden i heard someone yelling “sppeeecchh!!” and with that, Dr. Hawk said, “Mollie, would you like to say something?”
It took me a second to regain my composure, and it may not have been the best speech i have ever given, but everyone there knows it came from my heart, i only hope I didn’t forget to acknowledge someone. I thanked my family, who has always supported and inspiried me, as well as, Dr. Hawk and Dr. Hawk, for nominating me. All of my friends who have helped me every step of the way, and especially everyone with Prudential and NASSP for recognizing young people who are simply trying to better their communities‚ i was so honored and grateful to everyone for a memorable morning!
For the record‚ I may have won the award, but my sister is my hero! There is nothing that i have done to win this award, that Jackie hasn’t done as well‚ she has always been with me every step of the way‚ she is my inspriation, i love you sooo much Jack!
Then, for a few seconds, i got to hug Dr. Hawk (pictured above), my sister, my family, and my friends, before I was wisked away for an interview with the Las Vegas NBC affiliate, Channel 3 News. However, as a diabetic, I knew i needed to test my blood sugar prior to be being interviewed, just to make sure i was able to think clearly, and it was no great surprise to discover my blood sugar was a little high (220), but at least my blood sugar wasn’t low and i knew i could safely be interviewed. We went to a quiet room and did the interview, which went well, except for the fact that i kept fidgeting with the medallion, and the camera-man politely said, “can you just set it down?” that was so funny! :] I was just a little overwhelmed, it was a true surprise.
After the interview, we took some more pictures and hung out with our friends and then saw Professor Phelan, our Philosophy professor from last semester. We talked with her forever, and after working up a ravinous appetite, we went to lunch with Ashley and our Mom joined us for a good old fashioned burger‚ oh well, we can’t always eat healthy.
Pictured above are some of my friends! Allyson, Alex, Me, Jackie, and Ashley-and to Ashley i give a special thanks for changing her plans, just so she could be there for me today. “Thats what friends are for!”
But this is what “Family” is for, above are our grandparents, who have always supported everything Jackie and I did and as usual, they didn’t let us down today‚ when my grandfather discovered that he had a doctor’s appointment at the same time as the award presentation, he called the doctor’s office and had them reschedule his visit, so yes‚ that’s what family is for! I love you sooo much, grandma and grandpa you are the best!
These are all some of the people who have inspired me and keep me doing what I do.
