Where were we?

Thursday's awards ceremony at the National Academy of Sciences was awesome. I can't think of a better word.

For starters, Ede, my close friend from high school, was able to attend. Ede works for New Mexico congresswoman Heather Wilson on Capitol Hill. Visiting her at work is pretty surreal. She stands in a smart business suit amid tall white columns and powerful politicians---the first of my friends to officially have crossed over into adulthood.

Jake’s high school buddy, Elias, now a concert pianist based in Washington DC also joined us. With Aunt Terri, Uncle Randy, Jake, Elias, Ede and me, our Miss New Mexico Science cheering section filled out nicely.

Soon, the theatre darkened and a large white screen lowered above the stage. A slideshow of the awardees headshots and hometowns was projected onto the screen accompanied by the Top Gun theme song. Next came a movie made up of cuts and clips from the week, heavily featuring an interview with Mom filmed a few days earlier. Having watched the filming over her interview, I must say I was not surprised that they used so much footage from it. A particularly thoughtful clip was when she described watching one of her students have an “aha!” moment in class.

Finally the feature presentation: I felt like a proud parent at a high school graduation as a I watched my Mom’s row stand up and ready themselves to cross the stage. My heartbeat quickened as Mom got closer and closer. Finally, “Rhonda Marie Spidell, New Mexico, Science”.

In Washington , it was so nice to get to meet my Mom's group of friends. With their help, I got tickets to every event and help physically getting myself to the events. I know the fellows are really going to miss each other.

above: Egda

Group photo: John, Heidi, Jennifer, Steve, Cassie, Deb, and Pam